Top 10 Best VFX Software for Stunning Visual Effects

Blog author name | 03 June 2024

Remember the epic climactic battle in the Avengers movie? Do you know what made the scene so good?

Visual effects – VFX! You can turn any ordinary image or video into something extraordinary with the help of VFX.

But….. It is only possible – if you use the best VFX software. There are literally hundreds of options in the market. So, to help you out – we have prepared this guide.

In this article - we will review the top 10 best VFX software options that professionals swear by.

What is VFX?

Before we start with the software list – let’s understand what exactly VFX is…

VFX = Visual Effects VFX

These are digital techniques used in - movies, video games, TV shows, and videos to create or manipulate imagery that looks real but isn't.

Take, for example –

Scenes of explosions, alien worlds, or even superheroes flying through the sky.

These are made possible with VFX.

What is VFX Software?

VFX software is computer software used by - artists and filmmakers to create special effects for movies and videos.

It allows you to mix real footage with computer-generated images (CGI) to create realistic scenes that couldn't happen in real life.

10 Best VFX Software

Here are the 10 best VFX software as per our in-depth review.

Whether you're into filmmaking, animation, or design – there are options for everything.

1) Adobe After Effects :

Key Features:4.6/5

Best For:Animation and creative compositing

Adobe After Effects is one of the best VFX software of 2024. It is a powerful tool for creating stunning motion graphics and visual effects in videos.

It allows you to animate logos, characters, and text and add dynamic effects like explosions and weather changes.

After Effects smoothly integrates 2D and 3D elements. It offers AI-powered tools for object extraction and background removal and enables advanced motion tracking and scene composition.

Key Features:

Pricing:

2 ) HitFilm Express :

TechRadar Rating:4.5/5

Best For: Best VFX software for beginners for editing

HitFilm Express is a powerful video editor with built-in VFX effects. It is very popular among artists worldwide.

This software offers a versatile toolkit for - editing, titling, compositing, and 3D options.

It includes a rich collection of - built-in video effects, audio sync, drag-and-drop transitions, and professional text features.

Beginners can easily learn with the provided tutorials. It also allows background exporting without slowing down your computer.

Key Features:

• Over 420 built-in effects
• Composite shot enhancements
• Simple interface
• Green screen
• Advanced color grading options
• Motion capture
• 360° video editing
• Keyframe animation
• Easy-to-apply masks and layers
• Customizable workspaces

Pricing:

• Free version is available.
• Starting from $9.99 per month

3) Apple Motion:

G2 Rating: 4.2/5

Best For: Best VFX software for animation and creative compositing

Apple Motion is one of the best VFX software for creating - 2D, 3D, and 360° motion graphics and visual effects.

It is designed to work with Final Cut Pro - allowing for real-time playback and instant feedback.

Optimized for Apple silicon - Motion uses machine learning to track faces and objects easily.

Its real-time rendering feature allows you to see changes instantly, making the editing process faster and more efficient.

Key Features:

• User-friendly interface
• Real-time rendering
• Integrated with Final Cut Pro
• Built-in templates and pre-animated elements
• Support for 3D and 2D animations
• Cinematic depth-of-field effects
• Over 1,900 royalty-free graphics
• 360° video support

Pricing:

4) Blackmagic Fusion

G2 Rating: 4.2/5

Best For: Advanced visual effects compositing

Blackmagic Fusion is an advanced software for - visual effects, virtual reality, 3D, and motion graphics.

Used in many Hollywood movies and TV shows - Fusion offers a powerful node-based interface for creating complex effects easily.

It includes extensive tools - VR and 3D support and GPU acceleration.

With unlimited network rendering - Fusion is ideal for creating titles, stunning broadcast graphics, and major film effects.

Key Features:

• Node-based interface for easy effect creation
• GPU acceleration for fast performance
• Rotoscoping improvements
• AI-powered tracking
• Audio playback for synchronized animations
• Customizable templates
• Vector shape tools for motion graphics
• 3D and VR support for immersive projects
• Optical flow
• Scripting support for Lua and Python
• Unlimited network rendering

Pricing:

5) SideFX Houdini:

G2 Rating: 4.5/5

Best For: 3D animation and visual effects

SideFX Houdini is a leading visual effects software known for its powerful procedural workflow.

Used in Hollywood blockbusters like Titanic - Houdini excels in creating complex VFX-like explosions and fluid simulations.

Its node-based interface allows for quick and efficient iteration, making it a favorite among VFX artists.

Although challenging to learn - Houdini offers robust tools and flexibility, making it worth the effort.

Key Features:

• Node-based interface
• Extensive VFX tools (fire, fluids, particle simulations)
• 3D modeling and animation
• VR and 3D support
• GPU acceleration
• Rich template library
• Wide range of brush variety

Pricing:

• Free version is available.
• Starting from $269 per year.

6) Blender:

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

Best For: Working on projects with mixed media

Blender is a powerful software used for creating 3D animations, models, and visual effects (VFX).

It is popular for its VFX tools that allow users to create realistic effects - such as motion tracking and compositing.

With Blender - you can track the motion of objects or cameras in real footage and then apply that data to 3D objects. This makes the integration of real and digital elements smooth.

Its compositing system helps in merging multiple images and videos to create stunning visual effects.

Key Features:

• Camera and object tracking
• Powerful camera reconstruction
• Manual and automatic tracking
• Real-time preview of your tracked footage
• Adjusts footage for lens distortion
• Scene stabilization
• Sound synchronization
• Merges multiple visual elements using a node system

Pricing:

• Free version is available.
• Starting from $11.50 per month

7) Filmora Pro:

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

Best For: Complete video editing for beginners

Filmora Pro is a professional video editing software designed to make advanced editing easy and accessible.

It offers powerful tools for creating stunning visual effects (VFX). With Filmora Pro - you can add animations, motion tracking, and a variety of effects to their videos - allowing for creative and professional-quality results.

Its user-friendly interface makes it one of the best VFX software for beginners.

Key Features:

• Motion tracking
• Custom animations with keyframes
• Ease in/ease out options
• Add dynamic camera movements or zoom effects
• Create and animate custom text
• Add cinematic light leaks, lens flares, and glows
• Warp and distort
• Hide parts of footage using preset
• Auto correction
• Automatic audio sync

Pricing:

• Free version is available.
• Starting from $19.99 per month

8) Unity:

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

Best For: Best VFX software for game developers and filmmakers

Unity's VFX Graph is a powerful and user-friendly tool for creating immersive visual effects in real time.

It allows developers to design complex particle systems and dynamic simulations without needing to write code.

Inspired by film industry tools - VFX Graph uses a node-based approach for easy visual authoring of effects.

It supports GPU acceleration for rendering millions of particles with - dynamic interactions, advanced shaders, and optimized performance across different platforms.

Key Features:

• Node-based authoring
• GPU particle simulation
• Advanced rendering
• Customize particle appearance with advanced shader options
• Dynamic interactions
• Optimized performance
• Production-proven tools

Pricing:

9) Autodesk Maya:

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

Best For: Complex visual effects

Autodesk Maya is advanced 3D animation and visual effects software designed to create characters, environments, and effects in TV shows, films, and games.

It offers powerful animation tools to bring digital models to life. It also offers easy-to-use modeling features to shape complex scenes and simulate realistic effects like - explosions and cloth dynamics.

Key Features:

• Animation tools
• Shape 3D objects and environments with precision
• Generate complex effects
• Bifrost for Maya
• Efficient handling of large datasets
• Unreal live link
• Time and graph editor
• Supports polygon and NURBS modeling
• Advanced tools for rigging characters
• Arnold renderer

Pricing:

• Starting from $234 per month.
• 30-day money-back guarantee

10) Cinema 4D:

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

Best For: Professional 3D artists

Cinema 4D is professional software for - 3D modeling, animation, simulation, and rendering.

It offers a powerful and flexible toolset that simplifies complex workflows for design, motion graphics, VFX, and more.

What’s best is that - Cinema 4D's latest version improves speed and performance - making it faster and more responsive for editing complex scenes.

Key Features:

• 3D modeling
• Animate objects and characters
• Activity dashboard
• Simulate dynamics such as cloth, fluids, and particles
• Produce high-quality renders
• MoGraph - procedural animation toolset
• Unified Simulation System for seamless integration
• Pyro can now be added to any object
• UpRes simulation to save time

Pricing:

• Free version is available.
• Starting from $149 per month

Wrapping Up

And there you have it – the top 10 best VFX software of 2024!

We have carefully evaluated these tools by using and ranking them personally.

No matter what type of VFX you are into – there are tools to help you with everything.

We have listed a few beginner-friendly tools to help new artists and designers.

Hope this article helps you find the best one for your needs.

Good luck adding some amazing VFX to your projects!