For those who don’t know the tool: Adobe makes After Effects, a compositing and motion graphics workhorse that also plays with Premiere Pro and Frame.io when shots and notes need to move fast.

The April After Effects drop

After Effects 26.2 lands as an April 2026 update and it keeps the scope tight: one new matte tool, one new workflow search, one new timeline interaction, one more flexible SVG import path, and a practical expansion to the recent 3D push with displacement on parametric meshes.

Object Matte wants fewer roto nights

The headline feature is the Object Matte tool. It targets a familiar pain point: selecting a subject, isolating it, and keeping that isolation stable as the shot moves.

The tool aims for single-click subject selection, then isolation and tracking inside the composition. The promise is speed: select the subject, get a matte, keep moving. In practice, this changes how you might block out a comp. Instead of postponing roto until you can afford the time, you can rough in isolation earlier and start testing blends, grades, and effects while the matte exists.

For supervisors and leads, the bigger value is consistency of first passes. When a team can generate a usable starting matte quickly, you spend less time aligning everyone on what “good enough to start comp” means.

One caveat stays evergreen: automatic mattes can fail in exactly the shots you care about most, like hair, motion blur, transparency, or foreground occlusion. Treat the output as a starting point, not a verdict, and plan time to inspect edges and motion. New tools and innovations should always be tested before use in production.

Quick Apply is the new muscle memory

The update adds a single search field that can find and run things without hunting menus. Quick Apply searches for any effect, animation preset, or menu command, then applies or runs it instantly.

This sounds like a small convenience until you map it onto a real session: you are jumping between effects, toggling panel actions, bouncing through commands, and repeating the same few operations across dozens of shots. A unified search box shifts that from navigation to recall. If you know the name, you get there.

Proportional Scrubbing makes After Effects offsets feel intentional

Timeline fiddling gets a new interaction: Proportional Scrubbing, or dragging a selected property text value to distribute changes across multiple layers proportionally, designed for faster multi-layer adjustments.

That proportional part matters. Traditional scrubbing tends to move everything by the same amount. Proportional changes can create graded offsets and cascades without setting up a dedicated rig first. It is the kind of feature that does not replace expressions, but it can reduce how often you reach for them in the first place.

It also encourages a safer style of iteration. When you can explore offsets quickly, you can try a few motion ideas in seconds, then commit to a more structured setup only if the idea survives review.

SVG import gets to choose between surgery and speed

Vector graphics ingest continues to mature. The update adds the option to import SVG either as footage or as a composition. The official behavior is clear: import as a composition creates editable vector layers, while import as footage rasterizes into a single layer. The point for that workflow sits in Import SVG files as footage or as a composition.

This matters because SVG is not one kind of asset. Sometimes you want to animate individual elements. Sometimes you want a single layer that behaves predictably, renders quickly, and stays out of the way.

If you import as a composition, you get editability. If you import as footage, you trade that for simplicity and fewer layers. Both approaches can be correct in the same project, depending on whether the vector asset is a hero element or just a graphic patch.

If your pipeline uses SVG as a handoff format from design, the choice helps you decide where complexity belongs. You can keep vector structure when animation needs it, or flatten when the comp needs to stay light.

Displacement on parametric meshes pushes the After Effects 3D lane further

The 3D work in recent releases keeps expanding, and 26.2 adds displacement support for 3D materials on parametric meshes. The feature description frames it as using height data to push a mesh into 3D space for texture or detail, with the details covered under Displacement Options.

This builds directly on earlier 3D additions already inside the app, including the ability to create parametric meshes and apply Substance materials. The value in displacement is control. Flat materials can look like stickers on geometry. Displacement can make the geometry respond to height information, turning simple shapes into surfaces with depth.

Sensible rollout advice

Install the update, then run it through your own shot types. Test the Object Matte tool on the footage that usually breaks automation. Test Quick Apply on your most common commands and see whether it replaces any custom shortcuts. Test proportional scrubbing on your typical layer stacks and verify results across precomps and nested workflows.

Most importantly, validate the timelnie and render behavior on real deliverables before you roll it out across a show.

https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/whats-new.html

The post Adobe After Effects 26.2 adds Object Matte and more first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Adobe Illustrator is the vector hub where assets get cleaned, prepped, and sent to motion apps like After Effects when still art needs to learn to dance.

One drawing, many angles, zero tantrums

Turntable is now available in Illustrator, adding a way to generate multi-angle views from a single vector illustration. You pick your artwork, hit generate, and suddenly you have a stack of angles to work with instead of a stack of regrets. The point is speed. Turnarounds, quick animation tests, and production-ready assets become much easier when the angles are available.

