Adobe Filters Free Download
Build up your post production library with the the best free plugins and filters for AE!
Take your After Effects work to the next level with these free plugins and filters. From color presets to advanced lighting and 3D tracking, these free AE effects can enhance your projects and save you time. Let’s dig in…
3DCG – Normality & Atlas
Normalityis a free lighting and shading plugin for After Effects. No longer supported by the developer, but packed with a set of professional features. DOWNLOAD
Normality in Action (from 3DCG)
Atlas is a free tone-mapping/HDR plugin for After Effects – bring out loads of detail in your video footage. DOWNLOAD
Atlas in Action (from 3DCG)
Digital Anarchy’s Ugly Box
Make your talent uglier! Most editors try to smooth out skin and make talent better looking. Ugly Box is a free After Effects plugin does the exact opposite. Great for Halloween or zombie related content. From the makers of the popular skin smoothing software, Beauty Box. Although free, you will need to register your info to DOWNLOAD
Noise Industries Free AE Plugins
When you install FXFactory by Noise Industries (free) you’ll have access to several free After Effects plugins. You can get more info and download each of these AE plugins here. Note: FXFactory is only supported by Mac/OSX. Let’s highlight a few of these AE effects:
Swish pans are a popular choice for transitions in television programs. Andy’s Swish Transitions brings this effect into AE and won’t cost you a dime:
Pan and Zoom is another FXFactory based After Effects plugin. This effect simplifies the process of creating a slideshow or giving your photos/videos the classic “Ken Burns” effects. Add motion to your images/video in After Effects without having to create keyframes:
CoverFlux 2 is a neat After Effects plugin that allows you to quickly create a coverflow style slideshow – perfect for showcasing images or creating a highlight video. You may recognize the coverflow look from iTunes or Mac OSX Finder:
Create unique effects with the Random Text generator from Luca Visual FX. This free AE plugin is ideal for sci-fi or business projects that require a high tech feel:
Copy Image Plugin for AE
Copy Image is a simple utility plugin that allows you to copy the current composition as a flattened image. By using Copy Image you can paste a ‘screenshot’ of your AE comp in another application (like Photoshop) without having to export out a still image and reopening in another app. DOWNLOAD
VFX Bro: Camera Shake and Camera Shake Pro
Our friend Aaron at VFXBro.com has created several free After Effects plugins for manipulating your footage.
Real Camera Shake is a preset that can add realistic camera movement to your still video shots. This is ideal for footage that requires a handheld look but may not have been shot that way. Real Camera Shake Pro applies similar effect but to a virtual camera inside of After Effects. DOWNLOAD both here.
Real Camera Shake:
Real Camera Shake Pro:
Coremelt EQ Animator and Plugin Pack
Coremelt makes industry leading plugins for After Effects and video editing apps. Luckily, they give away two products FREE.
VeeYou is an After Effects plugin that reacts to audio in your project. Apply these EQ, VU, analog dials and waveform generators to an audio layer in AE. Watch as the visuals react to the sound. DOWNLOAD
CoremeltFREE is an effects bundle of 39 free plugins for After Effects (also works with FCP, FCPX and Premiere Pro). Included in the pack are color effects, dynamic transitions and filters. See the full list of effects here or DOWNLOAD here.
VideoCopilot Free AE Presets
Aside from being a fantastic online training resource, Andrew Kramer from VideoCopilot.net has made available 15 free After Effects presets. Among the presets are film grains, day for night color preset, a reflection plugin (great for logos) and a tool for better controlling the AE 3D camera. Big bonus: with each of these AE presets you can also view a video tutorial on how to use them. Head over to VideoCopilot to check them out and DOWNLOAD.
AEFlame: Free Fractal Plugin for AE
Aescripts.com is a great resource for the latest After Effects tools. The following plugin, AE Flame, alows you to create beautiful fractal images in AE. DOWNLOAD
Cineblur’s Instagram Plugin
Premiumbeat blogger Brent Pierce created a set of AE color filtersFree online animated battle chess. that mimic the looks popularized by Instagram. With one-click you can apply these looks to your video – great for experimenting with your footage. DOWNLOAD
Digital Typewriter Text Preset
If you’re working on a project with futuristic or Internet-related content this free After Effects plugin may come in handy. Typominal creates a ‘digital typewriter’ look, characteristic of Apple’s Terminal or MS-DOS. See our previous post on this AE plugin or go here to DOWNLOAD.
If you want the best free Photoshop actions, you've come to the right place. But what are Photoshop actions? Well, Adobe's flagship image editing software has an inbuilt programming language that completes hours of design work in just one click. Photoshop actions record tasks as an 'action' and replay the steps to complete the task automatically - a pretty cool timesaver.
Not only can you record your own Photoshop actions, you can also import free Photoshop actions. This opens up a whole range of shiny new effects and an opportunity to learn them, saving you huge amounts of time now and in the future. Your projects will look better than ever.
