Frequently asked questions

No, Effect.app processes images and videos locally in your browser. We don't upload or store your media on our servers.

Effect.app works with modern browsers, but Chrome and Safari are the most stable options.

Effect.app runs effects in real time, so performance depends on your machine and browser. Try the following:

1. Reduce the file resolution or the complexity of the effect stack.
2. Close heavy tabs/apps.
3. Disable extensions, especially privacy and ad blockers.
4. Enable hardware acceleration.

Yes, it works on most modern devices. However, heavy effects and exports are much more reliable on desktop or laptop browsers, such as Chrome or Safari. Export resolution is also capped lower on mobile devices than on desktop, regardless of your plan.

Each plan has its own ceiling — see the plan comparison. Above that, the limit is your own hardware: your graphics card and available memory. On Studio, exports well over 100 megapixels work, though memory-heavy effects like ink bleed or motion trails bring that down.

This is for PNG. JPEG is capped lower by the browser itself, and if an export hits that limit we show you the resulting resolution and suggest PNG.

Start with the quickest isolation steps.

1. Export a short clip (5-10 seconds) at a lower resolution.
2. Disable the heaviest effects and retry.
3. Close other heavy tabs or apps.
4. Disable extensions and privacy blockers.
5. Retry in Chrome or Safari.

If it still fails, contact support and provide your export settings and browser version.

Often, yes. Export performance depends on the resolution, frames per second (FPS), duration, and complexity of the effects. High resolution and heavy effects can push your machine to its limits. For faster exports:

1. Lower the FPS to 24 or 30.
2. Reduce the resolution.
3. Shorten the duration.
4. Simplify the stack, then add the effects back.

If an MP4 or WebM export looks overly compressed, use a PNG sequence for a lossless, frame-by-frame export. Then, you can assemble the frames into a video using an editor (Premiere, DaVinci, or After Effects) or a converter.

Video codecs have hard per-frame limits. MP4 (H.264) tops out at roughly 9 megapixels — standard 4K fits entirely. For larger frames Effect.app automatically switches to the HEVC codec when your device supports encoding it, keeping the full resolution. Note that HEVC playback on Windows may require a codec extension.

If no codec can hold the frame, the video is downscaled to the largest size that plays everywhere — a notice shows the exact resolution. To keep every pixel regardless of codecs, export a PNG sequence.

Effect.app records effects in real time, so the final FPS depends on whether your machine can keep up during export. For example, if your system can only render 20 FPS, the exported video will also end up around 20 FPS, even if you selected 60 FPS. To achieve more consistent results, use 24 or 30 FPS and avoid exporting at 60 FPS unless your machine is fast enough to handle it.

Keyframes let you animate effect settings over time. Set a value at one point in the timeline, set another value later, and Effect.app animates the transition between them.

Keyframes are included in the Animate and Studio plans. Animate also includes longer video exports, unlimited custom presets, keyframe timeline controls, and reusable animation settings.

Yes. If an effect supports animation, you can animate it on a still image and export the result as a video.

Yes. A free account is required to use Effect.app, including the free plan. Upgrade to Pro, Animate, or Studio for paid features such as higher-resolution export, longer videos, keyframe animation, and desktop automation.

Animate is the plan for keyframe-based motion work. It includes everything in Pro, plus animated effects with keyframes, up to 5 minutes of video export, unlimited custom presets, keyframe timeline controls, and reusable animation settings.

Studio is for large exports and automated workflows. It includes everything in Animate, plus the highest export resolution and longest video length we offer, the Desktop MCP server for driving Effect.app from an AI assistant, and batch editing to run a folder of images through the same effect stack. See the plan comparison for exact limits.

Effect.app offers subscription tiers billed monthly or yearly. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. All prices and billing intervals are shown during checkout.

Subscriptions are managed and cancelled via Lemon Squeezy. Use the link in your purchase-confirmation email, the Lemon Squeezy customer portal, or the "Manage my subscription" link in the Pricing menu. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid term, and no further charges are made after that date.

Payments for the current billing period are non-refundable by default. For the first paid month, we may issue a full refund within 14 days of the initial charge, or a partial refund after 14 days (before renewal) with a processing fee.

For renewals, refunds are only considered within 3 days of the charge and only if no exports or downloads occurred during that billing period. Approved refunds may include a processing fee.

Send refund requests from your purchase email to support@effect.app and include your order number.

Your existing subscription stays active. If you lose access or it shows as expired anyway, contact us and we'll sort it out.

Upgrades on PayPal-paid subscriptions can currently fail. If you're moving from Pro to Animate, contact us before canceling your current plan so you don't lose access while we sort it out.

That's a sync delay between your payment and your account, not a lost payment. Contact us with your receipt or order ID and we'll fix it.

That feature is part of a higher plan than the one you're on. Upgrade to unlock it, or see the plan comparison for what's included in each tier.

If you've already upgraded and still see this, refresh the page or log out and back in. Still stuck? Contact us.