RoundDiff Coming soon on aescripts
Coming soon on aescripts.com

RoundDiff

Spot every difference between two versions of your comp — in one click.

RoundDiff compares two versions of an After Effects composition and lists every difference — layers added or removed, timing shifts, transform changes, effect tweaks, and text edits — so you never miss a client revision again.

Coming soon on aescripts See how it works $29single-user license

Dockable ScriptUI panel · Adobe After Effects · No plug-ins required

Actual output 13 differences · RD_v1 → RD_v2
  • [Comp] (comp settings) — Frame rate changed
  • [Comp] (comp settings) — Duration changed
  • [Timing] BG — In point changed
  • [Transform] BG — Position value
  • [Effects] BG — Gaussian Blur > Blurriness
  • [Layers] Title NEW — Layer renamed
  • [Text] Title NEW — Source text changed
13 of 13 shown. Double-click a row to jump to it in comp “RD_v2”.

The problem

Did the client change something, or did you?

Every motion designer knows the moment: you open v2 of a project and something feels off — but what exactly changed?

Scrubbing through timelines layer by layer wastes time and still misses things: a slipped out point, a nudged position value, a quietly edited line of text. RoundDiff replaces the guesswork with a complete, frame-accurate list of every change between two versions.

  • 01Client revision QAAnswer “what changed since v1?” with evidence, not memory.
  • 02Team handoffsSee exactly what a teammate touched before you build on their work.
  • 03Pre-render checksCatch accidental edits before they cost a render.
  • 04Version archiveKeep a record of every round, saved as snapshots and CSV logs.

What it catches

Every category of change, in one list

RoundDiff walks both comps layer by layer and property by property, then reports the differences grouped by category — nothing eyeballed, nothing skipped.

Comp settings

Frame rate, duration, and dimensions — the project-level changes that are easiest to overlook and hardest to spot by eye.

Layers

Layers added, removed, or renamed between versions — matched up and listed, so a swapped asset never slips through.

Timing

In and out points compared with frame-accurate deltas — a slip shows up as exactly what it is, e.g. +25f.

Transforms

Position, scale, rotation, and opacity — static values and keyframes alike, reported old value → new value.

Effects

Effects added or removed, parameter changes, enabled and disabled states, and effect keyframes.

Text

Source text edits on text layers — see what the copy said in the old version and what it says now.

Workflow

Built for revision rounds, not just one comparison

A diff list is only useful if it plugs into how you already work. RoundDiff's results are navigable, saveable, and shareable.

Double-click to jump

Double-click any result and RoundDiff opens the comp, selects the layer, and moves the playhead to the exact frame where the change lives.

Snapshots

Save a JSON snapshot of any comp, then compare your current work against it days later — no need to keep duplicate comps cluttering the project.

CSV export

Export the full result list to CSV and hand a client or teammate a precise, line-by-line change log for the round.

Category filters

Filter results by category — timing only, effects only, whatever the round is about — to focus on what matters and hide the noise.

How it works

Three steps to the full change list

1

Select two comps

Pick any two compositions in your project — or load a saved JSON snapshot as one side of the comparison.

2

Hit Compare

RoundDiff scans both versions and lists every difference it finds, grouped by category and ready to filter.

3

Jump to the difference

Double-click any result to open the comp, select the layer, and land on the exact frame — no hunting.

Screenshots

See it in the panel

Real captures from the RoundDiff panel in After Effects 2023 — the same RD_v1 vs RD_v2 test project used throughout development.

The RoundDiff panel before comparing: A (old) set to comp RD_v1 and B (new) set to RD_v2, with Snap and File buttons, Refresh and Compare buttons, category filters for Comp, Layers, Timing, Transform, Effects and Text, an empty results list, and an Export CSV button. The status line reads 'Comp list refreshed.'
The RoundDiff panel — pick two comps and hit Compare.
RoundDiff after clicking Compare: the results list shows all 13 differences between RD_v1 and RD_v2 — frame rate and duration changes, timing and transform changes on the BG layer, Gaussian Blur effect changes, a renamed Title layer, scale keyframes, and a source text change — with the status line 'Found 13 difference(s)' and a note that double-clicking a row jumps to it in comp RD_v2
13 differences found — double-click any row to jump to the exact layer and frame.
RoundDiff with a saved JSON snapshot loaded as side B: B shows file 'RDV1-SNAP.json', the results list shows the differences against comp RD_v1, and the status line reads 'Loaded snapshot RDV1-SNAP.json as side B.'
Compare against a saved JSON snapshot — even days later.
RoundDiff full results view with the File button for side B highlighted: A (old) is comp RD_v1, B (new) is comp RD_v2, the Compare button is active, the results list shows all 13 differences between them, and the status line reads 'Loaded snapshot RDV1-SNAP.json as side B.'
Load snapshots from file — snapshots are plain JSON you can archive or share.
Close-up crop of the bottom of the RoundDiff panel: the last result row '[Text] Title NEW — Source text changed', the note '13 of 13 shown. Double-click a row to jump to it in comp RD_v2', and the Export CSV button beside the status line 'Found 13 difference(s) between comp RD_v1 and comp RD_v2.'
Export the full change log as CSV — hand it to clients or teammates.

Pricing

One price. Yours to keep using.

No subscription, no tiers. RoundDiff is a single-user license sold through aescripts.com, launching soon — one payment for a tool that pays for itself the first time it catches a change you would have missed.

Compatibility: Adobe After Effects, dockable ScriptUI panel written in ExtendScript. Tested on After Effects 2023 (Windows). No third-party plug-ins required.

RoundDiff · Single-user license

$29one-time, via aescripts
  • Dockable ScriptUI panel for After Effects
  • Comp, layer, timing, transform, effect & text diffs
  • JSON snapshots & CSV export included
  • PDF user guide included
Coming soon on aescripts

Sold and licensed via aescripts.com — standard aescripts licensing (30-day terms).

FAQ

Questions, answered

Which After Effects versions are supported?

RoundDiff is an ExtendScript ScriptUI panel — it runs inside After Effects itself and needs no third-party plug-ins. It has been tested on After Effects 2023 on Windows.

How do snapshots work?

From the panel, save any comp's current state as a JSON snapshot file. Later — even days later, in a different session — load that snapshot and compare any comp against it, exactly as if the old version were still open.

How do I install it?

Copy the RoundDiff file into After Effects' ScriptUI Panels folder, restart After Effects, and open RoundDiff from the Window menu. It docks alongside your other panels.

Is there a trial?

RoundDiff isn't on sale yet. When it goes live on aescripts.com, a trial will be available under aescripts' standard trial policy.