Download Adobe After Effects Free or Subscribe to Creative Cloud (2024)

Download Adobe After Effects Free or Subscribe to Creative Cloud (2024)

We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

If you’re looking for how to download Adobe After Effects, the amount of information out there can be overwhelming. That’s why we have put this guide together.

So if you’re wanting to get into VFX trying to spruce up your latest digital project, read on because After Effects is one of the best ways to go!

That said, trying to download After Effects can be challenging with several pricing plans available. But not to worry, we’ll cover everything you need to know about downloading After Effects in this article.

If you want to know more about getting discounts have a look at our Adobe Creative Cloud discount guide.

How to Download After Effects Free or Subscribe with Creative Cloud: Overview

Here’s an overview of what you will find in this article:

• What is Adobe After Effects?
• How to download After Effects for free
• How to buy After Effects CC
• Price of After Effects CC
• After Effects student discounts
• How to get After Effects discount
• How to get started with After Effects
• Features of Adobe After Effects
• Pros and Cons
• What you need to know about After Effects
• After Effects alternatives

What is Adobe After Effects?

After Effects is a visual effects software included in the Adobe Creative Cloud (see the complete Adobe software list here).

This software is a visual effects and motion graphics compositing application that VFX designers use to add graphics to movies, video games, or any type of video. Adobe After Effects is great for combining different visual effects for improved video editing.

With industry-standard motion graphics and visual effects software, you can develop visually sensational work for film, TV, and the web. In order to do post-production work, most artists and professionals use this software.

To enhance videos, After Effects video editing includes features for keying, compositing, tracking, and animation. This software fills various functions, including acting as an audio editor.

So if you are looking for great VFX software for video editing, we’d recommend Adobe After Effects for its award-winning features. And if you’re not sure if this is the right first for you, you can pick an After Effects alternative from the choices we’ll list below.

How to download After Effects?

If you’re looking to download After Effects, but aren’t sure where to start, we’ll explain the specifics in this article. Even though it can seem quite easy (and it is), there is a wide range of subscription plans that might lead you to overpay.

But we’ll cover all the offers that might make the process seem complicated, even including how much After Effects costs and the discounts available for it. In this article, we’ll dive into everything you should know about how to get After Effects free.

Can I Download After Effects for Free?

Absolutely! You can download Adobe After Effects for a free 7 day trial period.

This includes the full version of the software with all the features and latest updates. If you’re looking for a legal way to download the Adobe software for free, this would be your best route.

You’ll be able to experience the software and play around with its many features to see if it’s the right fit before paying.

Can I download the pirated version of After Effects?

While there are pirated versions of the software online, downloading these puts your system at risk of malware. When downloading pirated software, malware and antivirus can severely damage your operating system, and there is a high risk of your personal information being stolen. And it is illegal.

The legal consequences of using a pirated version of Premiere Pro can include Adobe banning you from using the software — a terrible outcome if you’re a designer. So we would strongly recommend against it.

How to use After Effects for Free: Step by Step Guide

Since figuring out how to download Adobe After Effects can be challenging, we’ve compiled a clear step-by-step process to make things a whole to easier for you.

Step 1: Click on ‘Free trial’ on the After Effects Page.

If you want to experience the software first hand, stop by the official Adobe website, and click on the “Try for free” button to get started with the download process.

Step 2: Click on any plan (you won’t be charged provided you cancel).

Follow the steps after ‘Free trial’ and select any plan. But don’t worry! you won’t be charged a penny provided you cancel it before the trial period ends (we’ll show you how).

Step 3: Enter your email ID and your payment (credit card) details.

Regardless of whether you have an Adobe account or not, you’re required to enter your email ID. If you already have an Adobe account you can go ahead and try out the trial version in the Creative Cloud application or on the site. After this, you’ll be prompted to either enter your credit card or PayPal details (As mentioned earlier, you will not be charged before the trial period ends). But once you’re done, you can go ahead and download Adobe After Effects on your Mac or Windows device.

Step 4: Cancel the plan before the subscription ends.

Just before the 7-day trial period ends, visit the ‘Privacy’ section of your Adobe account and follow the steps to delete your adobe account.

