FXhome vs After Effects

[eman6]

What is better FXhome or Aftereffects?

[Neoproks]

After effects hands down.

[JosephJones]

after effects

[dancingchickenproductions]

Well AE is obviously FAR FAR better, but it is at least 3 times the price of FXhome.

[nooneimportant77]

No contest. After Effects.

[eman6]

why is After Effects better?

[Silver Magician]

It depends Fx is good for already done effects, meanwhile AE lets you do them yourself. It all depends on your skill level and if you are gooing to spend time making the effect or if you want it already done. In my opinion based on price and quality Fx is good if you are starting and want a good program, AE is best if you have the money and patience to do the effects.

[FilmwannabeGoldenjabba]

I would say Fxhome is great software, but should be used just for a nice transition into after effects. Fxhome is great for beginner software, and has an extremely easy-to-use interface. I hear AE takes a whole lot more practice, but kicks out a whole lot better footage. Right now I have an Fxhome product, and I am just using it until I can afford after effects, and so I can get some experience in amateur special effects. So I have gotta say, AE is the better special effects program, but FXhome is great for learners :D

[snicket]

After Effects.

[cyrax037]

lol, I love how like, two people actually tell WHY they think AE is better, instead of just stating one or the other.



I've just begun using a demo for FXhome. Its pretty sweet I think! I saw a tutorial on a walking thru walls effect. Its REALLY simple and quick and looks pretty rad! Its also less graphic intensive then AE. I can't even run AE very well on this old computer, even WITH the gig of ram. But I havn't really played with it enough to do anything other then the walking through walls effect. But I'd say it definatly has its uses!

[KMProductions]

AE better. One of the best things about it is the z axis. Allows 3d movements.

[theSarge00]

After Effects is a compositing package used by both amateurs and professionals alike. As such, it's likely more complex than FXHome, but it also allows you a greater degree of control. I'm not particularly familiar with FXHome other than it seems very plug and play for some basic effects, whereas AE allows you to build effects from a wide variety of native plug-ins, as well as a bewildering variety of 3rd party plug-ins you can purchase that do all sorts of things (I was confused when people kept sending folks to Video Copilot for solutions, because my only contact with it was for the plug-ins they produce for AE - I didn't know about the tutorials). If you are familar at all with using Photoshop/Gimp, AE will seem very familiar- it's basically Photoshop with a time element - in fact you can import photoshop documents into AE and it will retain the original photoshop layers and transfer modes. You can paint, clone, and erase on video footage. You can ramp (meaning going from none to any higher amount and back to your hearts content) blurs, brightness and contrast, curves, all manner of Photoshop like effects - in fact, many of the AE plugins are ports of Photoshop plugins, only non-destructive (meaning you can retroactively increase or reduce the amount of an effect.)

[psycho_cow_chick]

AFTER EFFECTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO!

[tambrm1016]

I have not used After Effects, but I have no reason to doubt the folks that say it's better as some people here on the forum have experience with both. Depending on what you want to do, FXhome may be a good deal if your budget doesn't allow you to spend the money on After Effects.

I only have the "Effects Lab Pro" part of FXhome and I was able to make this cheesy 6min Sci-Fi short using it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xETCSj9R98

If you are just looking for some simple effects it's pretty good. I was able to do a simple space battle and have also used it for things like ray gun effects.

[Razback]

After Effects its more completly but i dont have this one im looking for buy this i just have a demo version of FXhome and i like it exept some plug-in have a bunch of errors

[bobaandy1]

After Effects is an advanced professional compositing program often used on television shows and even major motion pictures sometimes.

FxHome is a cheap, lame, program that no one in the industry would even CONSIDER using.

If you want to go super pro, learn Nuke. Good luck getting a liscence.

[koradin]

I own Visionlab and have to say most people on this site don't have a clue to its true potential, they think its just set effects but it can do far more as long as you know how to use it, it can also give you professional level effects that rival AE any day (I know some people will deny that and say am talking crap, but sadly they are wrong and have no idea how to use Visionlab properly). It is also far simpler to use then AE is any day.

But in saying that AE still wins it can do a lot more, such as motion tracking and a proper 3d environment plus numerous other features. If you have the money go for AE, if you are on a very tight budget either get Visionlab and learn to lock your camera off for effects shots or keep saving and get AE.

A simpler answer to this question is just download the demo of both and try them, and then decide for yourself.

Koradin

[theSarge00]

After Effects is an advanced professional compositing program often used on television shows and even major motion pictures sometimes.

FxHome is a cheap, lame, program that no one in the industry would even CONSIDER using.

If you want to go super pro, learn Nuke. Good luck getting a liscence.

Umm NOT. Very few shops use Nuke. After Effects, Combustion, and even Shake are used more than Nuke on the Pro level.

As to FXHome - the name says it all - it's not a Pro tool, but might well be fine for home projects.

[bobaandy1]

Umm NOT. Very few shops use Nuke. After Effects, Combustion, and even Shake are used more than Nuke on the Pro level.

As to FXHome - the name says it all - it's not a Pro tool, but might well be fine for home projects.


Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Shake was discontinued. Like, a long time ago. Most studios are moving over to Nuke, which is being readily developed.

Watchmen and Iron Man, for example, both used Nuke. AE is actually used very little, however is IS still used. It is viewed as a motion graphics tool, which is highly accurate in my opinion.
You are correct with Combustion, however. It is also used heavily.

[theSarge00]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Shake was discontinued. Like, a long time ago. Most studios are moving over to Nuke, which is being readily developed.

