Item: Adobe After Effects
Rating: 10
Author: ANDREW TOUTANT

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is a great animation and design program for videos from small to large clients. It’s been fast, reliable, and I like their updates and customer support. I use it for motion graphics in the advertising field and for movie and tv promos. It always meets the needs of the agency and those needs of the client for revisions and changes.

Pros and Cons

Fast animation
Copying and repurposing template files
Reliable renders
Easy interface

Some of the scripts can be difficult.
Some plugins could work more reliably.
More free trials for plugins would be good.

Return on Investment

It’s positive for being fast and efficient.
It’s easy to address client notes.
It has great new updates and features with each new version.

Alternatives Considered

Adobe Premiere Pro and Cinema 4D

After Effects is more versatile for animations than Premiere for sure. And now, with the .mogrt templates, it can be great for keeping consistent animations and branding guides when sharing work with other animators
and editors. I also like their 3d plugins and advanced third-party vendors, like video Copilot and Element 3D.
It's much faster to render in real-time and see your work in After Effects.

Support Rating

Their support is pretty reliable and fast. I usually find support answers on other tech forums but have had some support with Adobe and they were helpful and timely with their customer support so I'd say they do a good job helping when I can't find the tech support question online myself. I'd recommend their support for sure!

Usability

It’s pretty user friendly and easy to learn. I haven't had too many crashes and when I do their auto-save features are great for backing up and having work saved in the event of losing any work. It performs faster than other animation and 3D software programs I've used and is quicker to learn in its interface than similar software.

Key Insights

Do you think Adobe After Effects delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Adobe After Effects's feature set?

Yes

Did Adobe After Effects live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Adobe After Effects go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Adobe After Effects again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Adobe Illustrator CC, Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro

Likelihood to Recommend

It’s great for text animations and character and explainer videos. It's fast when there's a deadline
that may be faster than was anticipated. I can always count on After Effects for speed and reliable renders.
I've been a user for more than 15 years and always like their new features and updates.

Users and Roles

3 - Other editors and designers also use After Effects for updating graphics packages. Generally, when a project is saved and exported, it can be updated by other users in an efficient way with their collected files feature. It's great to be able to share files with other users and know they'll have all the assets needed when saving the project.

Support Headcount Required

2 - We have a few in-house support workers to address any technical issues. But I'd add that many
times I can find the solution to technical issues online in forums since After Effects has such a large
user base with similar issues. So it's great to know I can usually solve the issue myself, but sometimes support can help as well.

Business Processes Supported

It's best used for short advertisements and animations.
It's great for infographics.
It's great for typography animation.

Innovative Uses

It's used great for green-screen background removal.
It's great for rotoscopy and background removal.
It's great for finding new solutions to graphics and background integration.

Future Planned Uses

It can use the .mogrt templates more in the future
It can use some of the new plugins, like 3d element plugin
It could be easier to make templates.

Likelihood to Renew

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.

Products Replaced

Key Differentiators

Price
Product Features
Product Usability
Product Reputation

Usability and features are the most important decision. It has to work well and fast and keep up with client changes, internal changes, and be able to improve animation and graphics in a timely and efficient way. Having other programs with system crashes can slow down the workflow, so it's great to know After Effects is reliable and has great usability and a good reputation.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I wouldn't change my evaluation, as it's always met my needs and the needs of companies I've worked with.

Adobe After Effects Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Immediate help available Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	None

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Feel confident using	Inconsistent

Easy Tasks

Typography is great and easy to use.
Greenscreen and roto brush is easy to learn.
Basic cameras are easy to start learning.

Difficult Tasks

Some scripts and more advanced programming can be difficult.
Some of the third party plugins can be harder to learn for beginners.

Fast and reliable animation software, been a trusted user for 15 years!

Overall Satisfaction with Adobe After Effects