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After Effects

After Effects

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  1. After Effects User Guide
  2. Beta releases
    1. Beta Program Overview
    2. After Effects Beta Home
  3. Getting started
    1. Get started with After Effects
    2. What's new in After Effects 
    3. Release Notes | After Effects
    4. After Effects system requirements
    5. Keyboard shortcuts in After Effects
    6. Supported File formats | After Effects
    7. Hardware recommendations
    8. After Effects for Apple silicon
    9. Planning and setup
  4. Workspaces
    1. General user interface items
    2. Get to know After Effects interface
    3. Workflows
    4. Workspaces, panels, and viewers
  5. Projects and compositions
    1. Projects
    2. Composition basics
    3. Precomposing, nesting, and pre-rendering
    4. View detailed performance information with the Composition Profiler
    5. CINEMA 4D Composition Renderer
  6. Importing footage
    1. Preparing and importing still images
    2. Importing from After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro
    3. Importing and interpreting video and audio
    4. Preparing and importing 3D image files
    5. Importing and interpreting footage items
    6. Working with footage items
    7. Detect edit points using Scene Edit Detection
    8. XMP metadata
  7. Text and Graphics
    1. Text
      1. Formatting characters and the Character panel
      2. Text effects
      3. Creating and editing text layers
      4. Formatting paragraphs and the Paragraph panel
      5. Extruding text and shape layers
      6. Animating text
      7. Examples and resources for text animation
      8. Live Text Templates
    2. Motion Graphics
      1. Work with Motion Graphics templates in After Effects
      2. Use expressions to create drop-down lists in Motion Graphics templates
      3. Work with Essential Properties to create Motion Graphics templates
      4. Replace images and videos in Motion Graphics templates and Essential Properties
      5. Animate faster and easier using the Properties panel
  8. Drawing, Painting, and Paths
    1. Overview of shape layers, paths, and vector graphics
    2. Paint tools: Brush, Clone Stamp, and Eraser
    3. Taper shape strokes
    4. Shape attributes, paint operations, and path operations for shape layers
    5. Use Offset Paths shape effect to alter shapes
    6. Creating shapes
    7. Create masks
    8. Remove objects from your videos with the Content-Aware Fill panel
    9. Roto Brush and Refine Matte
  9. Layers, Markers, and Camera
    1. Selecting and arranging layers
    2. Blending modes and layer styles
    3. 3D layers
    4. Layer properties
    5. Creating layers
    6. Managing layers
    7. Layer markers and composition markers
    8. Cameras, lights, and points of interest
  10. Animation, Keyframes, Motion Tracking, and Keying
    1. Animation
      1. Animation basics
      2. Animating with Puppet tools
      3. Managing and animating shape paths and masks
      4. Animating Sketch and Capture shapes using After Effects
      5. Assorted animation tools
      6. Work with Data-driven animation
    2. Keyframe
      1. Keyframe interpolation
      2. Setting, selecting, and deleting keyframes
      3. Editing, moving, and copying keyframes
    3. Motion tracking
      1. Tracking and stabilizing motion
      2. Face Tracking
      3. Mask Tracking
      4. Mask Reference
      5. Speed
      6. Time-stretching and time-remapping
      7. Timecode and time display units
    4. Keying
      1. Keying
      2. Keying effects
  11. Transparency and Compositing
    1. Compositing and transparency overview and resources
    2. Alpha channels and masks
    3. Track Mattes and Traveling Mattes
  12. Adjusting color
    1. Color basics
    2. Color management
    3. Color Correction effects
    4. OpenColorIO and ACES color management
  13. Effects and Animation Presets
    1. Effects and animation presets overview
    2. Effect list
    3. Effect Manager
    4. Simulation effects
    5. Stylize effects
    6. Audio effects
    7. Distort effects
    8. Perspective effects
    9. Channel effects
    10. Generate effects
    11. Time effects
    12. Transition effects
    13. The Rolling Shutter Repair effect
    14. Blur and Sharpen effects
    15. 3D Channel effects
    16. Utility effects
    17. Matte effects
    18. Noise and Grain effects
    19. Detail-preserving Upscale effect
    20. Obsolete effects
  14. Expressions and Automation
    1. Expressions
      1. Expression basics
      2. Understanding the expression language
      3. Using expression controls
      4. Syntax differences between the JavaScript and Legacy ExtendScript expression engines
      5. Editing expressions
      6. Expression errors
      7. Using the Expressions editor
      8. Use expressions to edit and access text properties
      9. Expression language reference
      10. Expression examples
    2. Automation
      1. Automation
      2. Scripts
  15. Immersive video, VR, and 3D
    1. Construct VR environments in After Effects
    2. Apply immersive video effects
    3. Compositing tools for VR/360 videos
    4. Advanced 3D Renderer
    5. Import and add 3D models to your composition
    6. Import 3D models from Creative Cloud Libraries
    7. Image-Based Lighting
    8. Extract and animate lights and cameras from 3D models
    9. Tracking 3D camera movement
    10. Cast and accept shadows
    11. Embedded 3D model animations
    12. Shadow Catcher
    13. 3D depth data extraction
    14. Modify materials properties of a 3D layer
    15. Work in 3D Design Space
    16. 3D Transform Gizmos
    17. Do more with 3D animation
    18. Preview changes to 3D designs real time with the Mercury 3D engine
    19. Add responsive design to your graphics 
  16. Views and Previews
    1. Previewing
    2. Video preview with Mercury Transmit
    3. Modifying and using views
  17. Rendering and Exporting
    1. Basics of rendering and exporting
    2. H.264 Encoding in After Effects
    3. Export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project
    4. Converting movies
    5. Multi-frame rendering
    6. Automated rendering and network rendering
    7. Rendering and exporting still images and still-image sequences
    8. Using the GoPro CineForm codec in After Effects
  18. Working with other applications
    1. Dynamic Link and After Effects
    2. Working with After Effects and other applications
      1. Export After Effects project as Premiere Pro project
    3. Sync Settings in After Effects
    4. Creative Cloud Libraries in After Effects
    5. Plug-ins
    6. Cinema 4D and Cineware
  19. Collaboration: Frame.io, and Team Projects
    1. Collaboration in Premiere Pro and After Effects
    2. Frame.io
      1. Install and activate Frame.io
      2. Use Frame.io with Premiere Pro and After Effects
      3. Frequently asked questions
    3. Team Projects
      1. Get Started with Team Projects
      2. Create a Team Project
      3. Collaborate with Team Projects
  20. Memory, storage, performance
    1. Memory and storage
    2. How After Effects handles low memory issues while previewing    
    3. Improve performance
    4. Preferences
    5. GPU and GPU driver requirements for After Effects
  21. Knowledge Base
    1. Known issues
    2. Fixed issues
    3. Frequently asked questions
    4. After Effects and macOS Ventura
    5. How After Effects handles low memory issues while previewing

Basics

Adobe After Effects is the industry-leading animation and creative compositing software used by a wide variety of motion graphics and visual effects artists. It offers superior control, a wealth of creative options, and integration with other post-production applications.

And because After Effects is part of Creative Cloud, you get access to all the latest updates and future releases the moment they’re available. Learn more about Creative Cloud.

See the What’s New page for details.

Technical questions

See the system requirements for information.

With native 64-bit support, After Effects can take advantage of all the available RAM in your system. For multicore systems, Adobe recommends 4 GB or more of RAM per core; on any system, 16 GB of RAM is a good baseline if you plan to run multiple applications simultaneously. Visit the After Effects forums for more information.

No. Because the performance benefits of native 64-bit support make it the best choice for the demanding technical requirements of working with video, particularly HD and higher resolution content, offering only 64-bit support enables Adobe to optimize performance even further.

The lack of 32-bit support does not affect most of the Mac computers that use Intel processors. The only Mac users affected by the lack of 32-bit support are those using Intel based Mac computers with Intel Core Duo (single-core) processors. Refer to the After Effects system requirements to make sure that your computer meets the minimum requirements.

Any 64-bit plug-ins designed for After Effects work in After Effects. Any 32-bit plug-ins for After Effects need new versions designed for 64-bit computing. For a current list of plug-ins compatible with After Effects, visit the plug-ins page. For more information, contact the plug-in manufacturers.

See the system requirements for information.

See the system requirements for information.

 

Free trials

With a free Creative Cloud membership, you can download a 7-day trial version of After Effects — and other applications in Creative Cloud. When you upgrade to the All Apps plan, you’ll be able to download the full version of every Creative Cloud application.

If you were prompted to enter your payment details before downloading After Effects, the trial automatically converts to a paid plan after the trial period ends. Otherwise, you can purchase a plan directly from the Creative Cloud website.

Cross-product workflows

Yes. If you don't have After Effects installed, you see an error message saying, 'This Motion Graphics template was created in After Effects. To use this template in Premiere Pro, install After Effects (trial or license) and retry. Learn more at adobe.com/go/mgt.

Using After Effects created Motion Graphics templates in Premiere Pro
Using After Effects created Motion Graphics templates in Premiere Pro

To use Motion Graphics templates created in After Effects, you require a trial or licensed version of After Effects installed on your computer. If you are a Creative Cloud subscriber, you already have a license of After Effects. Download it from your Creative Cloud application. If you have a Single-App license of Premiere Pro, a paid license of After Effects is not required, you can install the trial version of After Effects. After your trial has expired, your After Effects Motion Graphics template still works as long as you leave the expired trial installed or install a paid version of After Effects.  Do not uninstall the expired trial. For more information, see Motion Graphics templates/Common Questions.

Purchasing Options

You can purchase the After Effects Single App or Creative Cloud All Apps plans. Learn more about purchasing options on the Creative Cloud plans page.

Learning After Effects

Check out After Effects Learn & Support to get started, with video and step-by-step tutorials as well as comprehensive product support from Adobe and our knowledgeable community.

You can find web and PDF versions of the After Effects manual on the After Effects Help page.

Start by making sure that you have the latest updates: In After Effects, choose Help > Updates, and then follow the instructions. If you’ve installed the latest update and are still experiencing issues, visit the After Effects forums. If you need one-on-one help, contact technical support.

You can follow After Effects on X (formerly Twitter). You can also get regular updates in After Effects Community. 

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