What it is
After Effects is Adobe's application for motion graphics, visual effects and compositing. Where an editor like Premiere Pro arranges clips on a timeline, After Effects works on what happens inside a shot: animated titles, logo reveals, lower thirds, tracking, keying and layering effects over footage. It is where most of the movement in a modern promo or explainer video is built.
It is keyframe-based, with layers, masks and expressions written in JavaScript for procedural animation. It sits next to Premiere Pro through Dynamic Link, so a composition can be dropped into an edit without rendering first, and it reads layered files straight from Photoshop and Illustrator. Rendered compositions export to any video format the edit needs.
How I use it
- Part of the in-house video side of my work, next to editing and photo tools.
- Finishing for promo pieces and highlight reels, made by the same person who builds the page they sit on.
- Brand artwork from Illustrator and Photoshop brought to life for video.
After Effects is the right tool when a video needs movement that a camera did not capture: an animated logo, titles that match the brand, or graphics laid over footage. I keep it in the toolkit because the visual side of my work is done in-house, and a promo cut usually needs some of that finish.
Questions
What is the difference between After Effects and Premiere Pro?
Premiere Pro is for editing: cutting and arranging clips into a finished video. After Effects is for motion graphics and effects inside a shot, such as animated titles or logo reveals.
Can you add branded titles and graphics to our video?
Yes. Video work is done in-house, and branded titles and graphics are part of finishing a promo piece.