The installer part takes minutes. The plugin bundle that makes After Effects usable is already inside this same file.
File noteAfter Effects reads its effects from its own plug-ins folder, so anything that is not sitting in that folder never appears in the effects list, however many installers you ran.
| In the file | The full Adobe After Effects software and its plugin bundle |
|---|---|
| Machines | PC and Mac |
| Price | Free, nothing to pay upfront |
| Assembly | None, it comes as one secure download |
The plugins travel in the same package.
A plain install opens with an effects list that is nearly bare.
Here the bundle drops its plugins into the plug-ins folder for you.
Next launch, every bundled effect is already listed by name.
Your comp goes to the render queue the same evening.
One file, PC or Mac, and the software is on the machine you actually edit on.
The software and the plugin bundle arrive together, so there is no second hunt afterwards.
Nothing to assemble: the package installs and the effects are listed on launch.
What it is: the folder After Effects reads its effects from at launch.
Where you meet it: the moment an effect you expected is missing from the list.
What it is: the set of extra effects that ships inside this package.
Where you meet it: already in place the first time you open the app.
What it is: the canvas where your layers, effects and timing live.
Where you meet it: the first thing you make after the install.
What it is: the list of comps waiting to be written out to a file.
Where you meet it: at the end of the evening, when the edit is done.
Do not use it if:
Software and plugin bundle, bundled together, ready to install.