Enter your email address to create a new Adobe ID or log into your existing account.

Go to the After Effects page on Adobe.com.

Select "Start Free Trial" or "Buy Now." You will need to choose between a "Single App" plan (just After Effects) or the "Creative Cloud All Apps" plan (renamed to "Creative Cloud Pro" in 2025/2026), which includes 20+ apps like Premiere Pro and Photoshop.

To get started with the latest version of After Effects, follow these steps:

Open the Creative Cloud app, find "After Effects" in the "All Apps" tab, and click Install . 7-Day Free Trial

After selecting your plan, you will be prompted to download the Creative Cloud desktop app. This is the management hub where all Adobe software is installed.