Before you download FX Console for After Effects

FX Console (by Video Copilot) is one of the most popular After Effects plugins, and being free makes it one of the first plugins people install.

After Effects ships with over 290 effects that can be found in the "Effects" menu.

So let's say you want to generate Fractal Noise, you open the Effects menu and wonder:

This, almost by design, makes navigating the "Effects" menu extremely difficult.

FX Console solves the headache problem by literally letting you search all 290+ effects with a quick keystroke.

You can simply launch FX Console and type the letter "F", which will bring the Fractal Noise effect front and center. All that's left for you to do is click Enter to apply it.

So what's the problem with FX Console?

One of these days, after you've gotten used to using FX Console, you'll get hired to work for a super secretive studio under an NDA - who knows what for!
Perhaps a new TV series that's yet to be announced, or the end titles for a new Hollywood film that will change your mom's life as she's watching it on the couch while playing Candy Crush at the same time, double screening.

Anyway, you will be working in a room without an internet connection, with no access to plugins, and maybe even a scary security guard at the door. You can try to befriend him, but he's not much of a talker.

Life will then return to being a miserable, endless process of trying to navigate a menu of 290 effects every day, again and again.
Before you know it, you're back to your old habits of plucking your eyebrows and drinking four cups of coffee just to get through the day.

The solution, as always, is gamifying the process

Since we don't want to stop using FX Console at home, I made a fun small game to help train your muscle memory when it comes to effects in After Effects.

To start, use your mouse to drag the displayed effect into the right category.
This will start a timer, and as you keep sorting the effects correctly, the game will become harder and more stressful - to the point where you'll want to rage quit and go grab a snack from the kitchen. But that's when you'll know it's working.

Anyway, enjoy the game, don't forget to share it with friends, never stop using FX Console, and let's all hope and pray for the quick return of Andrew Kramer to the community.

Good Boy Ninja
Oh, and turn your volume up before you start!