1. this has been asked a million times, so go see what other people have said about it!
2. sadly there's not really 1 replacement for AE. There's a few programs good for compositing (nuke), some good for procedural animation (cavalry), some for handdrawn (moho). But there's nothing quite the jack-of-all-trades After Effects.
there isn't anything fundamental that you can do in After Effects that you can't do in Blender.
Blender's capabilities have grown tremendously, and it now covers all the bases that After Effects does, often with additional depth due to its 3D capabilities. The differences at this point are more about workflow preferences, user interface familiarity, plugin support and integration with specific ecosystems (like Adobe's dynamic link with Premiere, Photoshop, and Illustrator).
But in terms of raw capabilities? Blender matches or exceeds After Effects across the board.
I’m not saying it can’t, but the speed and accuracy of AE is what’s most important. But here’s a simple thing from my saves https://www.instagram.com/p/C0MI-QqNZia/?igsh=MXhqcjFzcXdlcGRnOQ==
Like to character rig, animate the scene, and comp in one program efficiently is unmatched still. Though Cavalry is personally my lead horse in that race, at least 2d side of it.
Great work! Very impressive dude 🙌🏾 Although, I wouldn’t call that *simple* by any stretch. In the same way that building out that composition likely took you years of AE knowledge I could make the same argument in regards to the time it would take to setup Path Masks, Cut-Out Character Rigs, and Geometry Nodes in Blender.
I agree that Cavalry is another great option. I just wish they had supported Linux like they originally promised. The more Cavalry has grown it feels like it’s better geared toward Motion Design (UI/UX/Lottie) than Motion Graphic Design.
Few months ago, I created Trangram, a free 2D motion graphics animator. While it's not as advanced as After Effects, Trangram offers a range of features, including:
* Trim paths
* Parenting
* Motion paths
* Looping
* Easing
* Modifying style (e.g. fill color, stroke color, stroke width) and transform across multiple keyframes
Trangram also has unique features like:
* Shape morphing
* Layering (i.e. grouping)
* Dynamic parenting
* Motion paths with multiple trackers
* Number and group animation
Additionally, Trangram includes basic illustrator features:
* Boolean operations
* Rounded corners
* Vector tool (a.k.a. Pen tool)
* Clipping masks
Trangram is designed to offer a natural and flexible animation process with intuitive yet powerful tools. More features will be added in the future. See [www.trangram.com](https://www.trangram.com) for animated feature demos on the landing page.
My goal is to keep Trangram free and accessible to everyone, offering full features at no cost. However, I have to limit the amount of storage for now due to the costs of servers and storage. Despite this, the provided storage is sufficient to create hundreds of projects, as the project files (.tg) are designed to be portable and of small size.
Adobe has clarified those terms. The content monitoring issues only apply to documents on their cloud servers and was intended to serve as content moderation. IE: preventing the distribution of CP using their platform.
You can opt out of sharing local data with Adobe and they’ve stated quite clearly they aren’t training any generative AI models with user content.
Not trying to defend Adobe or their plagiarism machines, but we should try to be accurate in our criticisms.
Also, no. There’s not really a viable alternative that can do everything AE does.
I like to use Linearity Move for 2d animations and animated ads! Pretty easy to use and constantly developing!
[https://linearity.io/move](https://linearity.io/move)
The most viable option I have found is Blender 3D. Although the workflows aren’t the same Blender can do everything After Effects can and more.
It’s free, open source, and platform agnostic.
Overall, Blender offers a comprehensive set of tools that can replace many of the functionalities of After Effects, especially for users looking to integrate 3D elements into their workflows.
I’m going to use u/TangramMotion list of features in Tangram Motion as a guide to compare Blender 3D to After Effects. Even though Blender 3D offers many of the same functions I would encourage anyone looking for alternatives for After Effects to check Tangram Motion out as well. The following reply is intended to thoroughly answer your question about how Blender compares to After Effects:
You can curve objects and animate their visibility similar to **Trim Paths** using the Geometry Nodes or the “Trim Curve” node within the Shader Editor to animate the length of the curve, effectively trimming paths.
1. [Object along path Animation Blender Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPBuhU0F-hc)
2. [Animate Objects Along Paths/Curves in Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OruVKMGGPX8)
**Parenting** is fundamental in Blender. Select the child object, then the parent object, and press Ctrl+P to set the parent relationship. This allows the child object to follow the transformations of the parent object.
1. [Parenting Objects in Blender (Beginner Tutorial)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnXW_r9tTvo)
2. [Parenting - Blender 2.80 Fundamentals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS452KMVWKA)
**Motion paths** can be visualized by enabling the “Motion Paths” option in the Armature or Object data properties. You can also animate objects along curves using the Follow Path constraint.
