After Effects Cost

How Much Does After Effects Cost?

Discover the power of Adobe After Effects, a professional-grade tool for creating motion graphics and special effects. Understand its pricing, potential avenues to save money, and how it fits into a career in animation, special effects, and more.

Key Insights

  • After Effects is a motion graphics application used by businesses and filmmakers for creating dynamic special effects and title cards. It has been used in blockbuster movies such as Star Trek: Into Darkness and Ender's Game.
  • The cost of After Effects depends on the subscription plan, with a monthly fee of $31.49, annual monthly subscription at $20.99 or an annual fee of $239.88. Costs can be more complicated when considering subscriptions to multiple Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
  • Using After Effects requires a computer with sufficient RAM capacity, which may lead to additional costs for upgrading or purchasing new hardware.
  • After Effects is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud and can work cohesively with applications such as Adobe Audition, InDesign, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro.
  • For those interested in learning After Effects, Noble Desktop offers a free Get Started in Motion Graphics course and an Intro to After Effects seminar recording. Additionally, they offer full and part-time bootcamps and certificate programs with project-based learning.
  • The earning potential for After Effects users will vary depending on their role and industry. However, those with advanced skills in this software are often sought after in the film, television, and internet creation industries.

After Effects is a professional-grade tool accessible to casual and expert users. Consequently, After Effects’ cost usually corresponds to what the artist would like to accomplish with this application. Those working on a short-term project can acquire the program for a cancelable monthly fee of $31.49. Those looking to save money and are willing to make a longer commitment may want to participate in the $20.99 per month program or pay $239.88 to access the program for the entire year.

These initial costs may seem pretty self-explanatory. Nevertheless, these numbers become more complicated when discussing the need for subscriptions to multiple Adobe Creative Cloud applications and pricing for institutions and individuals. Keep reading the following article to understand the nuance of how much it costs to use After Effects and identify potential avenues to save time and money long term.
What is After Effects?
Adobe After Effects is a motion graphics application that places special effects design and creation tools in your hands! Whether you are a small business looking to make eye-catching advertisements and commercials or an employee of one of the top animation studios, After Effect allows users to bring their imagination to life. This Academy Award-winning program has been a favorite of film, television, and internet creators since its creation in the early 1990s. Special, practical, mechanical, and theatrical effects artists used After Effects software to create blockbuster movies such as Star Trek: Into Darkness and Ender's Game.

Combined with the graphics of Illustrator, the image-altering tools of Photoshop, and the video editing capabilities of Premiere Pro, After Effect’s comprehensive toolbar and layering features allow users to create dynamic special effects and title cards. Adobe Effects also has a 3D design function, adding new emphasis and movement to any project. You can even use After Effects to create fully or partially animated features! When combined with the other programs of the Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects will help your video project stand out from the crowd!

Read more about what After Effects is and why you should learn it.
What Can You Do with After Effects?
Think about the last time you watched a Hollywood blockbuster. What were the main things that you noticed throughout the movie? Maybe you noticed the quality of the animations and other motion graphics that added a unique texture to your viewing experience. Perhaps the dynamic opening credits that set the stage for the action caught your eye. Or maybe the incredible special effects drew you into the movie's action. Regardless of what visuals captured your attention, Adobe After Effects or a related motion graphics and special effects tool was likely responsible for these incredible visuals.

After Effects is a motion graphics and special effects software that allows you to animate texts and objects, use greenscreens to add or subtract objects and elements, and develop unique transitions to your visual media creations. Users can create their original graphics using Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator or redesign one of the many available templates to create their vision. When users combine the editing power of After Effects with the capacities of Cinema 4D Lite included with every subscription, these artists can add new textures and dimensions to their visual media.

Beyond the incredible toolkit offered within the After Effects program, this application is also compatible with many other tools. Part of the larger Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects can work with programs such as Adobe Audition, InDesign, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro to create original and composite forms of visual media. After Effects also works with third-party plugins such as FXFactory, Red Giant by Maxon, and CycoreFX, further maximizing the capabilities and functionality of this application.
In-Depth Review of the Cost
Before committing to any long or short-term subscription programs for Adobe After Effects, users should take advantage of the free 30-day trials of Adobe Creative Cloud programs. This thirty-day trial allows you to identify the most cost-effective way of accessing After Effects and if you will require all or just one of the Adobe Programs. This 30-day free trial can be combined with a multitude of After Effects seminars, blogs, and other free training opportunities so that users have a better idea of the time, money, and energy they will have to invest into this program before making a long-term investment.

After taking advantage of the free 30-day opportunity, users should feel relatively comfortable determining their needs for After Effects for the short and long term. For example, those that need After Effects for less than a year may want to enroll in a cancellable monthly subscription of $31.49. If you know you will need After Effects for more than a year, consider subscribing to Adobe’s annual subscription plans, which run $20.99 per month or $239.88 per year. All of these subscription programs come with important extras such as 100 GB of cloud storage, access to Adobe Express, Portfolio, and fonts, and the ability to update your program to include new features.

