AURUM Overview Installation Activation Quick Start Parameters Tips Troubleshooting Support

AURUM

Physically based gold, metal & glass effects for Adobe After Effects. Real PBR shading, 9 HDRI environments, Smart Edge detail detection, Chromatic Dispersion and a full tritone color system — turn any logo or text into real metal, in real time.
Version 1.0.0 After Effects CC 2021+ Windows & macOS GPU: OpenCL / Metal + CPU fallback
Aurum

Overview

Aurum turns any logo, text or shape into physically accurate metal — or glass — rendered in real time on your GPU, right inside the After Effects compositing pipeline. Real PBR shading (roughness, specular, Fresnel, anisotropy) reflects a choice of 9 HDRI environments, while Smart Edge detection carves your inner details into the surface for genuine depth.

Typical uses:

Installation

Aurum ships with a one-click installer for each platform — no manual copying, no plugin manager required. The installer places Aurum into After Effects for you.

Windows

  1. Run Aurum_Setup_v1.0.0.exe.
  2. Follow the installer — it installs Aurum into the shared After Effects plug-ins folder (works with every installed AE version).
  3. Restart After Effects.

macOS

  1. Run Aurum_Setup_v1.0.0.pkg.
  2. Follow the installer — it installs Aurum automatically for every installed AE version.
  3. Restart After Effects.
After installing, apply Aurum from Effect ▸ YCraft ▸ Aurum, or search for Aurum in the Effects & Presets panel and drag it onto your layer.
Advanced — manual location

The installer copies the plugin here; you normally never need this path:

Windows  ·  C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins\7.0\MediaCore\
macOS  ·  /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Plug-ins/7.0/MediaCore/

Activation & License

Aurum runs in trial mode until you activate it — a watermark is drawn over the rendered output. Activating with your license key removes it. Your key was also emailed to you after purchase — keep it safe.

  1. Apply Aurum to a layer in After Effects.
  2. In the Effect Controls panel, click Options (at the top of the effect, next to the effect name).
  3. Paste your license key and click Activate.
  4. The watermark disappears once activation succeeds.
Aurum — Activate License dialog
Effect Controls → Options → paste your key → Activate
Your license activates Aurum on up to 2 machines. To move to a new computer, open Options on the old machine and deactivate it first to free a slot.
Watermark still showing after activating? Change any Aurum parameter to force a re-render, or use Edit → Purge → All Memory & Disk Cache.

Quick Start

  1. Add your logo or text layer, then apply Effect ▸ YCraft ▸ Aurum.
  2. Pick a Preset — Gold, Silver, Rose Gold, Bronze, Copper, Platinum, Brushed Steel, Black Chrome or Diamond.
  3. Choose an HDRI Environment to change the reflections and mood.
  4. Shape the metal with Bevel, Lighting, Glow and the Tritone Color controls.
Pro tip. Start from a preset, then tweak the Environment and Bevel — those two do most of the work. Every parameter is keyframeable.

Parameter Reference

The main control groups, in panel order. Defaults produce a usable result immediately.

Preset
9 ready-made looks (Gold → Diamond) as a starting point.
Bevel
Inner bevel · 5 edge profiles (Smooth, Round, Chisel Hard, Chisel Soft, Mesa) · Depth · Softness · Smart Edge detection & strength.
Environment
9 HDRI maps + custom layer · Blur · Scale · Exposure · Contrast · Displacement · Rotation X/Y · Metal amount · Transparency (glass) · Dispersion.
Lighting
Light Angle · Light Height · Specular · Roughness · Anisotropy for brushed-metal streaks.
Glow
Intensity · Radius — a real GPU bloom baked into the shader, no extra layers.
Tritone Color
Independent Shadow, Midtone & Highlight colors · Saturation · Tint Blend to recolor the metal to any palette.
Workflow
Native C++ · GPU accelerated (Metal / OpenCL) with CPU fallback · 8 / 16 / 32 bpc · every parameter keyframeable.

Tips & Tricks

Work inside a comp-sized precomp. Put your logo or text into a pre-composition the size of your comp, then apply Aurum to that precomp — it gives Aurum a clean, full-frame canvas and the best-looking result.
Start from a preset, then shape it. Pick the closest preset (Gold, Chrome, Diamond…), then tweak Environment and Bevel — those two do most of the work.
The HDRI Environment defines the whole look. Try several: Gallery is the safe all-rounder, Rim Light and Dramatic add punch, Diamond gives prismatic sparkle.
Rotate the Environment to aim the highlights. Rotation X / Y move the reflections across the surface — keyframe them for a shine that sweeps as your title appears.
Glass in one move. Raise Transparency to turn solid metal into transparent, refractive glass. Add Dispersion for a prismatic edge, or use the Diamond preset.
Smart Edge carves your inner details. Turn it on for logos and text with interior lines; raise Smart Edge Strength for deeper relief.
Bevel Profile sets the material feel. Chisel Hard / Soft for sharp, faceted metal; Round / Smooth for soft, liquid gold. Push Depth for chunkier edges.
Anisotropy = brushed metal. Raise it for steel, aluminum and titanium streaks — it pairs naturally with the Brushed Steel preset.
Recolor any metal with Tritone Color. Set Shadow, Midtone and Highlight to your brand palette, then use Tint Blend to mix your color with the underlying metal.
Exposure and Contrast tune the reflection punch. Raise Exposure for brighter chrome; raise Contrast for deeper, more dramatic blacks in the reflection.
Everything is keyframeable. Animate Metal 0 → 100 to morph flat artwork into metal, or keyframe Light Angle for a classic highlight sweep across the reveal.

Updates

Open Options in the Effect Controls panel and click Check for Updates. If a newer version is available, click Get Update — it opens the download page in your browser.

  1. Download the latest installer (Windows or macOS) from the page.
  2. Run it — it replaces your current version automatically (no need to uninstall first).
  3. Restart After Effects — the new version loads.
Your license stays active after updating — you don't need to re-enter your key or reactivate.

Troubleshooting

Aurum doesn't appear in the Effects menu

Make sure the installer finished, then fully restart After Effects. Search Aurum in the Effects & Presets panel.

The watermark won't go away after activating

Change any Aurum parameter to force a re-render, or run Edit → Purge → All Memory & Disk Cache. If it persists, restart After Effects.

"Machine limit reached" when activating

Your license covers 2 machines. Open Options on a machine you no longer use and deactivate it to free a slot.

Activation fails / "could not reach the server"

Activation is verified online — check your internet connection and try again.

macOS: "unidentified developer" warning

If macOS blocks the installer, right-click the .pkg and choose Open, then confirm.

System Requirements

Support

Questions or issues? We're happy to help.

Email: ycraft.apps@gmail.com
Web: ycraft.dev