free alternative to after effects

Best Free After Effects Alternative for Video Editors

Seeking an alternative to Adobe After Effects?

As a video editing and special effects platform, After Effects provides a great opportunity to jazz up videos and unleash your creativity. But it can also come with a pretty sharp learning curve – as well as a significant price tag that leaves many searching for an After Effects alternative.

Is There a Good Alternative to After Effects?

Yes. In fact, there are several great alternatives to Adobe After Effects that not only deliver similar results, but also make high-quality video enhancement easier and faster than their much-pricier Adobe counterpart.

Here are the best free and paid After Effects alternatives for Windows, Mac, and Linux now on the market.

Top Free Alternatives to After Effects

1. PowerDirector – Best Overall
2. Blender
3. Blackmagic Fusion
4. Natron
5. Wax

Top Paid Alternatives for After Effects

6. Hitfilm Pro
7. Apple Motion
8. Nuke

After Effects Alternatives FAQ

1. Free After Effects Alternatives for Windows, Mac, and Linux

1. CyberLink PowerDirector – Best Overall

CyberLink's PowerDirector offers a variety of top-rated video editing and special effects tools for Windows and Mac, making it easy to edit videos and create polished, professional-grade visual effects from one convenient location. PowerDirector comes as both a free and paid version.

PowerDirector Essentials (free version) comes not only with an easy-to-use video editing interface, but also with a host of premium features, cutting-edge mask tools, motion controls, compositing effects, and more. The Essentials version is a great way to try out the software and a fantastic starting point for those just starting out in video editing and effects.

If you opt for the reasonably priced PowerDirector 365 (subscription) you will get access to an 8,000,000+ photo, video and music stock library. This royalty-free content provided by Shutterstock and iStock by Getty Images is incredibly useful when creating effects as you can pull assets whenever inspiration hits. You'll also have access to thousands of unique design packs of premade effects and templates.

As a high-quality After Effects alternative, PowerDirector allows you to perform all the following functions without breaking your budget:

Adjust colors
Add sketched animation overlays
Conduct frame-by-frame motion tracking
Perform green screen editing tasks quickly and easily

Other PowerDirector capabilities to achieve a professional-quality product include:

Footage stabilization
Blending Effects
Slow and fast motion effects
Repeat, replay, and reverse options
Split screen animations

Whether it's a product tutorial, lengthy brand film, event promotion, or an exciting YouTube video, this free video editor with effects capability can help you tackle your project and deliver polished video content you can be proud of.

In all, PowerDirector is easy to learn and easy to master—not only due to an intuitive product interface, but also to tools that continually simplify the editing process. Resources like CyberLink's extensive stock library can also provide crucial support for brainstorming ideas, supplementing content, and developing videos that will elevate brand engagement and visibility.

What's more: PowerDirector isn't the only free After Effects alternative in the CyberLink suite. It also has free versions of ColorDirector (color editing), AudioDirector (audio editing), and Director Suite (complete audio, video, and photo editing) available to save you time and money.

Key PowerDirector Features

Mask-design tools for cutting and combining different video clips
Motion controls that enable dynamic special effects wherever you need them
Customizable titles for introducing and enhancing important scenes
Manual color-adjustment tools for managing brightness, hue, and continuity
Motion-effects capability to correct and improve clips fast

Best app of 2020

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PowerDirector
Download PowerDirector for FREE and see why PC Mag named it the Best Video Editing Software in the industry.

2. Blender

Blender

Blender is a versatile open-source tool perfect for anything from video editing and compositing to creating special effects, 3D applications, different types of animation, and more.

With wide-ranging capabilities that include motion tracking, 2D and 3D animation, and even particle simulation, Blender is a more-than-worthy After Effects alternative – especially for those who enjoy broad customizability.

Blender allows users to complete anything from basic video editing actions (cutting, splicing) to more challenging editing tasks (grading, masking). This broad capability makes Blender a popular tool for intermediate and advanced video editors alike, a level of accessibility that has earned Blender rave reviews from across the VFX community.

Notable product features:

Audio adjustment and editing tools for mixing, scrubbing, and visualization
Broad versatility for adding visual effects, audio, images, masks, and video
Numerous filters, speed control functionality, keyframes, and transitions for performing complex video editing tasks
3D animation capability

Pros:

Accessible for nearly all video editing tasks
Supports all types of VFX
Great for 3D animating, modeling, and simulation

Cons:

Has many features that may be overwhelming for beginners

3. Blackmagic Fusion

Blackmagic Fusion is typically used for creating visual effects and digital compositing in professional level commercials, TV shows and feature films. Fusion is available in a limited form in DaVinci Resolve for free or a full paid version in Fusion Studio.

It's a node-based system allowing for a large amount of flexibility. If you have never worked in a node-based editor, it will require some patience and time to learn so be prepared. The results will be worth it if you are willing to be disciplined. Not for those looking for fast results.

With wide-ranging tools for visual effects, motion graphics and color correction it is a great choice for dedicated visual effects artist. It supports 3D and 360º workspaces.

Notable product features:

Integrated 2D and 3D compositing in an animation environment
Two-level proxy system for fast interactive response
Mix and match footage of different resolutions, aspect ratios and formats within a single project.

Pros:

A fully integrated 3D compositing environment with lights, camera snap casted shadows
Render to multiple formats and resolutions in a single pass
Import 3D models from Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D and more

Cons:

Professional software not ideal for beginners

4. Natron

Natron

Natron is a visual-effects platform specializing in open-sourced digital compositing, rotopaint, and 2D tracking solutions for VFX professionals. In short, Natron makes special effects and video editing solutions easier to find, access, and use than do other video-effects programs, including Adobe After Effects.

Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, this free visual-effects software is a cross-platform, cost-effective After Effects alternative for anyone preferring more control over After Effects-related functions – and who enjoy a higher level of interface customization.

Effects creators and editors typically use Natron for its flexibility and the many different shapes and masks it offers for generating VFX.

Notable product features:

Supports many open-source visual-effects pluginsg
Has rendering and GPU capability
Enables 2D/2.5D special effects
Saves images in JPG, PSD, PNG, and various other formats

Pros:

Provides a high level of 2D effects customizability
Works across multiple platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux)
Includes 250+ plugins to create visual effects for people across the globe

Cons:

Natron's functionality doesn't support 3D effects creation
This tool is not user-friendly for beginners

5. Wax

Wax

Wax serves as an efficient video-editing and special-effects alternative to After Effects, providing a simple, easy-to-use editing platform without the complexities or cost of Adobe software.

As a video editing resource, Wax's simple user interface design may initially throw a few people off, though the tool's multitude of effects and useful features more than make up for it. Wax is high performance, easy to grasp, and offers a special effects capability that keeps it on par with others in the VFX market.

Wax is great for compositing and works both as a standalone tool and software plugin.

Notable product features:

Provides special effects and video editing
Offers hundreds of presets
Works for creating 2D and 3D visual effects
Works with more plugins
Offers real-time effects for most graphic cards

Pros:

Wax is easy to learn/use
It is great for beginners
Wax supports many different formats, including BMP, PNG, JPG, WAV, RGB, and TIF

Cons:

Wax supports limited formats for importing files
This tool only works in Windows

Top Paid Alternatives to After Effects

6. HitFilm Pro

Hitfilm

HitFilm is another solid Adobe After Effects alternative, providing professional-quality video editing software for Mac and Windows without the need for a pricy Adobe subscription.

A 3D compositor, visual effects tool (VFX), and comprehensive video editor all rolled into one. HitFilm Pro provides reliable high-speed effects and video-editing to users around the world.

Currently, HitFilm maintains a catalog of more than 820 visual effects and presets. In general, HitFilm's unique mix of VFX and video editing make it much easier to use than After Effects.

Notable product features:

Supports nearly all types of formats
Includes over 820+ visual effects and presets
Possesses audio-visualization capability

Pros:

HitFilm offers access to hundreds of high-quality motion effects at no cost
It comes with a user forum to brainstorm ideas and help with problems

Cons:

HitFilm though not professional level is not designed for beginners

7. Apple Motion

If you are a Mac lover than Apple Motion is for you. Though not as feature heavy as After Effects it is great alternative for those interested in motion graphics, 2D and 3D compositing, and visual effects.

If you already use Final Cut Pro this is probably your best option because of how closely intertwined they are. Plus, they have very similar interfaces and you can use it to create templates and themes for Final Cut.

As usual, Apple has made a tool optimized to run seamlessly on in their ecosystem. This helps decrease the need for rendering time.

Notable product features:

Full-length timeline, and keyframe editor
Outline the edges of any video, image, or text element with the stroke filter
Import USDZ 3D models

Pros:

Includes titles, transitions, generators, and filters
Combine 3D objects, cameras, lights, and emitters with other complex elements

Cons:

Only for Mac and ideal for those using Final Cut

8. Nuke

Nuke is a cutting-edge toolkit for node-based compositing. It is specifically for professionals. If you are looking for the industry standard for compositing, Nuke is it. It is more expensive than After Effects but for a good reason.

Nuke is mainly on our list for those who want to be professional VFX artist. This is not a software for home use.

Nuke is typically seen as a family of programs consisting of Nuke, NukeX and Nuke Studio. Together they provide flexibility and collaborative workflows for the highest quality results possible.

Notable product features:

Advanced node-based compositing, 3D tracking and model building
Node graphs and resolution-independent processing
Easy collaboration with others, whether sitting side by side or across the globe

Pros:

Deep Image compositing tools
Machine Learning Toolset
Stereoscopic workflow

Cons:

Only for professionals

After Effects Alternatives FAQ

What is the best alternative to After Effects for a beginner?

PowerDirector is the best option for beginners. It was designed to allow anyone to jump in and start creating with very little experience. The free version also gives users a chance to test it out before having to make any real commitment in either time or money.

Can Blender Replace After Effects?

Blender is a good After Effects alternative, though its numerous features and extensive functionality can often overwhelm inexperienced video and effects editors, leaving little-to-no chance it will completely overtake the Adobe program. After Effects provides tutorials and informational resources not available with the Blender tool.

Is Fusion as Good as After Effects?

Fusion and Adobe After Effects are similar in terms of visual effects and video editing performance, though Fusion may indeed be a better option for tasks like compositing.

Need a Great Alternative to After Effects?

PowerDirector offers a range of alternative and comprehensive, video-editing and effects. Its the intuitive, professional-grade software you need to take on your next project with confidence.

Director Suite which includes PowerDirector, ColorDirector, AudioDirector, and PhotoDirector will put you in the driver's seat, making it easy to create compelling visual and audio content to connect with your audience faster than ever.

Try it out for free.

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Director Suite

If you're an aspiring editor looking to create cool videos, head on over to our complete guide on video editing effects. We've also got other great articles in our blog that'll introduce you to all the tools you need to enhance your portfolio.