How to make a looping video like a clock second hand in AfterEffects Expressions

2012.3.27

When creating a clock second hand animation in After Effects, we can place keyframes on it and use it to create an animation that looks like a clock. It’s a hassle if you have.
A note on how to achieve this with Expressions.

Confirmation Environment

• MacOSX 10.6.8
• AfterEffects CS5.5

Clicking second hand

With the rotation attribute selected, select [Animation] > [Add Expression]. .

Enter the following in the Expressions input area

 posterizeTime(1);
time*6

Second hand with subtle movement

We’ll animate it beforehand (animate it so that it fits in one frame per second). (animate to fit in one frame per second)

With the rotation attribute selected, select [Animation] > [Add Expression]. .

Enter the following in the Expressions area

 loopOut( type="offset" );

I gave a second hand as a working example, but it’s a technique that can be used for looping things in general, so it’s easy to do! Hey!