The Top 10 Free Plugins Every After Effects User Should Have
Adobe After Effects is a powerful software application used for
creating visual effects, motion graphics, and animations. It provides a wide
range of tools and features that enable users to combine video footage, images,
text, and audio to produce professional-quality visuals. With After Effects,
you can add special effects, apply transitions, manipulate elements in 2D and
3D space, and create dynamic motion graphics for films, TV shows,
advertisements, and online content. It is widely used in the film, television,
and advertising industries, as well as by individual content creators and video
editors.
Plugins play a crucial role in expanding the capabilities of Adobe
After Effects. They are third-party software extensions that integrate
seamlessly with After Effects, offering additional tools, effects, and
functionalities beyond what the software provides out of the box.
Plugins can enhance workflow efficiency, introduce new visual
effects, provide advanced motion graphics options, improve color grading and correction,
offer specialized tools for specific tasks, and much more. They allow users to
customize their After Effects experience, tailoring it to their specific needs
and creative visions. By installing plugins, users can access a vast library of
additional features and options, empowering them to create unique and stunning
visual effects and animations.
Here are some popular free plugins for Adobe After Effects:
1.
FX Console by Video Copilot
FX Console by Video Copilot is a
powerful and popular free plugin for Adobe After Effects. It is designed to
enhance users workflow by providing a convenient console for accessing and
applying effects, presets, and other tools within After Effects.
Download FX Console by
Video Copilot from the below download button.
Features
and Functionalities of FX Console by Video Copilot:
Fast Access: FX Console offers a quick and efficient way to
access your favorite effects and presets. It eliminates the need to navigate
through menus or search for specific effects manually.
Customizable Shortcuts: You can assign custom keyboard shortcuts to
specific effects or presets, allowing you to quickly apply them with a single
keystroke.
Preset Browser: The plugin includes a preset browser that
enables you to organize and manage your effects and presets library. You can
categorize them into different folders for easy access.
Search Functionality: FX Console provides a powerful search function
that allows you to find effects, presets, and other elements by typing
keywords. This saves time and simplifies the process of locating specific
items.
Favorites
and Recent Items: The plugin keeps track of your most frequently used effects
and presets, allowing you to access them easily through the Favorites and
Recent Items sections.
Customizable User Interface: FX Console offers customization options for
the interface, including the ability to adjust the size, layout, and color
scheme according to your preferences.
Tool Switching: In addition to effects and presets, FX Console
also provides quick access to other tools, such as the pen tool, text tool, and
shape tool, allowing for seamless tool switching within After Effects.
FX Console by Video Copilot is a
valuable plugin for streamlining your workflow and increasing productivity when
working with After Effects. It is available as a free download from the Video
Copilot website, and it is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating
systems.
Saber by Video Copilot is a highly popular and free After Effects plugin that allows users to create dynamic and realistic lightsaber effects, as well as a variety of other glowing and energy-based effects.
Download Saber by Video Copilot from the below download button
Features
and Functionalities of the Saber by Video Copilot:
Lightsaber Effects: Saber provides an intuitive and
user-friendly interface for generating lightsaber effects. It offers various
customization options for the blade color, length, intensity, flickering, and
motion blur, allowing you to create unique and realistic lightsaber visuals.
Energy and Glow Effects: In addition to lightsabers, Saber can be
used to create a wide range of energy-based effects. It enables you to generate
glowing lines, beams, and shapes with customizable parameters for color,
thickness, glow intensity, and blending modes.
Animation Controls: The plugin offers flexible animation
controls, allowing you to animate the lightsaber or energy effects along a path
or based on keyframes. You can create dynamic movements, twists, and swings to
add visual impact to your compositions.
Masking and Layer Integration: Saber seamlessly
integrates with After Effects' masking system, enabling you to apply the
effects selectively to specific areas of your composition. You can combine it
with other layers, effects, and elements to create complex and visually
appealing scenes.
