- After Effects User Guide
- Beta releases
- Getting started
- Workspaces
- Projects and compositions
- Importing footage
- Text and Graphics
- Text
- Motion Graphics
- Work with Motion Graphics templates in After Effects
- Use expressions to create drop-down lists in Motion Graphics templates
- Work with Essential Properties to create Motion Graphics templates
- Replace images and videos in Motion Graphics templates and Essential Properties
- Animate faster and easier using the Properties panel
- Drawing, Painting, and Paths
- Overview of shape layers, paths, and vector graphics
- Paint tools: Brush, Clone Stamp, and Eraser
- Taper shape strokes
- Shape attributes, paint operations, and path operations for shape layers
- Use Offset Paths shape effect to alter shapes
- Creating shapes
- Create masks
- Remove objects from your videos with the Content-Aware Fill panel
- Roto Brush and Refine Matte
- Layers, Markers, and Camera
- Animation, Keyframes, Motion Tracking, and Keying
- Animation
- Keyframe
- Motion tracking
- Keying
- Transparency and Compositing
- Adjusting color
- Effects and Animation Presets
- Effects and animation presets overview
- Effect list
- Effect Manager
- Simulation effects
- Stylize effects
- Audio effects
- Distort effects
- Perspective effects
- Channel effects
- Generate effects
- Time effects
- Transition effects
- The Rolling Shutter Repair effect
- Blur and Sharpen effects
- 3D Channel effects
- Utility effects
- Matte effects
- Noise and Grain effects
- Detail-preserving Upscale effect
- Obsolete effects
- Expressions and Automation
- Expressions
- Expression basics
- Understanding the expression language
- Using expression controls
- Syntax differences between the JavaScript and Legacy ExtendScript expression engines
- Editing expressions
- Expression errors
- Using the Expressions editor
- Use expressions to edit and access text properties
- Expression language reference
- Expression examples
- Automation
- Expressions
- Immersive video, VR, and 3D
- Construct VR environments in After Effects
- Apply immersive video effects
- Compositing tools for VR/360 videos
- Advanced 3D Renderer
- Import and add 3D models to your composition
- Import 3D models from Creative Cloud Libraries
- Image-Based Lighting
- Extract and animate lights and cameras from 3D models
- Tracking 3D camera movement
- Cast and accept shadows
- Embedded 3D model animations
- Shadow Catcher
- 3D depth data extraction
- Modify materials properties of a 3D layer
- Work in 3D Design Space
- 3D Transform Gizmos
- Do more with 3D animation
- Preview changes to 3D designs real time with the Mercury 3D engine
- Add responsive design to your graphics
- Views and Previews
- Rendering and Exporting
- Basics of rendering and exporting
- H.264 Encoding in After Effects
- Export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project
- Converting movies
- Multi-frame rendering
- Automated rendering and network rendering
- Rendering and exporting still images and still-image sequences
- Using the GoPro CineForm codec in After Effects
- Working with other applications
- Collaboration: Frame.io, and Team Projects
- Memory, storage, performance
- Knowledge Base
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.
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.