What’s New in After Effects & Premiere Pro (Latest Update)

Adobe has released new updates for Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro, with a strong focus on performance, AI-assisted tools, and workflow efficiency for editors and motion designers.

After Effects – What’s New

Native 3D & Modeling Improvements

• After Effects now supports parametric 3D meshes, including cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders.
• These shapes are fully editable at any stage of the project.
• This reduces the need to jump into external 3D software for common motion graphics tasks.
• Ideal for logo animations, title sequences, and abstract 3D motion.

Substance 3D Materials Support

• You can now apply Substance 3D (.sbsar) materials directly to 3D objects.
• Materials are adjustable with parameters like texture detail, roughness, and surface variation.
• Enables more realistic or stylized looks directly inside After Effects.
• A big step toward making After Effects more self-sufficient for 3D motion design.

Improved 3D Lighting & Shadows

• Major upgrades to 3D lighting inside After Effects.
• Support for multiple light types, including:
  • Spot lights
  • Parallel lights
  • Environment lights
• Lights can now cast realistic shadows in 3D scenes.
• Adds depth, realism, and better visual control to compositions.

Typography & Text Animation Enhancements

• Full support for OpenType variable fonts.
• Animate font properties such as:
  • Weight
  • Width
  • Slant
• Allows smoother and more expressive text animations.
• Especially useful for branding, kinetic typography, and logo motion.

Vector & Design Workflow Improvements

• Illustrator files convert more accurately into shape layers.
• Gradients, strokes, and transparency are preserved during conversion.
• SVG files can now be imported and converted directly into editable shape layers.
• Improves collaboration between designers and motion artists.

Utility Effects & Performance

• New Unmult effect helps remove solid black or white backgrounds from assets.
• Smoother preview playback and better memory handling.
• Improved preview compression allows longer previews without quality loss.
• Overall stability improvements for complex and heavy projects.

Premiere Pro – What’s New

AI-Powered Masking & Object Selection

• Premiere Pro introduces AI-based object masking.
• Automatically detects and tracks subjects with minimal manual work.
• Masks can be used for color correction, effects, and creative isolation.
• Saves significant time on rotoscoping and selective adjustments.

Improved Timeline & Editing Performance

• Better timeline responsiveness, especially on long-form projects.
• Smoother playback for high-resolution and complex sequences.
• Faster handling of effects-heavy timelines.
• Designed to reduce lag and improve editing flow.

Enhanced Masking & Effects Controls

• Shape masks (rectangle, ellipse, pen) have improved tracking accuracy.
• More intuitive controls for refining masks.
• Faster adjustments directly in the Effect Controls panel.

Workflow & Integration Updates

• Tighter integration with Adobe’s ecosystem, including Firefly and Frame.io.
• Easier collaboration through improved review and feedback workflows.
• Better handoff between Premiere Pro, After Effects, and other Adobe apps.

Format & Codec Support

• Improved support for modern camera formats and media types.
• Better handling of MKV and other commonly used file formats.
• More reliable native playback without unnecessary transcoding.

Overall Premiere Pro Improvements

• Faster editing with fewer interruptions.
• AI tools assist with repetitive tasks while maintaining creative control.
• Designed for both short-form creators and long-form professional editors.

Closing Statement

• These updates show Adobe’s clear direction:
  • Faster performance
  • Smarter AI-assisted tools
  • Stronger integration across apps
• Together, After Effects and Premiere Pro are becoming more efficient, more powerful, and better suited for modern post-production workflows.