Install the After Effects panel
Download the panel, install it with ZXPInstaller, then send a finished alignment or Studio look straight into your composition.
- 01
Download the panel
One file for both Mac and Windows, for After Effects 2021 or newer.
Download the panelDirect linkhttps://lyrisync.com/downloads/lyrisync-ae-panel.zxp - 02
Install it
A .zxp needs a small free installer. Get ZXPInstaller, then follow the steps for your system.
- 03
Open it, then send
Open Window -> Extensions -> LyriSync and leave it open. On lyrisync.com, press Send to After Effects on a track and confirm in the panel. The lyrics arrive in your composition as editable text layers. No account or password needed.
Installing on macOS
- Get ZXPInstaller if you do not have it already. On its page choose the OS X download, open the .dmg, and drag ZXPInstaller into Applications. It is free, and one utility covers every Adobe extension you will ever install.
- Open ZXPInstaller and drag the panel onto its window. It confirms when the install is finished.
lyrisync-ae-panel.zxp - Quit After Effects completely and start it again, then open Window > Extensions > LyriSync. An extension added while After Effects is running does not appear until it restarts.
Installing on Windows
- Get ZXPInstaller if you do not have it already. On its page choose the Windows download and run the installer it gives you. It is free, and one utility covers every Adobe extension you will ever install.
- Open ZXPInstaller and drag the panel onto its window. It confirms when the install is finished.
lyrisync-ae-panel.zxp - Quit After Effects completely and start it again, then open Window > Extensions > LyriSync. An extension added while After Effects is running does not appear until it restarts.
If your system warns about an unidentified developer on first open, that is expected for a self-signed panel. On a Mac, right-click and choose Open. On Windows, click More info, then Run anyway.
ZXPInstaller did not work? Install by hand (macOS and Windows)
Use this if ZXPInstaller will not open the file or reports success and nothing appears.
By hand on macOS
- Rename the downloaded file so it ends in .zip instead of .zxp. Finder asks whether you are sure; say yes. If you cannot see the extension on the end of the name at all, turn on Finder > Settings > Advanced > "Show all filename extensions" first.
lyrisync-ae-panel.zip - Double-click the .zip. You get a folder called lyrisync-ae-panel. Rename that folder to the extension's own id:
com.tjcreate.lyrisync.aepanel - In Finder press shift-command-G, paste this, and press Return. Create any folder in that path that does not exist yet: on a Mac that has never had an Adobe extension installed, Adobe, CEP and extensions are all missing.
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions - Move the renamed folder inside. CSXS and index.html must sit directly in com.tjcreate.lyrisync.aepanel, not one folder deeper. If you can see a second folder of the same name, go into it and move that one instead.
- Open Terminal and run these three lines. They let After Effects load an extension it did not install itself, for both of the versions this panel supports, and then restart the preference daemon so the change is seen immediately.
defaults write com.adobe.CSXS.11 PlayerDebugMode 1 defaults write com.adobe.CSXS.12 PlayerDebugMode 1 killall cfprefsd - Quit After Effects completely and start it again, then open Window > Extensions > LyriSync.
By hand on Windows
- Rename the downloaded file so it ends in .zip instead of .zxp. If you cannot see the extension on the end of the name at all, turn on View > Show > "File name extensions" in File Explorer first.
lyrisync-ae-panel.zip - Right-click the .zip and choose Extract All. Rename the folder you get to the extension's own id:
com.tjcreate.lyrisync.aepanel - Paste this into File Explorer's address bar and press Enter. Create any folder in that path that does not exist yet: on a PC that has never had an Adobe extension installed, Adobe, CEP and extensions are all missing.
%APPDATA%\Adobe\CEP\extensions - Move the renamed folder inside. CSXS and index.html must sit directly in com.tjcreate.lyrisync.aepanel, not one folder deeper. Extract All often makes a second folder of the same name; if you see one, go into it and move that one instead.
- Open Command Prompt and run these two lines. They let After Effects load an extension it did not install itself, for both of the versions this panel supports.
reg add "HKCU\Software\Adobe\CSXS.11" /v PlayerDebugMode /t REG_SZ /d 1 /f reg add "HKCU\Software\Adobe\CSXS.12" /v PlayerDebugMode /t REG_SZ /d 1 /f - Quit After Effects completely and start it again, then open Window > Extensions > LyriSync.
The last command tells After Effects to load unsigned extensions from that folder, for every extension in it. Only put things there you meant to. Installing with ZXPInstaller never needs it.