Best Visual Effects (VFX) Software for Mac of 2025

Craft captivating movie titles, engaging intros, and seamless transitions with ease. Eliminate unwanted elements from your footage, ignite a fire effect, or simulate rainfall. Bring your logo or character to life through animation. Utilizing After Effects, the premier software for motion graphics and visual effects, you can transform any concept into dynamic visuals. Animate titles, credits, and lower thirds effortlessly, starting from scratch or with one of the many presets available in the app. Whether it’s a spin, swipe, or slide, your text will be in constant motion. Merge videos and images to realize your creative vision, selecting from a plethora of exciting effects, removing distractions, and crafting immersive VR experiences that draw your audience into the story. Activate movement using keyframes or expressions, or start with presets to achieve distinctive designs. Create polished compositions in Premiere Pro, and leverage Dynamic Link to streamline your workflow by eliminating the need for intermediate rendering. Import assets seamlessly from Photoshop, Illustrator, Character Animator, Adobe XD, and Animate, ensuring that your creative process is as fluid as your final product. Embrace the potential of these tools to elevate your storytelling to new heights.

Blender is a versatile 3D creation suite that is both free and open source. It encompasses the complete 3D pipeline, which includes modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking, video editing, and even a 2D animation workflow. The platform features Cycles, an advanced unbiased path-tracer engine that delivers breathtakingly realistic renderings. With its extensive suite of modeling tools, users can easily create, modify, and edit their 3D models. VFX professionals have praised it as “likely the best tracker available in the market.” Blender also offers robust camera and object tracking capabilities, enabling users to import raw footage, track it, mask specific areas, and visualize live camera movements within their 3D environment—all without needing to switch applications. Furthermore, its high-quality rigging and animation features have led to its adoption in various short films, advertisements, television series, and feature-length movies, illustrating its widespread impact on the industry. As a result, Blender continues to be a go-to tool for artists and creators looking to push the boundaries of 3D visualization.

VideoPad Master's Edition Windows allows you to create movies and edit videos in many formats, including avi, MP4,.3gp and.divx. The intuitive user interface makes it easy to create videos and movies. Drag and drop video clips. You can choose from more than 50 visual effects and transitions, including chroma keys or green screen technology. Fine tune color and visual effects. Send your friends a video and burn it to DVD.

DaVinci Resolve serves as a comprehensive post-production software that combines high-end editing, color correction, visual effects, and audio post-production within a single application. The user-friendly interface caters to novices while also providing sophisticated tools for industry professionals, making it a favored choice among filmmakers, television editors, and content creators alike. Renowned for its Emmy-winning color grading functionalities and superior audio processing through Fairlight, DaVinci Resolve stands out in the industry. The software is designed with specialized workspaces for various tasks—editing, color grading, visual effects, and audio—allowing users to transition effortlessly between different aspects of their projects. Additionally, its robust features are augmented by AI-driven tools and real-time collaboration options, which enable teams to work together on the same project simultaneously, eliminating the hassles of file transfers or conversions. With regular updates and a growing community, DaVinci Resolve continues to evolve, ensuring that it meets the ever-changing needs of digital content production.

HitFilm Pro stands out as the premier software for artists and video editors around the globe. There's no need to switch between different applications for video editing and visual effects, as HitFilm combines editing, compositing, titling, and 3D capabilities all in one comprehensive package. Everything essential for video creation is conveniently located in a single platform. Our video editing software is recognized as industry-leading, featuring robust chroma key, particle effects, and text tools, alongside the largest toolkit for visual effects available. We collaborate with top industry names to provide you with cutting-edge technology and innovative tools, including Foundry’s advanced 3D camera tracking, Boris FX’s professional titling tools, and compatibility with VideoCopilot’s After Effects plugins. Experience the efficiency of our powerful video editing software that propels your projects forward with speed. With a blend of industry-standard features and our proprietary technology, HitFilm Pro’s video editing suite equips you with all the necessary resources to produce engaging and vibrant edits, ensuring you can unleash your creativity without limitations.