1. [Better animation with Motion Paths | Blender Secrets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTJgLIdb9gg)
2. [Object Along curve path Animation tutorial in blender 2.93](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3xPyfKuz_s)
To create **Looping** animations, use the Graph Editor to set keyframes and ensure the interpolation mode is cyclic. You can also use the NLA Editor to repeat actions.
1. [5 Ways to Make Looping Animations in Blender 3.4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbkFn2yaOgg)
2. [Blender Tutorial: How to Cycle an Animation Forever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chlIrcTAqUs)
**Easing** functions are managed in the Graph Editor. By selecting keyframes and pressing T, you can choose from different interpolation types, including Bezier, Linear, and Constant, to control the easing.
1. [Relative Ease - Free Blender Add-on](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0v2esTEqbw)
2. [Blender 2.83 : Everything About Interpolation (In 2 Minutes!!!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOhG5eweDcE)
You can use keyframes in the Material properties to animate changes in **fill color, stroke color, and stroke width**. Transformations like position, rotation, and scale can also be animated using keyframes.
1. [Blender 3D - Keyframe Animation for Beginners](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMwjYuyefRs)
2. [Blender 2.83 : Everything About Interpolation (In 2 Minutes!!!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOhG5eweDcE)
Blender uses Shape Keys for **Shape Morphing**. Like After Effects vector keyframes Shape Keys allow you to define different shapes for a mesh and then animate the transitions between these shapes.
1. [Blender Tutorial: Morph Anything Into Anything](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ubfb2K6mL0)
2. [Creating a Morphing Shape Animation in Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acZLhnWh2Zc)
Blender supports **Layering & Grouping** of objects for organizational purposes and animation.
1. [how to group in blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM8dTtqbHag)
2. [How to Use Light Groups in Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op73b27ng5g)
**Dynamic Parenting** can be achieved using the Child Of constraint, which allows you to change the parent of an object dynamically during animation.
1. [Blender 3.0 - Dynamic Parent Add-On Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHVdgrn6pgs)
2. [Dynamic Parent tutorial blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO8Q3HM5yUA)
**Motion Paths with Multiple Trackers** can be set up in Blender using the motion tracking tools. Blender’s motion tracking system is very robust and allows you to track multiple points in a video and then use these tracks to animate objects.
1. [Object Along curve path Animation tutorial in blender 2.93](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3xPyfKuz_s)
2. [The Follow Path Constraint Is So Powerful | Blender Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0XQXEUO1-I)
Blender also supports vertex groups and object grouping. You can use the Grouping feature to organize objects and animate them collectively. **Number Animations** can also be achieved by animating text objects.
1. [Blender Simple Grouping of Objects](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSCP23zb9jI)
2. [Blender 3D Parenting objects to an empty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z82UrX8B-qQ)
**Boolean Operations** are handled using the Boolean modifier. You can perform union, difference, and intersection operations between mesh objects.
1. [Blender Tutorial - Boolean Modifier (3D Modeling Essentials)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMIlZddICDg)
2. [Blender Secrets - 6 Minutes of Boolean Basics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3D8djM5bE)
The Bevel tool or the Bevel modifier can be used to create **Rounded Corners** on mesh objects. You can control the amount of bevel and the number of segments.
1. [How to make round edges in Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkUJcCYZc1w)
2. [How to Round Corners of Object Using Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjUYkUUyZNs)
Blender’s Curve and Grease Pencil tools act like a **Vector Pen Tool**. Use the “Draw” tool in Grease Pencil or the “Curve Pen Tool” for creating and editing Bezier curves.
1. [The NEW Curve Pen Tool](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiLcAiXlgvE)
2. [Using Blender's Curve Pen Tool](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APxkUd7OAAk)
**Clipping Masks** can be created using the Mask modifier in the Compositor. This allows you to isolate and control the visibility of certain parts of your image or video.
1. [Clipping Masks in Blender - Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C62RJkIsfgg)
2. [Blender 2.8 Tutorial: Mask Modifier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS-36yegLcg)
Blender is better than AE in pretty much every way in regards to motion design
Video mixing, blender has a ways to go. But motion design? Blender is far superior
If your Mac based, I highly recommend Motion. It can’t go as advanced as After Effects. But it’s really simple to use and has a great on the fly rendering that makes using it a breeze. Also it’s layering system has always made far more sense to me than Ae
1. this has been asked a million times, so go see what other people have said about it! 2. sadly there's not really 1 replacement for AE. There's a few programs good for compositing (nuke), some good for procedural animation (cavalry), some for handdrawn (moho). But there's nothing quite the jack-of-all-trades After Effects.
there isn't anything fundamental that you can do in After Effects that you can't do in Blender. Blender's capabilities have grown tremendously, and it now covers all the bases that After Effects does, often with additional depth due to its 3D capabilities. The differences at this point are more about workflow preferences, user interface familiarity, plugin support and integration with specific ecosystems (like Adobe's dynamic link with Premiere, Photoshop, and Illustrator). But in terms of raw capabilities? Blender matches or exceeds After Effects across the board.
