3 Features that Point to the Future of After Effects | 3D System, Master Properties, Libraries

After Effects has been adding some powerful new features in the last few years, and these features point to an interesting future for the app. Let’s explore the new 3D system, Master Properties, and the improved Libraries feature, and try to predict the future a bit!
🎁 Download the isometric cube rig from this video here: www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/3-features-that-point-to-the-future-of-after-effects
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00:00 Intro
00:33 Full 3D Rendering
04:47 3D Render Quality
05:24 Animated 3D Models
07:10 Setting up 3D Scenes
09:28 Master Properties
10:27 Animation Bootcamp
10:42 Using Master Properties
16:21 Motion Design Curriculum
16:57 Libraries
21:16 Why Should You Care?
22:48 A Look into the Future

[@JakeInMotion]

I'm sure the comments will get out of hand very quickly, but these are the kinds of features I feel like a lot of users are forgetting about when they claim Adobe isn't doing anything with After Effects. Also thanks for the shout-out 🙌

[@nellomaxim]

I think maybe unreal engine may be adding pressure. It's getting mograph functionality and is a real time renderer

[@TillesMotion]

for sure ... the first UE beta with motion design was in the end of 22 ... Adobe is watching for a long time

[@TheLizardKing752]

​@@nellomaximHoudini also has been getting a lot of great mograph-friendly features.

[@kylehamrickmotion]

Just a quick note, since Joey says it both ways here: "Master Properties" and "Essential Properties" are the same thing. Adobe updated the name a couple years ago, to get rid of some of the baggage attached to the previous term, and also align it better with the Essential Graphics Panel that you use to create them.

[@pixeljuggler01]

Thanks for saying this… I came here to post the same thing. I imagine this will be really confusing to new users.

[@ITSTEEJCO]

It blows my mind that in unreal engine, which is free, I can render hundreds of millions of polys, with raytracing and atmosphere, basically in real time, but I can barely play back a video with a couple effects in AE. All my favorite AE features are 3rd party which have been glitchy with the updates every 2 weeks. I want to move away from adobe ASAP

[@eladbari]

Adobe will wake up only when users move to UE. KZbin needs to be flooded with cool new project avalanche tutorials that will encourage people to have a go at it. A competition might be interesting for end users, since who really carried AE's progress is the community with it's lovely scripts and plugins. I'm afraid that for a major change in AE - foundations of the app needs to be changed so it isn't SOO heavy..

[@joeykorenman]

The most important thing about this video is my Johnny Booth shirt.

[@TillesMotion]

great points indeed. I'm loving to keep up with AE new features, testing the BETAs and following the team on social media. so many news.

[@regularvids]

Good insight, thanks.

[@LJPMedia]

I can relate to Joey's observations about the overall awareness of the Essential Properties... I'm about Joey's age and while I've been using Essential Props in various training/tutorials, I just for the first time used it extensively for a client project. And it was absolutely essential to pulling off what I set out to create, just could not have done it otherwise... BUT, another thing that seems overlooked and worthy of mention is that awesome new-ish "Properties" window/panel! To be able to easily see and keyframe all of those properties tidily in their own window, edit Source text, etc... without having to twirl down the layers in the timeline panel!

[@RADIOMETRIC_]

JOHNNY BOOTH!!!! Hell yeah!!!! ;) I like that AE makes more progress finally. For so long it felt like they were just releasing incomplete updates to keep the shareholders satisfied. Good direction. The 3D implementation blew me away as well. I already made a project with my students as it came out. And Essential graphics are part of my workflow since they implemented it. But i'm not sure if I'll get used to the Library, or even start using it.

[@Inf1nityPlus1]

Cool video Joey, you covered a lot. My only feedback would be in the presentation of Essential Properties - I'm an intermediate AE user (3-4 years) and had trouble following how I'd implement them in a project from scratch. I would've loved to see you start in a blank comp, draw a square, and quickly add a couple properties to demo the essential steps in the process - THEN show off your awesome complex rig to drive home the potential. My $0.02!

[@AtaurRaziq]

This wasn't the topic of the video which is why it wasn't shown step by step. But the idea is simply grabbing properties you want changing and dragging into the essential graphics panel. The you can drop that composition into another composition and those properties you dragged in will be visible when you expand your layer. Maybe I should make a tutorial on it if this is still not making sense..

[@Inf1nityPlus1]

@@AtaurRaziq For sure, I get that. What I'm saying is that he talked about Essential Properties for almost six minutes and I walked away feeling, "Ok, yeah, that might be cool, not really sure where I'd use it." Personally I get most excited about a new tool when I can visualize how I'd implement it, and I think a quick (like 30 second) set-up demo could have helped with that. Joey strikes me as the type who constantly wants to improve as a teacher and that's why I'm taking the time to leave feedback. Again, just my perspective, he can take it or leave it

[@AtaurRaziq]

@@Inf1nityPlus1 I hear you. This feature is actually 3 years old now and it's completely changed my workflow. I guess I need to make a video on it then. I have a lot of projects showcasing this feature in use

[@kyambadderoger]

That's amazing to see. Especially Master Properties and Libraries. I think Native AF 3D is going to take sometime even to reach the level of Element3D. Thanks for the insights

[@MaxHuisman]

The best thing about After Effects is the community and the MASSIVE amount of plug-ins that comes with it. They should focus on intergrating way more usefull stuff from the community, and really listen to what they want and need. I personally think that the whole expressions system needs to be WAY more user friendly and built as effects/tools. I switched from Premiere Pro to Davinci Resolve (best decision ever in my professional carreer) and now I'm learning Unreal Engine with Motion Design :)

[@eladbari]

There are barely any tutorials about project avalanche. How are you learning it, then..?

