Alight Motion is a highly competitive app in the field of graphic editing and video editing. It has become very popular within a short period of time and has very powerful skills to perform editing functions.
On the other hand, After Effects is another app meant for the same purpose of video editing. Many have the conflict of ideas about the better one among them. This is because After Effects is also a top rated graphic editor and is well known among the professionals in the sector.
The purpose of this article is to compare Alight Motion and After Effects, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses to help readers choose the right tool. So, you will get a proper idea about each of them including what they can and cannot do to help you with the edits.
Feature Breakdown
Target Audience:
Alight Motion is suited for beginners, learners and mobile editors. This is because it is very simple and the tools can be used by even an inexperienced individual. The higher tasks are presented in a simple manner which anyone can understand. It also provides many instructions, within the app to guide you about using each tool and feature. Besides, since Alight Motion is determined as a mobile app, for Android and iOS, it can be very easily handled.
After Effects‘ target audience are known to be experienced editors and professionals. This is because you should have good practice to work with the software. Starting from the user interface up to the functions that it includes for editing, everything has its own nature which you should have knowledge to work with.
Platform and Availability:
Alight Motion’s is available on mobile devices, both iOS and Android. In fact, it is a free base version. So the users can download it to their mobiles whenever they wish to start editing and it will not cost them anything. So the device, being the mobile which you can carry anywhere you go, is simple and you can perform edits regardless of your location.
After Effects is a desktop software which is officially released for Windows and macOS as a paid subscription model. Since it is the professionals that they target, the payment is a compulsory thing to get the app. Also, as we all know, a laptop is not what we carry anywhere we go. Therefore, the usage of After Effects is limited to location compared to Alight Motion which you can have on your mobile. However, the professionals find it easier to work with the PCs as per their practice.
Core Functionality:
The basic editing capabilities of both Alight Motion and After Effects are almost similar. These include the functions of trimming, cutting, adding effects, adding filters, merging, cropping, etc. Though the way these functions are performed differ in each app, the end product you get is the same. Therefore, in the aspect of Core Functionality, Alight Motion and After Effects are at the same level.
Advanced Features:
After Effects has a number of extensive features including compositing, animation tools, plugins, etc. They help you change backgrounds, animate elements in the video and add various plugins to the app you have in hand.
Alight Motion’s core strengths like vector editing and animation tools are comparable to those of After Effects. But, these tools are only limited compared to After Effects’ advanced features.
Ease of Use:
Alight Motion is composed of a highly user-friendly interface and it offers you mobile-optimized workflow. You can easily work with the app on your mobile to get amazing video clips that allow you to thrive in social media. The usage in mobile also is easier than using an app on the PC. This is because the touchscreen itself can be very accurate.
After Effects, on the other hand, requires a steeper learning curve due to its advanced features. You should know well and must have explored the app well enough to learn what to do and how to work with the features. In fact, its use in PCs allows you to perform many advanced functions precisely but not that easily.
Cost and Value
Alight Motion is an originally free app with some in-app purchases for premium features. Its free version can be used for the beginners to work with the basic editing tools and effects. But if you intend to perform advanced functions, you may have to purchase the features as per your requirement. This will be of no waste because you can choose what you need and what you do not. So the cost will be lesser than paying for a full premium version of the app.
In contrast, After Effects goes as a subscription model, either monthly or annual. But it has access to all the features within the app in that package. Surely this is ideal for the graphic designers by career as they do not have a choice of features but need all of them in whole.
So the cost-effectiveness of the two apps depends on your needs and the budget that you can afford for the app. If you are a beginner or a general video editor, working with Alight Motion will be totally satisfying. Also, you will have time to decide whether you need a tool or not. Similarly, if you are a professional editor, you should rather have the fully paid version which includes everything of the package so that you will not miss anything when you need it.
Conclusion
Alight Motion and After Effects in their target users, ease of usage, functionality, features and availability. Alight Motion is an ideal app for the beginners, for mobile editing, and for simple projects due to its user-friendliness and free tier. In comparison, After Effects is recommended for professional editing, complex projects, and advanced features, despite the steeper learning curve and subscription cost.
Therefore, what is best for you depends on your requirements and affordability. So identify the need and recall of your knowledge about graphic editing. Together with the cost of the two apps, you can decide which the best suitable option for you is.