Animatic in After Effects with AI
An animatic in After Effects with AI starts with your boards and voiceover: ChatGPT, Claude or any MCP client connected to Prism places them in your open comp, one layer per shot, timed to the words.
Every After Effects animatic tutorial stops at "sync them with the visuals". The syncing is the job. Boards, a voiceover and a shot list that says which board belongs to which sentence are all the AI needs to lay the timeline out.
What you say, and what lands
| You type | What appears in your comp |
|---|---|
| "Import the 24 PNGs in ~/boards in filename order, one layer each, bottom-first. Transcribe the VO layer, then start each board at the sentence marker it belongs to (boards 1–3 = sentence 1, 4–5 = sentence 2, and so on from the shot list I paste). Add a shot-number text layer top-left and a timecode burn-in. Hard cuts only." | 24 image layers in order, a [Transcript] guide layer with markers, each board's in-point at its sentence, a shot-number layer and a burn-in |
| "Shot 7 runs long. Hold it until the end of 'that is why we built it' and push everything after it." | One in-point changed, later boards shifted with it |
| "Swap board 4 for the new PNG and keep its timing." | One layer replaced, timing untouched |
| "Board 12 is missing. Generate a placeholder at the playhead: empty kitchen, pencil sketch." | One image at the playhead, paid from your Prism AI balance |
Test it on your own project. A Free account is enough to start: Sign up, then connect your AI and ask for this.
How to do it
Timing choices
| Choice | What to say |
|---|---|
| Frame rate | The rate of the final delivery; 24 fps for animation is usual |
| Cuts | Hard by default; "6-frame dissolve between shots" if wanted |
| A board with no dialogue | "Hold board 9 for two seconds" |
| A scratch voiceover | Time to it now; re-transcribe the final read and the in-points follow |
A missing frame
Image generation makes one image per run at the playhead, a Prism AI capability paid from your balance. Use it for a placeholder plate or one missing board, not the set.
What it needs
| After Effects | 2024, 2025 or 2026, macOS or Windows |
| AI client | any MCP client: ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and others |
| Plan | a Free account covers import and timing (MCP actions); transcription and image generation are Prism AI capabilities, Pro, paid from your balance |
What it does not do
It does not draw your storyboard or break a script into shots. The boards and the shot list are yours; Prism places and times them.
Common questions
Related
Walk cycle
Walk cycle in After Effects with AI: contact, down, passing and up keyframed on your rig's IK goals, arms counter-swung, body bob added, looped with loopOut.
Recreate a reference
Recreate an animation in After Effects with AI: show ChatGPT or Claude the reference, a video, GIF or Dribbble shot, and it lands in your comp as editable layers.