Video summary

Maxon Declares WAR on After Effects!?!? | Motion Mondays

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Key technological announcements & product feature breakdowns

1) Maxon: Autograph compositing app becomes free

  • Price change / licensing: Originally $299. After Maxon’s acquisition (from Left Angle), it’s free for individual artists (including commercial use). Studios require a team license (pricing TBD).
  • Core workflow concept: Think After Effects, but centered on generators and modifiers instead of traditional effects applied to layers.
  • Notable capabilities:
    • Full 3D environment using Pixar Open USD
    • Responsive design tools: render one composition into multiple formats
    • 2D + planar tracking
    • Color pipeline support: ACES and OpenColorIO
    • Plugin compatibility: if you’re a Maxon subscriber, Red Giant and Universe plugins work inside it
  • Learning support: Maxon created a Quick Start series on Cineversity.

Analysis: The host argues Autograph being free helps close the gap, but AE’s advantage is described as a “cultural moat” built from decades of tutorials, plugins, and user muscle memory. Expect tighter competition by 2026 (AE, Cavalry, Rive, Autograph).

2) Maxon: Cinema 4D 2026.2 updates (MoGraph/materials + workflow automation)

  • Fabric brush / cloth sculpting: Sculpt cloth simulation directly on meshes with actions like drag/swirl/wrinkle/drape, plus gravity shortcut and collision detection.
  • Materials direction: Open PBR becomes the Redshift default, replacing the old standard material.
    • Includes a converter; results are said to be nearly identical, with improved long-term compatibility with open standards.
  • Deformer improvements:
    • Bend deformer handles mirrored bends and S curves from a single deformer
    • Target effector loops correctly on closed chains
  • Automation/workflow: New Espresso command-line argument node to drive scene variations without opening Cinema 4D (use case: broadcast templates / automated versioning at scale).
  • Mobile roadmap: Cinema 4D for iPad beta signup; claimed full compatibility and seamless switching, framed as an onboarding path for younger artists.

3) Adobe: Premiere “Color Mode” aims to reduce reliance on Resolve

  • Premiere beta adds a dedicated color workspace:
    • Three-panel layout, color monitor, clip grid, and color controls
  • Key UI/feature shift: LUTs replaced by “styles”
    • Styles are editable sets of color modules (tweakable rather than “baked”)
  • Contrast tooling: Contrast Kit for film-density contrast that previously required a dedicated colorist or more work in Lumetri.
  • Scopes UX: scopes behave like a HUD/contextual display, tied to the control you’re adjusting.
  • Performance: GPU accelerated
  • Positioning: Built for editors who want more color capability without being full colorists.
  • Availability: Beta for subscribers now; full release “later this year.”

Analysis: The host frames this as Adobe attempting to close the historical Resolve gap, calling it potentially the “largest Premiere release” in Adobe history.

4) Blackmagic: DaVinci Resolve 21 adds a full photo editor inside the video editor

  • Big product scope change: Resolve now includes raw image editing and a Lightroom-style photo workflow.
  • Still image features:
    • Node-based color on stills
    • Tethered camera support
    • Multi-user photo editing
  • AI tools highlighted:
    • Intelli Search: search footage by face/object/dialogue
    • Cine Focus: post shallow depth of field
    • Face tools: face age transformer, face refiner, blemish remover
    • AI slate detector: reads clappers and pulls scene/take metadata automatically (time-saving)
  • Ecosystem integration via acquisition: Crocodove acquisition means Fusion generators/effects are built in.
    • Fusion gets audio-driven animation
    • Drag Lottie files into the edit timeline (access to the Lottie ecosystem for Resolve editors)
  • Workflow improvements: Background rendering and proxy generation reduce friction (fewer blocking pop-ups).
  • Pricing: Free update for studio owners; free version stays free.

Analysis: The host questions whether Resolve is “still an editor” or “everything now,” emphasizing the unexpected breadth.

App / platform updates and tutorials/courses the channel promoted

5) School of Motion: new All Access courses + free resource

  • Cinema 4D Insider (EJ Hassenfratz): advanced/pro workflow, custom workspaces, scene organization, timeline shortcuts, animation layers, Redshift workflows, and take system for client variations.
  • Cavalry Kickstart (Greg Stewart): 2D procedural animation
    • ~13 hours with 4 projects for critique and a verified credential
    • Mentions the “Cavalry Brain” mindset shift and “procedural superpower” framing
  • Free book: 500 Studios
    • 504 pages, 500 studios from 41 countries, with curated write-ups and links

Community notes included:

  • MoGraph meetup at NAB
  • Increased community size
  • Possible All Access discount
  • Upcoming anniversary-related announcement

