fNav+: frame navigation for After Effects

fNav+: Type the frame. Land there.

What it is

A native After Effects plug-in (compiled C++, loaded directly by AE) with a small HUD for moving the playhead by typing.

What it does

Press a global shortcut, type a frame, a timecode or an expression, and the current-time indicator moves while you are still typing. There is no browser panel or scripting bridge in between. Escape puts the playhead back where it started and the project is never touched.

Features

• Direct frame entry, explicit timecode (`10:10`) and NLE-style right-grouped digits (`1010`)
• Timeline math with normal precedence: `+2*20` moves 40 ahead, `50*3` goes to frame 150
• Digit editing: select one display digit, overwrite it or step it by its place value with carry
• Three configurable step presets on Shift, Alt and Command/Control (1, 10 and 100 frames by default)
• Frames/timecode modes switched with Tab; true SMPTE drop-frame for 29.97 and 59.94 families
• Live destination preview and scrub; HUD size 50 to 150 percent, position and accent colour

Capabilities

Fast navigation in long timelines, precise frame-level checks, offsets and relative jumps without leaving the keyboard.

Compatibility

• Adobe After Effects (compiled AEGP)
• macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows x64; Windows ARM64 is not supported

Availability

Commercial, sold through aescripts + aeplugins with a 7-day trial. Version 1.0.0. Source is private.

Under the hood

C++17 core with no host dependencies and a thin AEGP layer, with a Next.js documentation site; PiPL and per-platform build chains handled in the repo.