Realistic Glow and Core Settings: Saber provides options to adjust the glow intensity, core size, and other parameters to achieve a realistic and convincing look for your energy effects. You can create different styles ranging from subtle glows to vibrant and intense energy bursts.
Advanced Compositing Features: The plugin
includes advanced compositing features such as blending modes, opacity
controls, and matte settings. These features allow you to fine-tune the
interaction of the Saber effects with other layers and elements in your
composition.
Pre-built Presets and Community Content: Saber comes with a
collection of pre-built presets that can be applied with a single click,
offering a quick and easy way to achieve stunning effects. Additionally, the
plugin has an active community where users can share and download user-created
presets, expanding the creative possibilities even further.
Saber by Video Copilot is a versatile and
powerful plugin that is widely used for creating lightsaber and energy effects
in After Effects. It is available as a free download from the Video Copilot
website and is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.
3.Animation Composer by Mister Horse
Animation Composer by Mister Horse is a
popular and powerful plugin for Adobe After Effects that provides a wide range
of presets, transitions, and effects to enhance your animations. It streamlines
the animation workflow by offering a comprehensive library of pre-built
elements that can be easily applied and customized.
Download Animation Composer
by Mister Horse from the below download button.
Download Motion Factory by Pixflow from the
below download button.
Features
and Functionalities of Motion Factory:
Template Library: Motion Factory offers a vast collection of
pre-built templates for various types of motion graphics projects, including
titles, lower thirds, transitions, logo reveals, and more. These templates can
be easily customized and adapted to suit your specific needs.
Animation Presets: The plugin includes a rich selection of
animation presets that can be applied to text, shapes, and other elements.
These presets enable you to create dynamic and visually appealing animations
with just a few clicks.
Effects and Transitions: Motion Factory provides
a range of effects and transitions that can be added to your compositions to
enhance the visual impact. From glitch effects to light leaks, these elements
help add style and flair to your motion graphics.
Essential Graphics Panel Integration: The plugin seamlessly
integrates with After Effects' Essential Graphics panel, making it easy to
access and manage your templates and presets directly within the panel. This
allows for a more streamlined and efficient workflow.
User-Friendly Interface: Motion Factory features a user-friendly
interface that simplifies the process of browsing, previewing, and applying
templates and presets. The organized layout and intuitive controls make it easy
to find the desired elements and make adjustments.
Customization Options: Each template and preset in Motion Factory
can be fully customized to match your specific project requirements. You can
easily modify text, colors, timings, and other parameters to achieve the
desired look and feel.
Regular Updates and Community Content: Pixflow frequently
updates Motion Factory with new templates, presets, and effects, providing
users with fresh content and expanding the available options. Additionally,
Motion Factory has an active community where users can share their own creations
and access additional user-generated content.
Motion Factory by Pixflow offers a wide range of creative resources and tools for motion graphics artists and video editors. It is available as a free download from the Pixflow website, with additional premium content available for purchase. The plugin is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Duik Bassel by Rainbox is a powerful and
popular plugin for Adobe After Effects that provides advanced rigging and
animation tools for character animation. It is widely used by animators to
create complex and dynamic character movements within After Effects.
Download Duik Bassel by
Rainbox Lab from the below download button.
Features and
Functionalities of Duik Bassel:
Rigging Tools: Duik Bassel offers a comprehensive set of
rigging tools that allow you to create skeletal structures for your characters.
You can set up bones, create parent-child relationships, and define joint
constraints to establish the character's range of motion.
Inverse Kinematics (IK): The plugin supports inverse kinematics,
which enables you to animate characters more naturally by controlling the
movement of limbs through their endpoints. This feature simplifies the
animation process and allows for smoother and more realistic character
movements.
Automatic Rigging: Duik Bassel provides an automatic rigging
feature that can generate a basic rig for your characters with a few clicks.
This feature saves time and effort by setting up the initial structure and
hierarchy, allowing you to focus on the finer details of animation.
