EffectCraft v0.19.0

EffectCraft is an open-source motion graphics and visual effects application designed as a clean-room reimplementation of Adobe After Effects. Written in Rust, it provides a native desktop editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux, alongside a browser-based version.

The application focuses on professional animation and compositing workflows, including keyframes, animated text, masks, visual effects, 3D cameras, lights, and a render queue. Its interface follows familiar After Effects conventions, making it easier for experienced motion designers to understand its workflow.

EffectCraft also stands out for its automation capabilities. Projects use a readable JSON-based format, and the application exposes its editing engine through a command-line interface, a JSON control channel, and an MCP server for AI agents.

Features

EffectCraft includes a broad collection of tools for motion graphics and visual effects.

• Timeline and keyframes: Animate layer properties with linear, Bezier, hold, and eased interpolation. The Graph Editor provides value and speed graphs for adjusting animation curves.

• Layer compositing: Combine text, shapes, footage, nested compositions, adjustment layers, solids, cameras, and lights. Parenting, track mattes, blend modes, and motion blur are supported.

• Shape animation: Create shape layers with trim paths, repeaters, rounded corners, gradient strokes, and other procedural shape operators.

• Masks and selection: Draw and edit masks with feathering, expansion, and different compositing modes.

• Text animation: Work with point text, paragraph text, text animators, range selectors, and text-on-path workflows.

• Expressions: Use JavaScript expressions with familiar After Effects-style objects and functions, including wiggle, loopOut, and layer references.

• Puppet tools: Animate character and object deformations with pins, mesh controls, rigging, and follow-through.

• Visual effects: Apply blur, sharpening, color correction, distortion, keying, noise, stylization, transitions, simulation, and audio effects.

• Layer styles: Apply effects such as Drop Shadow, Inner Glow, Outer Glow, Bevel and Emboss, Satin, Stroke, and color overlays.

• 3D scenes: Work with 3D layers, cameras, lights, depth of field, and shadows.

• Motion tracking: Use tracking and analysis tools for motion-related workflows.

• Audio support: Preview animations with synchronized audio, waveforms, meters, and audio effects.

• Lottie integration: Import and export supported animations for use in websites and applications.

• Render queue: Export animations and compositions to video, audio, image sequences, and animated formats.

• Automation: Control editing operations through the CLI, JSON interface, and MCP server.

The effects library is particularly ambitious, covering hundreds of effects inspired by familiar After Effects categories. It includes tools for color correction, distortion, keying, simulation, perspective, time manipulation, audio processing, and stylization.

Lottie import and export is another practical advantage. It allows compatible animations to move between EffectCraft and web or application workflows without requiring a separate export plugin.

