FAQ
Short answers to what designers ask before connecting Prism to After Effects: privacy, paying for your own AI, sharing a license, and cancelling.
Short answers to the questions that come up most before and after you connect Prism to After Effects. For the full setup, see the Quickstart.
Does my project data upload?
No. Your project files stay on your machine; only the specific action you request round-trips to the server. See how Prism works.
Do I pay for my AI separately?
Yes. You bring your own AI client and subscription, and Prism never resells model access. See bring your own AI.
What happens to my audio?
When you ask for subtitles or beat markers, the audio is sent to the server, and only the result (timestamped text or timeline markers) returns to your project. Each run spends your AI balance; see usage and limits.
Can my studio share one license?
Every plan includes two devices per subscription: for example, a studio machine and a laptop. Activate each device with the same key, and free a slot in the License Portal.
What if I cancel, does the panel stop?
When you cancel, your subscription returns to the Free plan at the end of the period. The panel keeps working with Free-tier limits; you do not lose the panel or your activation. You can resume a paid plan anytime from the License Portal.
Which AI clients work?
Any MCP-compatible AI client: Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Windsurf, and more; see the supported clients. For the per-client connection steps, see connect Claude to After Effects.
What does Prism cost?
The Free plan is $0 and needs no card: every tool, with a monthly cap on how much you run. Pro is $6 a month, or $60 a year, and lifts the cap on AI actions. Both plans include one permanent license key and two devices. See plans and pricing.
What is the Prism AI balance, and is it the same as my AI subscription?
No, and they are different things. Your AI client is the reasoning AI you already pay for, and Prism never bills you for it. Prism AI is the narrow set of media features we generate for you (subtitles, beat markers, images, sound effects and music), and those cost real money to produce, so they are paid from a prepaid balance held in dollars.
Every account gets $1.00 at signup, once, on Free and on Pro alike. After that you top up any amount from $5, what you load is what you have, and it never expires. There is no credit and nothing to convert.
How much do the generative tools cost?
Transcription is $0.02 per minute of audio, beat detection $0.01 per analysis, sound effects $0.18 for 30 seconds, music $0.45 per minute, and images $0.01 to $0.12 depending on the model. Full detail in usage and limits.
Is Prism a plugin?
No. A plugin is a frozen file on your disk that goes stale the day After Effects updates. Prism is an MCP connector plus a panel: the tools live on the server, so new capability arrives without a reinstall. See what an MCP server for After Effects is.
Do I get real keyframes, or a render?
Real keyframes. Native layers, native shapes, native text, on real frames, with real easing you can grab and change by hand. Nothing arrives flattened. See real keyframes, not scripts.
Can I undo what the AI does?
Yes. Every action lands as one step in After Effects history, so a single undo reverts it. Anything that would remove work is preceded by a restore point.
Does Prism train on my work?
No. What you send runs your request and is then discarded. Nothing you make is used to train a model, and your projects are never stored on our servers. The full ledger of what moves is on the security page.
Which versions of After Effects are supported?
After Effects 2024, 2025 and 2026, on macOS and Windows. See compatibility.