Animation Tools: The plugin includes a variety of animation
tools that facilitate the creation of complex character animations. These tools
include pose-to-pose animation, interpolation, keyframe management, and motion
graph visualization, providing you with precise control over character
movements.
Puppet Pins: Duik Bassel integrates with After Effects'
Puppet Pin tool, allowing you to animate specific regions of your character
using pinning. This feature is particularly useful for animating facial
expressions or specific body parts with more flexibility and control.
Constraints and Controllers: The plugin offers a range of constraints
and controllers to enhance the rigging and animation process. These include
position, rotation, and scale constraints, as well as custom controllers for
manipulating specific elements of the character rig.
Scripting and Expression Support: Duik Bassel
supports scripting and expressions within After Effects, allowing for advanced
automation and control. You can use scripts and expressions to automate
repetitive tasks, create custom rigging setups, or add procedural animation
effects.
Duik Bassel by Rainbox is a valuable tool for animators who want to bring their characters to life within After Effects. It is available as a free download from the Rainbox website and is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. The plugin is actively maintained and updated by the Rainbox community, ensuring ongoing improvements and new features for users.
Flow by Mt. Mograph is a powerful plugin for Adobe After Effects that simplifies the process of creating dynamic and fluid motion graphics. It enables users to generate smooth and organic animations with ease, making it a valuable tool for motion designers and animators.
Download Flow by Mt. Mograph from the below download
button.
Features
and Functionalities of Flow:
Time-based Animation: Flow introduces a unique approach to
animation by allowing you to work with time-based animation curves instead of
traditional keyframes. This feature gives you greater control over the timing
and easing of your animations, resulting in more natural and visually appealing
motion.
Speed Graph: The plugin includes a Speed Graph that
visualizes the velocity of your animation over time. This graph allows you to
adjust the speed and acceleration of your animations by manipulating the curve
directly, providing precise control over the motion dynamics.
Time Remapping: Flow offers an intuitive time remapping
feature that enables you to manipulate the timing of your animations easily.
You can stretch, compress, or loop specific sections of your animation, giving
you flexibility in creating dynamic and rhythmic visual effects.
Fluid Motion and Smoothing: The plugin employs advanced algorithms to
create smooth and fluid motion between keyframes. This feature eliminates the
need for manual interpolation and ensures that your animations transition
seamlessly, resulting in visually pleasing and polished results.
Dynamic Camera Movement: Flow includes tools for creating dynamic
camera movements within After Effects. You can animate camera positions,
rotations, and focal lengths smoothly, enhancing the overall cinematic quality
of your compositions.
Time-Based Effects: The plugin allows you to apply time-based
effects to your animations easily. You can add effects such as motion blur,
echo, and time displacement to enhance the visual impact and create unique and
engaging visuals.
Compatibility and Integration: Flow seamlessly
integrates into the After Effects environment, making it easy to incorporate
into your existing workflow. It is compatible with other plugins and works well
with common animation techniques and features in After Effects.
Flow by Mt. Mograph is a valuable plugin for
creating dynamic and fluid motion graphics in After Effects. It provides users
with enhanced control over timing, easing, and motion dynamics, resulting in
visually appealing and professional-quality animations.
Ease and Wizz by Ian Haigh is a popular script for Adobe After Effects that simplifies the process of applying easing and interpolation to keyframe animations. It provides a set of powerful tools and functionalities that enable users to create smooth and natural motion in their animations.
Download Ease and Wizz by Ian Haigh from the below download button.
Features
and Functionalities of Ease and Wizz:
Easing Options: The script offers a wide range of easing
options that allow you to control the acceleration and deceleration of your
animations. It includes various easing types such as ease in, ease out, ease
both, and custom bezier curves, giving you precise control over the motion
dynamics.
Interpolation Control: Ease and Wizz provides advanced
interpolation control for your keyframe animations. It allows you to adjust the
interpolation between keyframes, making it easy to create smooth transitions
and fluid motion in your animations.
