ae trace tool — aps store

after effects plug-ins / ae trace tool

pick a color or let it find motion. ae trace tool boxes every region it sees, labels it and links them together, frame by frame, as fui overlays you can style.

features
01

color or motion

track a key color, or anything that moves between frames.

02

every piece is a control

brackets, rectangles or ellipses, markers, coordinate labels, links, arrows and a grid.

03

links with character

curved, straight, spline, smooth or step bends, or pcb traces.

04

try it first

until you activate it, it renders at half resolution with a watermark. everything else works.

in use
AE Trace Tool on studio drone footage of an empty street at night: bracket boxes around each streetlight and signal, corner coordinates and curved connecting lines, drawn by the plug-in's own renderer.
boxes, coordinates and curved links on every light.
AE Trace Tool on studio drone footage of an empty street at night: rectangles, index and coordinate labels, PCB-style traces and a grid inside each box.
pcb traces between regions, with a grid inside each box.
AE Trace Tool on studio drone footage of an empty street at night: ellipses with ring markers, numbered labels, dashed step-bend links from one hub and a dot grid.
ellipses, ring markers and a star of step bends.
AE Trace Tool's preview mode: the overlay drawn at half resolution with the preview watermark, before activation.
before you activate: half resolution, with a watermark.
before and after
The studio shot before AE Trace Tool.The same frame with AE Trace Tool's boxes, coordinates and links.
drag to compare the shot with the overlay.
how it works
  1. download the installer from your APS Suite account and pick your after effects versions during setup.
  2. apply ae trace tool and activate it in options.
  3. pick a color or motion, then style the overlay.
details
requirements
  • windows 10 (version 2004 / build 19041 or later) or 11, 64-bit
  • after effects 2026
  • admin rights to install (the installer isn't code-signed, so windows shows 'unknown publisher')
good to know
  • it renders on the cpu in 8, 16 and 32 bits per channel, with multi-frame rendering.
  • each frame is detected on its own, so a region can split or merge when it touches another.
  • after effects must be closed to install or update.
the installer

our installers aren't code-signed, so windows may say it doesn't recognize the app. choose 'more info' and 'run anyway', but only for an installer you downloaded from your account page.

version 1.1.1 · released 3 nov 2026.

privacy and trademarks

no ads, no analytics. it only goes online for the license check, for updates and for feedback you choose to send. questions: 'send feedback' in ae trace tool or [email protected].

other product names are trademarks of their owners. ae trace tool isn't affiliated with them.

third-party notices

questions
what can it track?

one key color, with a tolerance, or motion between frames. small regions are ignored below a minimum area you set.

does it need a graphics card?

no. it runs on the cpu, so it works on any pc that runs after effects 2026.

does it work with aerender and render farms?

activate each node with your Suite key. each activated PC counts toward your Suite machine limit.

does it upload my footage?

no. everything runs on your pc. nothing is uploaded except the license check and feedback you choose to send.

how do I get a license?

an APS Suite subscription includes this plug-in. your Suite key and downloads are on your account page.

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