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AI Can Roto SMOKE Now!?!? + We Tried the Adobe App Clones | Motion Mondays

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LTX Alpha Gen has us questioning how long we'll need green screens, ArtCraft has built seven open-source Adobe lookalikes, and ShotLink brings a live Unreal Engine preview into After Effects.

Alpha Gen's demos tackle hair, smoke, and glass while preserving the original footage, but corrective control is still limited. Jonathan Winbush demonstrates the workflow, and we compare what we've seen with Adobe Firefly's background removal. I also tried PhotoCraft, FilmCraft, and EffectCraft, where familiar interfaces and responsive tools meet missing polish, compatibility limits, and bigger questions about support and the creative software ecosystem.

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5 Stress Tests for Rive Animations and How to Fix What Breaks

Stress-test your Rive animations with long text, missing data, awkward images, resizing, and rapid clicks. Learn how to fix each problem before launch.

A character interacts with a portfolio website displayed on a computer, with animation software and a drawing tablet nearby.

5 Rive Interactions You Can Add to a Portfolio Site

Explore five purposeful Rive interactions for portfolio sites, from hover and click responses to scroll motion, character animation, and loading indicators.

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Join the 2026 School of Motion Holiday Card

Register your name and topic for the 2026 School of Motion Holiday Card, and create a three-second animation inspired by “2027, it’s time to _________!”

Illustration of a freelancer and client shaking hands in a conference room

5 Signs It’s Time to Raise Your Freelance Motion Design Rate

Five signs your freelance motion design rate may be outdated, plus practical ways to test a higher rate with clients and new inquiries.

Three NEW After Effects Plugins + Canva Launches ProSuite | Motion Mondays article thumbnail

Three NEW After Effects Plugins + Canva Launches ProSuite | Motion Mondays

Canva takes direct aim at Adobe with its new ProSuite ecosystem, Jake Bartlett calls out misleading AI motion graphics tools, and Putty gives After Effects a modern mesh warp alternative.

Illustrated motion designer reviewing a portfolio website on a tablet

5 Ways to Make Your Motion Design Portfolio Easier to Hire From

Your portfolio is not an art gallery. It’s a decision-making tool. Here’s how to help a busy creative director understand what you do, see your best work, and decide whether to call you.

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Clankers are EDITING now? + Rive Gets Brushes | Motion Mondays

AI assistants are finding their way into creative apps, Rive is getting closer to that Flash feeling with a new Brush Tool, and After Effects has a new trick for textured 3D type.

AI Foundations for Motion course artwork

Introducing AI Foundations for Motion!

Use AI with taste, control, and confidence in your motion design workflow.

After Effects composition demonstrating typography hierarchy, with a large headline reading 'You'll read this first.'

10 Tiny Typography Decisions That Make Motion Graphics Feel Designed

Typography can make a motion piece feel intentional before a single keyframe moves.

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AE Beta Gets Editable Illustrator Text, Artstation AI Policy | Motion Mondays

Adobe dropped three updates this week across After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator, EDGY adds real physical wear and damage to 3D geometry in Cinema 4D and Blender, and ArtStation posted its first AI policy update since the KitBash acquisition.

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6 Sales Mindset Shifts That Make Freelancing Less Icky

You do not have to become a slick salesperson to find freelance work. You just need a better way to think about what you’re actually offering.

New AE Particle Plugin + Blender 5.3 Teases New NPR Shading | Motion Mondays article thumbnail

New AE Particle Plugin + Blender 5.3 Teases New NPR Shading | Motion Mondays

There's a fast new GPU-based particle plugin for After Effects in beta, an AI agent lives inside After Effects and actually impressed Jake Bartlett, and Blender is getting real per-light cel shading in 5.3.

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