Is Adobe After Effects still the go to for compositing and post for max renderings?

[SKIPPER2025]

I'm relearning max and trying to take my renderings, animations to the next level and I'd always thought that AE was the way to go.  However, all the tutorials on this workflow are very old (the ones I find on youtube).  So is there another tool to add effects and composite render passes out there that I'm unaware of?  Or am I just looking in the wrong place.?

Thanks as always.

[georgetoneverland]

Most people now in days complete their renders in VFB, like the Vray nor Corona ones.
Then for high-end work, there is Nuke (pricey) and Fusion (for free).
Interesting question though, follow.

[SKIPPER2025]

Ok, maybe that's the reason I'm seeing all these old tutes out there.  I think I'll go the AE path since I'm more familiar w/ this process/software than anything else.

Nuke looks exciting but I'm afraid to even look at the cost.

[CiroCardoso3v]

Have a look at Blackmagic Fusion. I use Nuke and Fusion for professional work and Fusion for personal projects because of the price. If you are doing Archviz, then Fusion is more then enough. There is a script called Reactor that gives you access to all of the cool scripts for Chromatic Aberration, Bloom, Glare, DOF, etc. 

The node system is so much easier and simpler to use. As an example, if you use Arnold\Vray you have access to Cryptomatte. Cryptomatte is a dream come true, because I don't have to create any mask. Everything is created automatically for you. That means that updating views, takes seconds instead of hours. Besides saving and opening Fusion\Nuke files, take seconds even for high res renders. 

Happy to give you some tips if you want. You can test it for free by installing DaVinci Resolve free, but then I do recommend you buying the full version, which is just $300 and is a license that stays with you.

[doug_bowker_3D]

For animation work? Absolutely. Obviously there are others to choose from, and many do it better (or are free) but the Adobe suite has a massive user base (thus a lot of people that could help out with questions) and obviously it helps to have such tight integration with all the other applications within the suite.

The VRay frame buffer certainly has been a huge game changer for modifying a scene "in camera" for single frames. But for now, that's not going to help much for dealing with a couple thousand frames, not to mention the fact that the effects list is very much limited (I still don't get the usefulness of the Scratched Lens effect, haha) nor can you bring in layers from other rendered frames (even single).

[Kreaction]

Either go for DaVinci Fusion (free) or DaVinci Fusion Studio (a few $).

High end nodal compositing 😉

[artmitchell51]

Lateness.  

I think I agree so far looking at both.  NBC I think works for me a bit better.  I've always struggled w/ layers in ps and ae.  For my head, I think nbc feels more intuitive.  Downloading the free version this weekend and getting after it. 

Thanks for the input.  Do you have a site for tuts that you like or can refer?

[CiroCardoso3v]

First make sure you install Reactor

https://www.steakunderwater.com/wesuckless/viewtopic.php?t=1775

Gets you all the free and cool tools\scripts.

This video gives you a good intro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDpR2xluwvI

But if you need something specific, feel free to send me a direct message.

[Alex_VM]

Hello

Since I'm quite new to the subject of post processing and compositing, I'll go even further back and ask why After Effects in the first place? I am referring to still images, not animation. I still haven't figured out why After Effects and other pro compositors (Nuke/Fusion) are the software of choice for compositing render passes of stills. Can someone please explain what the advantage over Photoshop is? As far as I'm aware you can still use Cryptomatte and EXR in Photoshop.

Also @CiroCardoso3v  you mentioned that for Archviz, Fusion suffices. Would that be the free version or the studio version?

Thank you

[CiroCardoso3v]

The reason why is flexibility, speed and tools. Photoshop is great don't get me wrong, but updating PSD files is slow and not flexible at all. Quite often you need to merge layers to apply effects and that means, next time you have to reapply the same effect, you need to know exactly what you did maybe 3 or 4 days ago. Of course that you can use smart objects, but still is very time consuming to update these. Also, you don't have to deal with files that are 8GB of size. I am not a big fan of using After Effects as their layer system doesn't bring you flexibility you can get with Nuke or Fusion, but even for still images I prefer After Effects to Photoshop. Also because Photoshop support for 32bits is terrible, and After Effects offers a better solution. 

Fusion Studio will be the best option so you can use OFX plugins and not having limitations in resolution output. There is no subscription, the version is yours to keep. I still use Fusion 16 without any issues.

[Alex_VM]

That was fast! Many aha moments here. So I understand that the node based approach allows for a far smoother workflow in most respects, it is less clunky and also provides for a better solution to resuming/repeating tasks. I have limited (non-existent) knowledge of After Effects or Fusion but I can now understand the issues you mentioned with Photoshop. Just to be clear I'm always thinking of the Exr-IO plugin when referring to PS. It seems to address some of the concerns you've raised here but again the 32 bits reduced functionality is native to PS with no way around it (besides smart objects, conversion to 16bits etc).

I guess I'm just going to bypass AE and look into some Fusion tutorials to make an informed decision. It seems to be where it's at right now.

Finally some starting points from which I can tackle this. Much appreciated @CiroCardoso3v !

[CiroCardoso3v]

Happy to help. I also use  Exr-IO for Photoshop. If you need help with Fusion, let me know.

[amirahusseinofficial]

Adobe After Effects remains a go-to tool for compositing and post-processing for maximum renderings in many scenarios. Its robust features, including advanced motion graphics, visual effects, and compositing capabilities, make it popular among professionals in the film, video, and animation industries. However, the choice of software depends on specific project requirements, budget considerations, and personal preferences. Alternative software like Nuke, Fusion, and HitFilm also offer powerful compositing and post-production tools, providing options for users to explore based on their needs and expertise. Ultimately, Adobe After Effects continues to be widely used and trusted for its versatility and industry-standard capabilities.