{
  "id": 16766848,
  "title": "I finally found a free, open-source Adobe After Effects clone, and it was built mostly with AI",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/i-finally-found-a-free-open-source-adobe-after-effects-clone-and-it",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-27T16:30:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "XDA Developers",
    "slug": "xda-developers",
    "url": "https://www.xda-developers.com/finally-found-free-open-source-after-effects-alternative-and-its-vibe-coded/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An open-source After Effects alternative, EffectCraft, has emerged from the ArtCraft suite developed by Brandon Thomas. EffectCraft is built primarily using AI, with the entire suite being a clean-room rebuild based on Adobe's public documentation. EffectCraft currently mirrors 99% of After Effects' features, although the remaining 1% is crucial for paid client work. The development process involved 4-8 agents working in tandem, with the project initiating on October 1st and reaching 330,000 lines of Rust code in just ten days. EffectCraft retains key features like hold keyframes, Easy Ease, and a comprehensive Graph Editor for easing animations. The project also includes an Ease Preset panel modeled after paid AE plugins. While EffectCraft supports 3D capabilities, it lacks some features such as FBX or USD file compatibility and third-party plugins like Trapcode or Element 3D. Color handling in EffectCraft follows the same approach as AE, with projects running at 8, 16, or 32 bits per channel.",
  "summary": "It's barely a month old and speaks fluent After Effects",
  "key_points": [
    "EffectCraft is an open-source After Effects alternative built with AI",
    "Project completed in 10 days, using 330,000 lines of Rust code",
    "Lacks FBX/USD file compatibility and third-party plugins"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}