by BGRA Entertainment·Motion Graphics
Images © BGRA Entertainment. Used for product review; image policy.
LongShadow 2 earns its spot in the aescripts library for the breadth of its shadow controls, from external-layer texturing to a dedicated Soft Shadow mode.
LongShadow 2 is a full-featured shadow plugin for After Effects, developed by BGRA Entertainment to give control over every aspect of a shadow. It combines several shadow options in one effect.
Shadow texturing lets you set colors and transparency precisely using an external layer in 1D or 2D texture modes. An extra Brute-Force Directional mode preserves the original layer's semi-transparency and anti-aliasing, alongside a Soft Shadow feature and a post-smoothing algorithm. Shadow anti-aliasing is included throughout.
LongShadow 2 runs on After Effects from 2026 back to CC 2014. Version 1.6 added support for AE2025, version 1.5 added Multi-Frame Rendering support, and native M1 support arrived in an earlier update. A demo video is available for a closer look at the plugin.
LongShadow 2 is best for after Effects artists who need detailed control over shadows, including textured, directional and soft shadows.
LongShadow 2 is completely free to download and use.
LongShadow 2 supports a wide range of After Effects versions, running on After Effects 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020, plus the older CC releases going back through CC 2019, CC 2018, CC 2017, CC 2015.3, CC 2015 and CC 2014. Version 1.6 added support for After Effects 2025 specifically. If you are on a recent installation it should be covered, but check the developer's page to confirm your exact build before installing.
LongShadow 2 includes native M1 support, which was added in the version 1.1 update on May 23, 2022 as part of a framework update. That means it can run natively on Apple Silicon hardware. Version 1.5 later added Multi-Frame Rendering support. For the current state of macOS and hardware support on your particular setup, the developer's page is the place to confirm details before you install it.
LongShadow 2 is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing terms can change over time, so for current pricing and any conditions attached to using it, check the developer's page on aescripts. The listing here covers the shadow plugin's features, its version 1.6 update from April 2025, and its compatibility with After Effects releases, which should help you decide before you head over to download it.
LongShadow 2 handles shadow texturing through an external layer, letting you control colors and transparency precisely in either 1D or 2D texture modes. Alongside texturing, the plugin offers a Brute-Force Directional mode that preserves the original layer's semi-transparency and anti-aliasing, a Soft Shadow feature, shadow anti-aliasing and a post-smoothing algorithm. Together these give a set of options for shaping how each shadow appears in a composition.
Also in Motion Graphics for After Effects.
by Breton Brander
Burst Box is an After Effects plugin for creating burst animations with one click. It includes 30 bursts and offers extensive customization options, working across recent and older versions of the software.
by Ebberts + Zucker
GoType is a compact text animator for After Effects, built to be used without a tutorial. It runs across a wide range of After Effects versions, from CC 2017 through 2026.
by Breton Brander
EmojiKit is a library of animated emoji for After Effects, and it's Lottie friendly. Emojis display as thumbnails in a panel, with support spanning After Effects 2020 through 2025.
by Plugin Play
Splash is an After Effects plugin from Plugin Play that generates procedural liquid trails and blobs on layers, with granular control over the result. It runs across After Effects versions from CC 2017 through 2025.
by Matin Kazerooni
Head to Line 2 is an After Effects tool for creating animated arrows. Turn any line into an animated arrow with one click, choose arrowhead styles, and adjust direction, size, and duration.
by Motion Bro
Motion Bro is a preset extension for Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro offering over 10,000 ready-to-use presets including transitions, motion design scenes, graphic elements, overlays, sound FX and face tools, applied with one click.
by Plugin Everything
Displacer Pro is a free, GPU-accelerated displacement map plugin for After Effects. It handles displacement with translation, rotation and scale, plus modes like hue, saturation and luma, working in 32bpc.
by Nataworkstudio
Face 3D is an AI-powered 3D portrait and photo animation tool for After Effects and Blender by Nataworkstudio. It turns photos into real 3D models that can be fully animated, with scene relighting and OBJ export.
by LottieFiles
LottieFiles is an extension for After Effects and Premiere Pro that imports animations and exports them as Lottie JSON or dotLottie, letting you preview and implement Lottie animations across websites, apps and more.
by Pixel Sorter Studio
Motion Mosh brings datamosh-esque aesthetics in realtime to After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, and Premiere Pro. GPU accelerated with real interaction and no export/import workflow, it now works with Premiere Pro and Media Encoder too.
by MAXON
Red Giant - Annual Subscription from MAXON bundles Trapcode, Magic Bullet, and additional plugins for After Effects, Cinema 4D, DaVinci Resolve, and Premiere Pro, spanning particles, volumetric light, color tools, and motion graphics.
