June 2025 (25.3.1) is the current version. The latest Fixed issues and Known issues in After Effects may effect you.

The previous round of feature updates can be found in After Effects News May 2025. The latest new features include:

• Smooth Zoom
• Reveal projects in the File System
• Support for NVIDIA Blackwell Architecture GPUs

After Effects Version 25.4.0 (Build 62) is in Beta and does include important new features still in development. It can be difficult to sort through the What’s New lab icon box in the beta app, the Adobe web user guide site, and beta announcements. This stuff appears to be in beta (and be sure to see Jake’s video below):

• Improved UI language support
• Change anchor point in a more efficient way 
• Quickly offset your layers and keyframes
• Duplicate layers using Alt/Option-drag
• Learn about Effects before applying them
• Parallel and Spot Light Shadows for Advanced 3D
• Support for CICP Metadata
• Windows on ARM emulation

Jake In Motion runs downs his favorite beta features in The Future of After Effects: June 2025 Beta Features.

School of Motion has some AE news items, this week in A STAGGERING After Effects Tool, Ultra-Fast Physics | Motion Mondays. In a recent week their news brought some disappointment with Maxon’s acquisition of a possible AE alternative. Well, I heard that Blender was free.

Also from SoM, there’s How to Use Text Animators in After Effects! where Adam Bennett has a bunch of text animation tips.

Eran Stern has a quick tip on how to clone your text with full styling—font, size, leading, alignment—using one smart expression. See This Expression Makes All Your Text Sync Automatically. Eran also shares and explains The ULTIMATE FREE After Effects SPEED Test File.

Nic Dean posted an 💡AE Optimization Tip:

→ Stick with Text Animators
→ Use Text Style Expressions sparingly

It was part of a larger collaboration and a conversation weeks ago on the future of After Effects text style expressions with Adobe engineer John Colombo and Kyle Hamrick.

First there was the Stu Maschwitz DV Rebel’s Guide, then the Hitfilm AE plug-in (both RIP), then stock footage and tutorial templates. Now, Kriscoart is back with a Muzzle Flash After Effects VFX Breakdown. Just kidding, there’s been a cottage industry around muzzle flashes since at least 2006.

Good Boy Ninja has free tools among his other unique tools, like the new “Railway.”

There are numerous other tinkers providing insights on Twitter, including James Hurlbut and friends. There’s another LLM-based tool already on AEscripts.com as well.

Denys Bondartsov showed off Morphing 3D shapes in After Effects. All native with Advanced 3D. Instructions are minimal, no step-by-step but plenty of examples and some screenshots of some settings.

Nick Greenawalt @motionbynick seemed like the 1st out of the gate with a tutorial with How to make Apple’s Liquid Glass in After Effects. John LePore @JohnnyMotion provided some additional general insights.

Not much later Manuel does Motion explained his way How to create Apple’s Liquid Glass Material in After Effects. And, Denys Bondartsov added more insight, since Apple’s liquid glass effects are contextual and still unfinished.

Stephan Zammit adds hover-activated text animations to his glass in Stunning 3D Glass UI Explainer with Interactive Text – After Effects Tutorial.

Timesaving Secrets of Motion Design in After Effects comes from Nol Honig at Adobe MAX last year, demystifying basics of a crucial After Effects tool, the pick whip, and sharing a few shortcuts. There’s a video offsite too.

Filmriot has tips to Make It Rain… With After Effects | Adobe Video.

Justin Serran says You’ve Seen This Effect — Now Here’s How to Fake It 👀.  No thanks, we only use practical VFX.

Premiere Gal showed off Easy 3D Map Animation for Beginners in After Effects! plus basic techniques for working with cameras and depth layers.

Dylan John discusses CapCut’s ‘TERRIFYING’ Terms: Real Risk or Just Hype? Basically, you are sharing rights to all content you use in their app, which is unfortunate because they have good audio noise reduction.

Pixel Reconstruct likes triangle splatting in The Future of 3D Is… Triangles?!

If you have an hour and ten minutes, check out Joey Korenman breaking down three massive technological shifts happening now in The Future of Motion Design: Live Talk from AEPDX 2025. Hint: the 3 trends are real-time effects, interactive fx, and AI assist.

Yes Midjourney has video and it’s well covered except its uncertain future. Perhaps that why Trump and associates want no control of AI for a decade. For some serious humor, see AI Slop: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

This is fun: A.I., Mars and Immortality: Are We Dreaming Big Enough? from Interesting Times with conservative Catholic Ross Douthat of the NYT. No doubt fresh off binge-watching the Star Wars series Andor, a guest appears to warn about Greta Thunberg as the Antichrist. But he’s shocked, shocked to be asked if perhaps AI and military tech wouldn’t be more useful to dark forces. All but the irreplaceable will pay the price for their lack of vision!

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