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This wikiHow teaches you how to install plugins for Adobe After Effects. Unless an After Effects plug-in has its own installation instructions, you can usually install a plug-in by copying the file to the Adobe After Effects plug-in folder. The following steps show you how to download a plug-in and copy it to the After Effects plug-in folder.

To step

1. Download a plugin. Some plugins are free, others cost money. There are a number of websites where you can download After Effects plugins, including videocopilot.net, aescripts.com and Adobe Third-Party Plugins. Select a plug-in and then click the download link to download the plug-in.
   • After Effects plugins are usually downloaded as ZIP files.
2. Open the ZIP file. Double-click the ZIP file to extract and open its contents. The downloaded files can be found in the Downloads folder by default.
3. Open the folder corresponding to your computer and operating system. A ZIP file of an After Effect plugin usually has multiple folders containing files for each different operating system. For example, you will see folders like "Windows plugin 32-bit", "Windows plugin 64-bit", "Mac plugin 32-bit" or "Mac plugin 64-bit" in the ZIP folder.
4. Copy the plugin to your desktop. You can drag the file to the desktop, or you can right-click the plug-in file and select "Copy" and then right-click on the desktop and select "Paste".
5. Open a new Explorer window Go to the folder for After Effects plugins. In Windows, the Adobe After Effects folder is usually located in the folder C: Program Files Adobe Adobe After Effects Support Files Plug-ins. On a Mac you will usually find plugins in Applications / Adobe After Effects / Plug-ins.
6. Create a new folder for the plugin. In the After Effects plug-in folder, right-click, select "New" and click "New Folder". Give the folder the same name as the plugin. For example, if the plugin you are installing is called VC Reflect, name the folder "VC Reflect".
   • If you're using a Mac without a right mouse button or with a trackpad, you can click in the folder with two fingers to perform a right click.
7. Copy the plugin to the new folder. Drag the After Effects plug-in file from the desktop to the new folder, or if you previously copied the file, right-click and select "Paste" to copy the plug-in file to the new folder. The next time you start After Effects, you can access the plugin from the Effects menu in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
   • If After Effects is already open and running, you will need to save your work and restart the program before you can use the plug-in in After Effects.