After Effects 25.1 is the current version, with no big recent announcements. The December 2024 (25.1) release includes important fixes, and Adobe listed remaining Known issues in After Effects.

New features include:

• Accepts Lights switch for 3D layers
• 3D model preview thumbnail
• Cinema 4D 2025 upgrade in After Effects

After Effects 25.2 is in Beta; current features include:

• Customize Transparency Grids
• Customize panel background colors
• Change anchor point in a more efficient way

PVC staff posted Looking back on 2024 and ahead to 2025 – A PVC Roundtable Discussion. After Effects specialist Chris Zwar bucked the crowd source opinion on HDR, saying that the spread of HDR & ACES has helped After Effects become increasingly accepted as a tool for high-end VFX. Unfortunately, HDR adoption is slow.

Chris shared related information in his video article Color Management Part 25: Corporate Brand Colors and ACES.

Envato Video looked at Motion Design Trends for 2025, hosting four designers to learn what’s inspiring them, what’s driving them crazy, and how motion graphics designers can stay at the top of their game.

The School of Motion yearly summary is up, links and all. See the sample of 15 minutes, but it’s useful to catch the entire 6 1/2 hours. Here’s Highlights from our EPIC 2024 Year-End Roundup Podcast! Who are those pixies working for? Could it be…..?

Jake In Motion posted 2 substantial tutorials in December: Advanced CC Ball Action Techniques /// After Effects Tutorial and Advanced Grunge Texture /// After Effects Tutorial.

Noble Kreative used CC Ball Action for 3D Procedural Audio Visualizer in After Effects and Procedural Fiery Flames and Wavy Backgrounds in After Effects.

Film Riot posted Insane Asteroid Impact in After Effects. They heavily massaged stock footage to get there.

ukramedia is back with The After Effects Marker Trick Nobody Talks About! See how to control multiple elements across After Effects compositions using a single marker. You can set up markers to manage text, colors, and other properties efficiently with expressions, to simplify updating multiple items at once, saving time on complex projects. By automating changes with markers, you can streamline your workflow and avoid repetitive manual adjustments across compositions.

Stephan Zammit makes headway on creating 3D glass in Realistic 3D Motion Graphics in After Effects Advanced Tutorial.

One of several recent tutorials on the theme is Premiere Gal’s AWESOME Futuristic HUD Effects in After Effects.

Boone Loves Video adds a quick 3D airplane for a map animation with Working with 3D Models in Adobe After Effects 2025! 🗺️.

After Effects Basics shared 10 After Effects HACKS Every Motion Designer NEEDS!

Still going strong, Eran Stern upped the ante with 10 Ae Techniques You’ve Never Seen!

And, Texturelabs is back with 21 PHOTOSHOP TIPS – Easy Through Advanced! Meanwhile, in dekeNow’s 7 Techniques That Will Change How You Use Photoshop Forever, the first tip (Auto Color Options) immediately impressed.

Check out ObjPop Beta from the Plugin Play toolset for AE in Instant Image to 3d model in After Effects. There’s already 3D animations from video footage elsewhere, but this is inside AE.

If you’ve dragged your feet on this, Default Cube says It’s Time For Gaussian Splatting // Tutorial. That one uses Blender, but there’s more on Gaussian splats in AE in After Effects Roundup October 2024.

Javier Mercedes shows you how to Reveal Text From Behind Object (Premiere Pro and After Effects).

Adobe Spectrum is the name for the new UI style in Creative Cloud. VideoRevealed has the justification for Premiere Pro (without nagging details) in Spectrum – Adobe’s Design System!

VFX and Chill hosted Talking Animals in After Effects (with JASON MURPHY). From talking dogs to practical puppets to CGI aliens, they chat about how Jason Murphy found himself directing movies full of so many visual effects shots. “How did After Effects fit into a production pipeline?”

Josh Toonen explains Why I Quit After Effects (to work in Hollywood VFX). You’re supposed to delete AE and learn Nuke for free (course fees not included). But really, you can use Nuke for free and, apparently, Unreal Engine is useful.