The Motion Designer's Toolkit: Software I Actually Use

Software Is a Means, Not an End

I'm somewhat resistant to conversations about tools because they often crowd out conversations about craft and concept. The software matters less than the thinking. That said, knowing your tools well enough that they don't slow you down is real skill, and choosing the right tool for a job affects what's possible.

Here's an honest account of the software I use and why.

After Effects

After Effects is my primary motion graphics environment. It's not the fastest tool, the most elegant, or the best at any single category of motion work — but it's the most comprehensive, the most integrated with the rest of the Adobe ecosystem, and the tool with the deepest library of training, resources, and third-party extensions.

I use it for: brand motion, kinetic typography, explainer animation, motion graphics for video, anything that involves compositing multiple elements over time.

Where it struggles: character animation (Animate or Toon Boom are better), 3D (Cinema 4D or Blender are better), and anything requiring real-time preview at complex quality levels.

Cinema 4D

For projects that need 3D — product visualization, dimensional typography, space-building — Cinema 4D is my environment. The integration with After Effects via Cineware is genuinely useful; I can make changes in C4D and see them update in the AE composition.

I use it less frequently than AE, so my proficiency is at a solid intermediate level rather than expert. For complex 3D work I'll sometimes collaborate with a dedicated 3D artist.

Illustrator and Photoshop

The static design tools are where a lot of the real design work happens before anything is animated. I design motion graphics as graphic design first, then bring them into motion. A well-designed static frame animates better than a poorly designed one, because the composition and hierarchy are solid.

I build motion graphics assets in Illustrator when precision and scalability matter. I use Photoshop for raster imagery and texture.

Resolve for Color

DaVinci Resolve for color grading final output. The color tools are superior to Premiere's, and the workflow for color-correcting motion graphics output is clean.

The Honest Reality

The software matters much less than the eye and the discipline to do thorough concept and storyboard work before opening any of these applications. The best motion designers I know could produce remarkable work with a constrained toolkit. The tool limitation conversations are mostly a distraction from the real work.