Adobe After Effects
| Version | 2023(as of 1/19/2023) |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac |
| License | Commercial |
| Category | Video |
Main Features
- Provides hundreds of special effects and presets for enhancing video projects
- Mask tracking to automatically adjust masks on moving objects
- Advanced puppet tools for mesh sculpting
- Selective color grading with Lumetri color
- Shape, graphics, and text creation, editing, and animating tools
- Video content-aware fill capabilities
- Integration with Premiere Pro and other Adobe CC programs
- Support for hundreds of plugins to expand the functionality of the app
- Includes tutorials and templates for beginners
- Frame.io support for collaborating with other users
Software Overview
Adobe After Effects is a professional motion graphics application for Windows and macOS used to create special effects and enhance video projects. It enables you to design and insert special effects, choose from hundreds of presets, import and export Adobe Premiere Pro projects, and collaborate with others. The application is available as a standalone app subscription or part of the Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) subscription.
After Effects has many features for creating visual effects in your video. You can combine multiple layers of footage and graphics in the application, then animate the separate layers. After Effects has a great set of tools for creating and animating masks in your project and automatically adjusts masks on moving objects. The application also comes with advanced puppet tools that enable you to bend, curve, twist, and scale animations.
The software includes a vast library of special effect presets to help bring your effects to life. The special effects features include multiple color-keying effects for moving your actor from a green screen to whatever location you can imagine. After Effects also comes with Lumetri Color tools for accurately fine-tuning colors and maintaining color fidelity across your workflow in Premiere Pro and After Effects.
After Effects supports many multimedia formats and integrates well with Premiere Pro, allowing you to import and export .PRPROJ projects. Additionally, After Effects provides Frame.io capabilities to help you collaborate with others across devices in locations around the world.
Summary
Adobe After Effects is a professional editor for creating visual effects to enhance video projects. The application features various advanced tools, support for many multimedia formats, integration with Premiere Pro, and helpful collaboration tools. While Adobe After Effects is overkill if you want to make simple edits to a video, it is an excellent option for enhancing video with visual effects that will give it that "wow" factor.
Primary File Type
.AEPAfter Effects Project
Supported File Types
| Extension | File Type |
|---|---|
| .AEP | After Effects Project |
| .AAF | Advanced Authoring Format File |
| .AEC | Cinema 4D After Effects Composition |
| .AECACHE | After Effects Cache File |
| .AEPX | After Effects XML Project |
| .AET | After Effects Project Template |
| .AETX | After Effects XML Project Template |
| .AOM | After Effects Output Module |
| .ARS | After Effects Render Settings File |
| .AVI | Audio Video Interleave File |
| .CFA | Adobe Conformed Audio File |
| .FFX | After Effects Preset File |
| .GIF | Graphical Interchange Format File |
| .JPG | JPEG Image |
| .MOV | Apple QuickTime Movie |
| .MP3 | MP3 Audio File |
| .MPG | MPEG Video |
| .MPGINDEX | Adobe MPEG Index File |
| .PCT | Picture File |
| .PEK | Adobe Peak Waveform File |
| .PNG | Portable Network Graphic |
| .QTINDEX | Adobe QTIndex File |
| .R3D | REDCODE Video File |
| .RPF | Rich Pixel Format File |
| .VPE | Photoshop Vanishing Point Export File |
| .WAV | WAVE Audio File |
| .XFL | Animate Uncompressed Animation |
Additional Related File Types
| Extension | File Type |
|---|---|
| .EXR | OpenEXR Image |
| .JPEG | JPEG Image |
| .JSX | ExtendScript Script File |
| .MPEG | MPEG Video |
| .PICT | Picture File |
| .ZDCT | Adobe Language File |