Download EffectCraft v0.19.0 - Software Mirrors
EffectCraft v0.19.0 for Windows effectcraft-0.19.0-windows-x86.msi | 56.68 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-windows-x86-portable.zip | 72.75 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-windows-x64.msi | 58.11 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-windows-x64-portable.zip | 77.18 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-windows-arm64.msi | 51.86 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-windows-arm64-portable.zip | 71.02 MB
EffectCraft v0.19.0 for macOS effectcraft-cli-0.19.0-macos-universal.zip | 69.77 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-macos-universal.dmg | 74.77 MB
EffectCraft v0.19.0 for Linux effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | 73.93 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-x86_64.rpm | 75.16 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst | 51.62 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-x86_64.flatpak | 47.76 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-x86_64.deb | 75.64 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage.zsync | 238.92 kB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage | 68.19 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-riscv64.tar.gz | 71.59 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-riscv64.rpm | 72.92 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-riscv64.deb | 73.1 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-aarch64.tar.gz | 68.79 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-aarch64.rpm | 71.34 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-aarch64.pkg.tar.zst | 48.57 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-aarch64.flatpak | 42.08 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-aarch64.deb | 72.05 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-aarch64.AppImage.zsync | 222.61 kB effectcraft-0.19.0-linux-aarch64.AppImage | 63.53 MB
EffectCraft v0.19.0 for BSD effectcraft-0.19.0-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz | 73.49 MB effectcraft-0.19.0-freebsd-aarch64.tar.gz | 70.63 MB
Others Download related to EffectCraft v0.19.0 effectcraft-web-0.19.0.zip | 20.53 MB
EffectCraft v0.19.0 Source Code EffectCraft v0.19.0 Source code (zip) EffectCraft v0.19.0 Source code (tar.gz)
EffectCraft v0.19.0 Release Notes: What's Changed Honor CARGO_BUILD_TARGET in FreeBSD packaging for aarch64 release builds by @dylanmtaylor in #2555 Export: convert H.264 frames to YUV 4:2:0 on the GPU by @MatejKozlovsky in #1631 Face tracker: find polygon crossings once per window row by @vangel76 in #2334 Camera tracking: validate solver input and bound workspaces by @vangel76 in #2341 av1enc: reuse scratch buffers in the transform path, the coefficient writer and the level search by @vangel76 in #2405 vp9enc: loop filter in 8-lane groups by @vangel76 in #2448 Shapes: Wiggle Paths has Spatial Phase, which slides its wiggle along the path by @dotCooCoo in #2450 Skip whole CSS at-rule blocks in the SVG parser by brace depth by @Silvertree2010 in #2547 Fix Align Video to Data panic on multi-byte char in timestamp by @Silvertree2010 in #2548 Disk cache: 20 GB default and a free-space reserve, so it no longer fills the disk (#2551) by @arnav-hiwarkar in #2553 Glow, Radial Blur, Venetian Blinds, Radial Wipe, Fractal Noise and the Transform effect render as in After Effects by @vangel76 in #1873 Cryptomatte pick: keep a hover probe, built off the UI thread (#473) by @MatejKozlovsky in #2517 Scripts: Recent Script Files lists the last ten scripts and Cmd+Alt+Shift+D reruns the newest by @dotCooCoo in #2291 Fix #341: on macOS, a quit goes through terminate: by @dotCooCoo in #1762 GPU: Classic 3D builds with FXC, so the GPU compositor starts on DirectX 12 (#613) by @MatejKozlovsky in #1571 SVG, FCP XML: bound XML entity expansion (#2129) by @bflatastic in #2597 Camera tracking: avoid per-view triangulation allocations by @vangel76 in #2338 i18n: two labels that already had a catalog row were formatted in English by @zitann2020 in #1669 Fix HexTile centerline cell selection by @sanyamsingh001 in #1776 Keep FrameRate::from_f64 nonzero for tiny positive fps by @Silvertree2010 in #2287 Bound SVG arc segment count for huge radii by @Silvertree2010 in #2288 Require hex digits in glTF uri_decode percent escapes by @Silvertree2010 in #2460 Reject '+' signs in Lottie text stroke colour hex pairs by @Silvertree2010 in #2542 macOS: declare the UI languages so the open and save panels are translated by @Atalantis in #2470 Scripts: socket tests wait for the buffers to stay full on macOS by @dotCooCoo in #2533 EffectCraft — start the window surface from eframe's default (frame latency 2 → 1) by @ZJHeepfixer in #2370 Lottie: import a layer's time stretch below 1 % as 100 %, with a warning by @marcoarnulfo in #2308 vp9enc: forward transform accumulates all outputs together by @vangel76 in #2446 i18n(ka): shorter Georgian for 14 labels that didn't fit by @devius in #2422 Lottie: size an imported precomp from its precomp layer's w/h when the asset has none by @marcoarnulfo in #2306 opusenc: eight partial sums in the 48 kHz decimator by @vangel76 in #2404 Web: keep Duplicate from opening browser bookmarks by @nanox333 in #2538 CLI: log warnings to stderr by default by @MatejKozlovsky in #1651 fix(render): use pixel units for text animator tracking amount by @kk376 in #1822 Docking: reject raw panel opens through command aliases by @nanox333 in #2527 i18n: Russian, German and French follow Match System and translate the menus (#1449) by @JaffarSk24 in #2507 vp9enc: fixed-size SAD kernels and a revisit cache in the motion search by @vangel76 in #2447 opusenc: radix-2/3/4 FFT kernels for the MDCT by @vangel76 in #2403 Camera tracking: skip unused SVD output work in null-vector queries by @vangel76 in #2345 Camera tracking: keep bundle-adjustment Jacobians on the stack by @vangel76 in #2340 Mask tracker: keep only the cropped previous frame by @vangel76 in #2337 Share the Warp Stabilizer luma pyramid with trajectory tracking by @vangel76 in #2350 Reuse the validated Warp Stabilizer plan on first render by @vangel76 in #2347 Workspaces: wait for migrated window positions before saving by @nanox333 in #2526 ScriptUI: fix script-drawn colours showing too bright by @onlykshitij in #2272 Lottie: import every Dash/Gap pair of a stroke, not only the first dash and the last gap by @marcoarnulfo in #2302 Menus: a pointer coming back into the window over another title switches menus (#1290) by @tylerjenningsw in #1297 Classic 3D Shadow Diffusion blurs instead of stamping copies (#2444) by @HEOJUNFO in #2463 engine: a template's footage entry can't name a file outside the folder (#2123) by @Anubhav-Rai in #2523 MCP: list_commands and list_effects take compact: true (#2020) by @becauseno7 in #2344 Fixes: macOS quit crash, soft shadow jitter, Interpret Footage params, preset upgrade, composition proxies, font menu names by @dotCooCoo in #2466 Advanced 3D: shadow jitter blends across its lattice cell, so GPU penumbrae match the CPU by @dotCooCoo in #2283 Font menu: a name the interface fonts cannot draw shows in English by @dotCooCoo in #2453 Reject legacy workspace stacks beyond the layout depth limit by @dotCooCoo in #2515 Interpret Footage: the params docs list every key the commands read by @dotCooCoo in #2309 Animation presets: effects saved by an earlier version are upgraded on apply, as in a project by @dotCooCoo in #2336 Proxies: a composition proxy draws with Separate Fields, Invert Alpha, linear light and Frame Blending by @dotCooCoo in #2352 Use frozen Object Matte in sessions without the freezing model by @Silvertree2010 in #1852 av1enc: build the three half-sample reference planes in one pass by @vangel76 in #2401 Keep rgb_to_hsl saturation finite for over-range colours by @Silvertree2010 in #2462 Return identity from Mat3::square_to_quad for a degenerate quad by @Silvertree2010 in #1947 Fix "-0.000" in seconds time display for tiny negative times by @Silvertree2010 in #2467 Shape Size gets the Constrain Proportions chain, off by default (#2489) by @ashokram-si in #2550 Draw a line to the end point of degenerate SVG arcs by @Silvertree2010 in #2181 vp9enc: vectorised phase-plane filters and a predict fast path by @vangel76 in #2445 opusenc: tabulate the a2nlsf cosine grid, halve its bisection, memoise pitch contour correlations by @vangel76 in #2398 Camera tracking: factor narrow camera systems within their band by @vangel76 in #2342 Tracker: Lucas-Kanade resolves its bilinear taps once per window by @vangel76 in #2331 vp9enc: probability delta table, linear bool-encoder carry, clamp oversized frames by @vangel76 in #2449 av1enc: fix the bitrate overshoot of the bitrate mode rate control by @vangel76 in #2408 automation: a confined agent can't start a script's code (#2131 F-11, "Running code") by @Anubhav-Rai in #2521 Automation: confine every command that reads or writes a file it is given (#1243) by @DWAA1660 in #1347 effects: Turbulent Displace Evolution moves the pattern at a constant rate (#943) by @klosixgaming-arch in #2535 i18n: the CJK fallback sits on the Latin baseline (#1309) by @zitann2020 in #1395 Auto-orient: keep the last heading when an expression-driven Position stops by @marcoarnulfo in #1661 model: cap glTF