What It Does
Buena Depth Cue lets you add realistic depth effects to 2D layers in After Effects. The bundle includes six plugins that handle different aspects of spatial depth: focus falloff, lighting distance, atmospheric haze, depth map generation, camera projection mapping, and layer flipping. These tools mimic the Z-depth information you’d get from a 3D camera without requiring native After Effects depth-of-field or complicated 3D setups.
The workflow centers on composition-based effects. Instead of treating each layer as an isolated object, the plugins analyze position relative to your virtual camera and apply depth-based adjustments accordingly. Parts of a layer closer to the camera receive different treatment than parts farther away, even within a single layer.
Key Features
Rack Focus simulates depth-of-field blur. Layers or pixels near the camera blur, mid-ground elements stay sharp, and you can animate focus pulls between subjects at different distances. Useful for directing viewer attention in title sequences or product reveals.
Falloff Lighting adds realistic light dimming based on distance. Unlike After Effects’ native lights (which illuminate uniformly regardless of distance), this plugin makes objects appear dimmer the farther they sit from the light source. Handles corner shadows and creates more physically accurate lighting scenarios.
Atmosphere generates depth-based fog or haze. You control the start and end depth of the effect, so foreground layers remain clear while background elements fade into atmospheric perspective. Works for both realistic environmental effects and stylized glows.
Depth creates grayscale depth maps from your composition. Think of it as an alpha channel for focus. You can precomposite depth for more control when animating camera moves, then use those maps to drive lens blur, displacement, or anaglyph stereo effects.
Camera Mapper performs 3D projection mapping on 2D footage. Isolate an object in your source image, project it onto a separate layer, and pull it forward or back in Z-space. Enables camera moves through flat artwork (like the Van Gogh painting example in the demo). Key for compositing workflows that traditionally require Nuke or similar tools.
Flipside maps one layer onto the back of another, letting you flip a layer to reveal what’s behind it. Handles orientation changes (horizontal, vertical, or both), works with layers of different sizes or pixel aspect ratios, and avoids the occlusion problems that crop up when placing layers too close together in 3D space.
Who It’s For
Compositors working with flat source material who need to fake depth without building full 3D scenes. Motion designers adding focus pulls or atmospheric depth to title cards and lower thirds. Anyone doing projection mapping or parallax effects on photographs or painted backgrounds. The plugins fill gaps where After Effects’ native tools fall short, particularly around distance-based lighting and cross-layer depth blurring.
Pricing
Single-user license costs $99.99. Upgrade pricing available: 70% off if you own a previous version of Buena Depth Cue, 50% off if you own individual plugins from the bundle (Atmosphere, Falloff Lighting, Camera Mapper, Depth, or Flipside). Enter your old serial number at checkout. Render-only licenses cost $25.00 and require owning at least one full license. Free trial available.
Compatible with After Effects CS5 through CC 2023 on Windows and Mac. Supports floating license servers.