Easy Application: The script simplifies the process of applying
easing and interpolation to your animations. With just a few clicks, you can
apply easing to selected keyframes or entire animations, saving you time and
effort in manually adjusting each keyframe individually.
Customization Options: Ease and Wizz offers customization options
that allow you to fine-tune the easing and interpolation parameters. You can
adjust the intensity, speed, and influence of the easing effect to achieve the
desired animation behavior.
Expression-Based Workflow: The script utilizes expressions to
automate the easing and interpolation process. It generates expressions that
dynamically calculate the easing values based on the keyframe positions,
ensuring consistent and smooth motion throughout your animation.
Workflow Efficiency: Ease and Wizz improves your workflow
efficiency by automating repetitive tasks. It eliminates the need for manual
easing adjustments, allowing you to focus on the creative aspects of your
animation.
Compatibility: The script is compatible with various
versions of Adobe After Effects and works with both Windows and Mac operating
systems. It seamlessly integrates into the After Effects interface, making it
easily accessible within your animation projects.
Ease and Wizz by Ian Haigh is a valuable script for animators and motion designers who want to add smooth and natural motion to their After Effects animations. It simplifies the process of applying easing and interpolation, providing users with greater control over the motion dynamics of their animations
8. Animation Stopwatch by Mamoworld
Animation Stopwatch by Mamoworld is a
convenient and powerful script for Adobe After Effects that helps animators and
motion designers keep track of time and duration while working on animations.
It provides a stopwatch-like interface within After Effects, allowing users to
time and measure the duration of specific animation elements.
Download Animation Stopwatch by Mamoworld from the below download button.
Features and
Functionalities of Animation Stopwatch:
Real-time Stopwatch: Animation Stopwatch features a real-time
stopwatch that can be started, stopped, and reset within After Effects. It
allows you to precisely measure the time it takes for specific animations or
keyframe sequences to play out.
Time and Duration Tracking: The script enables you to track the
duration of animations, compositions, and specific layers in your After Effects
project. It provides an accurate readout of time in various formats, including
frames, seconds, and milliseconds.
Customizable Markers: Animation Stopwatch allows you to set
markers at specific points in time, helping you identify key moments or events
within your animations. These markers can be easily added, edited, and removed
to facilitate efficient time management during the animation process.
Looping and Iteration: The script supports looped animations and
enables you to set a specific number of iterations for a given animation
sequence. This functionality is useful when you need to create looping
animations or when you want to test the timing and flow of repeated actions.
Performance Monitoring: Animation Stopwatch provides insights into
the performance of your animations by displaying the frames per second (FPS) in
real-time. This feature helps you identify any performance issues or
bottlenecks that may impact the smoothness of your animations.
Workflow Integration: The script seamlessly integrates into the
After Effects interface, appearing as a separate panel that can be docked or
undocked according to your preference. It is compatible with both Windows and
Mac operating systems and supports various versions of After Effects.
Workflow Optimization: Animation Stopwatch streamlines your
animation workflow by providing a dedicated tool for time tracking and duration
measurement. It helps you stay organized, meet timing requirements, and ensure
the desired pacing and timing of your animations.
Animation Stopwatch by Mamoworld is a
valuable tool for animators and motion designers working in After Effects. It
enhances productivity and accuracy by offering real-time time tracking,
duration measurement, and performance monitoring capabilities.
Unmult by Red Giant is a popular plugin for Adobe After Effects
that simplifies the process of removing black backgrounds or mattes from
footage, making it transparent. It is particularly useful when working with
stock footage, motion graphics, or compositing elements.
Download Unmilt by Red Giant from the below download
button.
Features and
Functionalities of Unmult:
Background Removal: Unmult specializes in removing black
backgrounds or mattes from footage, leaving the subject or desired elements
transparent. This process is commonly known as "unmulting" or
"premultiplication," and it allows for seamless integration of the
transparent footage into other compositions or backgrounds.
