Shadow Studio 3 by Plugin Everything adds ray‑traced shadows and lights to After Effects, supporting gradients, an RGBA pipeline, inverse and inner shadows, texturing controls, and over 36 presets (presets work on CC 2021 and newer).
Developed by Plugin Everything.
About Shadow Studio 3
Shadow Studio 3 is an After Effects plugin that provides ray‑traced shadow and light effects. It supports gradients and an RGBA pipeline that lets shadows inherit the source layer’s colours. The plugin includes inverse shadows, inner shadows compatible with all blend modes, texturing and compositing controls, and a library of more than 36 presets, which are compatible with After Effects CC 2021 and later. Version 1.1.0 (released 8 Nov 2025) adds a crash fix for After Effects 2025, a driver fix for certain Nvidia cards, and updates the licensing framework. The plugin runs on After Effects versions from CC 2017 through 2026.
Features
- Raytraced shadows and light
- Gradients
- RGBA pipeline lets shadows inherit source pixel colours
- Inverse shadows
- Inner shadows compatible with all modes
- Texturing and compositing controls
- Over 36 presets (compatible with CC 2021 and above)
Best for
After Effects artists who need ray‑traced shadows or lights, gradients, inverse or inner shadows, and a preset library for CC 2021+ projects.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shadow Studio 3 work with After Effects 2026?
Yes. Shadow Studio 3 supports After Effects 2026 along with earlier versions back to CC 2017. Note that the preset library requires CC 2021 or newer.
Are Shadow Studio 3’s presets compatible with older After Effects versions?
The preset library works only with After Effects CC 2021 and newer; older versions can still use the effect but must configure settings manually.
Is Shadow Studio 3 free?
The catalog lists Shadow Studio 3 as free, but licensing terms may change, so users should verify the current status on the developer’s site.
What changed in Shadow Studio 3 version 1.1.0?
Version 1.1.0 (8 Nov 2025) adds a crash fix for After Effects 2025, resolves a driver issue on some Nvidia GPUs, and updates the licensing framework.
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Explore Shadow Studio 3
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