Trapcode Suite Reviews & Product Details

The Trapcode Suite is a great addition to any After Effects users' effects toolset. The UI is accessible and the library of effects are both useful and robust. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Trapcode Suite is expectedly processor intensive. Unfortunately it doesn't lend itself to low powered machines. If this is your situation, the Suite may not be worth the full cost. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The thing I like best was the integration with Adobe Premiere. It allows me to use transitions and color grading effects on my footage, even 4K Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It took a long time to install, but it was well worth it. Just hang in there during installation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love Particular, I use it more then CC world in after effects, it makes using it very easy Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I wish that that interface was easier to use, and they had more tutorials on some of the programs Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

A lot of different plugins with specific functionality - MIR for landscape, Particular for particle generation, form for creating nodes of existing 3D objects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The plugins slow down significantly when a lot of different elements are used, so heavy toll on system resources. Lack of easy preset system has been addressed with a visual design system. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The suite has a host of plugins that even other individual plugins don't come close to.

The suite serves varied purposes, from the 3D mesh generation using Trapcode Mir, to the infamous Trapcode Particular, which allows you to create dynamic particle systems.

I have used Particular extensively since I purchased the suite, and it's a great add-on to any type of after effects project. Whether you are making a 2D animation or adding VFX, Particular can be tweaked to blend in with your visuals, and is always an added flair, if not downright essential to the scene. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Apart from the expensive price, the documentation wasn't as helpful to me as the huge number of YouTube tutorials to go along with the plugins.

It would also be good to have a simpler UI for the plugins, since I'm used to plugins and add-ons coming with their own UI (like in Ableton, Unity et al). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The suite comes with Particular. The flagship product.. It's incredibly fast and easy to use. You can create complex organic looking particle effects without crashing your computer. For mograph work is a must have tool. You can't avoid it if you want to create cool looking motion graphics.

Particular comes with lots of presets so it's easy to dissect how they are done and be used as a starting point for your own custom creations.

The rest of the plugins in the suite, at first glance, seem very specific, to what you can do with them. And that's true, they can do specific effects. But if you look deeper, the reality is that they can open a lot of different options in terms creative routes for your work. Combined they can create endless ways to improve or reinforce your motion graphic projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Particular (and most of the recent plugins in the suite) only works with After Effects. But I don't really know if that´s a bad thing!

Some of the older plugins seem a bit outdated (Shine and 3D Stroke) but they work with Premiere. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Trapcode Suite by Red Giant is one of the most notable plugins available for Adobe After Effects. This suite contains many plugins which range from being useful to crucial for After Effects professionals.

The two plugins that I use the most are Particular and Form.

Particular is perhaps the most famed plugin in the After Effects community. It is a powerful particle engine, which is extremely customization and robust features such as turbulence, physics, time maps, and 3D integration. My favorite feature of Particular is allowing particles to emit from lights, which makes it easy to make repeatable particle effects. This plugin is far easier to use and much more customization than After Effects' built-in CC Particle World.

Form is another particle engine, but works differently. All particles exist from the beginning to the end of the layer; that is to say, there is no birthing or dying of particles. One of the most notable features of Form is that it be driven by sound. This is useful for lining up action with a sound effect, or to quickly drive organic animation. Form can also be applied to 3D .obj models, which can create beautiful HUD-like images or create interesting shapes.

The many other plugins in this suite allow you to create 3D imagery, create stylized compositing, or utilize useful tools.

I often use Shine for creating light rays or adding stylized hot-looking backgrounds. I don't often use the others, but each is useful in their own right.

All together, the Trapcode suite is a powerful set of plugins that is critical for any After Effects artist, and can have applications in visual effects and motion graphics. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

While the 3D integration is one of the most useful aspects of the suite, it has its breaking points. The plugins will adhere to the 3D camera, but it can be tricky to integrate them in proper 3D space if another 3D layer is supposed to pass through particles. Particular allows for one "obscure" layer which can be placed between particles, but Form and others do not support this option.

The plugins that create 3D mesh such as Mir and Tao can be difficult to figure out, and they don't create the best looking 3D shapes. The lighting and shading can look very flat and computer-generate. If you want really good looking 3D integration, you should pick a dedicated 3D program. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.