HitFilm offers a no-cost video editing platform that comes equipped with high-quality VFX capabilities, enabling users to produce stunning videos, films, or gaming content. It's an ideal solution for novices, aspiring filmmakers, gamers, YouTubers, and any creative individual operating on a budget. With your talent and passion, we provide the essential tools you require, completely free of charge. Our philosophy is simple: you shouldn’t have to pay to express your creativity. By doing so, we become a part of your creative journey, which is truly exciting. Access the most robust free video editing and VFX software available for both Mac and PC, and become a member of our thriving network of 6 million filmmakers and content creators. Interested in enhancing your skills? Our masterclass tutorials on editing and VFX cater to every type of creator. You can design your own 3D superhero characters or transport your audience to a uniquely twisted Wild West adventure. We are committed to fostering opportunity and equality within the creative sector, and alongside our community, we continuously develop effective, accessible tools, comprehensive training, and reliable support for all creators. Together, we can redefine what is possible in the world of content creation.

Natron serves as a highly capable digital compositor, adept at fulfilling all your 2D and 2.5D requirements. Its advanced OIIO file formats and OpenFX framework contribute to its reputation as the most adaptable open-source compositor available for the visual effects industry. The software boasts a consistent interface and functionality across various operating systems, including MacOS, Linux, and Windows. With its robust keying, roto/rotopaint, and 2D tracking tools, Natron has become a foundational asset for contemporary film projects that incorporate visual effects. At first glance, Natron presents a sophisticated graphical user interface that operates on a flexible and intuitive multi-platform node-based system. While it may initially appear as a straightforward compositing tool, Natron is rich with complexity, enabling your creative vision to flourish in unprecedented ways. Additionally, its versatile Roto and Rotopaint toolkit allows for the creation of limitless layers of masks, mattes, and shapes, further enhancing its functionality for artists and designers. In essence, Natron is not just a software solution; it is a gateway to unlocking new realms of visual storytelling.

Lightworks 2022 - There's a Lightworks for everyone! Free: For anyone taking their first steps into video editing and creative content creation. Lightworks Free is a powerful and highly featured, yet easy-to-use, editing platform for small or one-off projects. Create: A brand new editing product for content creators, corporate marketers and educators. With hundreds of titles, effects & motion graphics built-in, Lightworks Create is built to make awesome looking videos with ease. Pro: Hollywood-level editing for broadcasters and filmmakers, post houses and video pro. Lightworks Pro has been used to create some of the best films in cinema history and is used by A-list editors to this day.

Stay updated on the newest offerings in Red Giant Complete, where Trapcode integrates advanced 3D particle systems directly into After Effects. You can utilize particle emitters to simulate effects like fire, water, smoke, and snow, or design futuristic visuals and interfaces using particle grids and three-dimensional shapes. By subscribing to Red Giant, you gain additional options for inputting 3D geometry through the import of Cineware .c4d files. This allows you to incorporate Cinema 4D files, including animations, into your particle systems or as 3D models within After Effects. Additionally, Magic Bullet provides a comprehensive suite of plugins for color correction, finishing touches, and achieving cinematic looks. Equipped with powerful real-time color grading, video denoising, and cosmetic retouching tools, you can elevate the quality of your footage directly on your editing timeline. Furthermore, Universe includes a range of video transition and effects plugins tailored for both editors and motion graphics designers, expanding your creative possibilities even further.

Artists and designers who want total creative freedom and flexibility can instantly access 15 Chaos®, products with one license. V-Ray®, Collection allows you to freely move between 3D applications. You can apply your own blend of fluid simulation, photorealistic rendering, and real-time scene exploration to any given project. You can move freely between 3D applications. You can easily share content and collaborate seamlessly with others. You can instantly access the latest releases and take advantage technology. There's no need to manage multiple versions or expiration dates. A single license is the easiest and most cost-effective way to have everything. Revolutionary designs. Moving stories. Amazing art. V-Ray can help you realize your vision. V-Ray is the industry's best 3D renderer. Create photorealistic imagery or animation. V-Ray Collection includes V-Ray to these top 3D modeling and design programs: 3ds Max. Maya. SketchUp. Rhino. Revit. Modo. Cinema 4D. Unreal. Houdini. Nuke. Blender.

INSYDIUM Fused is a comprehensive collection that encompasses all of our plugins and products, providing everything necessary to produce breathtaking particle effects, create lifelike terrains, and complete modeling projects up to the final render. This package also includes a wealth of 3D resources, extensive training materials, dedicated technical support, and a repository of content files. By acquiring INSYDIUM Fused, you gain access to X-Particles, which is the premier particle engine designed for Cinema 4D, alongside TerraformFX, Mesh Tools, Cycles 4D, and a variety of other tools. X-Particles stands as a vital element in any artist's toolkit, adept at addressing diverse particle requirements such as cloth, smoke, fire, fluids, grains, and dynamics. This seamless integration allows designers to transition effortlessly between motion graphics and VFX, all within a singular cohesive system. With INSYDIUM Fused, you can craft exceptional ParticleFX ranging from solar systems and FUI to holograms, medical visualizations, and even abstract art. The multitude of options for combining emitters and modifiers expands your creative possibilities, enabling you to push boundaries and explore new artistic dimensions. Whether you're a seasoned professional or an aspiring creator, this collection is designed to elevate your workflow and inspire your projects.