buffer-less accessors per file, check element offsets (#2139) by @Barzabel in #2158 export: tag BT.709 limited-range nclx; the ffmpeg oracles pick decoders by name and skip unbuildable fixtures by @Kaedo17 in #2362 GPU: contain frame-local validation failures (refs #1319) by @tylerjenningsw in #1326 av1enc: find the first frame's quantizer in fewer passes by @vangel76 in #2409 opusenc: vectorisable candidate filter for the greedy PVQ pulse search by @vangel76 in #2402 opusenc: build the PVQ V table once for encode_pulses by @vangel76 in #2394 CLI: run --commands reads {"command", "params"} steps from a JSON or JSON Lines file, or standard input (#2251) by @marcoarnulfo in #2311 Point tracker: refine in a 3x3 neighbourhood when the motion was small by @vangel76 in #2351 Point tracker: candidates share one tap table, gradients only where lk_refine reads them (#2318) by @vangel76 in #2339 Expressions: Alt-pickwhip references effect parameters by index (refs #1072) by @tylerjenningsw in #1385 effects: speed up Match Grain's CPU analysis (~3x on 1080p/4K) by @ki2pixel in #1904 i18n(ja): the effect names, 297 of 307, as AE's Effect menu draws them by @zitann2020 in #2157 i18n: complete the Brazilian Portuguese (pt-br) panel catalog by @yanhenrique-dev in #1774 expr: bound runtime parser and native recursion depth (#2124, #2125) by @Barzabel in #2161 Export: Targa (.tga) sequence output, 24-bit RGB or 32-bit RGB + Alpha by @ashokram-si in #2476 Add a Nix flake (NixOS, GNOME and Hyprland) by @untypequicode in #1069 docs: add user docs in docs/user by @itrycodinganditsbad in #973 Particles: preserve emitted particles when Birth Rate changes (#1373) by @tylerjenningsw in #1382 Preview: preserve opening audio while preparing video playback (#947) by @tylerjenningsw in #1177 Fix timeline layer drops after scrolling (#2492) by @WillPastor in #2519 Roto Brush: apply correction strokes in drawing order (#1646) by @tylerjenningsw in #1804 Mask feather, Repeater opacity and Trim Paths on rectangles render as in After Effects by @vangel76 in #1874 Clipboard: export keyframes as After Effects-compatible text by @tylerjenningsw in #1921 av1enc: specialise the inverse transform per size, size the forward tmp buffer by @vangel76 in #2396 Marker names are drawn in a small outlined box, in theme colours by @nanox333 in #1805 model: OBJ/MTL references from another machine find the file next to the model, and a missing one is logged by @midasmatterhorn in #1504 Export: cap CPU frames in flight with EFFECTCRAFT_CPU_INFLIGHT (#1615) by @Higgs32584 in #1763 Markers: adding one during playback no longer stops the audio (#1083, #1085) by @vangel76 in #1092 Scripts: subfolders of the Scripts and ScriptUI Panels folders become submenus by @onlykshitij in #2289 Particles: CC Particle Systems II and CC Mr. Mercury keep emitted particles when Birth Rate changes (#1373) by @tylerjenningsw in #1390 Animation presets: anchor saved effect keyframes at the playhead by @tylerjenningsw in #2452 Reuse Warp Stabilizer and Camera Tracker analysis keys by @vangel76 in #2348 #1510: Behaviors animation presets (22 original, expression-driven) by @vangel76 in #1513 Timeline: every shape Contents item has an eye switch, as in After Effects (#959) by @bflatastic in #2598 Content-Aware Fill: refuse up front when the frames can't fit in memory (#1789) by @bflatastic in #2599 Import: a numbered still named without sequence imports as itself, as in After Effects (#2018) by @bflatastic in #2604 Viewer: Shift keeps a dragged mask or shape vertex to one axis (#1964) by @bflatastic in #2605 Media: vector footage past 16384×16384 is an error, not an abort (#2136) by @bflatastic in #2606 Footage reads refuse anything that isn't a regular file (#2134) by @bflatastic in #2607 Media: header-sized EXR windows and audio sample rates are bounded (#2141) by @bflatastic in #2608 UI: open padlock on an unlocked viewer lock; inactive comp tabs show their × on hover by @pravdomil in #822 Viewer trackpad gestures: two-finger scroll pans, pinch zooms by @pravdomil in #1036 UI: Composition Settings keeps Cancel and OK in place between tabs by @pravdomil in #1100 #595: RAM preview no longer stalls on a gap right after the playhead by @pravdomil in #1121 Timeline: parent and matte selected layers together (#1260) by @tylerjenningsw in #1291 UI: colour expression-driven numeric values consistently (refs #1072) by @tylerjenningsw in #1314 build: add an optional dev-full profile with full debug info by @elZanco in #1655 Timeline: trimming the Out point to the playhead keeps its frame visible by @elZanco in #1737 UI: double-clicking a creation tool in the Tools bar makes an