In 2020, almost everything has become digital. There are apps and software available for nearly everything on this planet. In the digital world, Adobe has a prominent name. The software company has produced the most used graphics editor, known as Adobe Photoshop. The company has produced several other brilliant software and apps for visual effects and motion graphics. One of the latest releases by Adobe is the Adobe After Effects. It was released on April 14, 2020.
In this article, we have discussed several features of the latest release. These include different technical details as well as the Adobe After Effects cost.
But before we go into details, let’s understand what this application is and what it does.
Adobe After Effects CC
Recently developed by Adobe, the Adobe After Effects is an application for professional animators, designers, and compositors. This application software is designed to create visual effects and motion graphics. These effects and graphics are usually used in:
- film making
- video games
- television production
- online content
- presentations
- web
While it is used for all these mediums, it is the most popular in television and film post-production process.
Although the application is the newest member of Adobe Creative Cloud’s video editing tools, it has already made its mark in the video industry. It is already being considered as a standard in the world of creating special effects and motion graphics.
What does Adobe After Effects CC do?
Adobe After Effects CC is an advanced software for doing a lot of creative things. It helps creators and animators design state-of-the-art motion graphics. Moreover, it helps them produce life-like after-effects for films and television.
With the help of Adobe After Effects, designers can create 2D and 3D animations. They can create 2D cartoon characters and design titles. Moreover, it can help design the rolling credits that are played at the end of a movie or a TV show.
After Effects has a lot to offer depending on the abilities of its user. It can help design some basic and amateur motion graphics as well as professional ones. Using this tool, designers can create brilliant effects and even combine images with videos.
How to learn Adobe After Effects?
Nowadays, graphic designers and visual effect artists have some of the highest-paid jobs. So, if you are looking for a full-time job in the film or television industry or part-time career as a freelancer, you might want to learn this skill.
But the question is where and how one can learn this skill?
There are several ways of learning After Effects and other Adobe software like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Some of the tried and tested ways of learning these apps are:
- Classroom Learning
Some institutes offer short courses and hands-on training for different skills. Look for a local institute or a training center that teaches Adobe After Effects in the classroom, and learn.
- Online Training
Just like everything else is available online, lessons, courses, and training sessions are also offered for different skills. There are a number of platforms that offer online courses and training sessions for Adobe software including After Effects. So, explore different options available online and sign up for an online course.
- Private Training
Some businesses provide private training to individuals. These training sessions can prove to be more fruitful as they can offer a personalized solution to the individual’s problems. You can even ask a friend/colleague to teach you After Effects if they are skilled enough to use it.
- Self Training
The internet has a plethora of video tutorials and written articles that can help you learn the art of using After Effects.
Features of Adobe After Effects
After Effects has several features that make this software stand out among others of the same nature. Some of the most promising features of this latest software are mentioned below:
- It offers Data-Driven Animation.
- It can create Virtual Reality Environments with its Immersive Virtual Reality Effects.
- It also offers Immersive Virtual Reality Titling and Graphics.
- Its Virtual Reality Comp Editor, Virtual Reality Converter, and Virtual Reality Rotate Sphere are also advanced.
- Its Expression Access to Shape, Mask, and Brush Stroke Path Points is another promising feature.
- It creates Nulls from Path Panel.
- The 3D Pipeline in the software is also enhanced.
- It can Extract Cubemap.
- The software also contains built-in Motion Graphics Templates.
- It also has the GPU Accelerated Effects.
- It contains a Visual Keyboard Shortcut Editor and there are improvements in the Text Input.
- It has a Helpful Start Screen and a Front Menu.
- It Auto-Saves in Adobe Team Projects.
How Much Does Adobe After Effects cost?
The Adobe After Effects cost depends on the needs of the user. There are different plans available that cater to different requirements.
Below we have mentioned different pricing plans that will give users an idea about the cost of After Effects.
Instead of buying the whole suite, After Effects can be purchased as a Single App like Photoshop and Illustrator from Adobe. A Single App can be purchased for an individual as well as a team. However, the prices vary for both scenarios.
Below we have mentioned the pricing plans for both these cases:
| Type of Plan | Cost | |
| Single App(Individual) | Monthly Plan | $29.99/mo. |
| Annual Plan (Paid Monthly) | $19.99/mo. | |
| Annual Plan (Prepaid) | $239.88/yr. | |
| Single App(Business/Teams) | Annual Plan (Paid Monthly) | $29.99/month/license |
| Annual Plan (Prepaid) | $359.88/year/license |
Apart from these prices, the app also offers a free trial to its users.
As of January 2017, all Adobe software is only accessible via Creative Cloud which is a subscription-based service. Before, we could buy Adobe software that never expired. But now we can only avail Adobe services on a month-to-month or annual subscription basis.
The Single App of After Effects costs as less as $19.99 per month. The Single App subscription comes with a personal website and 100GB cloud storage. Other perks include premium fonts and social media tools.
However, for accessing the complete range of Adobe software, it is suggested to subscribe to All Apps. All the Creative Cloud Apps can be purchased as one suite at approximately $50. So, it is a better price for getting all the apps (over 20) than just buying a Single App for about $20.
The Final Verdict
The cost of After Effects can be tailored according to the user’s preference. There are several types of plans available. Different Adobe After Effects cost options makes sure that every graphic designer can access the top-rated software. So, determine your budget and purchase the right plan.