It’s 2025. I open After Effects and… it feels like I’m still working in 2013.
While Blender, Unreal Engine, Houdini, and even newer tools like Cavalry are evolving with bold updates, After Effects has barely moved. Every time a new version drops, it’s disappointing to see tiny improvements disguised as “major features.” It’s as if Adobe is keeping the program on life support without actually developing it.
Let’s call it out:
- Graph Editor – still outdated, clunky, and untouched for over a decade. No real-time preview, no modular behavior, no intelligent UI.
- No modern easing tools – no built-in bounce, elastic, inertia, or overshoot. You still need to rely on Expression tricks or 3rd-party scripts for basic animation finesse.
- No native effectors or procedural animation tools – while tools like Cavalry, Cinema 4D, and Notch offer real-time procedural workflows and effectors, After Effects is stuck in manual keyframes and precomp hell.
- Still no native IK (inverse kinematics) – even simple character rigs require a stack of third-party scripts or plugins. Why isn’t something like Duik, Rubberhose, or Limber native by now?
- No advanced duplicator – there's no built-in cloner or radial repeater like in Cavalry, Motion, or Mograph. We need a better system for duplicating layers with control over scale, delay, and animation.
- No node-based workflow – at least give us the option! Every other modern motion software has some form of visual scripting or node logic.
- 3D? A joke. The “3D” system in AE is laughably outdated. No lighting realism, no proper camera controls, no real viewport. Blender, Unreal, and even free tools are miles ahead.
- Scripts and plugins are doing Adobe's job – tools like Flow, EaseCopy, Motion Tools, Joysticks 'n Sliders, Duik, etc. are incredible—but many of these should be native. We're duct-taping creativity.
Comparing with the rest of the industry:
Cavalry offers real-time procedural animation with effectors, duplicators, behaviors, and constraints.
Blender has had constant innovation: Geometry Nodes, real-time rendering, asset browser, grease pencil updates, and a thriving dev community.
Unreal Engine drops massive features like Nanite, Lumen, MetaHuman, and more—for free.
Houdini is evolving faster than entire Adobe departments, and that’s saying something.
Here’s what we actually want:
- A modern graph editor with user-defined easing presets, preview curves, and velocity visualization
- Built-in bounce, overshoot, and motion behaviors — no more relying on expressions
- Effectors and procedural animation systems, à la Cavalry
- Real 3D integration or native support for importing scenes from Blender/Unreal
- A decent cloner/duplicator with delay, randomness, and animation controls
- Native IK systems and rigging tools for characters and UI elements
- Node-based system as an optional workflow
- Timeline folders or grouping
- Built-in SVG support and better shape layer tools
- GPU acceleration that actually matters in real workflows
We’re not asking for gimmicks. We’re asking for Adobe to start treating After Effects like it’s part of the future—not a legacy app with patches.
- If you’re a motion designer, VFX artist, or animator feeling the same, raise your voice. We love After Effects for what it was. But now it needs to evolve—or get left behind.
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