Flame® is a robust software suite designed for 3D visual effects (VFX), finishing, and color grading, offering a wide array of powerful tools for 3D compositing and editorial finishing. This integrated creative environment accelerates the compositing process while enhancing graphics and enabling seamless color correction. With AI-driven capabilities, users can efficiently extract mattes for the human body, head, and face, facilitating tasks such as color adjustments, relighting, and digital beauty enhancements. The software allows for quick isolation of skies and prominent objects to streamline grading and VFX projects. Users can edit, composite, and perform color corrections all within a single interface, eliminating the need to switch between different applications. This efficiency fosters a more productive experience during client sessions, allowing for rapid creation and iteration. Additionally, it features tools tailored for fast and interactive visual effects finishing, as well as a timeline-centric assistant station fully compatible with Flame. This creative assistant station is particularly beneficial for collaborative VFX workflows, while real-time color grading software aids in developing distinct creative looks. The combination of these features positions Flame as a versatile solution for professionals in the visual effects industry.

Sapphire plug-ins enable the creation of breathtaking organic visuals that surpass the capabilities of any native effect tools in hosts. Notable features include an extensive library of more than 270 effects and over 3000 presets, alongside a robust effect and transition builder, as well as integrated tracking and masking powered by the award-winning mocha software. The remarkable image quality, control, and rendering speed of Sapphire provide significant time savings, allowing creators to concentrate on delivering compelling content that captivates their audience. Mac users of Sapphire 2021 will be excited by the addition of Metal GPU acceleration for over 60 Sapphire effects, which promises impressive performance improvements. Dramatic speed enhancements can be realized with Metal acceleration, as certain effects like S_Rays can render more than four times faster than when using CPU alone. While performance may fluctuate based on GPU specifications, host applications, operating system versions, and specific Sapphire effects, it is generally observed that Sapphire 2021 with Metal acceleration achieves an average rendering speed that is 20% quicker than relying solely on CPU. This innovative technology not only streamlines the creative process but also empowers artists to push the boundaries of their visual storytelling.

Silhouette, an award-winning VFX application, is renowned for its GPU-accelerated compositing capabilities, providing the film and visual effects industry with advanced non-destructive paint and roto tools. Since its inception in 2005, Silhouette has played a significant role in major Hollywood productions like Avatar and Black Panther, as well as popular series such as Stranger Things. It holds a prominent recommendation from the Netflix Post Technology Alliance in the VFX category, highlighting its industry significance. Designed for professional artists, Silhouette 2020.5 offers an extensive array of 146 nodes that extend beyond conventional roto and cleanup tasks, functioning as a sophisticated stereoscopic-enabled node-based compositing system. This versatile software is accessible as a standalone application for macOS, Windows, and Linux, complete with floating license options for larger enterprises. A new addition is the Silhouette Paint plug-in, which has improved the paint tools by allowing seamless integration with Adobe and OFX hosts, and is provided at no extra cost to all owners of Silhouette 2020. The continued evolution and user-friendly enhancements of Silhouette ensure it remains a favorite among industry professionals.

Optics serves as the ultimate digital toolkit for enhancing photographs. Developed by expert VFX artists from the film industry, it mimics a variety of optical camera filters, unique lenses, film stocks and grain, lens flares, optical lab techniques, color correction, as well as effects mimicking natural light and photography. Elevate your images by exploring Optics, which is currently available as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, as well as a standalone application compatible with both macOS and Windows. With Optics, users can access an array of 160 filters and thousands of presets. The software is equipped to all your creative needs, allowing for impressive photo enhancements through its vast selection of filters and presets. Achieve stunning color grades using film-style controls or transform images from realistic to otherworldly with extraordinary lighting effects. Additionally, all filters can be selectively applied to specific image areas thanks to user-friendly masking controls. The layering system enables multiple filters to be used simultaneously, complemented by an integrated painting system for precise touch-ups, ensuring that every detail of your photo is fine-tuned to perfection. Users will find that Optics not only simplifies the editing process but also unlocks endless creative possibilities.