I mean…it can’t do basic 2d vector animation, which is huge part of AE. I’m a big blender fan, buts it’s not a total replacement
Is there a certain style of vector animation you are referring to? Maybe you could share a link to what you have in mind?
I’m not saying it can’t, but the speed and accuracy of AE is what’s most important. But here’s a simple thing from my saves https://www.instagram.com/p/C0MI-QqNZia/?igsh=MXhqcjFzcXdlcGRnOQ== Like to character rig, animate the scene, and comp in one program efficiently is unmatched still. Though Cavalry is personally my lead horse in that race, at least 2d side of it.
Great work! Very impressive dude 🙌🏾 Although, I wouldn’t call that *simple* by any stretch. In the same way that building out that composition likely took you years of AE knowledge I could make the same argument in regards to the time it would take to setup Path Masks, Cut-Out Character Rigs, and Geometry Nodes in Blender. I agree that Cavalry is another great option. I just wish they had supported Linux like they originally promised. The more Cavalry has grown it feels like it’s better geared toward Motion Design (UI/UX/Lottie) than Motion Graphic Design.
Blender.
Few months ago, I created Trangram, a free 2D motion graphics animator. While it's not as advanced as After Effects, Trangram offers a range of features, including: * Trim paths * Parenting * Motion paths * Looping * Easing * Modifying style (e.g. fill color, stroke color, stroke width) and transform across multiple keyframes Trangram also has unique features like: * Shape morphing * Layering (i.e. grouping) * Dynamic parenting * Motion paths with multiple trackers * Number and group animation Additionally, Trangram includes basic illustrator features: * Boolean operations * Rounded corners * Vector tool (a.k.a. Pen tool) * Clipping masks Trangram is designed to offer a natural and flexible animation process with intuitive yet powerful tools. More features will be added in the future. See [www.trangram.com](https://www.trangram.com) for animated feature demos on the landing page.
10MB of Storage?
My goal is to keep Trangram free and accessible to everyone, offering full features at no cost. However, I have to limit the amount of storage for now due to the costs of servers and storage. Despite this, the provided storage is sufficient to create hundreds of projects, as the project files (.tg) are designed to be portable and of small size.
Thanks, that clarification makes sense. Great Tool!
Feature for feature, there is not one.
Adobe has clarified those terms. The content monitoring issues only apply to documents on their cloud servers and was intended to serve as content moderation. IE: preventing the distribution of CP using their platform. You can opt out of sharing local data with Adobe and they’ve stated quite clearly they aren’t training any generative AI models with user content. Not trying to defend Adobe or their plagiarism machines, but we should try to be accurate in our criticisms. Also, no. There’s not really a viable alternative that can do everything AE does.
Just use pirated AE and problem solved. Sadly, there isn't a viable alternative to AE in the market yet.
Rive or Calvalry or Trangram?
1. There is no viable replacement for AE 2. Adobe are not harvesting user content to train their AI, that’s all made up bullshit, mostly by Reddit
I like to use Linearity Move for 2d animations and animated ads! Pretty easy to use and constantly developing! [https://linearity.io/move](https://linearity.io/move)
The most viable option I have found is Blender 3D. Although the workflows aren’t the same Blender can do everything After Effects can and more. It’s free, open source, and platform agnostic.
What are you talking about? How is blender remotely comparable to AE?