Watchmen and Iron Man, for example, both used Nuke. AE is actually used very little, however is IS still used. It is viewed as a motion graphics tool, which is highly accurate in my opinion.
You are correct with Combustion, however. It is also used heavily.

Hmm that's interesting about Shake - heard WETA was heavy into it. As to AE not being used much, I know I was using it at Tippett (though I understand they've got a Nuke pipeline now), Zoic, EdenFX, Stargate, BSGVFX, and others. Had to learn Nuke for Digital Domain, but then they wrote it. While AE is no longer the big dog, I still see plenty of AE work.

Hurm..just did a search, and there do seem to be more Nuke jobs than there used to be. God. Why Nuke? I'm sure it's changed since I last used it, but meh - was not overly impressed.

[bobaandy1]

Hmm that's interesting about Shake - heard WETA was heavy into it. As to AE not being used much, I know I was using it at Tippett (though I understand they've got a Nuke pipeline now), Zoic, EdenFX, Stargate, BSGVFX, and others. Had to learn Nuke for Digital Domain, but then they wrote it. While AE is no longer the big dog, I still see plenty of AE work.

Hurm..just did a search, and there do seem to be more Nuke jobs than there used to be. God. Why Nuke? I'm sure it's changed since I last used it, but meh - was not overly impressed.

Where you at NAB? You would understand then. They have some very impressive stuff going on. There is a fully native 3D side (real 3D models, not like AE) and super native support for stereoscopic. I think it's also support for the post houses, since it's being actively developed, they will have tech support, patches, etc.

[Wraith 5]

I believe they use After Effects extensively for the effects in Heroes.

[google550]

Had to learn Nuke for Digital Domain, but then they wrote it.

Woahoh. You've had experience with DD?

[google550]

And yes... AE is the far superior program. More features, easier to use.

[theSarge00]

Where you at NAB? You would understand then. They have some very impressive stuff going on. There is a fully native 3D side (real 3D models, not like AE) and super native support for stereoscopic. I think it's also support for the post houses, since it's being actively developed, they will have tech support, patches, etc.

3D integration into my nice clean image processing. I'm a comper, not a td - just seems an irritating burden on the system, and a complete reeducation process (scripting fer god's sake!) Once upon a time, you learned your tools, and spent the rest of your life developing your art. Seems more and more these days that the developing of style is being subsumed into having to reinvent the wheel every time someone comes up with a new function.

Gimme a blur, masks, and levels & curves, and I'll comp you the sistine chapel.

Still, it seems better than it was - it'd have to be: a tool that doesn't work doesn't last long in this biz.

Sigh. Seems like I just finished picking up Combustion to help work on BSG, now I gotta spend quality time with Nuke again. Joy.

[Razback]

3D integration into my nice clean image processing. I'm a comper, not a td - just seems an irritating burden on the system, and a complete reeducation process (scripting fer god's sake!) Once upon a time, you learned your tools, and spent the rest of your life developing your art. Seems more and more these days that the developing of style is being subsumed into having to reinvent the wheel every time someone comes up with a new function.

Gimme a blur, masks, and levels & curves, and I'll comp you the sistine chapel.

Still, it seems better than it was - it'd have to be: a tool that doesn't work doesn't last long in this biz.

Sigh. Seems like I just finished picking up Combustion to help work on BSG, now I gotta spend quality time with Nuke again. Joy.
Who is your occupation Sarge,you are a digital composer

[bobaandy1]

3D integration into my nice clean image processing. I'm a comper, not a td - just seems an irritating burden on the system, and a complete reeducation process (scripting fer god's sake!) Once upon a time, you learned your tools, and spent the rest of your life developing your art. Seems more and more these days that the developing of style is being subsumed into having to reinvent the wheel every time someone comes up with a new function.

Gimme a blur, masks, and levels & curves, and I'll comp you the sistine chapel.

Still, it seems better than it was - it'd have to be: a tool that doesn't work doesn't last long in this biz.

Sigh. Seems like I just finished picking up Combustion to help work on BSG, now I gotta spend quality time with Nuke again. Joy.

I totally agree. And I think with ANY app I find myself using the same basic tools (as you have outlined) to acomplish 90% of what I need. It's that extra 10% that will get you thinking "Man, I wish there was a plugin that did X". Features are features, better to have more then less.

Keep in mind that Nuke's 3D integration was how they did the 3D HUD in Iron Man. Was that the best way to do it? Probably not. Was is the cheapest? Probably. And no one can argue, the Iron Man HUD rocks.

And hey, you learn more programs, you get more work. Simple as that. Also, there are things I often want to do in AE that I can do much quicker and easier in Nuke, and vice versa.

I believe they use After Effects extensively for the effects in Heroes.

This is true. AE is used extremely heavily in television.

Woahoh. You've had experience with DD?

Welcome to the internet. It's not hard to find people in the industry. It's called networking.

[jpeenut]

After Effects

[movieman88]

Defintely AE. Used in the Passion of the Christ you know.

[justin]

I have no idea what FXHome is ... so I'm going to say AFX

:superjustin:

[Scoopicman]

I use FX Home's Vision Lab Studio.....and After Effects. As the someone said, you can do an awful lot with Vision Lab Studio. Definitely worth the $350 I paid for the whole suite, when they were running one of their specials!

As for what is better? Definitely After Effects. My frame to frame work seems to go a lot faster in AE. Working with many layers seems easier on AE. Of course, Motion Tracking is a biggie.

Why both? I could use just AE, but I like the animated presets in Vision Lab. Plus, you can change a good selection of parameters. Can it produce pro quality shots? Absolutely. It's a good deal.