After Effects Version 23.3 (March 2023) was released March 28 and includes improvements like:

⌨️ Set keyboard shortcuts for selectable track mattes
🌈 Use the system color picker w/ Colorama
⏩ Timeline selection and scrubbing performance improvements

See also Fixed issues in the March 2023 release (version 23.3). The fix for ProRes color shifts is waiting on an OS update. Until then, you can turn off Hardware Accelerated Decoding in Preferences as a workaround.

The big features still in the beta program include: Effect Manager, Startup and Repair in Preferences, and Properties Panel.

There were two more additions to After Effects Beta last week: Smoother playback on Windows and an updated Track Matte pickwhip icon; see Feature Focus: New Track Matte pickwhip. Beta features added earlier this month were described in these notes from Adobe: Feature focus: Extract cameras and lights from 3D models and Feeback Requested: Project Panel Sort Order Change.

Adobe Firefly (Beta) is the new family of creative generative AI models coming to Adobe products, focusing initially on image and text effect generation. It’s just a web tool for now — see the FAQ. Additional new tech sneak peeks were shared in Adobe Summit Sneaks showcase visionary new commerce and marketing AI innovations. Some of the demo materials involve video, so let’s hope there’s something announced at NAB in a few weeks!

You can read more about Firefly at AI Tutor in Adobe Firefly: Revolutionizing the creative landscape with ethical AI art generation. Also, Terry White has a quick video, How to Get Started with Adobe Firefly (Beta) and there was a preview of #Project Custom clips, which can re-tailor video content to specific audiences and/or publishing channels.

Hyper Brew released Klutz GPT (ChatGPT for After Effects) 🤷‍♂️
Hyperbrew has claimed that it’s “the most unreliable” way to write expressions and scripts for After Effects, but they haven’t seen my work. If your OpenAI free trial expires, you’ll need to sign up for a paid account.

Jake In Motion leveraged Hyper Brew Klutz GPT and raved about the process in ChatGPT changed how I work in After Effects FOREVER.

There were previous efforts on using AI for AE, including ChatGPT For After Effects | AI Writes Expressions For Me by Nijat Ibrahimli, After Effects + ChatGPT AI 🤯😲 (Mind Blown) from Learn After Effects (using After Effects expressions), and Let AI write After Effects scripts from Alden Peters.

Jeff Foster returned to the topic with AI Tools Part 2: A Deeper Dive, righter on PVC. He shares updates and news on AI tools for images for March and updated is master list in AI Tools: The List You Need Now!

Cold Fusion from Dagogo Altraide is useful, covering a variety of topics; see AI is Evolving Faster Than You Think [GPT-4 and beyond].

You can also keep up with AI through Matt Wolfe, who makes videos and maintains a massive database at Future Tools. Check out just one of his recent videos, Another Massive Week in AI! (Summed Up in 10-Min), and maybe two others.

Here on PVC, Chris Zwar offered a quick look at how OCIO & ACES have been built into After Effects 2023 in Color Management: OCIO & ACES in AE 2023.

Kyle Hamrick posted How To Work Faster in After Effects and Premiere | Essential Graphics Panel and Mogrt Workflow. If you’ve never paid much attention to Essential Graphics, he explains its ability to create customizable instances of pre-comps without changing the original. You can follow along with the free project file.

Kyle recommends the MOGRT work of Mograph Mindset, aka Nic Dean. See his recent 5-part series, starting with Perfect Buttons MOGRT | After Effects Tutorial (1/5).

Mograph Mindset also explained his new free After Effects Plug-in, Set Path Keyframes in his “Set Path Keyframes” Tutorial. He notes that “This tool helps you quickly Add or Delete Keyframes for all Path properties at the current time. Forget about endlessly twirling open Shape properties in your timeline to add Path keyframes. Map this command to the keyboard and set them with a shortcut instead.”

Abolfazl Babaei created some trippy shapes in After Effects.

Here’s a step by step breakdown of how I created those trippy shapes!

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section#aftereffects #motiondesign #faux3D #tutorial #process #breakdown #aftereffectstutorial #trippyart #trippy pic.twitter.com/Mzg7NFyxjH

— AB (@ab_workss) March 6, 2023

Shape layer stroke after transforms, from Taylor Peters:

Shape layer reminder. If you put your stroke after transforms (even non uniform ones) it will re draw the stroke properly! Great for faux 3d stuff and character rigs! #aftereffects #motiongraphics pic.twitter.com/MnDgNFg665

— tj (@TaylorJonpeters) March 23, 2023

NAB MoGraph Meetup is back for April 18!  The event is free to attend, but space is limited and you must RSVP.

Everything Everywhere All At Once won the Oscars in March, and it was the first editing win for a feature cut with Adobe Premiere Pro, with VFX largely utilizing After Effects!

Adobe got Film editor Paul Rogers and partners to share favorite Frame.io & Premiere Pro effects and features used for the film; see Everything Everywhere All At Once Wins the Oscar For Best Picture & Best Editing. There are oodles of videos on this movie but here are two videos just for fun, How a 5-Person Team Made an Oscar-Winning Movie’s Effects | WIRED, and a long one VFX and Chill | Everything Everywhere All At Once.

~

Stay tuned for part 2:

there’s too much Artificial Intelligence happening.