Wiggle Effects – Expression in Adobe After Effects: Step-by-Step Guide

The wiggle() expression in Adobe After Effects is a powerful tool to create dynamic, random motion in your animations without using keyframes. It’s widely used for shaking effects, random movement of text, camera, or any other layer.

🧠 What is the Wiggle Expression?

The wiggle() function randomly varies the position, rotation, scale, or any other property over time.

Basic Syntax:

wiggle(frequency, amplitude)

frequency: How many times per second the wiggle happens
amplitude: How far the property moves from its original value

✏️ How to Apply Wiggle in After Effects

🔹 Step 1: Select the Layer

Click on the layer where you want to apply the wiggle effect (e.g., a text layer, shape, null object).

🔹 Step 2: Open Property Options

Hit P for Position, R for Rotation, or S for Scale, depending on what you want to wiggle.

🔹 Step 3: Add an Expression

Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and click the stopwatch icon next to the property.

🔹 Step 4: Type the Wiggle Expression

wiggle(3, 30)

This makes the layer wiggle 3 times per second with 30 pixels (or degrees) of variation.

🔧 Useful Variations of Wiggle

🌀 Wiggle Only on X-Axis

wiggle(2, [50, 0])

🎯 Wiggle with Controlled Frequency via Slider

Add a Slider Control from Effects & Presets
Rename it to Frequency
Add another for Amplitude
Use this expression on Position:

wiggle(effect("Frequency")("Slider"), effect("Amplitude")("Slider"))

🎬 Wiggle Only When Layer is Visible

if (thisLayer.inPoint < time && thisLayer.outPoint > time) {
  wiggle(2, 20)
} else {
  value
}

🧩 Real World Uses

Camera shake (e.g., for action or earthquake scenes)
Text bounce or twitch
Flicker effects
Organic movement of objects like leaves or clouds

🚫 How to Stop Wiggle After Time

t = 3; // seconds
if (time < t) {
  wiggle(3, 20)
} else {
  value
}

🧪 Combining Wiggle with Other Expressions

You can combine wiggle() with value or linear() to create more complex animations.

value + wiggle(1, 10)

📝 Conclusion

The wiggle expression is a fast, flexible way to add natural, random motion in Adobe After Effects. Mastering it can save you hours of manual keyframing and make your animations more dynamic and professional.

Learnoy