Batch rename layers in After Effects with AI
Yes, you can batch rename layers in After Effects with AI: describe the rule to ChatGPT, Claude or any MCP client connected to Prism, and every layer and project item in every comp is renamed by what it is.
Free renamers are good at patterns: add a prefix, number the selection, find this string. The rename that needs a person is the one by content. This text layer says Summer sale, so it is TXT_Summer_sale. This solid is #1A1A1A, so it is BG_1A1A1A. That is a decision per layer, and you describe it once.
What you say, and what lands
| You type | What changes in your project |
|---|---|
| "Across every comp: rename text layers TXT_ plus their first three words, solids BG_ plus their hex, precomps PRE_ plus the comp name." | Every layer of those three kinds renamed by what it contains, in every comp, in one undo group |
| "Label all audio layers blue and all adjustment layers yellow." | Labels set project-wide |
| "Move every comp not used by another comp into a _Renders folder. Leave the rest." | The top-level comps moved, precomps left where they are |
| "In this comp, rename each footage layer after its source file, without the extension." | Layer names match the Project panel |
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
Pattern renamers, and this
| A free renamer | With Prism | |
|---|---|---|
| Prefix, suffix, number, find and replace | yes | yes |
| Name by the text a layer contains | no | yes |
| Name by colour, source file or type | no | yes |
| Different rules for different kinds in one pass | no | yes |
| Labels, folders and unused comps in the same turn | no | yes |
| Where it runs | the selection, or one comp | every comp and the Project panel |
Organising the project
| You type | What lands |
|---|---|
| "Put every item in a folder by type: Comps, Precomps, Footage, Solids, Audio." | Project panel sorted, nothing renamed |
| "Find items that are not used by any comp and list them." | A list, no change. Delete or keep, your call |
| "Rename every comp to the client code plus its current name." | PRJ042_Hero, PRJ042_Lower_Third, and so on |
Expressions that name layers
Renaming a layer that an expression refers to by name can break the expression. Ask for the plan first, and say "skip layers referenced by expressions" if the project is full of them.
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 is enough; renaming and relabelling use MCP actions, not Prism AI credits |
What it does not do
It does not look at pixels. A layer is named by its text, its source, its colour or its type, not by what a still image shows. It does not rename files on disk: the Project panel changes, the footage folder does not.
Common questions
Related
Change a colour
Change a color across all comps in After Effects with AI: give the old hex, the new hex and the layers to skip, and every matching fill and stroke is updated.
Expressions
Write After Effects expressions with AI: ChatGPT or Claude reads the property in your open comp, writes the expression, applies it and reads back any error.