instance (#1072) by @elZanco in #1654 fix(engine): preserve alpha channel when saving still PNG frames by @kk376 in #1820 Fix Animation > Browse Presets command by @slager2 in #2250 av1enc: truncate instead of floor, log2 lookup table, skip division in the dead zone by @vangel76 in #2400 Fix #2201: one undo reverts a whole mask free-transform drag by @jerome25000 in #2426 Native Edit menu: use text-field Undo and Redo labels while typing by @nanox333 in #2528 Ease Presets: restore Linear interpolation and diamond keyframes by @nanox333 in #2539 i18n(ja): the Generate effect category is 描画 by @zitann2020 in #2583 fix(text): keep an empty Type-tool layer, as AE does by @zitann2020 in #2595 feat(web): choose the project the page opens with a startup config key by @gjrtimmer in #2580 Avoid quadratic Schur assembly for long camera tracks by @vangel76 in #2346 Project files: opt-in compact .ecproj JSON (Save Compact Project Files) by @pravdomil in #2601 ci: name the missing ALSA package instead of dying at link time by @Kaedo17 in #2363 Text lays out as in After Effects: box text baseline, right-to-left text, Justify All, animator tracking, per-character 3D rotation by @vangel76 in #1875 Tests: QA scenarios ask for image sequences explicitly by @bflatastic in #2609 project: output_size never asks for sides past the comp limit by @midasmatterhorn in #1568 Scripts: text animator properties resolve by their After Effects names (refs #1063) by @nanox333 in #1164 Parented cameras and lights keep their static and keyed Orientation (refs #1010) by @nanox333 in #1165 #1417: WAV markers show on the audio layer by @nanox333 in #1423 Expressions: cubic-Bezier easing helper (bezier(...)) (#1884) by @ki2pixel in #1887 Fix #1747: keep collapsed precomp instance overrides unclipped by @ki2pixel in #1951 layer.create: implement the instance3d op - a 2D copy of a 3D model layer (#2100) by @Minher0 in #2410 i18n: the 31 tool names are translated (zh-hans, zh-hant) by @FeiLiuEM in #1514 i18n: the Preview panel's labels reach the catalog by @FeiLiuEM in #2427 fix: bound Classic 3D depth-of-field blur and reject non-finite focus distances (#2092) by @ChristopherLinnett in #2118 docs: clarify engine and UI-only command access (#2564) by @Zaxaerith in #2569 ci(deps): bump storytold/craft-common-actions/.github/workflows/windows-arm64.yml from 8bb4e5ab95443171104ad88113fe1ef9b0e5ce3f to fa5ef18780cf5e7d5d3b8de068de56cffc83cac5 in the actions group by @dependabot[bot] in #2575 Audio: keyframed Audio Levels and Stereo Mixer levels ramp within a mix block by @roadhong in #2574 export: dither 16/32 bpc renders on the way to 8 bits, and let Render Settings Color Depth set the render's depth (#2022) by @klosixgaming-arch in #2534 Viewer: Alt/Option-drop of a Project item replaces the layer under the pointer by @mypenc in #2270 project: keep valid ROI crops on wide frames while still refusing overflow (#1577) by @klosixgaming-arch in #2532 engine: Replace Footage keeps a still a still (#2073) by @gmrmad1 in #2107 tests: count variable font named instances as styles (#2072) by @gmrmad1 in #2109 Text: Chinese Han text uses the installed Chinese face (#453) by @midasdf in #2039 Transform: Fit to Comp sizes shape and text layers by their painted bounds (#2198) by @SusieeTheLinuxUser in #2262 Edit: duplicating during a text edit ends the edit (#2226) by @SusieeTheLinuxUser in #2266 Edit: an open text edit stands down the Project-panel Clear redirect (#2227) by @SusieeTheLinuxUser in #2263 Text: stroke Line Join — Miter, Round or Bevel (#2077) by @bflatastic in #2610 Effects: padded buffers stay within a pixel budget (#2261) by @bflatastic in #2611 Timeline: drag effects, masks and shape items to reorder them (#2210) by @bflatastic in #2612 Viewer: a mask vertex held at the panel edge pans the view (#999) by @bflatastic in #2616 README: 308 effects, and a test keeps the count current (#2565) by @bflatastic in #2617 Import: an MP4 lasts as long as its video edit list shows (#2592) by @bflatastic in #2619 Scripts: FootageItem.replace() swaps in one file, as in After Effects by @bflatastic in #2621 Render Queue: elapsed and remaining time tick between frames (#2593) by @bflatastic in #2622 Keyframes: mute keyframes without deleting them (#1894) by @ki2pixel in #1895 Expressions: a layer is a callable property group by @tylerjenningsw in #1387 CC Bubbles: bubbles at the layer's edges refract its edge pixels, not a pale fill (#2024) by @becauseno7 in #2600 UI: Rescan Fonts in the font menu; assert the Linux system scan (#1089) by @vbasky in #1298 fix(i18n): follow browser language preferences (#1700) by @nanox333 in #1784 Render: remove the blanket