After Effects plugins are a great way of saving time and energy building animated elements from scratch, unlike templates, which offer you customization over a premade After Effects project. Plugins add tools and functions to the backend of After Effects, making them as simple to use as the built-in effects. Go to the After Effects plug-in folder. On Windows, the Adobe After Effects folder is usually located in C: Program Files Adobe Adobe After Effects Support Files Plug-ins. On Mac, the plugin location is usually located in Applications/Adobe After Effects/Plug-ins. Why Use Third-Party Adobe After Effects Plugins. Of course, being one of the top popular UI motion design tools, After Effects comes with a variety of plugins. Nevertheless, sometimes these plugins fail to satisfy motion designers in full. Some of the plugins. To us, creating distortion effects is an art. If you want to create the super-trendy glitch effect in your Adobe After Effects projects just add our Glitch Builder to your Adobe After Effects plugins and have access to 13 high-quality categories of more than 100 different glitches and digital distortions right at your fingertips. The best plugins and scripts for 3D, VFX and motion graphics software including Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D and Premiere Pro. Lots of video tutorials showing how to use the tools provided.
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Whether you’re an After Effects veteran or an AE newbie, these ten plugins are a fantastic addition to your motion design toolkit.
Every motion designer has a few plugins they rely on to customize and enhance their day-to-day After Effects workflow. After all, plugins are a no-brainer way to save time and energy by simplifying complex functions.
If you’re ready to get more from Adobe’s powerful post-production software, add these ten essential After Effects plugins to your toolkit today. (New to AE? Here’s your fast track to a solid foundation.)
1. Trapcode Particular 4 (and Trapcode Suite 15)
Trapcode Particular (and the Trapcode Suite) has undoubtedly stood the test of time. Version 1 was released during the 2000s, and a little over a decade later, the plugin is still being updated and revitalized. The Trapcode Suite itself is in its fifteenth iteration.
Trapcode Particular is a particle system plugin that lets users create customized particles in After Effects — like smoke, rain, clouds, and dust. The plugin uses realistic physics, and it offers more functionality than the Particle World plugin that’s built into AE.
Using Particular, you can create particle-based lines, shapes, and patterns in 3D space. The entire suite contains:
- Trapcode 3D Stroke
- Trapcode Echospace
- Trapcode Form
- Trapcode Horizon
- Trapcode Lux
- Trapcode Mir
- Trapcode Particular
- Trapcode Shine
- Trapcode Sound Keys
- Trapcode Starglow
- Trapcode Tao
Price: Trapcode Particular is $399, or you can purchase the entire suite for $999 via Red Giant.
2. Lockdown
Lockdown is the newest plugin on this list. Released just last year, the plugin has already made considerable waves within the After Effects community. Here’s why.
Free After Effects Plugin
While motion-tracking capabilities have grown tremendously with each iteration of After Effects, the ability to apply a graphic to a warping surface and have it move appropriately remains incredibly challenging.
Lockdown seeks to eliminate this problem. With this After Effects plugin, you can track any moving and warping surface — a T-shirt, fur, a face — and apply a graphic element that distorts with that surface.
When the plugin was first announced, many called it a game-changer, and they weren’t wrong. If you’d like to read my full review on the plugin, you can do so here.
Price: $249 via aescripts.com.
3. Element 3D
Moving from a compositing software to a 3D modeling software is a big jump. Truthfully, they’re two different worlds.
Element 3D looks to bridge that gap by allowing users to upload and use 3D models within Adobe After Effects. If you don’t know how to use modeling software like Maya or Cinema 4D, Element 3D can help you import and edit 3D models quickly. The plugin works incredibly fast, considering all the functionality it brings to After Effects.
There hasn’t been a new update to Element 3D for some time. Version 2, released in 2015, included new features like ambient occlusion and lighting presets. However, even though the promo above is nearly eight years old, the material still looks good by today’s standard.
Price: $199.95 via Video Copilot.
4. Plexus 3
Plexus is a plugin that takes layers and breaks them up into smaller objects. It comes with .obj support, meaning you can import models from most 3D graphics software and have the objects broken up in 3D space. These 3D objects can serve as containers or forms for Plexus to use. Star trek beyond full movie download freecleverboat.
Rowbyte Plexus is a next-gen particle engine for After Effects that lets you create, manipulate, and visualize data in a procedural manner. Not only can you render the particles, you can create all sorts of interesting relationships between them based on various parameters.
