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

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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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).

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9) AE plugin: Easy torn paper

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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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