This week, After Effects 26.0 dropped with some game-changing updates including native 3D tools, new material support, and other features motion designers have been asking for. We're also diving into three articles that connect in a surprising way—Michelle Higa Fox on the generalist mindset, Buck's 2026 predictions, and Vucko's fascinating Motion DNA Test where they asked: can you recognize a brand purely from its motion? The results might surprise you.
Plus, Frame studio just posted a stunning luxury brand ad that has everyone talking, Adobe's Project Neo is evolving in an interesting direction, and some free tools for After Effects and Blender that you won’t want to miss.
We’re also looking at an artist integrating AI with traditional tools in ways you might not expect, highlighting some incredible work, and cheering on our Student of the Week who absolutely crushed the Cinema 4D Basecamp final project.
⚡️ New Course: UX Animation Essentials
We are excited to release UX Animation Essentials, where you’ll learn to transform static interfaces into engaging experiences using industry-standard UX motion tools. You'll work through a realistic music app project from kickoff call to developer handoff, learning not just how to animate interfaces, but why certain motion choices solve specific user problems. You’ll also get introduced to the strategic toolkit - Figma for rapid prototyping, After Effects for polished assets, ProtoPie for gesture-based interactions, and Rive for runtime animation - while also learning when to reach for each tool, how to speak the language of product teams, and how to spec your work so engineers can build it.
LEARN MORE ➔
Please Note: UX Animation Essentials is included as a part of our All-Access and Team Training programs.
🎓 SCHOOL OF MOTION COURSES MENTIONED
- School of Motion All-Access
- School of Motion Team Training
- Cinema 4D Basecamp
- NEW: UX Animation Essentials
- Courses & workshops coming soon
🗒️ SHOW NOTES
- A Motion Designer Reacts
- Free Black Hole Plugin for After Effects
- Free Quad Adder for Blender
- The future belongs to the creative generalists - Michelle Higa Fox
- Buck's 2026 Predictions for Motion Design
- Vucko's Motion DNA Test
- Project Neo
- Latte Art Stop Motion (AE + Weavy)
- Unreal with AI Motion Transfer
- Making Midwest Motion Conference
- Major motion design upgrades in After Effects
- Eran Stern - After Effects Just Leveled Up
🎨 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
ENROLL NOW!
Acidbite ➔
50% off everything

ActionVFX ➔
30% off all plans and credit packs - starts 11/26

Adobe ➔
50% off all apps and plans through 11/29

aescripts ➔
25% off everything through 12/6
Affinity ➔
50% off all products

Battleaxe ➔
30% off from 11/29-12/7
Boom Library ➔
30% off Boom One, their 48,000+ file audio library
BorisFX ➔
25% off everything, 11/25-12/1

Cavalry ➔
33% off pro subscriptions (11/29 - 12/4)

FXFactory ➔
25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY until 12/3

Goodboyninja ➔
20% off everything

Happy Editing ➔
50% off with code BLACKFRIDAY

Huion ➔
Up to 50% off affordable, high-quality pen display tablets

Insydium ➔
50% off through 12/4
JangaFX ➔
30% off an indie annual license
Kitbash 3D ➔
$200 off Cargo Pro, their entire library
Knights of the Editing Table ➔
Up to 20% off Premiere Pro Extensions
Maxon ➔
25% off Maxon One, ZBrush, & Redshift - Annual Subscriptions (11/29 - 12/8)
Mode Designs ➔
Deals on premium keyboards and accessories
Motion Array ➔
10% off the Everything plan
Motion Hatch ➔
Perfect Your Pricing Toolkit - 50% off (11/29 - 12/2)

MotionVFX ➔
30% off Design/CineStudio, and PPro Resolve packs with code: BW30

Rocket Lasso ➔
50% off all plug-ins (11/29 - 12/2)

Rokoko ➔
45% off the indie creator bundle with code: RKK_SchoolOfMotion (revenue must be under $100K a year)

Shapefest ➔
80% off a Shapefest Pro annual subscription for life (11/29 - 12/2)

The Pixel Lab ➔
30% off everything
Toolfarm ➔
Various plugins and tools on sale

True Grit Texture ➔
50-70% off (starts Wednesday, runs for about a week)

Vincent Schwenk ➔
50% discount with code RENDERSALE

Wacom ➔
Up to $120 off new tablets + deals on refurbished items