layer cover; per-effect padding already covers what needs it by @vbasky in #1279 Fix #2573: New Composition From Footage creates a composition by @arnav-hiwarkar in #2615 Shapes: add the Wiggle Transform path operation, which wiggles paths and each Repeater copy by @dotCooCoo in #2355 Scripts: the Startup and Shutdown folders run at launch and quit by @dotCooCoo in #2279 Interpret Footage: Cineon Settings convert DPX and Cineon log scans by @dotCooCoo in #2300 Scripts: File ▸ Scripts entries take keyboard shortcuts by @dotCooCoo in #2356 i18n: the labels the call-shape scan cannot see by @FeiLiuEM in #1581 i18n(ja): panels and dialogs (27% → 39%) by @midasdf in #2054 Light Environment lights: default environment, Casts Shadows, Advanced 3D switch by @Minher0 in #2474 #1436: settings dialogs preview live and leave the window undimmed (Gradient Editor, Solid, Camera, Light, Composition) (#1439) by @bflatastic in #2626 #1436: settings dialogs preview live and leave the window undimmed (Gradient Editor, Solid, Camera, Light, Composition) by @nanox333 in #1439 i18n: add Polish (pl) interface language by @lewandowskit in #1340 perf: share unchanged layers between undo states (scripts in big comps went quadratic) by @infinityespi in #2567 i18n: catalogs list each source once again by @bflatastic in #2627 ScriptUI: a drag keeps its control past the window edge; MouseEvent.buttons (#2584) by @bflatastic in #2624 Timeline: Shift-click adds effects and other groups to the selection (#2552) by @bflatastic in #2628 ScriptUI: a docked panel gets its dock's size and onResize (#2585) by @bflatastic in #2629 Docs: ROADMAP progress log and ScriptUI parity for 30 October by @bflatastic in #2630 Settings: a dragged UI Scale applies on release (#2582) by @bflatastic in #2631 Export: apply crop once when calculating resize dimensions by @erythrofr in #2623 Shapes: per-corner roundness for Rectangle Path (#1896) by @ki2pixel in #1897 Fix faceted path overlays at high viewer zoom by @p01ntov in #1726 CC Bubbles: bubbles refract the layer's edge pixels on padded buffers too (#2024) by @becauseno7 in #2620 Add Blender scene export for the 3D Camera Tracker by @Krueels in #2442 Media: update the FilmCraft backend for AVI import by @tylerjenningsw in #1736 Media: enable AVI import across supported entry points by @tylerjenningsw in #1739 EffectCraft — no polling while idle: a deadline worker that sleeps, and a footage watcher that wakes the UI only on change by @ZJHeepfixer in #2369 EffectCraft — open the window before the GPU compositor is built by @ZJHeepfixer in #2368 deps: bump tar, zip, roxmltree, rustls-webpki and symphonia to latest by @dylanmtaylor in #2633 CI: workflows only call craft-common-actions at @main (AGENTS.md; windows-arm64 unpinned) by @dylanmtaylor in #2625 i18n(ja): fix one mistranslation and unify terms the menu and the panels spell differently by @C0uki in #2635 Markers: keep names and duration handles visible at viewport edges by @nanox333 in #2634 Fix #1743: protect render outputs from replacing project sources by @nanox333 in #1758 #712: color pickers get an eyedropper everywhere (#1328) by @bflatastic in #2639 #712: color pickers get an eyedropper everywhere by @nanox333 in #1328 Windows: document the GNU toolchain's import-library requirements (#1886) by @tylerjenningsw in #1892 deps: bump tar, zip, roxmltree, rustls-webpki and symphonia to latest (#2633) by @bflatastic in #2640 fix(effects): let CC Particle World's Textured Square use a Texture Layer by @marcoarnulfo in #1610 Character panel: All Fills Over All Strokes and All Strokes Over All Fills in the stroke order menu by @marcoarnulfo in #2245 MCP: get_property and get_layer list an enum property's options (#2085) by @marcoarnulfo in #2236 Scale Composition: comp.scale resizes a comp and scales its layers, keys, cameras and guides by one factor by @marcoarnulfo in #2248 Layer Styles: changed Blending Options outlive the last style and only pixel-changing styles block a clip export (#1389) by @marcoarnulfo in #1601 Polystar: synchronize inner controls after expressions and key edits by @nanox333 in #2632 Automation: a confined renderQueue.add without output needs a saved project (#2479) by @bflatastic in #2636 Tests: the Timeline's text Animate and Add menus add animators and properties (#2513) by @bflatastic in #2637 Import: a sequence of bare frame numbers is named after its folder (#2019) by @bflatastic in #2641 Windows: Reveal in Explorer opens File Explorer, not the browser (#1961) by @bflatastic in #2642 Graph Editor: share keyframe menus and close the Render Queue with Cmd+W by @nanox333 in #1342 Fix/1190 checkbox drag by @nanox333 in #1226 Text: duplicate ends the open text edit and selects the copy (#2226) by @ChristopherLinnett in #2268 automation: a confined agent can't queue a render output outside the roots (#2479) by @Anubhav-Rai in #2520 Audio: link stereo level edits while preserving channel balance by @tylerjenningsw in #2562 Puppet: Shift-select several pins in the Timeline and edit them together by @tylerjenningsw in #1755 i18n(ja): drop the space between Latin text and Japanese in 37 rows by @C0uki in #2638 Tests: Simple Choker keeps growing the matte down to -100 (#2102) by @bflatastic in #2643 Character panel: the stroke width shows its icon and a presets menu (#2075) by @bflatastic in #2645 Layer Style dialog: Edit Gradient… opens the Gradient Editor (#2057) by @bflatastic in #2652 Viewer: motion path follows X/Y Position when dimensions are separated (#2242) by @MarekSpodBiedry in #2255 Translate remaining Japanese panel labels by @haranishi in #1772 Update prompt shows the app icon instead of a letter by @dylanmtaylor in #2646 Adjustment layers blend in their blend mode (#2618) by @bflatastic in #2653 Settings: older settings files split layers above the original (#2545) by @bflatastic in #2654 Update prompt shows the app accent color by @dylanmtaylor in #2656 ui: a file dropped on the Timeline joins that composition (#2588) by @zitann2020 in #2650 ui: a drop that holds the target composition lands the rest of the selection (#2589) by @zitann2020 in #2649 i18n(ja): the panel catalog's last 65 rows by @zitann2020 in #2648 Discrete property choices are one undo step each (#2152) by @bflatastic in #2655 layer.slip reports the requested shift and whether it was clamped (#2371) by @bflatastic in #2657 Make font substitute test work when original fonts are installed by @dotCooCoo in #2658 Premiere Pro export pre-renders in the background (#2269) by @bflatastic in #2662 Accessibility (gap 25): an AccessKit audit test; names, roles and keyboard operation for Effects & Presets, Settings and Render Queue by @vangel76 in #1339 Fix pretend-version testing for update prompts by @dylanmtaylor in #2663 docs: gaps.md says the CI gate runs on pull requests (gap 4 closed) by @bflatastic in #2665 ui: the composition the drop lands in is left out even when unselected (#2589) by @zitann2020 in #2664 Viewer: mouse-wheel scrubbing over the Composition monitor (#1218) by @vbasky in #1287 ui-egui: the accessibility and keyboard tests join the one test binary by @bflatastic in #2669 Cache/GPU: adjustment footprint ignores the effect stack; upload starvation is reported (#687) by @vbasky in #701 Fix pretend-version testing for update prompts (#2663) by @bflatastic in #2667 Shape toolbar: keep gradient stroke widths by @nanox333 in #2668 Fix #2091 copy/paste masks between layers by @jerome25000 in #2216 #1743, part 3: two Render Queue outputs never write the same file, and default names avoid the queue's other outputs by @nanox333 in #1830 Roto Brush: follow the object with SAM 2.1 (Tiny, Small, Base+, Large; optional models) by @nanox333 in #1539 #1743, part 2: commands that write to a path never replace footage, a proxy or the project file by @nanox333 in #1829 fix(flatpak): allow reading launcher version pins by @dylanmtaylor in #2704 New Contributors @Atalantis made their first contribution in #2470 @ZJHeepfixer made their first contribution in #2370 @kk376 made their first contribution in #1822 @JaffarSk24 made their first contribution in #2507 @onlykshitij made their first contribution in #2272 @becauseno7 made their first contribution in #2344 @ashokram-si made their first contribution in #2550 @klosixgaming-arch made their first contribution in #2535 @Kaedo17 made their first contribution in #2362 @yanhenrique-dev made their first contribution in #1774 @untypequicode made their first contribution in #1069 @WillPastor made their first contribution in #2519 @Higgs32584 made their first contribution in #1763 @slager2 made their first contribution in #2250 @jerome25000 made their first contribution in #2426 @gjrtimmer made their first contribution in #2580 @Minher0 made their first contribution in #2410 @dependabot[bot] made their first contribution in #2575 @roadhong made their first contribution in #2574 @mypenc made their first contribution in #2270 @SusieeTheLinuxUser made their first contribution in #2262 @lewandowskit made their first contribution in #1340 @infinityespi made their first contribution in #2567 @erythrofr made their first contribution in #2623 @p01ntov made their first contribution in #1726 @Krueels made their first contribution in #2442 @C0uki made their first contribution in #2635 Full Changelog: v0.18.0...v0.19.0

