Compare After Effects plans.

You can download a seven-day free trial of After Effects. The free trial is the official, full version of the app. It includes all the features and updates in the latest version of After Effects and After Effects (Beta). Your trial will automatically convert to a paid Creative Cloud membership after seven days, unless you cancel before then. For a quick, easy, and free online video editor, try Adobe Express.

After Effects is available only through a Creative Cloud subscription that you pay for either monthly or annually. You can subscribe to After Effects alone or get 20+ apps, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere, with the Creative Cloud Pro plan.

Keyframes are a foundational tool for adding motion in After Effects. A keyframe defines a specific point in time where a certain aspect of an object has a particular property or value. For example, you can set a keyframe to rotate an object by 90 degrees, change color, or grow in size at a specific timestamp in your video. By setting keyframes at different points in time of your animation, you create the motion, or animation, over the length of your clip.

A precomposition is a way to group multiple layers together into a single composition. This helps you stay organized and simplify the main composition. When you create a precompostion in After Effects, you are turning a group of layers into a single layer within a larger composition.

Premiere works best for video editing, while After Effects is designed for motion graphics and visual effects. Many creators use both in tandem because they address different aspects of video projects and work together seamlessly. One common workflow is to start in Premiere and use After Effects to add visual effects and motion graphics to video projects.

When you purchase a product from Adobe, a license represents your right to use the product and any included services. For example, an After Effects for teams license gives one person the ability to install the app on two or more computers, activate and remain signed in to the app on up to two computers, and use the app on one computer at a time.