When one of my friends was just starting her path of becoming a motion designer, she used an Adobe After Effects crack since she didn’t have the budget to get the official license. I can’t say my friend’s name since these days she’s a successful expert in her field and shedding light on this fact might damage her reputation. However, I still want to share what this situation led to and what consequences my friend had to face when attempting to crack Adobe After Effects via cmd or code.
She simply wanted to get an After Effects cracked version to jumpstart her career and hoped to gain access to all of the software’s premium features without an official subscription.
My friend told me that she found an Adobe After Effects crack download link that would supposedly allow her to preserve all its functionality, saving money and helping her find more clients. The installation process was simple and she didn’t notice any issues at the start.
However, just a few days later, she saw that some tools weren't working as intended. If that wasn’t bad enough, one time she lost a huge part of her project because this unlicensed motion graphics software started lagging, crashed, and lost all unsaved changes. This caused my friend a lot of stress and she failed to meet her deadline, leading to significant monetary loss.
After some more time had passed, my friend received a message from Adobe. It contained a request to uninstall the cracked software and instead pick a suitable subscription plan to avoid escalating the situation.
Adobe also invited her to use the 7-day free trial version before picking a plan. Additionally, the email contained an offer to get the software using one of the Adobe discounts provided by the company.
To say my friend became worried would be an understatement. She was afraid of receiving a fine, but she was even more scared that her clients (few in number at the time) would learn about these machinations and her reputation as a motion designer would be ruined.
That’s why she decided to not tempt fate with a crack for Adobe After Effects anymore and instead chose to buy Adobe After Effects. She instantly felt a difference after launching the official version, as tools have now worked perfectly, she didn’t experience any lagging, and all parameters functioned properly. Moreover, my friend realized that many options were completely missing from the cracked version, forcing her to spend a lot of time creating certain effects using suboptimal tools.
The licensed version also supplied my friend with frequent upgrades and new UI features. She also greatly benefited from the support provided by Adobe whenever she encountered confusing issues.
#1 Free access to paid tools
My friend hoped to use all the features of After Effects Effects without spending a single cent and thought she thought she got a copy from someone who has the latest version of the software.
❌ Cracked software tends to have missing or incorrectly working tools, which makes it incomplete and unstable.
#2 Saving money without consequences
She thought that downloading files from certain websites could be safe since those files are shared by users who have also installed this software using that link.
❌ Downloading an Adobe After Effects crack is against the law and can lead to substantial fines and legal persecution.
#3 Identical performance to the official version
She didn’t have any reason to think that unlicensed software would work any differently than the official version, so the lagging she experienced when applying effects was an unpleasant surprise to my friend.
❌ Pirated software is often not optimized, which leads to crashes, freezing, and incorrect program behavior.
#4 Doesn’t require upgrades
My friend mistakenly thought that she'd be fine using the available features forever, but she soon learned that without the fixes introduced in the licensed After Effects version, many tools simply don’t work properly.
❌ Updates help get rid of bugs and introduce new tools, which will never be added to your cracked copy of the software.
#5 Device remains completely secure
Even though my friend understood that third-party websites can be dangerous, she still hoped that her antivirus software would deal with any potential issues.
❌ Pirated software often comes with malware and viruses, which can severely damage your device or corrupt your files.
#6 Convenient installation
She hoped for a fast setup process that would only require dealing with a single file, but she ended up spending twice as much time as expected due to encountering several problems with the installation.
❌ Installing software with a crack often demands employing workarounds, turning off security functionality, and other potentially dangerous and time-consuming steps.
#7 Pro-grade results
My friend didn’t think that the software could damage the files or delay the completion of her project.
❌ If you use an After Effects crack, you can expect to experience crashes and incorrect operation that makes it harder to get the desired result.
#8 Doesn’t affect other applications
Simultaneous use of multiple application is a must-have for any professional motion designer, but my friend couldn’t predict that she won’t be able to open the files created in her version of After Effects in other free Adobe software.
❌ Cracked applications tend to be incompatible with other software, leading to unstable performance and unpredictable errors.
#9 Allows getting support
Many users with cracked software think that they can deal with any problem themselves or find an answer on a specialized forum.
❌ Adobe won’t respond to any user inquiries if they don’t have a licensed copy of their software.
#10 Lifetime access without any restrictions
My friend thought that since the software was cracked, it would serve her indefinitely.
❌ Cracked software often tends to become outdated or broken, meaning you’ll have to reinstall it or find a different crack.
#11 Protected collaboration and project sharing
She hoped that the files saved in a cracked Adobe After Effects CC version are identical to the ones you get from the official software.
❌ Projects created in pirated applications are often marked as corrupted or unsupported when you attempt to open them in other legitimate software.
If you’re not satisfied with After Effects or can’t afford it for now, there are multiple After Effects alternatives you can try that have similar motion graphic toolsets.
Apple Motion is a terrific option, especially if you have a macOS device. It’s a lightweight, robust application that can be easily integrated with Final Cut Pro. If you pit Motion vs After Effects, you’ll notice that the former is perfect for designing titles, transitions, and intricate effects for a low price, representing a terrific tool for both beginners and experienced users.
DaVinci Resolve, famous for its color grading tools, also has a diverse range of video editing and motion graphics features. Its Fusion module lets you create compositions, animations, and visual effects. You can pick between a free edition of Resolve and the premium version available for a single-time payment, which makes it a lot more attractive as a long-term investment if you compare DaVinci Resolve vs After Effects.
Even though Blender is mainly a 3D modeling and animation application, it still offers a video editor as well as compositing functionality for tackling motion graphics projects. If you pit Blender vs After Effects, you’ll appreciate the open-source and free distribution model of the former, which is perfect for any user on a tight budget. This software offers a node-based workflow for VFX and animations, which can be customized to meet your exact specifications.
If you still want to use Adobe software, you can take advantage of the discounts they offer for students or during special sales like Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Moreover, if you ever feel like you no longer need After Effects, you can simply cancel Adobe subscription without free.
