What It Does
EFX Render Elements Free provides two plugins for working with CG render passes in After Effects. EFX ID Select picks up to five objects from an ID pass, while EFX Alpha Streaks removes artifacts that appear in the alpha channel when selecting pixels from ID passes.
Both plugins are part of the larger EFX Render Elements Plugin Suite but available here as standalone free downloads. If you already own the full suite, you don’t need to download these separately.
Key Features
EFX ID Select handles object selection from ID passes. Instead of manually masking or keying individual elements from your 3D renders, you can select up to five objects at once based on the ID information embedded in the render pass.
EFX Alpha Streaks cleans up a specific problem that happens when working with ID passes. When you use an ID pass to select pixels, the alpha channel can develop streaks or other visual artifacts. This plugin removes those streaks, giving you clean edges for compositing.
Both plugins support After Effects CS4 through CC 2015. The latest version (1.4.3b) is signed and notarized for macOS Monterey.
Who It’s For
Useful if you composite 3D renders in After Effects and work with ID passes or other render elements. The plugins solve specific technical problems rather than offering broad creative effects, so they’re most relevant when you’re dealing with CG elements that need precise selection or alpha cleanup.
A user guide is available on the product page.
Pricing
Completely free to download and use. No trial period, no paid upgrade required for these two plugins. The full EFX Render Elements Plugin Suite (13 plugins total) is available for $119 if you need the additional tools.