The trick that keeps being a vector

Turntable automatically generates up to 74 editable views from one vector design, including full rotation and vertical tilt. Each view stays editable as a vector. That means it aims to preserve the original details while giving you fresh angles to push through design, cleanup, and motion.

In the Sneaks demo, a character faced the wrong direction, and the usual fix would have meant redrawing. Turntable replaced that with generating views and scrubbing a slider until the right orientation appeared. The demo also showed vertical rotation, not just side to side turns, so the artwork could be viewed from a higher viewpoint.

The part production will care about

Turntable also showed a workflow where multiple rotated instances came from one original bat shape. After editing the original, an update views action pushed the change through the generated views. That matters because the slowest part of a turnaround is rarely making the first pass. It is fixing everything after feedback, and doing it without drifting style or losing consistency.

The handoff that tries not to trip you

Turntable is described with a seamless handoff to tools like After Effects, so teams can move from design to motion without breaking flow. It is also positioned as part of a broader set of recent Illustrator advances, including faster performance and expanded AI-powered workflows like Generative Shape Fill.

New tools and innovations should be tested before use in production, especially on stylized assets, tight delivery schedules, and the kind of corner cases taht never show up in demos.

Pricing and availability

Turntable is now available in Illustrator.

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/desktop/use-generative-ai/view-artwork-from-any-angle.html

The post Adobe Turntable spins into Illustrator first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Neat Video is a GPU-accelerated denoising plug-in for NLEs, compositors and grading systems, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion and Baselight. It builds device specific noise profiles and applies spatial and temporal filtering inside the host application.

OFX plug in across Windows, macOS and Linux

Neat Video v6 is available as a plug in for OpenFX hosts on Windows, macOS and Linux. Version 6.1 of the Neat Video v6 plug in for OFX hosts adds support for Baselight 7. This extends compatibility for grading workflows using OpenFX on macOS and Linux in that host.

Expanded support in other hosts

According to the vendor, version 6.1 adds compatibility with the latest versions of several major host applications. These include Premiere Pro 2026 on Windows and macOS and After Effects 2026 on Windows and macOS. On macOS, version 6.1 supports Final Cut Pro 12 and Motion 6 from Apple. The plug-in is compatible with standalone versions purchased from the App Store as well as bundled versions of Final Cut Pro 12 and Motion 6 included in Apple Creator Studio. The vendor states that the Neat Video 6.1 plug in functions identically in both cases, allowing users to switch between those versions if required. Support for Baselight 7 has also been added, as noted above, via the OFX plug in.

Default Noise Profile and Filter Preset controls

A key update in version 6.1 is the introduction of new controls to simplify using a fixed noise profile and filter preset when working with a series of clips with the same noise. The stated aim is to speed up the overall setup process when applying multiple instances of the noise-reduction effect to similar materials.

Users can now set the Default Noise Profile using the current noise profile. This is implemented through a new button with a popup menu in the Device Noise Profile panel and through new commands in the main menu under Profile.

Similarly, users can set the Default Filter Preset using the current filter settings. This is available via a new button with a popup menu in the Filter Settings panel and through new commands in the main menu under Filter. When the filter is applied to additional clips in the same series, new instances automatically load the Default Noise Profile and Default Filter Preset.

The improved representation of the names of the current noise profile and current filter preset makes it clear when defaults are in use. Their names are displayed in the Device Noise Profile and Filter Settings panels.

The Input Data Gain section in Preferences is disabled when the Default Noise Profile is used. The vendor states that this is because the actually applied gain is determined by the Default Noise Profile in that case.

Reset controls and minor fixes

Version 6.1 adds a new Reset button in the Device Noise Profile panel and a corresponding command in the main menu under Profile to reset the current noise profile. A new Reset button with a popup menu has also been added to the Preferences dialog. This allows users to reset settings on the current page, reset settings on all pages, or re enable all optional messages and dialogs that were previously disabled.

Neat Video 6.1 is available as a free update for licensed users of version 6. Users of earlier major versions can upgrade with a discount. Demo editions are available for evaluation. As always, new tools and updates should be tested in a controlled environment before deployment in production.

// https://www.neatvideo.com/blog/post/neat-video-61-host-support-better-workflow
// https://www.neatvideo.com/download/history/ofx-plugin

The post Neat Video 6.1 updates OFX and host support first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Object Mask: Click, Click, Done

Premiere’s new AI Object Mask tool aims to end frame-by-frame rotoscoping. Hover over a subject, click once, and Premiere builds a mask that automatically tracks that object through the scene. You can use it to blur faces, relight subjects, or isolate areas for colour grading. Six coloured overlays make selections easy to read, while the lasso and rectangle tools handle manual tweaks. Tracking runs both forward and backwards, with near real-time previews and a frame-track editing mode for fine-tuning. Feather and expansion controls help blend the result into your shot without visible edges.

