AEScripts Punchframe v1.0.1 for After Effects Free Download

AEScripts Punchframe v1.0.1 Script for After Effects Full Version Free Download

Keeping track of time on creative projects sounds simple until a project involves dozens of revisions, rendering sessions, reference research, and different versions of the same After Effects file. Manually starting and stopping timers can quickly become another task to remember. AEScripts Punchframe v1.0.1 takes a different approach by automatically tracking how much time you actually spend working on each After Effects project.

Designed by AfterpostFX, Punchframe works quietly in the background and records project activity without requiring users to start a timer or manually classify every session. It is aimed particularly at freelancers and studios that need reliable working-hour information for estimating, reporting, and client billing.

What Is Punchframe for After Effects?

Punchframe is an automatic time-tracking script and panel for Adobe After Effects. Its main purpose is to keep track of real working hours without requiring constant interaction from the artist.

Once installed, Punchframe can run in the background when After Effects is open. The panel itself does not have to remain visible for tracking to continue. Opening a project starts the tracking process automatically, eliminating the need for traditional start and stop controls.

This makes the system particularly appealing for artists who frequently forget to activate manual timers or who find conventional time-tracking applications disruptive.

Track Projects Automatically

Punchframe tracks time based on the project itself rather than individual sessions or file versions. This is useful when a project contains multiple saved versions such as _v01, _v02, _v03, and so on.

Instead of treating every version as a separate job, Punchframe groups them by project folder. This gives freelancers and studios a more practical overview of the total time spent on a production.

The system can also recognise unsaved work and associate it with the correct project once the project is first saved.

Automatic Render Detection

Rendering can consume a significant amount of production time, but separating render time from active creative work can be difficult when using ordinary timers. Punchframe automatically detects renders and RAM previews and reports that time separately.

This provides more detailed information when reviewing a project, allowing users to distinguish between time spent actively working and time spent waiting for output.

For production teams, this kind of information can be useful when evaluating workflows and understanding where project time is actually being consumed.

Recover Time Spent Away from After Effects

Creative work does not always happen directly inside After Effects. Artists may browse references, work in Photoshop, use AI tools, search for assets, or perform other research before returning to the project.

Punchframe includes an idle recovery system that monitors the applications being used while the artist is away from After Effects. When the user returns, Punchframe asks which activity should count toward the project.

The system can show a breakdown of the applications used during the away period, allowing relevant time to be added without automatically assuming that every minute away from After Effects was work.

Track by Project Instead of File

Many After Effects workflows involve constant versioning. A client project might eventually contain dozens of .aep files, but they all represent the same underlying job.

Punchframe addresses this by tracking project folders instead of individual files. This creates a cleaner record and prevents working hours from becoming fragmented between different versions.

It can also filter out short accidental visits to older project versions, helping keep reports focused on meaningful work.

Team Time Tracking Without a Server

Punchframe also supports team tracking without requiring a separate server or online account. Time logs are stored inside the project’s own folder, meaning that users sharing the same project can have their working hours merged automatically.

Each person’s time remains separately identifiable while a combined total can be displayed for the project.

For a small studio or distributed team working from a shared project folder, this provides a relatively simple way to maintain a shared record of production hours without setting up an external tracking platform.

Reports and CSV Export

Punchframe includes reporting tools designed for turning tracked activity into usable production data. Reports can be organised by project, person, and day, with options for different time ranges and filtering.

The tool also supports one-click CSV export, allowing the filtered data to be opened in applications such as Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets.

This makes the information more useful for freelancers preparing invoices or studios reviewing how much time was spent on individual projects.

Privacy-Focused Offline Tracking

One notable aspect of Punchframe is that it is designed to work entirely offline. According to the official product information, tracked hours remain on the local computer and inside the user’s project folders rather than being uploaded to a remote service. No account is required for normal operation.

For production environments where project information and working-hour data need to remain local, this can be an important consideration.

For complete product details and the latest compatibility information, visit the official AEScripts Punchframe page.

Punchframe v1.0.1

Punchframe v1.0.1 is the initial release listed by AEScripts, dated September 11, 2026. The product is positioned as a zero-touch time tracker for After Effects, with automatic project tracking, render detection, idle recovery, team hours, and reporting included in the initial release.

The current AEScripts listing shows a regular price of $29, with a promotional price of $22.99 through September 25, 2026, along with a free trial.

Compatibility

Punchframe currently supports After Effects 2021 through 2026. The application is available for both Windows and macOS, making it suitable for individual freelancers as well as teams working across different desktop platforms.

Who Should Use Punchframe?

Punchframe is particularly useful for freelancers who bill by the hour, studios that need production-hour visibility, and artists who want accurate records without manually operating a timer.

It can also be useful for teams trying to understand how much time is spent on rendering, research, revisions, and actual After Effects work across a project.

Final Thoughts

AEScripts Punchframe v1.0.1 approaches time tracking from a practical perspective: instead of asking artists to remember to start a timer, it attempts to make tracking automatic. Its project-based organisation, render detection, idle-time recovery, team tracking, detailed reports, and CSV export make it more useful than a basic stopwatch.

For freelancers, accurate time records can make billing easier, while studios can use the resulting data to better understand project effort and production efficiency. By keeping the tracking process largely invisible, Punchframe is designed around a simple philosophy: artists should focus on creating while the software keeps track of the hours in the background.

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