But, more notably, Plexus can create the incredibly popular 3D-connected dots design (we see this used everywhere). Plexus allows for the use of 3D Bézier splines, meaning you can adjust lines in 3D space. All the 3D objects in Plexus also work with 3D cameras and depth of field.
Plexus 3 is a potent — albeit complicated — tool. If you’re looking to give your motion graphics an extra edge, Plexus is the plugin to do that.
Price: $249 via aescripts.com.
5. Newton 3
Admittedly, Newton is the only After Effects plugin on this list that I don’t own. However, for the last several years, it’s been sitting on my bookmark tab, patiently waiting to be purchased, as it’s a must-have for motion graphics artists.
Newton is a 2D physics engine for After Effects that allows users to apply real-world physics to 2D objects. More specifically, Newton can use gravity in several unique ways, including gravity scale, magnetism, and fixed rotation properties. Newton also allows users to create realistic physics-based rigs to simulate pivots, pistons, springs, and distance joints.
Price: $249.99 via Newton.
6. Optical Flares — Video Copilot
Create custom lens flares with Video Copilot’s Optical Flares package. Image via M Studio.
I was somewhat hesitant to include Optical Flares as a “must-have” plugin. I think adding digital lens flares was very much a product of the DSLR era for low-budget filmmakers who needed to make footage appear more cinematic.
However, it’s important to remember that optical flares aren’t just limited to producing J.J. Abrams-inspired material. You can use flares for all kinds of motion graphic elements. And, after all these years, not many plugins produce flares better than this package from Video Copilot.
With Optical Flares, users can create custom lens flares that work in 3D space. Optical Flares also comes with a preset library packed with realistic-looking flares that require no tweaks, and they’ve also introduced a pre-preset pack that starts at $45.
Price: $124.99 via Video Copilot.
7. Boris Continuum 2020.5
Boris Continuum is the Swiss Army knife of After Effects plugins. Inside Continuum Complete, users will find hundreds of plugin effects — glitches, generators, chroma key tools, lens flares, dissolves, and more — that serve a wide range of purposes for projects of all kinds.
Adobe After Effects Plugins Free Download
Basically, if you’re on a budget, but you need a tool that can do everything, Boris Continuum Complete is your answer.
Price: $995, or $295 for an annual subscription via BorisFX.
(Hot tip: If you’re on an even tighter budget, you can find 100+ free motion graphic elements here.)
8. Deep Glow
With the number of After Effects plugins and scripts on the market, it can sometimes appear as if After Effects is but an empty vessel that needs additional purchases to make it functional. This is not the case.
If anything, with enough time and skill at your disposal, you can use After Effects to accomplish anything that a plugin brings to the table. That said, AE’s default glow effect is pretty underwhelming. It does an okay job, but nothing great outside of giving a text object a slight glow. This is where Deep Glow comes in.
Deep Glow gives you a realistic-looking glow right out of the box, as the illumination is accurately based on the inverse square falloff. Therefore, not only is this plugin great for motion graphics, it’s also terrific for those situations during compositing when it’s a struggle to match digital assets to recorded footage.
Price: $49.95 via aescripts.com.
9. Data Mosh
Glitch plugins have always been popular. In the late ’00s, YouTube was overwhelmingly populated with videos that utilized Video Copilot’s Twitch plugin (which does precisely what the name implies — twitchy glitch effects).
However, with Data Mosh, footage doesn’t simply glitch on an external level, it glitches internally on a pixel-and-color-info level, as if there’s been a processing error when recording the data. It’s a great tool for creating unique effects during transitions.
Price $39.99 via aescripts.com.
10. Render Garden
Render Garden is a different kind of After Effects plugin. It doesn’t produce anything you can use within your project. It doesn’t glitch footage, add particles, or create 3D renders. Instead, it speeds up render time for plugins that do.
With Render Garden, you’re going to get two to three-times faster renders. It splits your composition into several segments, then renders them to multiple background command lines, consequently, accelerating render time. And, unlike the regular render operation, when using Render Garden, you can continue to work in After Effects.
Price: $99 via Mekajiki (currently free during the COVID-19 pandemic).
If you’re looking for free After Effects plugins, well, here’s a page with thirty of them. Check out the resources below for even more time-saving, game-changing motion graphics action.
Cover image via Kit8.net.
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Build up your post production library with the the best free plugins and filters for AE!
