How to Get Adobe After Effects for Free (2024 Version)

By Ann Young 16 days ago, Software reviews

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Adobe After Effects

  • Rank
    (4.5/5)
  • Reviews: 255
  • License: Trial version
  • Downloads: 11.1k
  • Version: 2023
  • Compatible: Mac/Win

Are you wondering how to get After Effects for free without using unlicensed software? Do you want to get access to all the tools available in this program without paying $23 per month for a subscription?

Here, you will find all you need to know about the secret dangers of cracked/torrent versions, read reviews of the best alternatives, and get an opportunity to download free LUTs.

after effects interface

FREE After Effects Benefits

  • Adobe software integration
  • Large library of downloadable plugins
  • Advanced audio and video processing
  • VR support
  • Frequent updates
Download Adobe After Effects Free for Windows

Filename:

adobe_after_effects_free_for_windows.exe (download)

Filesize:

1.6GB

Download Adobe After Effects Free for Mac

Filename:

adobe_ after_effects _free_for_mac.dmg (download)

Filesize:

1.7GB

FAQ

  • How much does the full version of After Effects cost?

In case you want to buy After Effects, keep in mind that you will have to pay for a subscription.

Adobe After Effects costs $22.99 per month.

Besides this program, the subscription covers 100GB of cloud storage, Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark with premium features.

The second subscription plan is Adobe Cloud All Apps for $59.99/month.

It includes a collection of 20+ creative desktop and mobile apps including Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, and After Effects, as well as 100GB of cloud storage, Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark with premium features.

  • What will happen after the end of the trial period?

When your Adobe After Effects free trial period ends, the program will simply stop running, and you will have to subscribe. Adobe would not debit the funds on its own since you did not enter the card data.

  • Is After Effects an improved Adobe Premiere Pro version?

I’ve heard such a mistaken opinion very often. That is not strange because both programs are created to work with video post-production. Moreover, their design and some functions are very similar.

Premiere Pro is created for video editing and has many convenient features for this purpose. At the same time, After Effects is a VFX software suitable for moving graphics, visual effects, and the like. The best choice is to use these programs together.

Why Is It Better to Use a Licensed Version than a Pirated One

Official Version Pirated Version

Updates

✔️

Viruses

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Bugs and lags

✔️

Free trial

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Adobe software integrations

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You have already learned how to get Adobe After Effects for free. Now let’s discuss why it’s so important to download a legal version.

It is not surprising that with such a price and capabilities, sooner or later, hackers will post a cracked version of this program.

adobe after effects pirated vs license

Why do many users prefer to choose a license and pay each month than download Adobe After Effects free of charge offered on an illegal basis?

Technical support. You can count on the support provided by professionals from the Adobe technical team at any time of the day.

Hackers and viruses protection. Downloading software from the official site, you get a 100% clean and proven product. You may be completely sure that it does not contain any viruses that may damage your computer system. For users who chose Adobe After Effects illegal download, the threat of becoming a victim of viruses increases several times.

Almost 100% of all pirated copies of programs contain changes to the original program code.

Installing unlicensed Adobe After Effects crack, you never know who and for what purpose hacked it and what changes were made to the program code. Different types of malware (for example, viruses, and trojans) can be integrated into a pirated program.

Speed. You do not have to be nervous because your computer is slow as it often happens when using pirated copies. The licensed software doesn’t slow down your computer. While you can get pirated After Effects for free, you lose time. The speed of pirated versions is often reduced because of many reasons.

Quite often, various programs available online have additional built-in software. It may be completely unnecessary for a user, but it is installed without their agreement. As a result, it uses system resources slowing down its operation.

Reliability. You are much less likely to lose data if the program fails. With a license, you can work without worries. The pirated version of the program can crash at any moment.

Sometimes it can produce an error, which you won’t be able to fix because there is no technical support. If stability and reliability are important to you, use only legal copies of the software.

No risks. The use of illegal After Effects free download is a violation of copyright. As a result, a user may be subject to criminal, administrative and civil liability, especially if it concerns organizations that use such software on many computers.

Law enforcement inspections are usually associated with the seizure of computers. This leads to a halt or complication of work. The organization's activities can be paralyzed and obligations to customers and partners are not carried out.

This has a strong influence on the company's business reputation. With the piracy program, you can suffer big losses, which is why it’s better to avoid using AE for free.

Free Alternatives

If you need software that includes many tools besides video editing features, but you don’t want to pay for After Effects software, then the best choice would be to use its free alternatives.

Natron

natron logo

Natron is an open-source video editor. With little to no experience, users can edit video footage at a fairly professional level.

Natron allows you to work with many types of files and formats. If necessary, you can easily extend the functionality of this video editor with Open FX plug-ins.

The standard set of functions should be enough to perform many tasks. Among other advantages and opportunities, the program allows you to work with high-resolution video (2K and 4K).

Fusion Studio

blackmagic design fusion logo

Hollywood studios have been creating over a thousand world-famous blockbusters with the help of this software for more than 30 years since its release.

This After Effects alternative uses a powerful set of tools with a user-friendly interface. In addition, it provides support for three-dimensional space and virtual reality, the possibility of network rendering on any number of computers and speeding up of the graphics processor.

In Fusion Studio, post-processing is performed using the node system. This allows you to perform compositing, keying, vector drawing and animation in real 3D space, as well as change the playback speed, set the tracking and image stabilization.

Filmora

lucidpress logo

The developers created this software to help users with different levels of experience to create films using regular features and effects.

With it, you can enhance your content with a few clicks, so there is no need to worry about convoluted user interfaces that can be found in such programs as After Effects or Premiere Pro.

This software supports videos in different formats and has a collection of vibrant effects. You can easily overlay sound to videos, combine photos to create collages, crop and merge videos, add captions, optimize videos, and perform other tasks.

After completing your project, you can quickly upload your videos to YouTube or record them on DVDs.

Blender

blender logo

This open-source software is completely free. You may use it to handle many video editing tasks. Blender allows users to add visual effects, create interactive 3D applications and animated graphics, and design video games.

Besides, I would like to mention that this program supports UV unwrapping, 3D modeling, texturing, effects simulation, animating, video editing, and compositing.

The installation file doesn’t take up a lot of space and includes the video editor with the main features and a basic set of models, textures, and event handlers. You can further extend its functionality by adding official plugins released by the developers and add-ons built by users.

FREE Bonus Tools

free luts for after effects from fixthephoto

This collection of free LUTs can be used even by beginners. If you have already installed After FX free of charge, you can use this bundle to give your videos a professional feel. These effects will help you make the colors richer, add soft highlights to the foreground, and remove harsh shadows.

The files in the bundle are in .cube format. You can download them and use them in After Effects CC and other similar video editing software for Windows and Mac.

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