Can I open After Effects or Premiere Pro projects?

No. smooth.video opens its own .smooth projects, and imports images, video, audio and layered PSD files.

Can I use the exports in Premiere Pro or After Effects?

Yes, as regular video files. MP4 imports everywhere; for transparency, export a WebM and check that your version reads it.

Yes. It runs in your browser with no server doing the work, so there's no subscription and no watermark.

Can I use smooth.video exports in Final Cut Pro?

Yes. Import the MP4 like any other clip.

Does smooth.video work on a Mac?

Yes, in a recent browser, and just as well on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook.

After Effects vs Apple Motion

After Effects and Apple Motion side by side, as of September 2026: what each one costs, what it's made for, and when smooth.video, a free animation tool that runs in your browser with no account, does the job instead.

Open the editorFree, no signup, nothing to install

After Effects vs Apple Motion at a glance

	After Effects	Apple Motion	smooth.video
Price	From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial	US$49.99 once, or in Apple Creator Studio at US$12.99 a month	Free, no paid plan
Install	Desktop app	Desktop app from the Mac App Store	Nothing, runs in the browser
How you animate	Keyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions	Keyframes, 230+ behaviors, 2D and 3D space	Presets and keyframes on one timeline
Transparent video	Yes	ProRes 4444 and HEVC with alpha	Free, as WebM

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and Apple Motion before you decide.

After Effects

Account: Adobe account required
3D, visual effects, tracking: Yes
Plugins and scripting: Yes

When After Effects fits better

You need 3D, particles, motion tracking, rotoscoping, compositing over footage, expressions or plugins, or you hand project files to a studio that works in After Effects. smooth.video does none of that.

After Effects vs smooth.video

Apple Motion

Platform: Mac only, macOS 15.6 or later
3D and mask tracking: Yes
Final Cut Pro templates: Yes

When Motion fits better

You edit in Final Cut Pro and want titles and effects your editors adjust in its inspector, or you need 3D, behaviors, mask tracking or ProRes with alpha for a professional pipeline.

Apple Motion vs smooth.video

When smooth.video fits better

You need a title, a lower third, a logo sting or an animated stat for this week's video, you don't open After Effects every day, and a monthly subscription for a few seconds of animation doesn't add up.

You're on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook, you edit in something other than Final Cut Pro, or you only need an animated title or logo from time to time and don't want to install anything.

Open the editor

Start from a template

See all 172 templates

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Lower third

1920×1080

Name and title, on cue

Bold statement

1080×1920

Three lines, one point

Product drop

1080×1350

An announcement that lands

Count-up stat

1080×1080

A number that climbs

Quote card

1200×630

A line worth sharing

Questions

Can I open After Effects or Premiere Pro projects?: No. smooth.video opens its own .smooth projects, and imports images, video, audio and layered PSD files.
Can I use the exports in Premiere Pro or After Effects?: Yes, as regular video files. MP4 imports everywhere; for transparency, export a WebM and check that your version reads it.
Is it really free?: Yes. It runs in your browser with no server doing the work, so there's no subscription and no watermark.
Can I use smooth.video exports in Final Cut Pro?: Yes. Import the MP4 like any other clip.
Does smooth.video work on a Mac?: Yes, in a recent browser, and just as well on Windows, Linux or a Chromebook.