Take your After Effects work to the next level with these free plugins and filters. From color presets to advanced lighting and 3D tracking, these free AE effects can enhance your projects and save you time. Let’s dig in…
3DCG – Normality & Atlas
Normalityis a free lighting and shading plugin for After Effects. No longer supported by the developer, but packed with a set of professional features. DOWNLOAD
Normality in Action (from 3DCG)
Atlas is a free tone-mapping/HDR plugin for After Effects – bring out loads of detail in your video footage. DOWNLOAD
Atlas in Action (from 3DCG)
Digital Anarchy’s Ugly Box
Make your talent uglier! Most editors try to smooth out skin and make talent better looking. Ugly Box is a free After Effects plugin does the exact opposite. Great for Halloween or zombie related content. From the makers of the popular skin smoothing software, Beauty Box. Although free, you will need to register your info to DOWNLOAD
Noise Industries Free AE Plugins
When you install FXFactory by Noise Industries (free) you’ll have access to several free After Effects plugins. You can get more info and download each of these AE plugins here. Note: FXFactory is only supported by Mac/OSX. Let’s highlight a few of these AE effects:
Swish pans are a popular choice for transitions in television programs. Andy’s Swish Transitions brings this effect into AE and won’t cost you a dime:
Pan and Zoom is another FXFactory based After Effects plugin. This effect simplifies the process of creating a slideshow or giving your photos/videos the classic “Ken Burns” effects. Add motion to your images/video in After Effects without having to create keyframes:
CoverFlux 2 is a neat After Effects plugin that allows you to quickly create a coverflow style slideshow – perfect for showcasing images or creating a highlight video. You may recognize the coverflow look from iTunes or Mac OSX Finder:
Create unique effects with the Random Text generator from Luca Visual FX. This free AE plugin is ideal for sci-fi or business projects that require a high tech feel:
Copy Image Plugin for AE
Copy Image is a simple utility plugin that allows you to copy the current composition as a flattened image. By using Copy Image you can paste a ‘screenshot’ of your AE comp in another application (like Photoshop) without having to export out a still image and reopening in another app. DOWNLOAD
VFX Bro: Camera Shake and Camera Shake Pro
Our friend Aaron at VFXBro.com has created several free After Effects plugins for manipulating your footage.
Real Camera Shake is a preset that can add realistic camera movement to your still video shots. This is ideal for footage that requires a handheld look but may not have been shot that way. Real Camera Shake Pro applies similar effect but to a virtual camera inside of After Effects. DOWNLOAD both here.
Real Camera Shake:
Real Camera Shake Pro:
Coremelt EQ Animator and Plugin Pack
Coremelt makes industry leading plugins for After Effects and video editing apps. Luckily, they give away two products FREE.
VeeYou is an After Effects plugin that reacts to audio in your project. Apply these EQ, VU, analog dials and waveform generators to an audio layer in AE. Watch as the visuals react to the sound. DOWNLOAD
After Effect Plug Ins
CoremeltFREE is an effects bundle of 39 free plugins for After Effects (also works with FCP, FCPX and Premiere Pro). Included in the pack are color effects, dynamic transitions and filters. See the full list of effects here or DOWNLOAD here.
VideoCopilot Free AE Presets
Adobe After Effects Plugin Folder
Aside from being a fantastic online training resource, Andrew Kramer from VideoCopilot.net has made available 15 free After Effects presets. Among the presets are film grains, day for night color preset, a reflection plugin (great for logos) and a tool for better controlling the AE 3D camera. Big bonus: with each of these AE presets you can also view a video tutorial on how to use them. Head over to VideoCopilot to check them out and DOWNLOAD.
AEFlame: Free Fractal Plugin for AE
Aescripts.com is a great resource for the latest After Effects tools. The following plugin, AE Flame, alows you to create beautiful fractal images in AE. DOWNLOAD
Cineblur’s Instagram Plugin
Premiumbeat blogger Brent Pierce created a set of AE color filters that mimic the looks popularized by Instagram. With one-click you can apply these looks to your video – great for experimenting with your footage. DOWNLOAD
Digital Typewriter Text Preset
Adobe After Effects Plugins Free
If you’re working on a project with futuristic or Internet-related content this free After Effects plugin may come in handy. Typominal creates a ‘digital typewriter’ look, characteristic of Apple’s Terminal or MS-DOS. See our previous post on this AE plugin or go here to DOWNLOAD.