Alpha Channel Generation: The plugin generates an alpha channel
based on the luminance values of the footage. It analyzes the brightness of
each pixel and creates transparency based on the presence of black or dark
areas, effectively removing the background and preserving the subject or
foreground elements.
One-Click Solution: Unmult offers a straightforward and
user-friendly interface, allowing you to achieve transparent results with a
single click. By simply applying the plugin to your footage layer, it
automatically removes the black background and generates an alpha channel,
saving you time and effort in manual masking or keying.
Matte Control: Unmult provides additional control over
the generated alpha channel through its built-in matte control options. You can
adjust the sensitivity and tolerance settings to fine-tune the transparency and
ensure accurate removal of the black background. This feature helps to address
any variations or noise present in the footage.
Compatibility and Integration: Unmult seamlessly
integrates into the After Effects interface, appearing as a plugin that can be
applied directly to your footage layers. It is compatible with both Windows and
Mac operating systems and works with various versions of After Effects.
Workflow Optimization: By automating the process of background
removal and alpha channel generation, Unmult streamlines your workflow and
simplifies the compositing process. It allows for quicker and more efficient
integration of transparent footage into your projects, saving you valuable time
and effort.
Additional Tools and Effects: Red Giant, the
developer of Unmult, offers a range of other plugins and tools that complement
the functionality of Unmult. These tools, such as keying and color correction
plugins, can be used in conjunction with Unmult to further enhance and refine
your compositing work.
Unmult by Red Giant is a valuable plugin for
After Effects users who need to remove black backgrounds or mattes from footage
and generate transparent elements. It provides a convenient and efficient
solution for compositing, motion graphics, and visual effects tasks, allowing
for seamless integration of transparent footage into your projects.
10. BG Renderer by Lloyd Alvarez
BG Renderer by Lloyd Alvarez is a powerful
script for Adobe After Effects that enhances the rendering process by allowing
you to render compositions in the background while you continue working on
other tasks within After Effects. It is particularly useful for projects that
require long rendering times or for situations where you need to maximize your
productivity by multitasking.
Download BG Renderer by Lyold Alvarez from the
below download button.
Features and Functionalities of BG Renderer:
Background Rendering: BG
Renderer enables you to render your compositions in the background, freeing up
your workspace so you can continue working on other tasks within After Effects.
This feature is especially beneficial when working on complex projects that
require lengthy rendering times.
Queue Management: The
script provides a queue management system that allows you to organize and
prioritize multiple rendering tasks. You can easily add compositions to the
rendering queue, set specific render settings, and control the order in which
they are processed.
Multicore Processing: BG
Renderer takes advantage of multicore processing capabilities, utilizing all
available CPU cores to speed up the rendering process. This feature
significantly reduces rendering times, allowing you to complete projects more
efficiently.
Output Formats and Settings: The
script supports a wide range of output formats and allows you to customize
various rendering settings. You can specify the output file format, codec,
resolution, frame rate, and other parameters to ensure your renders meet your
project requirements.
Notification and Alert System: BG Renderer keeps you informed about the progress and status
of your renders through a notification and alert system. It provides visual and
audio notifications when renders are completed or encounter errors, allowing
you to stay updated on the rendering process even when working on other tasks.
Render Options and Optimization: The script offers additional render options and optimization
settings to enhance the rendering process. You can enable or disable features
such as motion blur, depth of field, and effects to optimize rendering
performance and reduce render times.
Compatibility and Integration: BG Renderer seamlessly integrates into the After Effects
interface, appearing as a panel that can be docked or undocked for easy access.
It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems and works with
various versions of After Effects.
BG
Renderer by Lloyd Alvarez is a valuable tool for After Effects users
who want to optimize their workflow and maximize productivity by rendering compositions
in the background. It streamlines the rendering process, allowing you to
continue working on other tasks within After Effects while your compositions
are rendered efficiently in the background.
These are the few Plugins for After Effects that every user should have.
No comments