<p>I would use a particle system to do this, like Particular or Particle World.</p>

<p>Particular is part of the Trapcode Suite of AE plugins, and is the easiest to use.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.redgiant.com/products/all/trapcode-particular/" rel="nofollow">http://www.redgiant.com/products/all/trapcode-particular/</a></p>

<p>Generate a load of particles in random positions
Make a pre-comp with all the different text layers on different frames, so one text object per frame.
Tell the particle generator to use the pre-comp to texture the particles
Have the particles emit from a central point to their random positions.
Then time reverse the whole comp.</p>

<p>This video tutorial explains how to get different textures (in this case different leaf images) on to each particle:</p>

<p><div class="youtube-embed"><div>
                <iframe width="640px" height="395px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bJnU3ecmZcs?start=0"></iframe>
            </div></div></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-26T22:17:46.073Z
2013-07-26T22:17:46.073Z
tomh
<p>I currently have around 100 text layers placed in the middle of my composition in After Effects. What I would like to do is randomly place this layers around the middle and then create an animation where they are all moved to the center again.</p>

<p>Is it possible to do this without manually placing the layers?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-25T20:31:50.287Z
I forget the exact setting (I'll check it later), but there should be something in Keyframe Assistant for doing what you are talking about.  I believe it is called Jitter.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-26T00:00:48.453Z
Nope, I take it back, I couldn't find what I was looking for.  Wiggler might be another term to look for though, but I couldn't find it in CS6.  It might also not do what you are looking for as I'm starting to remember what I did with it before.
AJ Henderson
<after-effects><animation><automation>
AE - Randomly place ~100 layers and then move to the middle
Oskar Persson
# AE - Randomly place ~100 layers and then move to the middle

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-04-25)

I currently have around 100 text layers placed in the middle of my composition in After Effects. What I would like to do is randomly place this layers around the middle and then create an animation where they are all moved to the center again.

Is it possible to do this without manually placing the layers?

**Tags:** after-effects, animation, automation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I forget the exact setting (I'll check it later), but there should be something in Keyframe Assistant for doing what you are talking about.  I believe it is called Jitter.  
> **username_1**: Nope, I take it back, I couldn't find what I was looking for.  Wiggler might be another term to look for though, but I couldn't find it in CS6.  It might also not do what you are looking for as I'm starting to remember what I did with it before.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-07-26. Score: 1

I would use a particle system to do this, like Particular or Particle World.

Particular is part of the Trapcode Suite of AE plugins, and is the easiest to use.

<http://www.redgiant.com/products/all/trapcode-particular/>

Generate a load of particles in random positions
Make a pre-comp with all the different text layers on different frames, so one text object per frame.
Tell the particle generator to use the pre-comp to texture the particles
Have the particles emit from a central point to their random positions.
Then time reverse the whole comp.

This video tutorial explains how to get different textures (in this case different leaf images) on to each particle:


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