When doing this, there is the option to cancel your subscriptions and not delete your account but this is the best way to go about it. If you’d like a more thorough guide for this, you should check out our ‘How to delete your Adobe account‘ article.

How Do I Buy After Effects?

One of the best ways to download After Effects is through a Creative Cloud Membership.

To do this, first sign up for either a monthly or annual subscription. With After Effects, there are three options from which to pick.

There is a lower-cost price plan for individuals, offering the most affordable solution to your software requirements.

The mid-tier plan includes Adobe stock, which means you’ll have access to royalty-free images, videos, and vectors.

Last, the most complete plan would be the ‘All Apps’ plan, where you have access to all the apps available on the Adobe Creative Cloud.

The All Apps plan on Creative Cloud gives you access to over 20+ applications, ensuring you have a broad toolkit for your various creative needs. This plan includes software options like After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and many more.

Pick the right choice for you based on your creative requirements.

How Much Does After Effects CC Cost?

How much is After Effects? The most affordable option would be $20.99 per month. This is the individual subscription that comes with up to 100GB of free cloud storage along with Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark.

The second option, priced at $29.99, includes all the above plus Adobe Stock. You’ll have access to royalty-free pictures, videos, and vectors as well.

The third option, and the best value, is the Adobe All Apps plan that includes 20+ applications, meeting all your creative needs. If you sign up for this plan, it includes all the apps on Adobe Creative Cloud for both desktop and mobile use.

This plan that includes After Effects costs around $52.99, but you’ll find the value it adds is worth at least five times as much. This package comes with the best software you can get from Adobe.

Or read on below to get an Adobe After Effects student discount and save up to 65%.

Adobe After Effects Student Discount

Teachers and students are in luck! They can purchase After Effects and other Adobe apps at a much lower price.

With the Adobe Student and Teacher discount plan, students and teachers can get all the apps on the Creative Cloud at a discounted price. This includes 100GB storage space along with Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark, for the price of $15.99 per month. This could save you around 65-70% of the original price!

To take advantage of this discount, you must be a teacher or student over the age of 13, enrolled in or working at an accredited institution, or even homeschool. To prove this, you should have a valid ID or any other relevant documentation that proves your identity and academic attendance or employment.

How to get an Adobe student discount?

You can get the Adobe student discount by going to the Adobe website, selecting the student and teacher discount, and then, after applying, provide valid identification from the school you attend.

Who qualifies for an Adobe student discount?

To qualify for this discount, you need to be a teacher or student of at least 13 years of age, employed or enrolled either part-time or full-time in an accredited institution. If you meet these criteria, you can take advantage of the discount by visiting the Adobe CC website and applying for it.

For those who aren’t students, you can save up to 65-70% off Adobe’s annual plan by becoming a student. To do this, you just have to follow our instructions below!

Become a Student And Save

If you sign up for Adobe’s certified LogoCore Logo Design course, for just $80, you’ll meet the criteria and qualify as an eligible student.

Then, you can sign up for Creative Cloud and save around 65-70% (~$444) of what you would’ve originally paid.

Once you’re done with this, you can click here to go to the Adobe Student discount page.

Can students get the Adobe Student discount after graduation?

After graduation, you will have a one-year grace period to continue using Adobe’s services. Thirty days before the grace period ends, you’ll receive a message that informs you of the upcoming charge for the subscription service, unless you choose to end your subscription.

Is Adobe After Effects free for students?

Adobe isn’t free, but the student discount can save you up to 65-70% of the regular price, which is quite a steal!

How to get an After Effects Teacher Discount?

The student discount also applies to teachers. This means so long as you’re employed in an accredited academic setting, or work as a homeschool teacher, part-time or full-time, you too can take advantage of this offer!

Adobe After Effects Discount for Individuals

Even though the Adobe Student Discount is one of the best deals available, those who are not students or teachers can still get an amazing deal, saving over 35% of the cost of the regular plan.

How to get the Adobe discount for Individuals?

As an individual, you can pay in advance and save yourself over 35%! This amounts to a couple of hundred dollars and is quite a good deal.