Mask tracking is now powered by a rewritten core that runs locally on the machine. Adobe says the new object selection models don’t require cloud processing, keeping footage on the device and preserving user privacy. Tracking performance is substantially faster in real use, especially on newer GPUs.

Shape Masks Grow Up

Traditional ellipse, rectangle, and pen masks have been rebuilt. The tracking engine is up to 20 times faster, bezier curves supposedly behave more predictably, and on-screen controls finally feel modern. Each mask supports blend modes for combining shapes, including add, subtract, and intersect. There is also a new 3D perspective tracking mode for sticking masks to surfaces that aren’t flat to the camera.

Firefly Boards: From Moodboard to Timeline

Premiere now connects directly to Firefly Boards, Adobe’s collaborative AI workspace for brainstorming and visual planning. Editors can import ideas, concept images, or generative assets directly into a Premiere project without the usual download-and-export routine. The workflow lets teams move from early ideas to polished edits without breaking creative flow.

Workflow Tweaks

Premiere 26.0 also brings a long list of smaller but meaningful improvements. The Frame.io V4 and Adobe Stock panels have been reworked so editors can search, preview, license, and import assets directly in the app. File relinking is smarter, the Effects panel is reorganised for clarity, and startup on macOS is quicker with a smaller install footprint. Windows ARM builds now deliver better responsiveness and longer battery life. Nikon R 3D NE raw video files are supported natively, including from the new Nikon ZR camera.

Beta and Reality Check

Some of the masking features remain in the Premiere beta build, so expect updates and occasional quirks. In tests, the Object Mask handles clear subjects well but can still fumble in noisy or low-contrast footage. Early adopters are advised to test thoroughly before trusting it with client deadlines.

Pricing and availability: Premiere 26.0, After Effects 26.0, and Firefly Boards integrations are now rolling out to all Creative Cloud subscribers. As always, test new tools in controlled environments before letting them loose on paid work. And yes, we’re updating our website tags.

Coming Up Next: After Effects

After Effects 26.0 got its own set of major updates, including native parametric 3D meshes, 1,300 free Substance materials, SVG import with gradient preservation, and variable-font animation. We will be pouring through that one very soon.

The post Premiere drops the “Pro” and picks up some serious AI first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: Boris FX Sapphire is a long-standing plugin suite for compositing, finishing, and broadcast design. It runs in Premiere Pro, After Effects, Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve, and Nuke. Sapphire Builder, the node-based editor inside Sapphire, lets users combine multiple filters and create reusable presets for a consistent studio look.

From Synthesis to Sapphire

Following the well-received Syntheyes Essentials training, Boris FX is back with Sapphire Builder Essentials, a free 11-part video course that takes about an hour to complete. Published in December 2025, the training focuses on getting both editors and artists comfortable with Sapphire’s Builder environment and its cross-host workflows.

The videos, presented by product specialist Grant Kay, introduce Sapphire’s extensive filter library, Lens Flare Designer, and the Builder’s node-based workflow for combining multiple effects. The lessons are structured for quick learning, moving from basic setup to professional features such as linked parameters, preset export, and transition creation.

Get all the Videos here: https://borisfx.com/free-training/sapphire-builder-essentials/

Multi-host, one look

Once the groundwork is set, Kay demonstrates how Builder expands Sapphire’s traditional one-filter-per-clip workflow into a modular, node-based design space. Users can layer, branch, and combine filters into complex effects while keeping parameters clearly organised for team-wide use.

Smart presets, real pipelines

A significant portion of the course covers parameter linking and preset management, features often overlooked in casual plugin use but essential in production environments. Viewers learn to connect parameters, expose only relevant controls, and export custom presets to the shared Sapphire Preset Browser, ensuring every workstation produces identical results.

Further episodes explore practical aspects such as handling multiple inputs (foreground, background, and matte), integrating text or graphics from the host, and managing preset compatibility across machines. The training ends with a look at Builder’s system messages and how to handle common warnings, particularly those related to parameter limits in Premiere Pro and time-based effects.

Designed for working artists

Although relatively short, the course presents a clear path for professionals wanting to bring order and repeatability to Sapphire-based looks. By concentrating on collaboration, preset standardisation, and version consistency, Sapphire Builder Essentials positions Sapphire not only as a creative toolkit but also as a reliable production component across hosts. The entire 11-part training is available for free on the Boris FX training portal. As with all new tools and updates, users are advised to test Builder workflows in a controlled environment before rolling them out to client projects.

The post Sapphire gets the “Essentials” treatment first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.