The Trapcode Suite integrates advanced 3D particle systems directly into After Effects, allowing users to employ particle emitters for generating effects such as fire, water, smoke, and snow, alongside the construction of intricate technological visuals, including particle grids, text, and 3D shapes. You can merge various particle systems within a single 3D environment and develop emitters that can produce additional emitters, leading to impressive visual outcomes. Thanks to GPU acceleration, the Trapcode plugins enable rapid attainment of stunning results. The suite is equipped with a physics engine that offers an array of robust behaviors, forces, and environmental controls. Notably, Particular breathes life into particles through innovative flocking and predator/prey dynamics, enhancing realism with a blend of bounce and air physics. Both Particular and Form provide functionalities for crafting organic fluid simulations, where particle systems interact to yield captivating visuals, thus expanding creative possibilities for artists and designers seeking to push the boundaries of their work.

Mocha Pro is an acclaimed software solution recognized globally for its capabilities in planar tracking, rotoscoping, and object removal. Integral to the workflows of visual effects and post-production, it has garnered prestigious accolades such as Academy and Emmy Awards for its significant impact on the film and television sectors. Recently, Mocha Pro has been employed in blockbuster hits like The Mandalorian, Stranger Things, and Avengers: Endgame, among others. The latest advancement in Mocha introduces PowerMesh, which features an innovative sub-planar tracking engine designed for visual effects, rotoscoping, and stabilization. This new technology allows for tracking on warped surfaces while maintaining precision, effortlessly handling complex organic shapes even through occlusions and blurs, all within Mocha’s user-friendly layer-based interface. It is not only easy to use but also quicker than many traditional optical flow methods. Users can apply it to source files for authentic match moves, transform data into AE Nulls to enhance motion graphics, render a mesh for stabilized or reversed plates in compositing, and even export dense tracking data for compatibility with other applications, further expanding its versatility and utility in modern visual effects production.

Streamlining tight deadlines has never been easier. The post-production sector's most extensive plugin suite offers almost 350 creative effects across 20 categories, over 4000 presets, integrated Academy Award-winning Mocha for tracking and masking, a music-driven beat reactor for VFX, and an intuitive FX Browser. Continuum is the go-to solution for busy editors and artists needing efficiency. The 2021 version marks the most significant update in its rich legacy, featuring more than 80 new effects, over 1000 freshly designed presets, three additional Unit categories, substantial enhancements to particle illusion, a new keying effect, and various upgrades to Mocha’s planar tracking capabilities. Artists can also benefit from the Cinematographer’s Toolkit, which introduces 80 new effects, three new Continuum Units, and over 1000 new presets that celebrate the nostalgic charm of film shooting. The integrated FX Editor allows users to effortlessly explore presets and develop personalized options right within the interface, enabling users to replicate classic Hollywood aesthetics with just a single click. This comprehensive toolkit ensures that every project can achieve a polished and professional look efficiently.

Export your particle effects as static animations on sprite sheets, animation strips, or as image sequences in PNG format; alternatively, if you're developing for iPhone or iPad, you can utilize the PVRTC format (available on Mac only). For those programming games with the robust Blitzmax language, the effects can be directly integrated using the TimelineFX Module. You can generate an endless variety of particle effects such as explosions, smoke, fire, water, steam, bubbles, and many others! Configuring animations for seamless looping is as simple as a single mouse click, and with an additional click, you can also create seamlessly tiling animations suitable for animated textures, featuring effects like smoke, fire, explosions, water, flares, and clouds. Moreover, a vast collection of free effects is available for download to enhance your projects. With 24 attributes to fine-tune your particle emitters, you can manipulate their behavior over time with precision using intuitive graphs. This level of control allows for the creation of intricate and dynamic effects tailored to your specific needs.

Motion is an exceptional motion graphics application that simplifies the creation of cinematic titles in 2D, 3D, and 360° formats, along with seamless transitions and realistic effects, all in real time. Leveraging its advanced Metal engine and enhanced performance on Apple silicon Macs, Motion empowers users to develop and playback effects at remarkable speed. Tailored for editors, the intuitive interface and outstanding performance enable the real-time creation and playback of titles, transitions, and effects without the hassle of rendering. You can visualize your designs instantly, eliminating any guesswork. The modern design interface aligns with Final Cut Pro's aesthetic, allowing you to concentrate fully on your projects. Finding assets is straightforward with visual content browsers, and crafting motion graphics is made easy with a clear layers list, an extensive timeline, and an efficient keyframe editor. Furthermore, the interface is customizable to fit your personal workflow preferences, ensuring a smooth and productive creative experience. With these features, Motion stands out as a versatile tool in the realm of motion graphics.

