25 Free After Effects plugins, scripts, and presets
Boost your After Effects with these 25 free plugins, scripts, and presets. This huge list of freebies enhances visuals and streamlines workflow. Download links and video tutorials included.
Difference between After Effects plugins, scripts, and presets?
If you use Adobe After Effects, you must have heard of plugins, scripts, and presets. But are they all the same? No! Each one has its own specific function. Some make your work easier, while others add new features. Let’s know the difference in simple terms.
Plugins – Make After Effects more powerful
Plugins are additional tools that add new features to After Effects. They are mostly created by third-party developers, and with their help you can create effects that are not natively present in After Effects.
For example:
If you want realistic fire, water, or 3D effects, then plugins like Trapcode Particular or Element 3D are used. Most plugins have to be installed and are often paid.
Scripts – Automate repetitive tasks
Do you have to do the same things over and over again? Scripts are the solution to this problem! They are designed to speed up your workflow and automate tasks that you would normally do manually.
For example:
If you have to rename 100 layers, it would usually take a lot of time. But using a script you can do this in a few seconds. Scripts do not require installation, just run the file and use it.
Presets – Ready-made animations and effects
Presets are pre-made effects and animations that you can immediately apply to your layers. If you want smooth animation for text, you can use a preset and the job will be done in a few seconds.
Presets work without installation and are best for most beginners. However, they do not provide as much control as plugins and scripts.
Free After Effects plugins, scripts, and presets
Now that you know the difference between plugins, scripts, and presets, let’s take a look at the best free options. If you want to add amazing effects to your projects without having to buy any premium tools, you’ve come to the right place!
Here I’ve rounded up 25 of the best free plugins, scripts, and presets, along with download links and full tutorials. So, without wasting any time, let’s see what these awesome tools are and how you can use them.
1. VHS Preset
The VHS After Effects Preset from RocketStock instantly adds a retro VHS look to your footage.
2. Easy Bounce Free
Easy Bounce Free simplifies bounce animations. Roughly keyframe the motion, and the script handles the physics and timing for you.
3. Coco Color Wheel
Coco Color Wheel is an interactive color wheel for After Effects, featuring various color harmony formulas.
4. ButtCapper
ButtCapper from Battle Axe lets you easily change stroke caps and joins in After Effects with a single click.
5. Typeflow
Typeflow The fully customizable text preset for smooth easing and overshoot animations.
6. PremiumBeat Presets
PremiumBeat offers popular After Effects presets like Watercolor Painting, 8-Bit Video Game, and Line Boil for easy, stylish animations.
7. Type Array
Type Array A preset for easy subtle text animations in After Effects. It lets you control and trigger animations with layer markers.
8. Crate’s Camera Projection Script
Crate’s Camera Projection Script from Production Crate transforms 2D photos into 3D and helps track clean plates for VFX compositing.
9. Crate’s 3D Look Script
Crate’s 3D Look Script creates the custom rig using the “look at” expression, making layers face a chosen layer in your composition.
10. Crate’s Hologram Script
Crate’s Hologram Script applies hologram effects to footage with one click. Use built-in presets or customize your own look.
11. Crate’s Glow
Crate’s Glow the free script that adds realistic gradient-based glow falloff, improving on After Effects’ default glow.
12. Crate’s Heat Radiation
Crate’s Heat Radiation the free After Effects plugin for intense, realistic temperature coloring on fire, explosions, and sparks.
13. Responsive Auto Scale
Responsive Auto Scale keeps layers within a defined screen area, making it perfect for dynamic text adjustments.
14. VC Reflect
VC Reflect is a free After Effects plugin for creating customizable reflections. Adjust angle, falloff, skew, blur, and more.
15. Sure Target 2
Sure Target 2 simplifies After Effects camera animation. Set 3D layers as targets and keyframe smooth transitions between them.
16. deLayer
deLayer offsets layer in-points in After Effects based on their distance from a chosen starting point.
17. AE Viewer 2
AE Viewer 2 lets you browse and preview media in After Effects with ease.
18. Bendy Nulls
Bendy Nulls The bend tool applies a global CC Bend It effect to a layer, simplifying bend animations in After Effects.
19. Decompose Text
Decompose Text by nab lets you split text into characters, words, or lines with one click, making animation easier.
20. EaseCopy
EaseCopy lets you copy and paste easing without changing values, making it easy to apply perfect easing to multiple properties.
21. Parental Controls
Parental Controls from AE Screens lets you parent layers to paths, shapes, or text, making resizing and scaling much easier.
22. Ugly Box
Ugly Box from Digital Anarchy is a free plugin that exaggerates skin texture, using the opposite algorithm of Beauty Box to make actors look ugly.
23. Create3DShapes
Create3DShapes offers scripts to generate 3D shapes like boxes, spheres, and pyramids in one click.
24. Glass Eyes
Glass Eyes from Video Copilot started as an April Fools’ joke but works great for gag videos with its fun, realistic eye effects.
Key Uses:
- Create creepy videos
- Fix wedding videos
- Improve your favorite movie scenes
- Add personality
Features:
- Custom Pupils
- Pupil Size Control
- Pupil Color
- Googly Speed and amount
- Highligh rotation
25. Extended Coffee Break
Extended Coffee Break from Plugin Everything, originally an April Fools’ joke, intentionally slows After Effects renders perfect for extended breaks!
Build your post-production library with the best free plugins, scripts, and presets for After Effects! and use them in your next project.
For more Plugins, scripts and presets check these out: