Here’s a general review of the Deep Glow plugin for Adobe After Effects (by Plugin Everything), based on common user feedback from motion designers and VFX artists.
Performance considerations
- Deep Glow typically performs faster than CPU-only glows but GPU memory and VRAM limit maximum resolution and radius.
- Preview at half or quarter resolution when iterating; render full resolution only for final output.
- If you need per-frame consistency, enable temporal anti-flicker or use motion-blur-aware settings to avoid frame-to-frame variation.
Mistake #2: Ignoring Pre-Composting
If you apply Deep Glow directly to a layer with an alpha channel (transparent background), the glow will clip at the edge of the frame. Fix: Pre-compose your layer, making sure to select "Move all attributes" so the comp size matches your content. Better yet, use the "Unmult" technique or simply place a solid behind it.
The Three Major Flaws of Stock After Effects Glow
- Banding: The default glow creates harsh color steps, especially in 8-bit projects. Deep Glow uses sub-pixel sampling to eliminate banding.
- Clipping: Native glows often clip bright whites to pure 255 RGB, destroying detail. Deep Glow preserves highlights.
- Poor Color Fidelity: The standard effect washes out colors, turning vibrant neon into muddy pastels. Deep Glow maintains saturation.
3. Performance
- Often faster than stacking multiple instances of native Glow (which many people do to get a smooth result).
- Optimized for multi-core CPUs.