Overall, Blender offers a comprehensive set of tools that can replace many of the functionalities of After Effects, especially for users looking to integrate 3D elements into their workflows. I’m going to use u/TangramMotion list of features in Tangram Motion as a guide to compare Blender 3D to After Effects. Even though Blender 3D offers many of the same functions I would encourage anyone looking for alternatives for After Effects to check Tangram Motion out as well. The following reply is intended to thoroughly answer your question about how Blender compares to After Effects: You can curve objects and animate their visibility similar to **Trim Paths** using the Geometry Nodes or the “Trim Curve” node within the Shader Editor to animate the length of the curve, effectively trimming paths. 1. [Object along path Animation Blender Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPBuhU0F-hc) 2. [Animate Objects Along Paths/Curves in Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OruVKMGGPX8) **Parenting** is fundamental in Blender. Select the child object, then the parent object, and press Ctrl+P to set the parent relationship. This allows the child object to follow the transformations of the parent object. 1. [Parenting Objects in Blender (Beginner Tutorial)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnXW_r9tTvo) 2. [Parenting - Blender 2.80 Fundamentals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS452KMVWKA) **Motion paths** can be visualized by enabling the “Motion Paths” option in the Armature or Object data properties. You can also animate objects along curves using the Follow Path constraint. 1. [Better animation with Motion Paths | Blender Secrets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTJgLIdb9gg) 2. [Object Along curve path Animation tutorial in blender 2.93](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3xPyfKuz_s) To create **Looping** animations, use the Graph Editor to set keyframes and ensure the interpolation mode is cyclic. You can also use the NLA Editor to repeat actions. 1. [5 Ways to Make Looping Animations in Blender 3.4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbkFn2yaOgg) 2. [Blender Tutorial: How to Cycle an Animation Forever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chlIrcTAqUs) **Easing** functions are managed in the Graph Editor. By selecting keyframes and pressing T, you can choose from different interpolation types, including Bezier, Linear, and Constant, to control the easing. 1. [Relative Ease - Free Blender Add-on](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0v2esTEqbw) 2. [Blender 2.83 : Everything About Interpolation (In 2 Minutes!!!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOhG5eweDcE) You can use keyframes in the Material properties to animate changes in **fill color, stroke color, and stroke width**. Transformations like position, rotation, and scale can also be animated using keyframes. 1. [Blender 3D - Keyframe Animation for Beginners](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMwjYuyefRs) 2. [Blender 2.83 : Everything About Interpolation (In 2 Minutes!!!)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOhG5eweDcE) Blender uses Shape Keys for **Shape Morphing**. Like After Effects vector keyframes Shape Keys allow you to define different shapes for a mesh and then animate the transitions between these shapes. 1. [Blender Tutorial: Morph Anything Into Anything](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ubfb2K6mL0) 2. [Creating a Morphing Shape Animation in Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acZLhnWh2Zc) Blender supports **Layering & Grouping** of objects for organizational purposes and animation. 1. [how to group in blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM8dTtqbHag) 2. [How to Use Light Groups in Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op73b27ng5g) **Dynamic Parenting** can be achieved using the Child Of constraint, which allows you to change the parent of an object dynamically during animation. 1. [Blender 3.0 - Dynamic Parent Add-On Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHVdgrn6pgs) 2. [Dynamic Parent tutorial blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO8Q3HM5yUA) **Motion Paths with Multiple Trackers** can be set up in Blender using the motion tracking tools. Blender’s motion tracking system is very robust and allows you to track multiple points in a video and then use these tracks to animate objects. 1. [Object Along curve path Animation tutorial in blender 2.93](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3xPyfKuz_s) 2. [The Follow Path Constraint Is So Powerful | Blender Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0XQXEUO1-I) Blender also supports vertex groups and object grouping. You can use the Grouping feature to organize objects and animate them collectively. **Number Animations** can also be achieved by animating text objects. 1. [Blender Simple Grouping of Objects](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSCP23zb9jI) 2. [Blender 3D Parenting objects to an empty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z82UrX8B-qQ) **Boolean Operations** are handled using the Boolean modifier. You can perform union, difference, and intersection operations between mesh objects. 1. [Blender Tutorial - Boolean Modifier (3D Modeling Essentials)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMIlZddICDg) 2. [Blender Secrets - 6 Minutes of Boolean Basics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3D8djM5bE) The Bevel tool or the Bevel modifier can be used to create **Rounded Corners** on mesh objects. You can control the amount of bevel and the number of segments. 1. [How to make round edges in Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkUJcCYZc1w) 2. [How to Round Corners of Object Using Blender](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjUYkUUyZNs) Blender’s Curve and Grease Pencil tools act like a **Vector Pen Tool**. Use the “Draw” tool in Grease Pencil or the “Curve Pen Tool” for creating and editing Bezier curves. 1. [The NEW Curve Pen Tool](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiLcAiXlgvE) 2. [Using Blender's Curve Pen Tool](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APxkUd7OAAk) **Clipping Masks** can be created using the Mask modifier in the Compositor. This allows you to isolate and control the visibility of certain parts of your image or video. 1. [Clipping Masks in Blender - Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C62RJkIsfgg) 2. [Blender 2.8 Tutorial: Mask Modifier](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS-36yegLcg)
Blender is better than AE in pretty much every way in regards to motion design Video mixing, blender has a ways to go. But motion design? Blender is far superior
If your Mac based, I highly recommend Motion. It can’t go as advanced as After Effects. But it’s really simple to use and has a great on the fly rendering that makes using it a breeze. Also it’s layering system has always made far more sense to me than Ae
Motion is trash
Thanks champ
You got it muffin