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 upload my GIF to GIPHY afterwards?

Yes. Export the GIF from smooth.video, then upload it to your GIPHY channel like any other GIF.

Can I make a GIF from a YouTube video?

Not from a link. Add a video file from your computer to the scene and export it as a GIF.

No. Nothing is uploaded: the GIF is made in your browser and saved to your computer.

After Effects vs GIPHY GIF Maker

After Effects and GIPHY GIF Maker 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 GIPHY GIF Maker at a glance

	After Effects	GIPHY GIF Maker	smooth.video
Price	From US$22.99 a month on an annual plan, 7-day free trial	Free, with ads	Free, no paid plan
Account	Adobe account required	Required to create a GIF	Not needed

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of After Effects and GIPHY GIF Maker before you decide.

After Effects

Install: Desktop app
How you animate: Keyframes, graph editor, effects and expressions across compositions
Transparent video: Yes
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

GIPHY GIF Maker

What you get: A GIF uploaded to your GIPHY channel, public unless you set it to private
Starting point: A video under 15 seconds, images, or a YouTube link
Motion: Captions and stickers that appear and disappear
Sticker library: The whole GIPHY sticker library
Other exports: No

When GIPHY fits better

You want your GIFs out in the world: reaction GIFs or brand stickers on a GIPHY channel people can share from, with GIPHY's sticker library at hand while you make them.

GIPHY GIF Maker 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 need a GIF for an email, a website, a README or a slide, built from your own text and images, and you'd rather keep it off a public platform and skip the account.

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 upload my GIF to GIPHY afterwards?: Yes. Export the GIF from smooth.video, then upload it to your GIPHY channel like any other GIF.
Can I make a GIF from a YouTube video?: Not from a link. Add a video file from your computer to the scene and export it as a GIF.
Is my GIF public?: No. Nothing is uploaded: the GIF is made in your browser and saved to your computer.