What It Does
LightSweepPro applies physics-based bevel and light sweep effects to text, logos, and images directly in After Effects. Rather than painting a flat stripe of light across a layer, it builds a true 3D distance field from your text shape and simulates how light wraps around a beveled surface. The result reads as genuine depth, not a glow overlay.
Everything runs on a single layer with no precomposing required, which means your text, masks, and expressions stay fully editable throughout.
Note: currently Windows only. macOS support is planned for a future release.
Key Features
SDF Bevel Engine. The core of the plugin. Four bevel profiles, Round, Flat, Sharp, and Mesa, let you dial in glass, metal, plastic, or machined looks. Bevel width and depth scale automatically with layer size.
7 Pro Presets. Includes Basic, Chrome, Metal, Prism, Halation, Flat, and Studio. Each preset configures bevel shape, light color temperature, edge glow, chromatic aberration, noise texture, and animation speed together. A good starting point for anyone who wants results without touching individual parameters.
Prismatic Chromatic Aberration. Radial CA splits red and blue channels outward from center, producing the prismatic color fringing you’d get from a real camera lens. Combined with warm-to-cool Fresnel color spread across the bevel surface, it handles optical effects that would typically require stacking multiple plugins.
Surface Texture. Built-in fractal noise is driven by the surface normal rather than applied randomly, so grain reacts to light direction. Brushed metal, stone, and organic surfaces are all achievable. Noise Scale, Speed, and Intensity are individually adjustable.
Auto Animate. Spin Speed rotates the light continuously around your subject. Angle Jitter adds organic wobble on top. Together they produce living light animation with zero keyframes. Manual keyframing of Center and Direction is also fully supported for precise control.
Luminance Mode. Switch the surface source from text to luminance and the plugin analyzes brightness contours in any image. The included Studio preset is tuned for product shots and packshots where you want light to follow existing highlight shapes.
Multi-Frame Rendering. Compatible with AE’s MFR for faster export. Supports 8, 16, and 32 bpc color depth.
Who It’s For
Designers building title sequences, broadcast graphics, or product reveal animations in After Effects will get the most out of this. The Chrome and Metal presets are particularly suited to logo stings and lower thirds that need a premium metallic look. Luminance mode opens it up for photographers and compositors adding surface sheen to product photography without leaving AE.
Because everything lives on one layer, it fits naturally into existing text-heavy compositions without restructuring the project.
Pricing
LightSweepPro is a one-time purchase at $34.99 (standard price $44.99). A free trial is available for download on the product page. Single user, floating server, and render-only license options are available at checkout.