After Effects has long been the gold standard for creating eye-catching motion graphics, animations, and visual effects. It’s powerful and easy to use, and if you let your creativity run wild, you can achieve incredibly good results. I’ve been using it for almost two decades and it has never let me down.
There’s just one problem. Adobe’s annoying, frustrating, unavoidable and excessively expensive subscription obligation.
I’ll try not to get on my high horse because we all know that ship has sailed and Adobe will never (not even in my wildest dreams) return to a perpetual licensing model. I was very open in the early days of software brands transitioning to new models, but who am I to stand up to Adobe, Autodesk and the like?
But what if I told you that there is a 100% free software package that allows you to create the same effects and graphics?
It’s called Autograph and was developed by Maxon, the developer of globally popular software such as Cinema 4D, Redshift and ZBrush. With this array of applications in their repertoire, you just know that Autograph is going to be good, and I can tell you first hand that it is.
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Table of Contents
Autograph does everything
For the uninitiated, Autograph is software that combines professional tools for motion graphics, VFX/compositing and 2D/3D projects from various industries. It features a GPU-based engine for optimized speed and is one of the best packages for unifying your workflow across all media types and disciplines.
For anyone switching from After Effects, the interface takes some getting used to. In fact, it feels more like a 3D design package than a design application like After Effects, Photoshop, or Affinity.
Autograph offers two main workflows: motion design and animation and compositing and VFX. So far I’ve tried to master the first one. I started by downloading the Maxon logo project from the home screen and familiarizing myself with how a motion graphics project should be set up.
The heart of the interface is the timeline, which looks like almost any other timeline. Here you can add new layers like text and shapes, edit existing ones, and adjust timing so that elements appear and disappear exactly when you want them.
(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)
One of the most useful and powerful aspects is the ability to create cameras that allow you to view your scene from specific angles, rather than just top-down. This results in a more dynamic and engaging result compared to a single, fixed shot. Through the use of cameras, it is possible to effortlessly channel your inner director by creating any number of cameras and editing them on the timeline
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The Maxon logo I used was imported as an SVG file so it could be extruded and resized to its final look. This made it possible to get around this in a 3D package like Cinema 4D or 3ds Max. Anything that reduces the number of programs required is a win.
What do you have to lose?
I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible with Autograph, but I’m excited by what it offers. I’m looking forward to trying out some of its advanced features, including Shadertoy, multi-channel EXR and ProRes, as well as ACES and OCIO workflows for high-quality imaging pipelines.
A few years ago, Video Copilot released Element 3D, an After Effects plugin. This was a revolutionary tool for integrating 3D tools into the heart of a motion graphics workflow. With Autograph, there is now no need for plugins, and perhaps more importantly for indie creators, you don’t have to spend any money.
Download Autograph and try it yourself; it’s free.
https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/3d-software/i-tried-maxons-free-after-effects-alternative-and-i-dont-want-to-go-back
