Adobe After Effects vs Cavalry

Adobe After Effects is motion design and visual effects software for animating text, illustrations, and graphics and compositing effects for film, TV, video, and the web. It can animate still images for title sequences and credits, and its 3D workspace combines animated 3D shapes with 2D graphics. AI Object Matte isolates a moving subject, with refinement brushes for stray pixels; object tracking and Content-Aware Fill can remove unwanted elements across frames. Compositions can move into Premiere through Adobe Dynamic Link without intermediate rendering, and layered Photoshop files keep their layers on import. Render projects in the app’s Render Queue or with Adobe Media Encoder. Adobe recommends a dedicated video editor such as Premiere for editing clips. The software runs on macOS and Windows; activation, subscription validation, and online services require internet access and registration. A seven-day trial is available, but there is no free plan. Adobe also provides free training guides and instructor-led video courses.

Cavalry is 2D animation software for macOS and Windows, with tools for motion graphics and character rigging. Its listed capabilities include procedural rigs, data-driven sequences, node-based compositing, keying, and simulation tools, alongside a hybrid render engine and real-time viewport. Users can connect a spreadsheet to animate data at scale. Export formats include APNG, GIF, JPEG, Lottie, MP4, PNG, QuickTime, SVG, sprite sheets, WebM, and WebP. Individuals can download and use Cavalry for free without stated usage restrictions or payment; no paid individual price is given. Organizations can arrange team access with SSO through Canva Enterprise or Canva Education. A Canva account is required to use the software, which is brought to users by Canva. Cavalry is not available on mobile devices. Learning materials include getting-started guidance, feature and tips content, tutorials, and community resources, with documentation and a support link also available. Refunding a legacy subscription removes Pro feature access in Cavalry 2.6.1 and earlier.