Motion design tool Autograph is now free to studios
Maxon has made Autograph, its USD-based motion graphics, compositing and VFX software free to studios, not just individual artists.
The move makes Autograph completely free to use on commercial projects, without restrictions.
An alternative to After Effects for motion graphics and VFX work
On its release in 2023, Autograph was pitched as a next-gen, USD-based tool for motion design and visual effects.
It uses a layer-based compositing model, with its timeline featuring a standard layer stack and dope sheet, but combines it with a 3D mode for manipulating 3D assets.
Selling points include a native responsive design workflow, geared towards artists who need to deliver a project at multiple resolutions and aspect ratios from a single file.
As well as USD, the software also supports modern production standards, including OpenEXR, ACES and OpenColorIO.
However, despite its obvious potential as an alternative to After Effects for artists who dislike Adobe’s subscription-only licensing, it was not commercially successful.
Original developer Left Angle closed down in June last year, and its staff joined Maxon.
Now completely free to studios, not just individual artists
Maxon made Autograph free to individual artists last month, with the release of Autograph 2026.0.
At the time, it said that studios would require a paid-for Teams license to use Autograph.
Maxon has now announced that Teams licenses are also free, meaning that studios can use an unlimited number of seats of the software for free on commercial productions.
Free licenses have “no limits or conditions” – they aren’t not resolution- or feature-limited, and include command-line functionality and Python support.
Prompted by the positive response to the individual free release
Maxon says that the decision to make Autograph completely free was prompted by the response to the initial free individual release.
The announcement got a lot of positive feedback on industry news sites and social media, with some influencers branding it an ‘After Effects killer’.
According to Maxon, “Extending free access to teams builds on Maxon’s broader commitment to making professional creative tools more accessible to a wider range of artists.”
But where does the money to develop new features come from?
However, one consequence of making Autograph completely free is that it now has no direct revenue stream to pay for the development of new features.
It isn’t clear from Maxon’s announcement whether it plans to fund development from the money it makes from its other software, or whether the software is effectively being released ‘as is’.
We’ve contacted Maxon to ask whether it plans to continue adding new features to Autograph in future, and will update if we hear back.
Price and system requirements
Autograph 2026.0 is compatible with Windows 10+, and macOS 14.0+. The Linux edition has been discontinued “for now”, but Maxon “hasn’t ruled out bringing it back”.
The software is now free, to both individual artists and studios.
Read more about Autograph’s feature set on Maxon’s website
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