Installation, activation, and registration



Before installing Adobe® After Effects® software, review complete system requirements and recommendations in the Read Me file. The Read Me file is on the installation disc, as well as on the After Effects support section of the Adobe website.

    Install the software

    1. Quit all applications that are running on your computer.

    2. Insert the installation disc into your DVD drive, and follow the on‑screen instructions.

    For assistance with installation issues, see the Installation Support Center on the Adobe website.

    In addition to the full version of Adobe After Effects, you can also install additional copies on additional computers to use as After Effects render engines to assist with network rendering. You install render engines in the same manner as the full version of the application, but you do not activate them. You run the render engine using the Adobe After Effects Render Engine shortcut in the Adobe After Effects CS4 folder.

    Important: The free trial version of Adobe After Effects software does not include some features that depend upon software licensed from parties other than Adobe. For example, mocha for After Effects, some effect plug-ins, and some codecs for encoding MPEG formats are available only with the full version of Adobe After Effects software.

    Activate the software

    If you have a single-user retail license for your Adobe software, you will be asked to activate your software. Activation is a simple, anonymous process that you must complete within 30 days of starting the software. During the installation process, your Adobe software attempts to contact Adobe to complete the license activation process. No personal data is transmitted.

    A single-user retail license activation supports two computers. For example, you can install the software on a desktop computer at work and on a laptop computer at home.

    For more information on product licensing and activation, see the Read Me file or go to the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/activation.

    Note: Before transferring an activation to a different computer, deactivate the software by choosing Help > Deactivate.

    Register the software

    1. If the registration dialog box isn’t already open, choose Help > Registration.

    2. Follow the on-screen instructions.

    Run the software in English when installed in other language

    You can run After Effects in English or in the language in which you've installed and activated the software. For instructions, see Todd Kopriva's blog.