After Effects (and related ecosystem) feature coverage

6) After Effects: AE 26.2 / beta updates

  • New effect: Curl Noise
    • GPU only (fast)
    • Generates organic animated 2D noise and effects like smoke, water, swirling ink, luma mats, displacement maps
    • Performance claim: ~300 fps on M3 Ultra @ 1080p
    • Comparison: “like a modular synthesizer” (parameter changes cascade)
  • Quick Apply (public release in AE 26.2):
    • Keyboard-driven launcher for effects, presets, and commands (built-in “Effects Console”-style)
  • Copy frame to clipboard (beta):
    • Copies the current frame for quick paste into apps like Photoshop/Figma/Discord
  • Anchor point tool fixed:
    • Moving anchor on animated layers now correctly offsets motion path instead of breaking animation
  • Other additions: variable font filter in font picker; SVG import as footage
  • Coverage: Jake Bartlett livestreamed coverage; linked in description

7) Insidium: Nexus running inside Blender

  • Nexus described as real-time GPU-driven particle system handling “hundreds of thousands of particles.”
  • Not a direct port: rebuilt for Blender from scratch.
  • Weekly previews every Thursday until release.
  • Community reactions: Blender users considering migration because Nexus was a key C4D ecosystem tool.

Timing analysis: Nexus announcement coincides with Maxon releasing a free compositing app; the host frames it as pulling different ecosystems in opposite directions.

8) Cavalry ecosystem: procedural plugins and tooling

  • Mentioned plugin directory: scenery.io
    • ~13 plugins so far (VFX/generative/color tools)
    • Emphasis that Cavalry architecture supports plugins beyond pixel effects (e.g., affecting shapes, duplicators, etc.)
  • Plugin ecosystem includes independent developers (example mentioned: essential deformers, path visualizer).

9) AE plugin: Easy torn paper

  • Generates torn paper edges via masking (mask-based; animatable).
  • Pricing: $20 until April 25th (aescripts.com)

10) Photoshop: Retro Tone replaces old halftone approach

  • New “grown-up” halftone-style filter simulating ink behavior on real surfaces:
    • stacking, opacity, analog color mixing
  • Non-destructive live filter with ink plate separation for printing
  • Includes 100 presets and an opaque white underbase option for dark garments
  • Launch pricing mentioned: $45

Review-style / product “launch” features & tooling stories

11) Frame.io: Mounted Storage

  • Solves waiting to download large files before starting revisions.
  • Frame.io Drive mounts projects directly into Finder/File Explorer like a local drive.
  • Streaming behavior: files stream on demand (no pre-download).
  • Maintains version stacks and permissions (important for NDAs/security).
  • Built on Sweet Studios tech (storage used by School of Motion).
  • Availability: enterprise first; higher tiers include mounted storage by default.

12) Frame Rate (Frame.io platform mentioned in subtitles): review platform features

  • Standout capability: synced multi-user playback
    • clients open review link; playback stays perfectly in sync
    • shared cursors visible to each participant
  • Includes integrations (fabric IO, Behance) and publishing changes for free users.
  • Not fully launched yet; more coming.

13) Drive update notes (separate product section)

  • Incremental improvements mentioned such as:
    • file sharing link (inviting collaborators via link entry)
    • timeline graph editor zoom
    • better drag/drop
    • state machine transition tools

Creative showcase links (examples of work highlighted)

  • Frame Rate post: Escape (dense flat + 3D visuals; readable composition; uses spot color structure)
  • Another artist: Anxiety, Chocolate, and Keyframes (stop-motion-esque timing; chocolate realism)
  • Google Cloud partnership work by Andrew Vucolo: process motion studies/explorations
  • New studio Sword and Shield: hand-animated short (Jessica Roudon + Cody Ors)
  • Student spotlight: Melissa Chan (Taipei), completing a VFX-focused motion challenge with a strong compositing result

Main speakers / sources mentioned

  • Host / narrator: School of Motion’s Justin Cone (frequently referenced; also tied to Frame Rate context)
  • Maxon: product info provided by the host; Autograph originally built by Left Angle
  • Blackmagic Design / DaVinci Resolve: discussed by the host
  • Cinema 4D Insider / Cavalry Kickstart instructors: EJ Hassenfratz, Greg Stewart
  • After Effects updates / comparisons referenced: Jake Bartlett, Andrew Kramer (as analogy for Photoshop texture work), Brady Erickson
  • Insidium: Nexus announcement referenced (company otherwise not voiced)
  • Frame.io / Frame Rate founders mentioned: Tyler Williams, Justin Cone
  • Artists/studios/work referenced: Vitor Cervi, Victor Vergugo, Andrew Vucolo, Audrey Havey, Justin (Havey’s husband), Jessica Roudon, Cody Ors, Melissa Chan

Original video