We've rounded up the best free Photoshop actions in this list, but if you feel inspired to expand your Photoshop skill set you can head over to our roundups of the best Photoshop plugins and Photoshop brushes, great for photographers, graphic designers, game artists and more.
You can jump to the section you want right now from the drop-down menu above, but you should definitely bookmark the entire list of free Photoshop actions to check out the rest later – who knows where inspiration will strike.
Free Photoshop actions: Photo filters
01. Deep Matte
This free Photoshop action does exactly what its name would suggest. It will give your image a super-strong matte finish. If you want a lighter matte finish, they have a basic version too, but we love the intensity of this one.
02.Double exposure
This awesome free Photoshop action creates a professional double exposure effect instantaneously. When the action has finished, you can add a colour tone or gradient to your image to complete your composition. You have to register with the site (for free) before you can download, but the site has so many great free Photoshop actions, it's definitely worth it.
03. Color Pop
Give washed-out photos an instant burst of colour with this free Photoshop action from Shutter Pulse. One of its set of 14 Boosters Photoshop Actions, it comes as part of a free bundle of 20 Lightroom presets and 20 Photoshop actions, and it'll bring any photo a much needed dash of colour and constrast.
04. Pastel Effect
Another way to breathe fresh life into your photos is with this set of 40 pastel effect Photoshop actions; they'll provide instant light enhancement and beautiful colour toning at the touch of a button, and transform ordinary shots into something much more Instagram-worthy.
05. Mystical Light
Give your photos an other-worldly air with this Photoshop action from Megan Joy. It'll infuse landscapes with a magical purple haze, enlivening any shot with an ethereal purple haze and giving any location the atmosphere of a mysterious fairy dell.
06. Instant Hipster
For those times you want to give your photos a one-click Instagram effect, Instant Hipster's the perfect solution. It comes with 10 ready-made filters – Amaro, Mayfair, Hudson, Valencia, X-Pro II, Willow, Sutro, Hefe, Nashville and 1977 – so you can find just the retro effect you need in seconds.
07. Nightmare
If your photos just aren't sinister enough for your liking, this free action should make things a little more unsettling. It's designed to let you easily give your photos a dark, haunting effect. Perfect for creating the impression that you're permanently about to stumble into mortal danger.
08. Cold Nightmare
This amusingly-titled action will transform a photo of a perfectly innocent scenario into a window into a dark world. In this example image, the archer probably shooting at a target takes on the look of someone who is definitely trying to kill a human. It’s amazing what some shadows can do.
09. Summer Haze
If you'd prefer to cheer up your images, take a sunny shot and make it intensely summery with this great turquoise haze effect. Outdoor portraits taken in natural light are most suitable for this filter.
10. Hazy Afternoon
Perfect for outdoor pictures, the Hazy Afternoon action certainly lives up to its name by creating a soft gradient colour layer. You can use this free action on black and white or colour images, plus you can easily adjust the gradient until you get the exact look you're after.
11. Sun Kissed
Light up any image with this comprehensive collection of sunlight effects that'll brighten and tone even the drabbest landscape. Simply add a bit of a warm tone, or go the whole hog and throw in a setting sun complete with a lens flare effect; it's all there.
12. HDR Action
Remove the lack of contrast that comes with HDR photography with this set of four actions; HDR fix Light, Normal, Heavy, and Clicker.
13. Strong HDR Effect
Alternatively, try getting vibrant colour effects with this free HDR filter from Shutter Pulse. If it works well for you but you’d like more options, it’s part of a set of 30 HDR actions that you can buy for $13.
14. Blue Evening
Blue Evening is the free component of a paid-for set called Touch of Drama, which gives you various ways to add a mysterious atmosphere to your shots. The strength of the blue cast depends on your starting colours, so click through to see a good selection of examples.
15. Night to Twilight
This set of 11 actions convert your nighttime images into twilight photos by introducing a colour cast and lightening the sky. The effect is rendered using layers, so you can adjust the degree of twilight by reducing the layer’s opacity, making it nice and flexible.
16. Purple Contrast
This free Photoshop action washes out some of the colour from an image and gives it a purpley hue. It's a good way to give your photographs a dramatically downbeat look.
17. Bella
This action adds a beautiful warmth to your photographs, bringing out rich tones in hair and skin, and softening colours with a pink cast that creates a romantic, nostalgic feel.
18. Wedding Enhancers kit
Photoshop actions are extremely useful for wedding photographers dealing with a huge number of shots. Here you get a set of 11 actions that automatically create common portrait effects, especially around the theme of wedding photography. The set includes skin smoothing and soft filter effects as well as black and white conversion.
19. Photoshop Color actions
A nice range of colour treatments including rich, grainy black-and-white, bleach bypass, and some heavy casting effects. Great for experimentation.