Adobe After Effects

Adobe's motion graphics and visual effects compositing app.

Visit Adobe After Effects See 4 alternatives

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
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About Adobe After Effects

After Effects is Adobe's layer-based compositing and animation application, the standard tool for motion graphics, animated titles, explainer videos, logo animations and visual effects work such as keying, rotoscoping, tracking and compositing. You build compositions from layers and animate their properties with keyframes and expressions, and a huge market of templates, presets and plugins extends it further. It works closely with Premiere through Dynamic Link and with Illustrator and Photoshop for importing artwork, and it includes tools such as Keylight for green-screen keying and Roto Brush for separating subjects. It runs on Windows and macOS and is sold only by subscription, alone or in Creative Cloud, with a short free trial. It is not a timeline editor for cutting footage, so it is usually used alongside one, and it has a steep learning curve and heavy hardware demands. For motion designers, there is still no direct equivalent with the same ecosystem.

Best for: Motion designers and VFX artists making animated graphics and composites.

What works

Industry standard for motion graphics
Huge ecosystem of templates, scripts and plugins
Works closely with Premiere, Illustrator and Photoshop

Why people leave

Subscription only
Steep learning curve
Not designed for editing long footage

Top Adobe After Effects alternatives

See all 4

1
DaVinci Resolve
Its Fusion page offers node-based compositing and motion graphics in the free version.
66.5
2
Adobe Premiere
Simpler titles and motion graphics templates for editors who just need the basics.
62.6
3
Final Cut Pro
Paired with Apple Motion, a cheaper option for Mac-based motion graphics.
59.6
4
Vegas Pro
Boris FX effects and compositing built into an editor on Windows.
57.2

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