06 / 13 · Motion graphics and compositing

EffectCraft

EffectCraft is the suite's After Effects counterpart: keyframe animation, a graph editor, layer compositing and particle work, driven by a modern renderer with real-time playback as the headline promise.

Replaces: Adobe After Effects
Licence: Apache-2.0
Latest release: v0.11.1
Released: 2026-10-18
Source: storytold

In the maintainer's words

“EffectCraft: An open-source motion graphics and compositing tool written by scratch in pure Rust”— repository description, github.com/storytold/effectcraft

What EffectCraft is built to do

Layer + node composition model
Graph-editor keyframe curves
Real-time viewport playback
Particle and generator effects
Audio-reactive properties
Track matte and blend-mode compositing

These are the workflow areas the project targets. Implementation status changes release to release — confirm against the repository before relying on a specific behaviour.

What changed in EffectCraft v0.11.1

Composition ▸ Retain Layer Sizes now works when importing PDF and Illustrator files.
Copy and paste carry only the selected keyframes across Position, Rotation and Scale.
AIFF files import — including EffectCraft's own AIFF renders — and WebM durations that are not whole milliseconds are counted correctly.
The macOS DMG is built with hdiutil -srcfolder so the installed app passes codesign --strict.

Summarised from the release notes upstream published on 2026-10-18. Read the full list on the EffectCraft v0.11.1 release page ↗.

Download EffectCraft

EffectCraft is distributed by its own maintainers through GitHub releases. Nothing here is re-hosted, mirrored or repackaged, which is exactly why these links stay current when a new build lands.

EffectCraft v0.11.1 · upstream GitHub releases

All release assets ↗

macOS UniversalDMGGet
Windows x64MSIGet
Windows ARM64MSIGet
Windows x86 (32-bit)MSIGet
Windows x64 portableZIPGet
Linux x86_64 AppImageAppImageGet
Linux x86_64 debdebGet
Linux x86_64 rpmrpmGet
Linux x86_64 flatpakflatpakGet
Linux aarch64 debdebGet
Linux riscv64 debdebGet
FreeBSD x86_64TAR.GZGet
Command-line build (macOS)ZIPGet
Browser buildZIPGet
SHA-256 sumsTXTGet

Files are served by GitHub from the upstream repository — this project is not distributed through this site. Verify the download against SHA256SUMS.txt in the same release.

Platforms: macOS Universal · Windows x64 / ARM64 / x86 · Linux x86_64 / aarch64 / riscv64 · FreeBSD x86_64

EffectCraft vs Adobe After Effects

Aspect	EffectCraft	Adobe After Effects
Price	Free, Apache-2.0	Creative Cloud single-app or full suite
Preview model	Real-time viewport (upstream focus)	RAM preview + proxy workflow
Expressions / scripts	Not AE-compatible	Huge script ecosystem
Templates	Build your own	Marketplace abundance
Source	Open	Proprietary

Source, licence and building

The repository carries the licence text, issue tracker and release notes. Apache-2.0 permits commercial use, modification and redistribution with attribution notices preserved. If you prefer to compile it yourself, clone the repo and follow its README for the pinned Rust toolchain.

Open repository ↗Official project page ↗Suite-wide comparison

EffectCraft FAQ

Will After Effects expressions run in EffectCraft?

Not as written. Upstream is building an AE-shaped scripting surface — its v0.11.1 tests check that Layer.property() resolves After Effects' top-level shortcuts — but that is an API taking shape, not an expressions runtime, and third-party plug-ins still do not load. Treat existing scripts and expressions as a rewrite; that is the single biggest cost in switching motion work.

Is EffectCraft the same as FilmCraft?

They overlap but differ: FilmCraft is the timeline editor, EffectCraft is compositing and motion design.

Can it deliver broadcast-ready files?

Validate codec, colour and audio-conformance on a real deliverable before committing to a client deadline.

Job	Motion graphics and compositing
Targets	Adobe After Effects
Cluster	Video & Audio
Licence	Apache-2.0
Version	v0.11.1 (2026-10-18)
Verified	2026-10-19
Languages	Rust
Installer types	DMG · MSI · portable ZIP · AppImage / deb / rpm / flatpak
App icon	upstream artwork · MIT OR Apache-2.0

File formats in scope

MOV / MP4 render output
Image sequences
Native project format
AI and PDF import, with Composition ▸ Retain Layer Sizes
AIFF audio import

Why people switch

No subscription for motion work, which is where seat pricing bites hardest
Real-time preview focus, instead of RAM-preview waits
Open source with a fast release rhythm

Where it falls short

Third-party effect scripts and expressions from the AE ecosystem do not carry over
No media-management / team workspace layer
Renderer behaviour on long-form broadcast delivery is unproven

Also open source, more mature

Natron ↗
GPL node-based compositing, OpenFX compatible
Blender (Compositor) ↗
GPL, node compositing inside a 3D pipeline

Continue

Nearby tools in the suite

All 13 apps →

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Pen-tool-first vector illustration, rebuilt in Rust.

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Multitrack recording, MIDI and plugin hosting in Rust.

Replaces: Avid Pro Tools / Adobe Audition
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Details