After Effects System Requirements (2026)

Adobe publishes three tiers of requirements: Minimum , Recommended , and Optional (for VR/4K+). Most users glance at the Minimum column, breathe a sigh of relief, install the software, and then wonder why their timeline chugs at 3 frames per minute.

That’s the real system requirement.

Here’s the truth: They are not for working . after effects system requirements

For 1080p at 32-bpc with 50 frames of preview: ~3 GB per frame. That’s 150 GB just for one second of preview at 50 fps. You see the problem. Adobe publishes three tiers of requirements: Minimum ,

(Resolution width × height × color depth × frames in preview) × (layers + effects) = RAM requirement. breathe a sigh of relief