When you pay for the entire year in advance, you also get a month free on Adobe Stock, free of cost, which includes over 10 free premium photos.

How to get the best Adobe Creative Cloud Discount

If you are trying to find the best discount on the complete Creative Cloud, we’ve got the answer for you!

The best way to take advantage of the Creative Cloud discounts, as and when they happen, is by following creative influencers and Adobe partners (like Just Creative). Adobe Partners are among the first to know of the latest offers and are usually the first to update their websites.

If you’re curious, you can check out our Adobe Creative Cloud sales page for some of the best deals.

Adobe usually has discount sales every 3-5 months and for 3-5 days at a time.

How To Get Started With After Effects?

When you install After Effects, check out the guide published by Adobe to help get you started. Regardless of where you are in your career, some of the tips and tricks covered by Adobe will help you out, whether you’re a novice or an experienced VFX designer.

It’s always great to get a fresh new perspective, and from what we can see, this guide helps enhance your productivity and the intuitiveness of your creative journey.

Features of Adobe After Effects

After Effects has the Roto Brush tool. Previously, the tool was not that convenient or efficient. Roto Brush 2.0 enables more consistent tracking of the subject, even with drastic movements or shape changes.

After Effects has the ability to use color scopes for color correcting and color grading. Under the Window tab, you will see the Lumetri Scopes panel that houses the color scopes. You can also select the wrench icon from the bottom of the Lumetri Scopes panel. This allows you to choose from different scope displays, presets, and color space options.

The Render Queue option in the After Effect helps you with the multi-frame rendering option. It has been the most requested feature from After Effects users over the years. Depending on your system, you can see the render speeds improve between 50% to 300% faster. It also helps you concentrate on fine details because you’ll be able to pay attention to them even more.

Tracking faces is one of the common processes that After Effects users use frequently. Face tracking is frequently used for blemish and cosmetic cleanup. It also works with any mask drawn around the face. It will conform to the face shape automatically and track the face’s position as well.

Adobe provides you with a ton of animation presets for After Effects. It gives you an option to include animation in your project. This software comes with a default set of presets that operate automatically once you put them in place.

If the preset you’re looking for isn’t available, you can look at third-party companies that offer preset packages. Fortunately, a lot of creators online share these presets for free.

After Effects helps you create your own virtual reality. It allows you to make 180 and 360-degree edits. There are options for you to create immersive storytelling for video games, movies, training videos, simulations, and so much more.

When you are doing edits, you can also wear an immersive VR headset. This way, you will be able to better assess the VR version of your project since you can see it the way your viewers will see it.

Scripts help you to do complex tasks using automation. It also speeds up the design process since some processes are done for you automatically.

You will be able to set a series of commands in a single script. You can also write your own scripts or modify existing ones for a fully customized automated process.

You can also customize your workspace based on your requirements. If you are working in graphics mode, you can switch to the Essential Graphics workspace. You will be able to customize your workspace to create your own default setup.

Pros and Cons of Adobe After Effects

How to Buy Adobe After Effects Permanently (Or Get it Free)

Adobe After Effects is the best video editing software for creating stunning visual effects and motion graphics. Here’s how you can download it today.

Most video editors I’ve met would love to buy Adobe After Effects permanently.

After all, paying for a Creative Cloud subscription doesn’t appeal to everyone.

You used to be able to buy After Effects CS6 outright, but unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.

If you need to use Premiere Pro with After Effects, the All Apps Plan is the best value way to get After Effects.

However, you can still download an After Effects free trial, and in this guide, I’ll show you how.

I’ll also show you why it’s actually better to pay for an After Effects subscription and why you should upgrade from CS6 if you’re still using it.

What is the Best Way to Buy Adobe After Effects in 2024?

These are the three ways to buy After Effects right now:

Now let’s take a closer look at these three options so you can see which one is best for your needs.