Zibra AI, established in 2021, is a pioneering Ukrainian deep-tech firm specializing in AI-driven solutions for visual effects (VFX) and 3D creation tailored for gaming, television, film, and more. Our innovative suite of tools empowers creators to effortlessly integrate high-quality, real-time VFX and OpenVDB effects into any engine, effectively democratizing the creative landscape and enhancing efficiency. Alongside our custom creative services, we are committed to advancing the field through targeted research and development initiatives. Our team, composed of passionate gaming aficionados and seasoned professionals in 3D programming, VFX production, and physics, leverages extensive experience from top gaming and technology companies to manage your projects with exceptional precision, ensuring that you receive exactly what you envision. Furthermore, our approach fosters collaboration and communication, making the creative process as smooth as possible.

3DEqualizer4 stands as the leading solution for 3D tracking in the contemporary visual effects landscape, seamlessly blending live-action footage with digital effects at unparalleled quality. It is an essential tool in the post-production sector, adopted by nearly all major industry players worldwide. Many of these companies have trusted 3DEqualizer since its inception over two decades ago, with some relying on it exclusively for their projects. However, this merely scratches the surface of its widespread application in the visual effects industry; a visit to the cinema to catch the latest effects-laden blockbuster likely showcases the impact of our contributions. The effectiveness of our product is complemented by our commitment to providing dependable support, which is crucial for our professional clientele. The insights gained while utilizing 3DEqualizer in real production scenarios deepen our understanding of client needs and expectations, allowing us to continuously improve our service and offerings. Ultimately, the synergy between our innovative tool and dedicated support sets the stage for exceptional visual storytelling.

Experience real-time rendering that exceeds HD quality with the innovative Conduit Effect System, allowing the seamless integration of numerous high-quality effects such as keyers, blurs, and tone curves while still in live editing mode. Similar to high-end video effects platforms, PixelConduit employs a node-based interface that excels at crafting intricate effects. Its user-friendly interface is modern and ergonomically designed to align perfectly with your desktop environment. This lightweight application can be effortlessly incorporated into your existing workflows. Additionally, Conduit serves as plugins for leading video and graphics software like Final Cut Pro and After Effects, enabling you to create an effect once and utilize it anywhere. Every aspect of PixelConduit is meticulously crafted for real-time performance alongside superior color accuracy. With flexible user interface options and advanced capabilities for extensions, PixelConduit is perfectly suited for diverse video-related tasks, including live effects, dynamic video installations, and post-production activities such as compositing and process automation. Overall, its adaptability makes PixelConduit an invaluable tool for any video professional looking to enhance their creative projects.

Fusion’s curve editor employs splines to facilitate smooth transitions between keyframes, allowing for interpolation as linear, bezier, or b-splines. This capability enables the application of custom curves that can loop, reverse, or ping pong among keyframes, resulting in intricate animations. Furthermore, you can manipulate, expand, and compress groups of keyframes to generate remarkable variations in motion. The replicate tool is designed to effortlessly produce rows of duplicated objects, filling various patterns with ease. By merely adjusting parameters on these replicated items, you can craft animations that appear both complex and polished. Additionally, there are options for randomization that introduce subtle differences, leading to animations that possess an organic quality that other systems may struggle to achieve. You can also create stunning particle effects that shimmer, swirl, and twinkle by employing physics properties such as avoidance, gravity, and bounce, with each behavior contributing to the natural movement of the particles. In essence, the combination of these features allows for the creation of visually dynamic animations that captivate and engage viewers.

Final Effects Complete Version 7 showcases the remarkable versatility of transitions designed for Avid editing systems, with the ability to easily adjust them to achieve the desired visual outcome. This software boasts an impressive collection of features, including 120 filters and 800 presets, the capability to swiftly create 3D particle animations, and the innovative BCC Beat Reactor that allows for the synchronization of effects with music. Additionally, users can explore stylized filters like Vector Blur, Glass, Kaleida, and 3D Relief, as well as auto-animating transitions such as Blur Dissolve, Glass Wipe, and Light Wipe. An integrated pixel chooser enhances the masking capabilities, providing even more creative options. Furthermore, this software is compatible with major platforms including Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Avid Media Composer, making it a versatile tool for video editors across various applications.