The process for Auto-content Infographic production

The combination between JSON file with visual application like Adobe Ilustrator (AI) or Adobe After Effect (AE) could help us to automate and update content creation. It would be really helpful to update containing data regularly.

At this time, I would like to combine between Google Spreadsheet API, Adobe After Effect / Adobe Illustrator, and Python to create simple workflow to generate visual info graphic result. This program can then be used to update the information in this graphic in seconds. This process can be used to take any information and package it into a graphic. Weather, sports, headlines, news, tweets, whatever.

The Steps To Automate Content With Python and After Effects:

1. Google Spreadsheet API settings.
2. Format it correctly into a JSON File.
3. Create a template in After Effects
4. Wire up the JSON to the After Effects layers so the content can be changed dynamically.

Google Sheets API

The Google Sheets API is a RESTful interface that lets you read and modify a spreadsheet’s data. The most common uses of this API include the following tasks:

Create spreadsheets

Read and write spreadsheet cell values

Update spreadsheet formatting

Manage Connected Sheets

The Google Sheets API lets you read, write, and format Google Sheets data with your preferred programming language, including Java, JavaScript, and Python.

Using Python programming language to create automation the process by creating an After Effects script to fill in the layout, add the items to the render queue, and render

JSON

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is an open standard file format and data interchange format that uses human-readable text to store and transmit data objects consisting of attribute–value pairs and arrays. It is a very common data format, with a diverse range of applications, one example being web applications that communicate with a serve.

We are going to put all data from Google Sheet source info into one list and append it to what will eventually go into our JSON file.

Create a template in Adobe After Effect

At this part, we try to create template in Adobe After Effect and configuring layers for JSON parts of the video. In After Effects we are going to create text file format template and comp that we will output.

We use that formula to extract the data from the JSON and put it into our graphic video template.

Here example of our result:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ3HwcpHLvp/

Output Result: Covid-19 Indonesia information

Closing Remark

This publication is produced for educational or information only, if there are any mistake in data, judgement, methodology or false grammar/words that i used on this publication. The Author will follow up to update this information at the future.

* Please consider to contact the writer using contact information at Profile. I would like to discuss and sharing more about the topic. Thank you.

Best Regards,

Andriyan Saputra

REFERENCES

1. Automate Content with Python and After Effects — Create Automated Info-Graphics Tutorial. (http://codegreg.net/2019/05/21/python-project-01-create-automated-content-using-python-and-after-effects/). Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EZ4liFlIkw
2. Data and Information: kawalcovid19.id
3. Cover video: 3D Animation Of COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
   Source: Fusion Medical Animation
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17fS0oegeaI
4. Picture: shorturl.at/abpBN
   shorturl.at/yDGS3
5. Google Sheets — Python API, Read & Write Data. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ssigWmExak&t=1230s)
6. Google Sheets API. (https://developers.google.com/sheets/api/reference /rest)
7. Google Sheets API Python Quickstart. (https://developers.google.com/sheets/api/quickstart/python)