1. After Effects (Single App Plan) – Best Value for Most Video Editors

If you want to download Adobe After Effects with none of the other major Adobe software, this is the best option – get it here >>

You’ll also get the following extras:

• 100GB of cloud storage – backup and share your animations and designs.
• Step-by-step tutorials – world-class artists show you their creations and teach you new techniques.
• Adobe Express – task-based web and mobile app allowing you to make multimedia content, social media posts, and marketing materials.
• Adobe Portfolio – build a free website portfolio to show off your illustrations and designs.
• Adobe Fonts – choose from a huge library of licensed fonts.
• Behance – access to a thriving community of creatives to get feedback and sell your work.
• Creative Cloud Libraries – download new assets for your illustrative projects.
• Access to the latest features – free downloads whenever updates are released.

This plan doesn’t include Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, or any of the other Adobe Creative Apps.

Most video editors need at least Premiere Pro, which works seamlessly in conjunction with After Effects.

However, you can use most of the other major video editing apps like Final Cut Pro with After Effects – it’s just that the integration and workflow isn’t as seamless.

Downloading After Effects gives you all the tools for visual effects, motion graphics and UI/UX design.

2. Creative Cloud All Apps Plan – Best For Video Editors (Who Need Premiere Pro)

For video editors who need more than just Adobe After Effects, the Creative Cloud All Apps plan is great value for money – get it here >>

If you’re already using Adobe Premiere Pro to edit your videos, it’s a good idea to upgrade to the All Apps plan, since it will include After Effects.

Most video editors I know also use Photoshop to do things like create YouTube thumbnails or even Lightroom for editing photos to be used in their video projects.

If this sounds like you, then the Adobe All Apps Plan is the best option – you get After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom and dozens of other industry-leading software apps;

All the video/photo-related apps included in the Creative Cloud All Apps plan are:

• Adobe Premiere Pro – arguably the best desktop video editing software for Mac and Windows.
• 100GB Cloud Storage – allows you to backup, share, and edit across all your mobile and desktop devices.
• Adobe After Effects – create all types of visual effects and motion graphics, from animating movie titles to creating VR videos.
• Adobe Audition – professional Adobe tools to record, edit, mix and restore audio files for videos, podcasts and sound effects.
• Adobe Behance – a social media site/app dedicated to creators who want to share and sell their creative work.
• Frame.io – powerful review (feedback) and collaboration tool for lightning-fast media sharing, direct camera to cloud transfers and multiple consecutive projects.
• Adobe Express – task-based web and mobile app allowing you to make multimedia content, social media posts, and marketing materials.
• Adobe Bridge – a media management program to categorise and edit files in conjunction with other Adobe apps.
• Adobe Lightroom – the number one image editing software for all your photo editing, organisation and storage needs.
• Adobe Media Encoder – used with Premiere Pro and After Effects to render videos, compressing and converting formats for universal use.
• Adobe Photoshop – the best graphic design software and image manipulation tool, period. Here’s how to download Photoshop for free.
• Adobe Portfolio – free online portfolio and website-building software that you can use to showcase your creative work.
• Adobe Fonts – an online service that gives you access to an enormous font library with fonts you’re free commercially or for personal projects to use under a single licensing agreement.

For power users, business owners and agencies who require more than just Adobe After Effects for their creative needs, the All Apps plan is a perfect choice.

Considering that you’re getting 20 more useful apps and software for less than twice the price of the After Effects (Single App) Plan, it’s really good value for money.

Also, if you’re a videographer and want to buy Adobe Premiere Pro, it makes sense to upgrade to the All Apps plan so you can also use Adobe After Effects with it as well.

3. Creative Cloud All Apps Plan for Students & Teachers

This plan includes all the same software as the regular All Apps plan – the key difference is that you save a lot of money, thanks to an Adobe education discount.

If you’re a student or a teacher, you can actually get all the desktop software, mobile apps and web services for less than a standard single app subscription, making it a no-brainer if you need After Effects.

The only catch is that you need to be in full-time education as a student or as a teacher.

You’ll need to provide a school-issued email address during purchase so you can be instantly verified.

A school email address may include .edu, .k12, or other email domains sponsored by educational institutions.

If you don’t have a school-issued email address or your email address cannot be verified, additional proof of eligibility may be requested after purchase.

