What are After Effects Plugins and
How Can They Help Your Video Editing Career?
The way you work as a graphic and motion designer, animator, or 3D artist can be completely changed by the use of After Effects plugins. Because of its ability to perform so much right out of the box, Adobe After Effects CC is now a standard motion graphic and compositing programme for many artists. But like any good piece of software, it can only be enhanced with the addition of third-party plugins that provide new features or facilitate a more efficient workflow.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to hear that there are a wide variety of After Effects plugins available for an application that is almost 30 years old. In this article, we've chosen the main tools you'll need to succeed as a visual creative, ranging from excellent, cost-free solutions to more expensive plugins.
Regardless of cost, each After Effects plugin will improve productivity, offer functionality that are just missing from the base After Effects programme, and simply make things look nice.
What Are After Effect Plugins?
Using plugins for After Effects is a terrific method to improve your video editing capabilities. Without spending a lot of money on expensive equipment or requiring a lot of training, they may assist you in adding new features or effects to your After Effects video production.
Every sort of user has access to a wide selection of options, from simple tools that anybody can use to more complex ones with more bells and whistles.
They carry out a wide range of duties, from adding straightforward effects like color grading or grain to more difficult ones like stabilizing unsteady film or assisting with chroma key work.
How Can After Effects Plugins Help My Video Editing Career?
Whether you’re just a freelancer or you work for a company, plugins for After Effects and other video production programs can help to improve the quality and consistency of your productions. By implementing plugins into your VFX compositing workflow, you can give yourself a headstart in creating high quality content for yourself or your clients.
What Types of Plugins Are Available for After Effects?
There are many different types of plugins which are made to achieve different results. Some plugins provide the resources to achieve a single effect or visual idea, while others provide a wireframe for a full-length project. There are plenty of After Effects plugin websites out there. On these sites, you can find plugins for creating glitches, transitions, slideshows and many more!
How Much Do Plugins for After Effects Cost?
Since most of them are made by third party developers, the cost for After Effect plugins vary depending on their value and function. Some plugins such as the AEjuice pack manager can cost up to $200 for the full bundle, whereas small scripts and extensions sell for as little as $9.
How Do I Install Plugins Into My Version Of After Effects?
All plugins come with installation instructions. They usually follow similar to this:
-
Unzip any zip files you download. You are trying to find a.jsx or.jsxbin file.
-
Launch the After Effects software, sign in, and navigate to: Install Script UI Panel by selecting File > Scripts.
-
In the folder, look for the plug-ins you downloaded, then double click the one you want to install. Launch After Effects anew.
-
At the bottom of the "Window" page, you can see a list of all installed plugins. Check that your script is activated by opening "Window."
-
You should now be able to open up and use the plugin inside of Adobe After Effects.
Best Plugins for After Effects
With 100s of plugins to choose from, it can be a daunting process to choose the right one for your needs. Luckily, FreeVisuals has compiled a list of some of the best and most popular AE plugins used by professional motion designers in 2022!
Most Popular After Effects Plugin
Used in HollyWood Films and by 1000s of creators worldwide, Sapphire by Boris FX is unarguably the most well-known After Effects plugin of all time.
Boris FX Sapphire is regarded by professional video editors as a vital After Effects plugin because of the variety of effects it offers and the speed at which they may be used. Boris FX develops highly thorough effects packages that provide Hollywood-caliber outcomes.
If you want an effects plugin with hundreds of different presets that is up to professional standards, Boris FX Sapphire is a fantastic deal. Video editors may use a variety of effects and features with the Boris FX Sapphire plugin without downloading any extra software.
Some of the top After Effects plugins for expert video editors include Boris FX Sapphire, Mocha Pro, Optics, and Continuum effects packages.
We appreciate you looking at our list of recommended After Effects plugins for video pros. Although After Effects already has the expert tools required to produce out-of-the-box video effects, editors may utilize plugins as an extra tool to streamline their workflow and produce better films more quickly.