After Effects and Plugins are like PB&J. PB? Good. J? Good. Together? Fantastico! Plugins aren’t essential to using After Effects, but they sure can make your daily life within AE better. Here are a few of my favorite Plugins for After Effects and how I like to use them.
Buttcapper
I really like the name of this Plugin, but I also like how much time it saves me. Working with shape paths in After Effects is common, but the tools to control them are buried in a series of twirl-down menus. Buttcapper makes it easy for me to quickly change the stroke caps and joins without clicking a bunch of times. It works on a single shape path or multiple layers of shape paths, all with a single click. It’s a must-have!
Duik Angela
Where do I start with Duik? It has been around for many years and is mainly known for its character rigging capabilities. However, the rigging tools are just a glimmer of what Duik offers. It’s an entire toolkit that gives you tons of new ways to approach and solve animation challenges. Some of my favorite bits of Duik are the ability to separate dimensions, zero out layer values, utilize the connector tools, and all the insane rigging options. Plus, their website shares many ways to learn all the ins and outs of Duik.
Rift
Offsetting layers and keyframes in After Effects is often monotonous and time-consuming. It involves a lot of clicking and dragging to find the right timing. If I want twenty layers to have slightly different offsets when their animation starts, it would take me some time to figure out how to achieve the best look. With Rift, I can save so much time executing this sort of task. I can choose how many frames I want my layers or keyframes to be offset or randomized from one another and click one button to make it happen. I often use this Plugin to give otherwise uniform animations a more organic look and feel.
These are just a few of the Plugins I often use for After Effects. They save me a lot of time clicking around and allow me to focus more on creating the best possible project outcome.