[@AFXGuru]

Element3D - one of the finest Plugins ever made. What's happened to Videocopilot though?!?!? Andrew's been silent for years now :(

[@RADIOMETRIC_]

Think it takes too much time, working on Star wars & co., for J. J. Abrams

[@user-vr9dj4eo8v]

Much better than this new native 3d

[@joeykorenman]

Element 3D is still GOATed

[@gabeo9740]

Maxon bought him, my opinion

[@MaxHuisman]

He works for MKBHD now

[@asl2025]

I wonder what happened to that volume plugin Video Copilot were working on. It looked great when Andrew previewed it years ago. Can't remember what they were calling it.

[@asl2025]

Nebula3D kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3apamadqcqFjZIsi=4QsZfIzg4Wa4KX0n

[@Oldyellowbrick]

Nebula I believe. I think they ran into technical issues and just bailed on it.

[@NikhilShrestha]

Wow that's crazy that it's working on such an old Mac! I'm curious, when you do upgrade would it be another Mac? Any specs that you'd recommenD? Thanks in advanced!

[@TheLizardKing752]

I think I got into this field (Thanks SoM!) about 2 years before master properties, so I use them all the time, especially since a lot of my work is making mogrts for editors.

[@AbstractBlackArt]

I think you make absolutely solid points about Adobe's future. Just seeing all of these other companies start to cut into Adobe's business, is forcing them diversify in interesting ways. AE was only a small fraction of VFX workflows, but now with these big updates, maybe we will start to see larger Animation/VFX studios start to take them more seriously. Unreal Engine has almost exclusively been about creating video games, but now we are starting to see them branch out into motion graphics/live production space. I personally think that Nuke + Autodesk Maya have had such a strong foot hold that it was bound to happen sometime that someone was going to try and come for their extremely expensive lunch eventually.

[@alisheikh1582]

Which mouse do you use for editing?

[@nmac.]

Thanks

[@simonsmith7755]

Looks like I'll be sticking with Element for the foreseeable.

[@Keithslawinski]

I really hope the 3d engine will have the ability to apply basic effects to the glb layers in the future. I feel the 3D feature is so close to usable, but the inability to apply effects without pre-comping the whole thing is deal breaker unfortunately.

[@blue8ii]

ue5 is the future

[@interwebvagabond]

Can you import hair ?

[@user-nc7zs5lj7r]

Hello, there is a comprehensive 4D cinema training on the channel

[@Gasconauxolives]

3D models in Ae does not work with up to date Ae on my up to date / recent / capable / compatible PC. Crashes with any imported model when it's time to actually display any 3D. Moving to newly released Unreal Engine 5.4 with Motion Design plugin. Thx SoM for the effort on this one but no thank you Adobe, too little too late.

[@purplehayes33]

Why are we testing new features on a dinosaur? Just saying ….

[@joeykorenman]

AE may be old, but It's still the most widely used animation app in the world.

[@Chaps-bi5bx]

@@joeykorenmanI think OP is referring to the relic of a Mac haha

[@zac3249]

True, these are amazing features but I feel like AE should be running so much better in it's default state

[@altberg__]

Totally. They should just hire a team to build AE 2 or whatever, and slowly just get rid of this piece of crap software.

[@altberg__]

#randomdailyadobehate. thanks for attention :😄

[@Vmshipe]

It's too bad Adobe just doesn't offer to buy Element3D and then just expand on that. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[@phibucnewbury]

Why you’d want to use that creaky old platform is beyond me!

[@nellomaxim]

I am interested in unreal as it renders real time....i have used ae for 24 years...they still dont have a thumbnail library for effects....its just a list.... I tell my students to look at jake in motions playlist of effects They still dont have a cohesive list for the keyframe types There are so many weird unresolved

[@petrholusa5855]

It's just doesn't make sense to me. If I do full 3d in some app, otherside probably expect to deliver final shot or renders. Who do hell wants to self torture with 3d in AE?

[@acuredreamgift]

Cmon... With resources Adobe has, this implementation of 3D inside of After Effects is laughable and honestly, people should be angry. Element3D is out more than a decade now, and first version of that was better than this. I know some are just happy there is any movement in AE world, but as long as we keep cheering these small updates, we will never get anywhere (or everyone will just move to realtime motion design with Unreal Motion Design tools)

[@CarlosAugusto-ik8ui]

3D native in AF suck! E3D is better option to work 3D inside AF.

[@AtaurRaziq]

Very early days, relax fam 😂

[@AnanthaKrishnan1]