See After Effects Roundup February 2024 for a slew of 3D features added to the main app a few weeks ago.

After Effects product manager Victoria Nece notes that Version 24.4.0×13 of After Effects Beta introduces support for embedded animation in 3D models: “When you add GLB or glTF files with embedded animation to your timeline, you’ll see a new Animation Options menu where you can select an included animation to play back.” She also says that GLB and glTF models can include embedded animated cameras and lights, so with these features combined it’s now possible to import many 3D scenes from other 3D applications as a single file and convert their contents to native After Effects layers. Be sure to check your GPU compatibility with the Advanced 3D renderer.

Another beta release, Beta Version 24.4 build 20, on March 18 found more features added, including tweaks to the overall UI and a new menu command for pasting keyframes in reverse (even across multiple layers). Update: Jake In Motion talks about this build 20 update in This After Effects update is EXCITING!

 

 

Victoria also noted two good recent tutorials to help you dive into AE 3D: From Flat to Fabulous: Turning 2D Images into 3D Models by Eran Stern and Creating animated models with Mixamo + Blender and importing in AE Beta from Learn Mograph.

 

 

SternFX also posted Illustrator to After Effects: 3D Model Animation Workflow, creating an animated poster for the movie They Live.

 

 

BSP Studios asked Did After Effects Just Beat Blender?! The results are promising for the quicker AE, but adjustment to the AE renderers are needed.

 

 

 

Max Novak introduced 3D scannning with a phone and Polycam in his Ultimate Guide to INSANE 3D Scan Effects ! (Blender & After Effects). Meanwhile RobikFX showed a 3D Scan Effect In After Effects with Element 3D from Video Copilot.

 

 

 

aescripts.com noted Ottoman Robot’s Las Vegas Sphere X Super Bowl X Eric Haze X Beyond The Streets – Behind the Scenes. He included a demo using After Effects and also Newton 4 for physics.

 

 

Charles Yeager had a Quick Tip: Remove Yellow from Footage for Cleaner Whites on PremiumBeat. He used the Adobe Lumetri plug-in inside After Effects.

 

 

I wasn’t sure this would be interesting, but it was, despite the misspelling. MotionXP evaluated the downloadables of an AE trainer in I downloaded all of Ben Marriots Project files…I’m SHOCKED by what I learned!

 

 

As mentioned previously, CC Ball Action has been improved (with displacement, shading and coloring) with AE 24.2 update. Usually we avoid tutorials without voiceover, but Tutorials View+ has some decent examples in After Effects 24.2 New CC Ball Top View image To 3D.

 

 

flomotion shared 5 After Effects Compositing Tricks you did not know about!! Decide yourself: they are Keying, Looping, practical effects and sets, lightwrap, rim light and point motion tracking. He shows you how to ride on animals, dragons, and monsters (but not dinosaurs) with the help of a greenscreen.

 

 

Motion UX shared Unlock Figma-Level Prototypes in Your After Effects UI Animations with This Secret, explaining that motion mocks in After Effects can be more realistic with a simple trick of adding in touch/tap cursors to each interaction. Unfortunately the Figma-After Effects workflow is kludgy, and the AEUX plug-in is currently unavailable (except on Github). It was originally created for Google SketchUp by the maker of Overlord. Additional options floating around seem be Convertify and Toothpaste.

 

 

Olufemii asked How Would You Use This After Effects Feature? I don’t even remember a standalone tutorial on CC Glue Gun!

 

 

Adobe Live hosts Motion Design Hotline, who today features Motion Design Hotline: Painting Over Pain Points. Evan and Kyle futz with the frame-by-frame faculties of Photoshop and After Effects, then show how to reduce the drudgery with tracking, rotoscoping, and vector techniques. An earlier companion episode explored brush techniques in Photoshop, Fresco, and After Effects: Motion Design Hotline: Paint-staking Reveals.

 

 

 

Motion Circles makes a pyramid by hand (ok, mouse) in Glow Up Your Animation in After Effects | 3D Spin & Time Displacement. If you need fast and cheap, Ultra Box 3D will do boxes and pyramids.

 

 

Adobe Video & Motion is hosting a series of shorts by Film Riot. One example is How to Stabilize Footage in Premiere Pro and After Effects | Adobe Video x @filmriot.

 

 

In Combining AI Tools with After Effects To Create Unique Animated Idents, AIAnimation used Adobe Illustrator & After Effects, MidJourney, Runway ML, Leonardo AI, Topaz Labs Video AI, Zoe Depth, and Blockade Labs. See also his short roundup, New AI Animation Tools & More AI Creative News.

 

 

And now, some AI hallucinations…

No taunting, that’s just from humans, but you know there’s got to be a catch with “free” from Elon. And who suspected that ASCII art would be harmful to chatbots?

There’s plenty of competitors aiming to produce the same features; here’s just one example, Trust Nothing – Introducing EMO: AI Making Anyone Say Anything from Matthew Berman.

 

But wait, there’s more. Check out Generative A.I – We Aren’t Ready by Kyle Hill, which explores the “Dark Forest” theory of the internet (promoted by Yancey Strickler). Shades of Dante’s Inferno, Canto 1.

 

 

Theoretically Media quickly covered some possible big news for a bunch of people; see Why Apple & Google’s AI Move Is Big. The story came through Bloomberg and Robert Scoble, and the freely available ArsTechnica added stuff.

 

 

As usual, Matt Wolfe of futuretools.io is excited by developments in AI News: Get Ready, The World is About to Change.

 

 

Theoretically Media covers the interesting but hyped OpenAI project in Sora Release Date Deep Dive, as well as “Adobe Music” and more in Big AI News from Adobe, Stability, Ideogram & More! Tim also covered feature length AI films and LTX Studio by Lightricks and, of course, more. Here too is Project Music GenAI Control | Adobe Research.

 

 

Curious Refuge also always has more video roundups, including This Midjourney Update is WILD + Pika’s New AI Video Feature.

 

 

 

It’s not in my wheelhouse, but Prompt Muse has some interesting tutorials for AI-generated characters in Blender and Unreal Engine. See AI to 3D Characters: Next Level For Blender, Unreal Engine and more!

 

 

 

Adobe’s Jason Levine now posts video hangouts on Twitter. The most recent one is Creative Kickoff | Monday AI Roundup/Review (chat, demo, chill). Adobe’s going to have to tighten focus and clarity and avoid the chit-chat podcast style to help users not drift off to the exciting developments elsewhere. As features expand in AI, price and value considerations may play a bigger role. Already we see Adobe’s stock market value drop, but raising subscriptions fees won’t help.

Just in video editing, there’s a noticeable trend towards CapCut and DaVinci Resolve. See for example, Which Free Editor Should You Use? DaVinci vs. CapCut from Ben Claremont.

 

 

Kevin Monahan gave a Welcome to Premiere Pro 24.2.1! And Kylee Pena added Happy Valentine’s Day! Now in Beta: Label Color Presets! [also in AE beta]. Premiere Gal has the rundown in What is new in Premiere Pro? (v24.2) 6 New Features!

While we’re here, 6 NEW Tricks in Premiere Pro You MUST Know About! by Lila was informative.

 

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Please note that these roundups are for quick review and comparison — and After Effects Portal can only skim the surface of what’s out there.

There’s almost always vital information from the originating authors at the links provided, and often free presets, projects, or stock footage too.
@aerich