Performance and Compatibility

EffectCraft is written in Rust and uses a modular architecture intended to keep the editing engine independent of the graphical interface. Its rendering system supports GPU acceleration, while CPU-based processing remains available for relevant operations.

The project is designed to run on Windows, macOS, and Linux. A WebAssembly build also allows the editor to run in a browser, with browser storage used for projects and related data.

Its rendering pipeline supports H.264, ProRes, HEVC, AV1, VP9, and Opus, alongside image sequences and other export formats. The project emphasizes Rust-based media processing rather than depending on FFmpeg as its internal encoding and decoding foundation.

EffectCraft also offers a useful approach to project files. Its native .ecproj format uses versioned JSON, making projects easier to inspect, compare, and manage in version control than opaque binary documents.

However, EffectCraft cannot open native After Effects .aep or .aepx project files, and third-party After Effects plugins cannot run in it. Compatibility with individual effects and workflows should therefore be tested before considering a complete migration.

The project is also relatively young. Although its feature list is extensive, the developers acknowledge that real-world workflow reliability and output fidelity still need further validation. Having an equivalent tool does not necessarily mean that it behaves identically to its After Effects counterpart.

System Requirements

EffectCraft supports:

• Windows

• macOS

• Linux

• WebAssembly-compatible browsers

Prebuilt desktop packages are available for supported platforms. Linux distributions have access to AppImage, DEB, RPM, and tarball packages, including x86_64 and ARM64 builds.

Building from source requires Rust and the appropriate platform dependencies. The browser version requires a WebAssembly-compatible browser and suitable graphics support.

Because EffectCraft can process complex compositions, performance will depend on the GPU, available memory, footage resolution, effect complexity, and output settings. The project does not yet provide sufficient real-world benchmarking to establish reliable performance expectations for every workload.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free and open-source

• Native Rust architecture

• Windows, macOS, and Linux support

• Browser-based WebAssembly version

• Extensive keyframe and animation controls

• Graph Editor with value and speed graphs

• Large collection of visual effects

• Masks, shape layers, and text animation

• Expressions and puppet tools

• 3D cameras, lights, and depth of field

• GPU-accelerated rendering

• Broad video and audio export support

• Lottie import and export

• Readable JSON-based project format

• CLI and MCP automation

• No telemetry by default

• Designed to work offline

Cons

• Still a young project

• Cannot open native After Effects project files

• No compatibility with third-party After Effects plugins

• Output fidelity against After Effects has not been comprehensively measured

• Some platform-specific workflows still need refinement

• Performance on complex projects requires more independent benchmarking

• Certain advanced features remain under development

• Professional production workflows may require workarounds

How to Install

The easiest way to install EffectCraft is to download a prebuilt package from the project's GitHub releases.

Windows users can use the portable ZIP package. macOS users can install the universal disk image, while Linux users can choose from AppImage, DEB, RPM, or tarball packages.

Developers can build the application from source with Rust:

git clone https://github.com/storytold/effectcraft
cd effectcraft
cargo run --release -p effectcraft

To render a composition from the command line, use the companion CLI:

cargo run --release -p effectcraft-cli -- render --out intro.mp4

For AI-agent integration, launch the MCP server:

cargo run --release -p effectcraft-cli -- mcp

These capabilities make EffectCraft particularly interesting for developers building automated animation pipelines or integrating motion graphics into AI-assisted workflows.

Final Verdict

EffectCraft is an ambitious open-source After Effects alternative that combines a familiar animation workflow with a modern Rust-based engine. Its extensive effects library, keyframe controls, expressions, compositing tools, 3D features, and broad export support make it much more than a basic animation editor.

Its most distinctive advantage is automation. The CLI, JSON control channel, readable project files, and MCP server make it possible to integrate motion graphics into scripted and AI-assisted workflows. Lottie support also provides a practical bridge between desktop animation and web development.

The biggest limitation is compatibility and maturity. EffectCraft cannot open native After Effects projects or use its third-party plugins, and its own documentation acknowledges that feature coverage does not yet guarantee production-level reliability or equivalent output quality.

For motion designers, developers, and open-source enthusiasts looking for a capable alternative to proprietary animation software, EffectCraft is a promising project. It is particularly attractive for new projects that can use its native format and automation tools without depending on an existing After Effects workflow.

Free

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Software Informations:
Developer:
ArtCraft
Operating System:
Windows / macOS / Linux / BSD
Date Added:
2026-10-31T04:07:17.930Z
Categories:

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