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After Toolkit > Generators > Timecode
Timecode

Make timestamps and time counters in After Effects


Create digital clocks, countdowns, stopwatches, timestamps in no time.
timecode
Timecode creates a time-based string counting up or down.
Timecode Logo
Timecode
Timecode - Quickstart Guide
Open your After Toolkit and click on Timecode.
timecode
First, select the timecode format you want to use, Clock Time displays digital clock-like numbers with dividers and time units, whereas Simple Digits displays numbers without formatting and without any specific unit.
By default, Timecode generates a timestamp with your composition's current time, that starts at the in-point of your layer.
Select how many numbers you want to display, the type of Divider between each pair of numbers, and the amount of time you want your time code to start from.
The Output Sample is showing you an example of what your generated string will look like.
timecode 1
The Simple Digits format offers similar options as the previous format. If the string length is higher than the value length, padding zeros will automatically be added.
Animation options make your time code go up or down, at the pace you want.
Once you hit OK, a new text field is generated.
Double-click on the text field to add your own custom text to the string.
timecode 2
Once you hit OK, you can edit each setting for each individual layer in the Effect Controls Panel.
You can also change every setting by reopening the same panel, with your layers selected, and applying new settings that will replace the previous ones.
Reset
Everytime you apply custom settings, they are saved for the next time you use it again. Reset to default values will revert to original settings, before you ran it for the first time.

Timecode in action:
Timecode Example 1
Timecode Example 2