AEScripts Retend v1.0 for After Effects Free Download

AEScripts Retend v1.0 for After Effects Script WIN/MAC Full Version Free Download

AEScripts Retend v1.0 is an After Effects workflow script designed to solve a very specific but extremely frustrating problem: changing the duration or playback speed of a project with deeply nested precompositions. Instead of opening every nested composition, adjusting layer durations, retiming keyframes and trying to keep everything synchronized, Retend can extend or retime the entire precomp tree in one operation.

AEScripts Retend official page

What is Retend?

Retend is essentially a recursive timing and resolution management tool for After Effects.

Imagine a project where your main composition contains several precomps, those precomps contain additional precomps, and those contain even more layers and animations. You suddenly discover that the complete sequence needs to be three seconds longer.

Normally, you would have to open each relevant composition, extend its duration, adjust layer out-points and check the entire hierarchy. If the animation also needs to become faster or slower, you then have to deal with keyframes and markers throughout the nested structure.

Retend is designed to handle that entire hierarchy as a single operation. You select a precomp layer, specify what you want the timing to become, and let the script propagate the change through every nested composition.

Recursive Extend

The Extend operation increases the duration of an entire precomp tree without changing the timing of its keyframes.

Every nested composition grows by the same amount regardless of how deeply it is nested. Layers that already reach the old end of the composition are extended to the new end, while layers that were deliberately trimmed shorter remain where they were.

This is useful when the animation itself is already correct but the composition simply needs more room at the end.

For example, a five-second sequence can become eight seconds without forcing you to manually open every precomp and extend each timeline.

Recursive Retime

The Retime operation works differently.

Instead of simply adding duration, it proportionally scales the timing of the entire nested tree. Keyframes, markers and layer timing are adjusted together, while existing easing is preserved.

You can make the whole sequence faster or slower while keeping its internal timing relationships intact.

This is much more useful than simply stretching the final composition because the animation contained inside the nested precomps changes proportionally as well.

No Time Remapping

One of Retend’s biggest advantages is what it doesn’t do.

The script does not add a Time Remapping layer, and it does not change the composition’s frame rate.

That’s important because Time Remapping can introduce an additional layer of complexity into a project. A timing change made through Retend remains part of the actual composition and keyframe structure instead.

The result is a project that remains easier to understand when another artist opens it later.

Video and Audio Handling

Real video and audio need different treatment from keyframes because their playback speed isn’t represented as animation keyframes.

Retend therefore gives you a choice when a precomp contains footage. Change Speed stretches the footage so the same content plays faster or slower along with the retimed composition. Keep Native Speed preserves the original playback speed.

When the composition becomes shorter, the excess footage can be trimmed. When it becomes longer, Retend can extend the visible range using Cycle or Ping-pong behaviour.

This makes the script useful for projects combining motion graphics with actual video or audio elements.

Resolution Rescaling

Retend is also capable of changing composition resolution.

You can choose common targets such as Full HD, 2K and 4K, or specify a custom longest-side resolution. Precomp layers remain sharp because Continuously Rasterize is enabled automatically where appropriate.

This gives Retend another practical use beyond timing.

For example, a project initially designed at 1920×1080 can be prepared for a larger output without manually working through every nested composition.

Three-Step Workflow

The workflow is deliberately simple.

Select the tree → Set the target → Click once

You can select a specific precomp layer if you only want to modify that branch of the project. Alternatively, selecting nothing allows Retend to operate on the entire currently open composition.

The operation can then be reversed with a single undo.

That makes experimentation much easier. You can try a faster or slower version without worrying about having to manually undo dozens of individual changes.

What Retend Leaves Alone

Retend is deliberately narrow in scope.

It changes timing and resolution, while leaving the underlying structure of the composition alone. It does not re-parent layers, reorder them, rewrite effects or modify expressions.

That is important for production work because a timing adjustment shouldn’t unexpectedly restructure the project.

The script therefore functions more like a surgical tool than a general-purpose project optimizer.

Useful for Motion Design

Retend is particularly useful for motion designers working with complex precomp-heavy projects.

A title sequence may have several nested animation systems. A commercial may contain multiple precomposed scenes. An explainer video may have precomps nested several levels deep.

If the final client requests a different duration, manually retiming those structures can become a miserable task.

Retend turns that into a much more controlled operation.

Retend for Client Revisions

This is arguably where the tool becomes most valuable.

Suppose a client likes the animation but says:

“Make this 20% faster.”

Normally, that could mean adjusting timing throughout a complicated project and checking that everything still lines up.

With Retend, you can apply a proportional retime to the whole nested tree and then review the result.

The same applies when a project needs to become longer without changing the existing animation.

Retend vs Time Remapping

Time Remapping is useful, but it solves a different problem.

Time Remapping effectively changes how a layer plays back. Retend instead changes the actual timing structure inside the nested composition tree.

That means keyframes and markers are actually rescaled rather than merely playing back at a different rate.

For a clean production project, that difference can matter considerably.

Who Should Use Retend?

Retend makes the most sense for motion designers, animators, template creators and After Effects artists working with complicated precomp hierarchies.

It’s especially useful when projects are frequently revised or adapted to different durations.

For simple compositions with very little nesting, it is probably unnecessary. The more deeply nested the project becomes, the more valuable Retend becomes.

Version and Compatibility

Retend v1.0 was initially released on August 27, 2026. The official AEScripts listing currently supports After Effects 2020 through After Effects 2026 on its published compatibility table.

The current regular price is $29, with a promotional price of $22.99 through September 12, 2026. A free trial is also available.

Final Thoughts

AEScripts Retend v1.0 solves one of those After Effects problems that becomes exponentially worse as a project grows.

Changing the duration of a deeply nested project shouldn’t require opening composition after composition and manually repairing the timing. Retend handles the hierarchy recursively, whether you’re extending the project or proportionally retiming it.

The fact that it preserves easing, leaves frame rate untouched and avoids Time Remapping makes the result cleaner than many traditional workarounds. Its handling of video and audio also means it can work with mixed-media compositions rather than being limited to keyframed graphics.

The resolution-rescaling feature is a useful bonus, particularly for artists adapting existing projects to different delivery sizes.

Bottom line: Retend is a highly focused After Effects timing utility. You probably won’t need it every day, but when a client suddenly asks you to make a giant nested project longer, shorter, faster or slower, it can save an enormous amount of tedious manual work.

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