Beginner's Guide to After Effects

1. PC & Hardware Requirements

After Effects runs differently from normal video editors—it relies heavily on your CPU, RAM, and SSD storage rather than just your graphics card.

• RAM: Aim for 32GB (16GB works for light projects, but fills up fast).
• Storage: Always keep After Effects, your footage, and your cache on an SSD with plenty of free space. A full drive will make AE lag and crash.

2. Which Version to Install

Pick the newest stable version your computer and plugins can handle.

• Watch out for compatibility: Newer versions can open old project files, but old versions cannot open files saved in newer versions. (If sharing with someone on an older version, use File > Save As > Save a Copy As).
• Mac (Apple Silicon): Make sure the plugins you want actually support your chip before committing to a version.

3. Plugins (Add-ons)

Don't install everything at once—it slows down startup times and clutters menus. Only install what matches your editing style:

• Glow & Color: Deep Glow (clean glows), Magic Bullet Looks (color grading).
• Smooth Motion & Slow-Mo: RSMB (adds realistic motion blur), Twixtor (smooth slow motion).
• Effects & Transitions: Sapphire, BCC, or Universe (glitches, distortions, VHS looks).
• 3D & Particles: Element 3D (3D models/text), Trapcode (particles/backgrounds).

4. Setting Up Your Project (Composition)

• Resolution & Shape:
  • 1080 × 1080 (1:1): Square — best for practice and multi-platform edits.
  • 1080 × 1920 (9:16): Vertical — best for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.
  • 1920 × 1080 (16:9): Horizontal — best for YouTube.
• Frame Rate (FPS): Match your source footage (24fps for film/anime, 30fps for general social media, 60fps for gaming/heavy slow-mo).
• Background & Duration: Set the length to match your audio track and keep the background black.

5. Saving Your Own Presets

Instead of rebuilding your favorite shakes, transitions, or color grades every time, save them as presets:

• Select the effects or keyframes you want to save.
• Go to Animation > Save Animation Preset.
• Save them in your Documents user folder (never in the main program folder, so updates don't wipe them out) and organize them into folders like Shakes, Color, and Text.

6. Essential Shortcuts to Memorize First

(On Mac, swap Ctrl with Cmd and Alt with Option)

1. MacBook & Hardware Requirements

After Effects relies heavily on unified memory (RAM), CPU speed, and fast SSD storage. On Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4+), memory is shared between the CPU and GPU, making RAM size critical.

• Unified Memory (RAM): Aim for 32GB or 36GB+ for smooth playback. 16GB/18GB works for short social edits, while 8GB is too low and will stutter constantly.
• Storage: Keep at least 50GB–100GB of free space on your internal SSD for After Effects' Disk Cache. If your MacBook only has a 256GB or 512GB drive, store your raw video footage on a fast external NVMe SSD (Thunderbolt/USB-C).
• Power Mode: Always keep your MacBook plugged into power when rendering or previewing heavy effects—battery mode throttles performance.

2. Which Version to Install

Pick the newest native Apple Silicon version your plugins support.

• Watch out for compatibility: Newer versions can open old project files, but older versions cannot open files saved in newer versions. (If sharing with someone on an older version, use File > Save As > Save a Copy As).
• Apple Silicon (M-Series) Compatibility: Most modern plugins run natively on M-series chips, while some older plugins require running After Effects under Rosetta (slower). Avoid outdated, cracked, or unmaintained plugins—they frequently crash on newer macOS versions.

3. Plugins (Add-ons)

Don't install everything at once—it slows down startup times and clutters menus. Only install what matches your editing style:

• Glow & Color: Deep Glow (clean glows), Magic Bullet Looks (color grading).
• Smooth Motion & Slow-Mo: RSMB (adds realistic motion blur), Twixtor (smooth slow motion).
• Effects & Transitions: Sapphire, BCC, or Universe (glitches, distortions, VHS looks).
• 3D & Particles: Element 3D (3D models/text), Trapcode (particles/backgrounds).

4. Setting Up Your Project (Composition)

• Resolution & Shape:
  • 1080 × 1080 (1:1): Square — best for practice and multi-platform edits.
  • 1080 × 1920 (9:16): Vertical — best for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.
  • 1920 × 1080 (16:9): Horizontal — best for YouTube.
• Frame Rate (FPS): Match your source footage (24fps for film/anime, 30fps for general social media, 60fps for gaming/heavy slow-mo).
• Background & Duration: Set the length to match your audio track and keep the background black.

5. Saving Your Own Presets

Instead of rebuilding your favorite shakes, transitions, or color grades every time, save them as presets:

• Select the effects or keyframes you want to save.
• Go to Animation > Save Animation Preset.
• Save them in your macOS user folder: ~/Documents/Adobe/After Effects [version]/User Presets (never inside the /Applications folder, so updates don't wipe them out) and organize them into folders like Shakes, Color, and Text.

6. Essential MacBook Shortcuts to Memorize First

(Note: If Space doesn't preview or Mac system shortcuts interfere, check System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts).