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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Adobe After Effects

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/AAdobe After Effects allows users to create cinematic movie titles, intros, and transitions, remove an object from a clip, start a fire or make it rain, or animate a logo or character. The vendor states that with After Effects, users can apply motion-graphics and animation to any digital object.

    $20.99

    Per User Per Month

    Autodesk 3ds Max

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/AAutodesk offers 3ds Max, 3D modeling and rendering software for design visualization, games, and animation. The vendor states that users can produce professional-quality 3D animations, renders, and models with an efficient and flexible toolset to help create better 3D content in less time.

    $235

    per month per user

    Pricing
    Adobe After EffectsAutodesk 3ds Max
    Editions & Modules
    Annual Plan (Paid Monthly)
    $20.99
    Per User Per Month
    Monthly Plan
    $31.49
    Per User Per Month
    Annual Plan (Prepaid)
    $239.88
    Per User Per Year
    Monthly Subscription
    $235
    per month per user
    Yearly Subscription
    $1875
    per year per user
    3-Year Subscription
    $5625
    3 years per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Adobe After EffectsAutodesk 3ds Max
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Flex pricing available for limited usage. Minimum plan $300 for 100 tokens. 3ds Max costs 6 tokens per day.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Adobe After EffectsAutodesk 3ds Max
    Considered Both Products
    Adobe
    Chose Adobe After Effects
    [Adobe After Effects] is a beast and VEGAS Pro is just a baby when compared to Adobe. It doesn't match [Adobe After Effects] when it comes to the feature and performance it offers.
    Incentivized
    Autodesk
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    Sketch-up week to be vertically integrated to produce concept all the way to high-end render, an animation (effects, particles, soft-body, etc..) All 3 other softwares are fully capable, it just comes down to what software an operator is most familiar with and if it works in …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    I use Blender, Maya is expensive learned it once but about the same as 3ds Max, just more expensive. Blender is great, open source and hard to learn, but work it. But since I have so much experience in 3ds Max it is my go to software.
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    Back when 3d programs were becoming more powerful and stable, 3d Studio (yes, it was 3d Studio before it was 3ds Max, more on that later) and Maya were owned by different companies. At that time, you had to
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    37 Answers
    92%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    35 Answers
    83%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    38 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    97%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    28 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    30 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Adobe After EffectsAutodesk 3ds Max
    Small Businesses
    Adobe Animate
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Autodesk Maya
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Adobe Animate
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Navisworks
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Adobe Animate
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Navisworks
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Adobe After EffectsAutodesk 3ds Max
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (39 ratings)
    9.5
    (13 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.2
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    9.3
    (4 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (7 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Adobe After EffectsAutodesk 3ds Max
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Adobe
    I would recommend Adobe After Effects to a colleague above all other comparable software that I have used, however, with the caveat that it can be time-consuming to learn to use and can be frustrating if you are not familiar with the software. Difficulty aside, once you begin to understand how to use Adobe After Effects, it is the only software for the job.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    For print media for marketing and for 3d animations for web spots and TV ads/movies/programs. It is less suited for quick 3d graphics or images that you get from AI image programs, but it is much more powerful than most AI image programs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Adobe
    • Adobe After Effects allows you to exercise a great level of control over how to animate just about every aspect of an object. You can control animation speed of entry and exit, the direction of rotation, scale, position, and so many more attributes.
    • Adobe After Effects is so popular that you can find so many paid and free third-party plug-ins and scripts to incorporate into your project.
    • There is such a breadth and depth of features available in Adobe After Effects, you will never get tired of exploring the program and using its many features to take your projects to new heights
    • Adobe After Effects works well with other products in the Adobe Creative Suites including, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Media Encoder
    • Adobe After Effects allows you to customize the setup of your workspace and panels
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • 3ds Max includes some of the inbuild modifiers which can be very good in the case of beginners.
    • 3rd party Rendering support makes 3ds Max a powerful software for rendering out realistic images.
    • Autodesk 3ds max in comparison to its rivals is lightweight and fast, also the animation case also.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Adobe
    • I would like the Re-Link file structure to mimic Premiere.
    • I would like to see native .obj importing and manipulation.
    • I would like to see better audio editing available within Adobe After Effects. if it could be given a separate layer/panel.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • working in 2d is very frustrating and unreliable. It just lacks the precision
    • How scaling affects units (or doesn't) There needs to be a way for modifiers to address a change of scale in the object.
    • Booleans are not intuitive. Especially for architecture, creating an opening and putting a door or a window is an incredibly cumbersome process.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Adobe
    I will renew my use of After Effects since it's affordable and always has been reliable. They also always continue to update new features and add new things to compete with other software out there. I also like all the 3rd party plugins out there that keep my interest for the future and new toolsets and creative solutions.
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    It satisfies 95% of my 3d visualization need. The left over 5% is handled by a few other programs. If Max just can't perform a specific task I can do that elsewhere and then bring it back to Max to finish up. But, it's rare that this occurs in my work
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Adobe
    There's a lot of features and functionality that Adobe After Effects offers that can be hard to navigate at times. Depending on the depth you plan to use the software for, that can take some time to learn. The built-in templates and tutorials really help soften that learning curve. Once you get past some of the basics, it's fairly simple to use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    It is a very difficult program to learn to use and even harder to use well. But once you get to using it it is a great software package to know how to use. Getting to be good at using it takes lots of use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Adobe
    Adobe customer support is wonderful. They genuinely care about their product and the end user experience. The products they create have always been innovative and continue to improve. They have a huge chunk of the user market in their field and still strive to improve. This is such a big deal for me and other small business/organizations that need their products and don't have a large voice on our own.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    I have contacted support many times and have had a good experience. They have always been helpful
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Adobe
    I find Adobe After Effects to be superior to iMovie and Final Cut Pro in that I am able to do much more with the software. It isn't as limiting as the other two. I also like that it isn't an Apple product. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Apple. There is a bigger learning curve with After Effects, but once you get the hang of it, there's really no comparison.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    Sketch-up week to be vertically integrated to produce concept all the way to high-end render, an animation (effects, particles, soft-body, etc..) All 3 other softwares are fully capable, it just comes down to what software an operator is most familiar with and if it works in the production pipeline for the client.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Adobe
    • Adobe After Effects has a great impact on business as maximum work can be done in one software
    • To run this software you need to have good configuration system
    • Motion Graphics, 2d Animation and video editing can be done in one software
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • 3ds Max has one of the best control tools that can help someone to sculpt almost anything. With the vertex tool and polyline edit function we can create almost any complex geometry.
    • Default rendering is equipped with almost everything that is needed for process, V-Ray for 3ds Max is the best 3rd party plugin for getting crisp renders.
    • The four view port tools for viewing the model helps from each and every angle. The moment and selection tools in the 3ds Max are quit easy to operate.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots