How To Use seedRandom Expression in After Effects
February 26, 2025 · Mike Murphy
This tutorial will show you how to use the seedRandom Expression with the wiggle expression in Adobe After Effects CC 2025.
Description
**This tutorial will show you how to use the seedRandom Expression with the wiggle expression in Adobe After Effects CC 2025.
wiggle(3,50);
Frequency (3): It wiggles 3 times per second.
Amplitude (50): It moves up to 50 pixels away from its original spot.
- seedRandom(seed,true):
‘Seed’ is just an identifier: The seed (whether a number like 1 or index or a slider value) is like a label that tells After Effects, “Hey, use this random pattern.” It doesn’t change the size or speed—just picks which wiggle you get. - “index is the layer’s number—1, 2, 3—so each layer gets a unique seed.
- ‘true’ keeps it consistent: Spot on. Setting seedRandom(seed, true) makes the randomness “timeless”—the wiggle pattern stays the same throughout the animation and every time you play it.
- ‘false’ makes it unpredictable: If you use seedRandom(seed, false), the randomness becomes “time-based”—the wiggle pattern changes every frame, making it unpredictable.
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro: About The Tutorial
00:30 Add Wiggle Expression to Position
00:50 Wiggle Expression Values
01:17 Copy + Paste Wiggle
01:44 Seed Number
02:14 Seed Random Expression
02:33 seedRandom + True/False
03:23 Control Wiggle (Seed Number)
04:31 Seed Random + Index
04:54 Index Column in Layers Panel
05:29 Duplicating Layers w/Seed Numbers
05:57 Change Seed Number to Index
06:30 Advantage of Using Index
06:57 Change Index to Seed Number
**Software Used:
**Adobe After Effects CC 2025 (Click To Try or Buy)
How To Use seedRandom Expression (Seed Number**)**
- Add Logo, Text or Footage Layer
- Select Footage Layer
- Tap ‘P’ for Position Property
- Enter seedRandom(1, true);
wiggle(3,50) - Duplicate footage layer (as many times as you want)
- Tap Spacebar to Preview
- Animations will wiggle the same because Seed Number is the same.
- Change the seed number (first number in seedRandom) to add variety of wiggle
How To Use seedRandom Expression (Index)
- Add Logo, Text or Footage Layer
- Select Footage Layer
- Tap ‘P’ for Position Property
- Enter seedRandom(index,true);
wiggle(3,50) - Duplicate footage layer (as many times as you want)
- Tap Spacebar to Preview
- Animations will wiggle differently because Seed Number Index assigns random seed to each layer