Brand new feature in After Effects that will change the way you work

In the latest public beta of After Effects, there's a new feature to quickly link an effect's positional point to a null object - even if it's parented or 3D. In this quick tip tutorial, Michael will show you how to use it to drive the position point of gradients, make an effect follow a text or vector layer that's continuously rasterized, and make a 2D point follow a 3D layer (great for linking lens flares to lights).
In this tip, we use Universe effects like Spectralicious, Luster, and Knoll Light Factory EZ, but you can use this for so many things!
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[@jippalippa]

This is excellent!

[@lucho3612]

this changes is what after effects needs, not more AI flashy but useless things!

[@MaxonRedgiant]

The Adobe After Effects team have been doing a lot of workflow things like this recently and we're glad to see it.

[@3wayAsiska]

Big fans here🫶🏻

[@amantv9326]

So this is Where Knoll light factory is....i wondered , where it was ... Now i know it's in the RG UNIVERSE SUIT🎉

[@MaxonRedgiant]

Actually, this is just the lite version of Knoll Light Factory - it's been in Universe for a while. The full version that was in VFX Suite has been replaced by the (much more realistic) Real Lens Flares. Knoll Light Factory EZ is in Universe for folks who need flares in places other than After Effects or for folks who just need a fast, stylized flare and don't need the realism of Real Lens Flares.

[@avideomakr]

Except, in your chrome example, you disrupted real-world physics since chrome reflects its surroundings like a mirror, rather than inexplicably locking onto the text as if it were a texture.

[@btraynes]

If you look closely in the final render it actually does change

[@avideomakr]

@@btraynes Not in a physically accurate way. But maybe that's what he's going for.

[@MaxonRedgiant]

@@avideomakr When moving something reflective up and down in small amounts, if it's reflecting the horizon, there's only going to be a small change in the reflection. This technique gives you an easier way to control things to get the look you're going for.

[@avideomakr]

@@MaxonRedgiant I've been around and filmed plenty of muscle cars with chrome emblems to know their environmental reflections do not lock onto the chrome object when they're moving through their environment, unless you're simulating a environment as vast as space itself.

[@WhiteGroyper]

this is basically an ad. But i think im ok with it

[@MaxonRedgiant]

It's an ad for how useful the new AE feature is! We're showing it in the context of our tools, but it's so great to use in so many ways!