Text2Spreadsheet, developed by mamoworld and distributed via aescripts, is a utility for Adobe After Effects that exports every text layer in a project into an editable spreadsheet. Users can modify the text in Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, or any compatible application, and then re-import the changes back into After Effects with a single click. The tool targets common production pain points such as bulk text updates, translation management, and client review cycles.
Feature Overview
The plugin focuses on clarity and minimalism: It generates clean spreadsheets that contain only the text content of a project, without exposing any technical metadata. The export and import functions are operated through simple one-click actions, allowing users to extract all text layers and later apply edited versions without manual relinking.
A core strength of the tool lies in its ability to keep track of text layers even when they are renamed or moved inside the After Effects project. New layers created after export are automatically detected, and existing ones are matched back to their correct positions. This internal mapping enables users to work on the After Effects project in parallel with external text edits.
The spreadsheet itself can contain multiple columns for alternative versions or language variants. This makes it possible to maintain multilingual projects or several client versions within a single document. When re-importing, the user can choose which version to bring back into After Effects.
The plugin is compatible with both CSV and Excel XML formats, supporting UTF-8 encoding and multi-line text without formatting issues. It provides detailed status feedback during import, including colour-coded information to indicate which layers have changed. The interface allows filtering by folder structure and layer names, and duplicate text entries can be excluded automatically to avoid redundant exports.
The developer also highlights compatibility with AI-assisted text editing workflows. Because the exported spreadsheet is clean and free of metadata, users can process it through proofreading or translation tools such as ChatGPT or other machine-translation systems before re-importing the results.
Text2Spreadsheet is listed as compatible with After Effects from version CS4 through the current CC releases, including the 2026 version. Pricing is stated as 29.99 US dollars for a single user licence.
Why it matters …
Motion graphics and post-production projects often include large numbers of text layers like titles, captions, lower thirds, or end cards, that need to be updated repeatedly during production (Insert your own “Groan” here – we all have been there) . Editing them directly in After Effects can be tedious and error-prone, particularly when client feedback or translation is involved. By externalising all text into a spreadsheet, Text2Spreadsheet allows artists and producers to offload text editing to translators, clients, or copywriters who can work in a familiar environment without touching the AE project.
This approach simplifies revision cycles and reduces the risk of transcription errors. When changes are complete, the artist re-imports the spreadsheet and all updates are applied automatically to the correct text layers. Because layer tracking persists through renames and folder movements, the process is more reliable than manual text replacement.
Usability and workflow notes
For projects involving localisation, users can create extra spreadsheet columns for each language. Text2Spreadsheet then imports whichever column is designated as active. Mamoworld suggests combining this tool with its Pins & Boxes plugin, which dynamically adjusts background graphics or layout elements when text lengths changes, useful for multilingual motion-graphics templates.
Production takeaway
For teams handling frequent copy updates, translation rounds, or client text revisions, Text2Spreadsheet is an efficient and inexpensive solution that removes much of the manual overhead of text management in After Effects. It is not a full automation or templating system, but a focused utility designed to make repetitive text work more reliable and less error-prone. As always, any new plugin should be tested in a controlled project before it becomes part of a mission-critical workflow.