You can also get the Adobe student discount if you’re being homeschooled – all you need is:

• Dated copy of a letter of intent to homeschool
• Current membership ID to a homeschool association (for example, the Home School Legal Defense Association)
• Dated proof of purchase of curriculum for the current academic school year

After Effects CS6 vs CC: Is it Worth Upgrading?

Keyframe Colour Labels for organisation – one of the latest AE features.

If you own an old copy of After Effects CS6, you may be reluctant to upgrade to the latest subscription version.

(I know I was a bit reluctant to let go of Lightroom 6 when Adobe moved to a subscription model – I don’t regret paying for Lightroom now, though.)

The truth is, if you’re happy using After Effects CS6 for personal projects or animating for fun, there’s probably no need to upgrade and pay each month for a subscription.

However, if you use After Effects professionally or want to collaborate with team members on a project, upgrading is a must.

Not only do you get the very latest animation and motion graphics tools and features, but you also get the most stable platform to work with.

Some of the most useful tools in After Effects aren’t actually available in CS6 – features like Scene Edit Detection (which uses Adobe Sensei) and the new Animation Presets are things you’ll use a lot.

In addition, the 100GB of cloud storage is handy for backing up your AE files to the cloud, whether for collaboration or just safe-keeping.

If you have a Mac with the newest Silicon chip like I do, the latest version of After Effects is optiomised to run smoother than ever.

All in all, there’ve been a lot of nice updates since After Effects CS6 and the software runs with far less glitches.

I recommend you download a free trial of the latest version to see if it’s worth upgrading.

FAQs about Adobe After Effects

Yes, you can download After Effects for free by selecting the ‘Free Trial’ button here.

The trial lasts for seven days, during which time you can use all the features of After Effects to create motion graphics and visual effects for film, TV and web.

You’ll also have access to Adobe Express on mobile and web, Step-by-step tutorials, 100GB of cloud storage, Adobe Portfolio and Adobe Fonts.

You can cancel at any time during the seven-day trial or continue using After Effects and pay US$20.99/month.

The other way to get After Effects free is to start a free trial of the Creative Cloud All Apps Plan.

This would be a good idea if you want to experiment with how well After Effects integrates with Premiere Pro, Photoshop, or any of the other Adobe apps.

Paid monthly, After Effects costs US$31.49.

Annually (paid monthly), the cost is US$20.99/month.

If you prepay for an entire year upfront, the price is US$239.88/year.

Yes, After Effects is an industry-standard tool for animation and motion graphics.

Designers, animators and film makers around the world use After Effects to create 2D and 3D animations with vectors and rasterized artwork.

You can even import photos and other pieces of physical media into your animations to generate titles, motion graphics and more.

For basic animation (like creating gifs from images), Photoshop can be used with relative ease.

However, for things like stop-motion animations or more complex 3D animating, After Effects has many more features and fine control.

After Effects is a lot like Photoshop but with a timeline. You can do a whole lot more with animations in After Effects.

Yes, After Effects has templates – pre-animated project files with elements that can be swapped out for your own creative assets.

Adobe offers a number of templates and you can find many free After Effects templates to download, or purchase premium ones from 3rd party vendors/

After Effects templates can save hours of time and are a great way to bring some animation to video projects.

After Effects isn’t particularly difficult to learn, but you will have to invest some time into learning the basics.

It’s also quite a fiddly and time-consuming software, especially if you want to use all the features to create interesting animations.

Once you’ve been using it for a while, you’ll come to know what effects to use and how to use them to save time.

There are also lots of free After Effects tutorials on YouTube or on the Adobe website.

Final Recommendations

If you’re planning to get Adobe Premiere Pro (or use it already), paying for the All Apps plan is the best option for getting After Effects.

If you don’t need to use Premiere, then getting After Effects on its own will save you some money.

And if you’re a student or teacher, you’ll be able to get all the Adobe apps (including AE and PP) for a great saving.

Learning After Effects can be time-consuming, so I recommend that you download a free After Effects trial and see what you can achieve within seven days.

Just like any other software, once you become accustomed to the controls, you’ll feel more comfortable using AE to create your first animations or special effects.