After Effects is a remarkable program that allows users to create innovative motion graphics and special effects using presets and templates that come with the program. But what if you are interested in drawing original animations using programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop or being able to fully edit your video content using programs such as Premiere Pro? Rather than staking up individual subscriptions to all of these programs, users can access all twenty Adobe programs through the Creative Cloud All Apps plan.

Like individual subscriptions, users save the most when they are willing to commit to the Create Cloud All Apps plan for longer periods, with month-by-month payment plans costing $82.49 a month, annual monthly subscriptions at $54.99 per month, and full-year subscriptions running about $599.88. These programs include additional benefits such as 100 GB of cloud storage, step-by-step tutorials, and access to the Creative Cloud Libraries.

Beyond initial subscription fees, other expenses are associated with using Adobe After Effects. For one, you must ensure that your computer has the RAM capacity to run a single or many Adobe Applications. Many After Effects users will even purchase a new gaming computer or another desktop with a large RAM capacity to ensure that the program will not constantly crash. Users may also want to consider additional expenses, such as technical training costs, commuting to classes, and other fees that may accumulate before committing to one program.
Why Learn After Effects?
Do you have a creative eye? Did all of your school assignments always have doodles in the margins? Would you like to transform your animation hobby into a career? After Effects gives you the tools to bring your imagination to life and start building your unique business or individual brand! Discover why artists, businesses, and filmmakers gravitate towards After Effects to fulfill their needs for motion graphics and special effects!

Adobe After Effects is a highly-rated motion graphics tool allowing users to create dynamic title and closing credits, stunning special effects, and cohesive and compelling narratives. Part of the larger Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects works cohesively with other Adobe programs like Animate, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro and is compatible with third-party software such as Frame.io, Universal Audio, or Flow. Creators can use After Effects to create unique designs from scratch or develop their own vision using one of the many presets included with the program. After Effects even allows users to design 3D figures using the Cinema 4D Lite extension, integrating new textures and experiences within their media.

Read more about why you should learn After Effects.
Free Introductory After Effects Course Online
Learning After Effects is a commitment that requires time and energy to pursue. If you are unsure whether this application is worth the time and effort necessary to master it, researching before and after you begin your subscription is one of the best ways to ensure that you prepare yourself for long-term success. For example, an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription gives you access to Adobe After Effects and Adobe Animate. Which program will help you meet your personal and professional needs? Check out Noble Desktop’s blog post with a detailed comparison of Adobe After Effects and Animate programs to ensure that you invest your time and money well.

Are you searching for a way to expand your skills and learn new techniques? Even after you have committed to purchasing an After Effects program or an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you may feel overwhelmed determining the best place to start learning this complex program. Noble Desktop offers a free Get Started in Motion Graphics course and an Intro to After Effects seminar recording. Noble Desktop even has a free technical training YouTube channel to help you understand the ins and outs of After Effects. These free introductory videos and tutorials work best in conversation with the in-person or live online courses found using Noble Desktop’s After Effects Classes Near Me and Best After Effects Classes Online.

These tools are also great ways to identify other free introductory classes online. Udemy, for example, offers a range of free courses in multiple languages. Entry-level students are the intended audience of these on-demand videos, focusing on specific skills rather than connecting different techniques and applications. Nevertheless, this platform allows students to explore the benefits and limitations of on-demand classes. Coursera offers similar free learning opportunities, but classes tend to be much broader, and many of the free courses overview other animation and motion graphics applications besides After Effect. Students may also use these free courses to prepare for more advanced techniques and tools that more structured classes cover.

Read about more free After Effects videos and online tutorials.
Conquer After Effects with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
Are you looking for a training program to jump-start your After-Effects adventures? Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, is known for its high-rated full and part-time bootcamps and certificate programs. Expert instructors set students up for long-term success through project-based learning and many opportunities for hands-on learning. Students living in or near New York City can easily commute to regularly offered in-person After Effects classes offered at Noble Desktop’s Manhattan campus. Want to avoid a long commute? Consider enrolling in one of Noble Desktop’s live online After Effects classes, where you can receive dynamic and interactive After Effects training from the comfort of your home or office!

Wondering which class format will help you cultivate your After Effects knowledge and skills? Consider your timetable and ultimate objectives. Students looking to use After Effects more casually or as an additional skill for an existing career may want to enroll in Noble Desktop’s After Effects in a Day or three-day After Effects Bootcamp. These classes save you time and money by balancing lectures with hands-on experience, maximizing retention, and setting you up for success. “Definitely recommend Noble Desktop overtaking a semester-long continuing education class at an expensive art school,” raved one reviewer, “This class covers techniques in a practical manner, and you can get started on your own after three days of intensive learning.” Worried that you couldn’t possibly retain everything you learn? Noble Desktop offers a free retake for all of its classes!

Students interested in a more dramatic career change or would like to develop their portfolio and CV may want to enroll in the Motion Graphics Certificate or Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate programs. These training programs use hands-on experience and project-based training to teach students how to create original content using After Effects, Premiere Pro, and other Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Students also have several opportunities for one-on-one mentorship and receive a comprehensive step-by-step manual that ensures they have all the tools needed for long-term success.

How to Learn After Effects

Master After Effects with hands-on training. After Effects is the industry-standard application for motion graphics, animation, and visual effects.

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