Just read a post by Michael Coleman (product manager for Adobe After Effects) confirming that Adobe doesn’t intend to make it possible to run 32-bit plug-ins in the upcoming AE CS5.
The new software will be 64-bit only and requires all third-party plug-ins to be upgraded by their respective developers to the new architecture.
Note: Michael Coleman has taken the time to respond to my concerns in the comments.
That in my opinion is a mistake if I’ve ever seen one.
Don’t get me wrong — I applaud the fact that After Effects is moving to a 64-bit architecture. It’s without doubt the way of the future and the competitors are already there and have been for a while. Personally, I’m ready… I’ve been running 64-bit operating systems exclusively for years.
However, Adobe needs to remember what AE’s strengths are: In my opinion, and that of many other users, a great part of After Effect’s appeal lies in the vast amount of plug-ins on offer — free and commercial.
If that is changed over night, one of the main reasons to choose Adobe’s software over Nuke or Fusion disappears over night as well.
A 64-bit compositor without the right tools to make use of it isn’t worth much, and let’s face it: Bare After Effects sans third-party plug-ins doesn’t cut it, 64-bit or not.
Now on the Mac side the users may be used to getting shafted by platform transitions every other year, but Windows users have come to love the luxury of being able to run obscure plug-ins more than 10 years old in some cases. I know many people that rely on them for their daily work.
It’s been shown in the past that third-party developers take their time to upgrade plug-ins, if they do at all. The main reason being that developing upgrades to new architectures costs time and money. However, they can’t charge their paying customers for updates like these without generating significant amounts of ill will. Definitely not a nice situation to be put in as a developer and one of the reasons I don’t sell my software to the general public.
In the case of for-hire/freeware developers like myself, there’s no incentive to spend the time developing an update at all unless I also switch to the new platform, which under the described circumstances I don’t see myself doing.
I think this is something Adobe definitely needs to reconsider.
There should be a transition period where 32-bit plug-ins are supported seamlessly along-side the (hopefully soon to be updated) 64-bit versions.
It’s technically feasible: Just look at pro audio software (Sonar, Reaper, etc.). Those developers clearly understand the value plug-ins have to their customers and have made the effort to ensure 32-bit plug-ins will work seamlessly in their 64-bit environments.
If upgrading to CS5 means losing (in)valuable plug-ins/waiting ages for updates that may or may not arrive one day, many users are stripped of a significant investment and might just go ahead and think “Oh well, might as well go with Nuke then if I’m forced to start from scratch anyway”…
I know I’ll be hard pressed not to take this perfect opportunity to ditch After Effects, and I guarantee you I’ll take my home-grown plug-ins with me wherever I happen to end up.
Addendum
Just to make it clear: I’m not complaining as a commercial plug-in developer; I’m complaining as a user and customer of After Effects.
Frankly, I couldn’t care less about the extra work it would take to upgrade my own plug-ins to 64-bit — in fact, it’s probably not a big deal in my case and porting to Nuke’s OpenFX format would actually be more work.
But I have no vested interest in AE development — I don’t make money doing it. I also have no ties to After Effects beyond the financial investment I have made in the software and third-party plug-ins. If Adobe’s decision to cut support for 32-bit plug-ins means I lose that investment, you can be sure I’ll take a good look at the alternatives.
If I choose to switch platforms over this decision then so be it. It just means that there will be no 64-bit updates to my plug-ins for AE… nothing is lost for me personally.
Whether this poses a problem for anyone else out there I don’t know.
