Plug-ins are small software modules—with filename extensions such as .aex and .8bi—that add functionality to an application. After Effects effects are implemented as plug-ins, as are some features for working with certain file formats. The Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in, for example, provides After Effects with its ability to work with camera raw files.

After Effects comes with several third-party plug-ins, including Keylight, Color Finesse, and the Cycore FX plug-ins. For information on these plug-ins, see their documentation in this folder: Adobe After Effects CS3/Additional Documentation.

When After Effects starts, it loads plug-ins from the Plug-ins folder, which is in the Adobe After Effects CS3\Support Files (Windows) or Adobe After Effects CS3 (Mac OS) folder by default. Several plug-ins come with After Effects and are automatically installed in this folder. You can obtain other plug-ins for After Effects and other Adobe products from Adobe or other vendors. For specific instructions for installing a plug-in, refer to its documentation.

When exchanging After Effects projects between computer systems, make sure that the plug-ins that the project depends on are installed on both systems.

For information on plug-ins available for After Effects, visit the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/learn_ae_plugins.

For information on developing plug-ins for After Effects, visit the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/learn_ae_devcenter.