After Effects 26.2 is here!

The latest version of After Effects is here—bringing powerful new features designed to speed up everyday workflows and reduce manual effort.

From AI-powered rotoscoping with Object Matte, to faster lookups with Quick Apply, smarter multi-layer adjustments using Proportional Scrubbing, and enhanced realism with Substance 3D material displacement, this release focuses on helping you get more done—with fewer steps.

What’s new in 26.2

Object Matte (AI-powered rotoscoping) Use the Object Matte tool to automatically select, isolate, and track subjects in your composition using single-click AI-powered subject selection.
Displacement support for 3D materials on parametric meshes Use displacement to push a mesh into 3D space using height data, adding subtle texture for realism or turning simple shapes into detailed models.
Proportional Scrubbing in timeline Distribute changes across multiple layers proportionally by dragging a selected property's hot‑text values, enabling faster, more intuitive multi‑layer adjustments.
Search and instantly apply effects, presets, or commands Use Quick Apply to quickly search for any effect, animation preset, or menu command, then select what you need and apply or run it instantly.
Import SVG file as footage or as a composition Import SVG files as a composition with editable vector layers or as rasterized footage, allowing you to choose the level of flexibility that best fits your project.

Fixed issues in 26.2

• After Effects no longer crashes when stopping an almost completed render to a QuickTime-encoded file.

• Essential Property values are no longer shared across pre-comps in the same 3D bin when using the Advanced 3D engine with Collapse Transformations enabled.

• Effect names are now correctly encoded for Unicode characters when accessed by third-party plug-ins.

• Variable Font Axes pop-up values now support Up/Down arrow key increments and relative math input.

• Pre-composing a pre-comp containing Essential Property instances of Trim Paths Start and End no longer causes a crash.

• After Effects no longer displays error (76 :: 59) when entering text edit mode.

• Empty compositions no longer display ghost imagery in the alpha channel or final renders after rendering.

• Projects that previously opened with Substance 3D Materials offline now load correctly.

• Custom keyboard shortcuts can now be assigned to the Parametric Mesh tool.

• After Effects now supports Emissive textures in Substance 3D Materials (SBSAR) files.

• The Show System Compatibility Issues preference now correctly migrates when importing settings from a previous version.

• Improved Smooth Magnification performance in the Layer panel, reducing jitter and stuttering when using the Roto Brush tool.

• Extruded 3D text layers now display correct shapes when using fonts with overlapping outlines.

• After Effects no longer crashes when creating Shapes from Text layers containing special characters.

• Unmult no longer introduces banding on footage with partial transparency.

• Interlaced footage exported to Quicktime or H.264 from the Render Queue will be output at the correct frame rate.

• In-Use SBSARs (Substance Materials) can now be deleted from a project.

• Changing the font used in the Particle Playground Text Cannon no longer causes After Effects to crash.

New in Beta

Duplicate layers using Alt/Option-drag Alt/Option-drag a layer to the Composition panel to instantly duplicate it in both 2D and 3D compositions.
Change anchor point in a more efficient way  Effortlessly adjust the anchor point on 2D layers with Quick Set Anchor using the Properties panel or a keyboard shortcut.
Create and use Depth of Field in the Advanced 3D renderer Create a Depth of Field effect that lets you focus on 3D models, parametric meshes, Substance 3D materials, 3D text, shape layers, and more in Advanced 3D.
Curl Noise effect for swirling animated 2D patterns Create fluid, organic 2D noise that feels like smoke, water, or ink, ideal for smooth, flowing motion in backgrounds, textures, and abstract animations.
Quickly Find Variable Fonts by Axis Filter variable fonts by axis properties such as weight, width, and slant to quickly find the exact style you need.
Effect Controls panel modernization Use the updated Effect Controls panel, built on a modern framework, to view and manage effects with icon-based controls.

Here’s how you can update your After Effects

👉 Which feature are you trying first?
👉 What’s already improving your workflow?

Let us know in the comments!