Top After Effects Plugins for 2022

Video editors and motion graphics artists rejoice! After Effects has a whole slew of new plugins for 2022 and they’re looking pretty sweet.

As usual, there’s a whole lot to check out, but we’ve curated a great list that relevant for video editors, animations, motion graphics designers, and more.

Here are the top After Effects plugins for 2022.

Stardust

Smoke effects have never looked better. Stardust introduces Volume Rendering, which allows for a modular 3D particle system. Easy-to-use with loads of presets and a node-based interface, this is perfect for ghostly trails, exploding galaxies, crazy architecture, clouds, and more.

Mister Horse Animation Composer 3

One of the most beloved After Effects plugins is getting a makeover. The updated user interface gives quick assets to tons of animation presets. New transitions and sound effects will blow your mind, plus you can create your own library, adding personalized content.

Newton 3

This one brings 2D compositions to life. This outstanding 2022 After Effects plugin allows great control over the physics of solid objects. Adjusting attributes like friction, velocity, and even gravity helps your objects interact with each other with heightened realism.

Motion 3

Another highly anticipated top After Effects plugin for 2022, this version’s slick new UI makes it easier to wield even as it’s become more powerful. Keyframe management, animation amplifiers, expansive color tools – this one is a mush-have.

Mocha Pro

The famous Avengers: Endgame software comes back strong. As the premier planar tracking plugin, PowerMesh has vastly improved the warped surface tracking process. AdjustTrack 2.0 smooths out racking corrections and Python Script Editor is now included.

Looking for unbelievably accurate tracking? Look no more. Warping surfaces have never felt so easy to deal with inside of After Effects. Previously difficult cleanup jobs are far easier. Beauty retouching becomes a snap. Users are already calling this one a game-changer.

AutoFill

If you’re sick of losing hours to masking and keyframing, this 2022 After Affects plugin is for you. There are 25 new presets including Animated Handwriting, Blueprint animation, and Illustration Reveal. The Auto-Speed Map makes filling animations a breeze.

FreqReact

One of the most intense 2022 After Effects plugins, this reactor plays well with other plugins. The updated UI improves an already familiar workflow. It includes eight new modifiable reactors, Transfer Mode for swapping audio sources, and Advance View for doing multiple tasks in one place.

Plexus 3

The modular workflow of this plugin allows for a procedural approach to create, manipulate and visualize data. Conjure up interesting relationships between rendered particles using a line and triangle system. Loads of new features include Motion Blur and Sound Effector.

Glitch Bundle

Three impressive new top After Effects Plugins for 2022 in one nice bundle! AE Pixel Sorter 2 ups the pixel experimenting game. Datamosh creates explosive disruptions that rip pixels to shreds. Finally, Data Glitch 2 will make for realistic data interruptions.

Datamosh

AE Pixel Sorter 2:

Data Glitch:

Physarum

This magical After Effects plugin is ideal for modeling organic growth. Whether you’re looking to create an unfolding leaf or a developing microbe sample, the built-in algorithms are user-friendly and can even interact with live footage.

Discotext

If you love playing with live text layers, then this may be the best of all 2022 After Effects plugins for you! Trim, offset and stagger text layers with better control than ever before. Loads of new features include full motion-blur control and superior cloning capabilities.

Stretch-it 2

As the name implies, this After Effects plugin is another awesome way to play around with items. Stretching text and footage is made easy with 360 degrees of stretch direction. Multiple stretch points are available, and you can animate it all in Effects Control.

VariFont

More fun with text! As you may have guessed, this After Effects plugin offers a built-in approach to variable fonts. This gives animated font sequences a little more wiggle room to impress viewers and designers alike!

Deep Glow

Nothing gives items quite the same pop like a nice glow. Augmenting the glow effects which After Effects uses by default, intuitive controls assist creators in getting the effect they need. Features include GPU acceleration, Glow Spread, and blur quality controls.

Shadow Studio 2

Ever get tired of the slow process of rendering 3D shadows? This plugin offers a wonderful workaround that looks just like the real thing. Five stylistic presets make the process even faster as do the enhanced GPU and powerful quality controls.

Diopter

Lens shifting is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this amazing optical effects plugin. Try out multiple distortions quickly as you look to play with the tone of your video. Sequences can become dreamy, surreal, and mystical with simple presets.

We hope you’ve found this article on the Top After Effects Plugins for 2022 to be useful and practical.

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