What It Does
Social Beam exports After Effects compositions directly to Instagram as posts. Select a comp, click render, write a caption, and it handles the upload. Requires a Dropbox account (free tier works) and a Facebook Business account for the Instagram API connection.
The plugin has been discontinued but remains available as pay-what-you-want.
Key Features
Three-click posting. Select your composition, start the render, and write your caption. Social Beam manages render settings, video dimensions, and frame rates automatically.
MP4 export. Beyond Instagram, you can use Social Beam just to export MP4 files for other platforms or archiving.
Automatic format handling. No need to research Instagram’s technical requirements. The plugin adjusts your output to meet platform specs.
Who It’s For
Motion designers and animators who want to share work-in-progress clips or portfolio pieces without the friction of manual exports, file transfers, and mobile uploads. If you’ve put off posting because exporting to your phone is annoying, this removes those steps.
Currently works with Instagram posts only (not Stories or Reels).
Pricing
Social Beam uses a pay-what-you-want model. Download it free or contribute what you think it’s worth. The author framed this as a way to reduce the barrier to posting more frequently, which could lead to client work that pays for itself.