Free tool: HeliumX AI for After Effects
HeliumX has released HeliumX AI, a free AI image-generation plugin for After Effects.
The add-on, which is currently in beta, lets users generate images or textures inside After Effects from text prompts or from source images, including from a composition.
Generate images inside After Effects from text prompts of from compositions
HeliumX AI is HeliumX’s latest After Effects plugin for motion graphics artists, following Helium, its toolset for creating 3D animations inside After Effects, and free edition HeliumX Lite.
HeliumX AI makes it possible to generate images inside After Effects, either for use as inserts or background plates, or as seamlessly tiling textures.
It runs locally, making use of the user’s GPU, and works from either text prompts or source images from an existing comp: either a single still, or a sequence of frames.
Image generation is based on Stable Diffusion XL via the InvokeAI backend, and supports ControlNet for finer control of the results.
As ever, before using Stable Diffusion-based tools, be aware of the wider issues: The Verge summarised the ethical and copyright issues at the time of its launch, and in several later stories.
Pricing and availability
HeliumX AI is in beta. It is compatible with After Effects 2020+ on Windows 10+ only, and requires a compatible GPU: Helium recommends a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series or 40 Series.
To use it, you need to have installed InvokeAI.
The plugin is available via the installer for the free trial edition of Helium. HeliumX tells us that it can be used for free indefinitely.
Read more about HeliumX AI on the product website
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