An .ffx file is an After Effects animation preset: a saved stack of effects and settings. Applying one adds those effects to a layer exactly as they were saved, ready to tweak.

Option 1: Apply Animation Preset (quickest)

  1. Unzip the pack you downloaded.
  2. In After Effects, select the layer you want to change.
  3. Choose Animation > Apply Animation Preset…
  4. Pick the .ffx file. The effects appear in the Effect Controls panel.

Option 2: Install them so they are always there

  1. Quit After Effects.
  2. Copy the .ffx files into Documents > Adobe > After Effects (your version) > User Presets.
  3. Open After Effects. The presets appear in the Effects & Presets panel under * Animation Presets.
  4. Drag a preset onto a layer, or select the layer and double-click the preset.

Use an adjustment layer

For grades and shakes, apply the preset to an adjustment layer (Layer > New > Adjustment Layer) above your footage rather than to the clip itself. Everything beneath it is affected, you can trim it to the moment you want, and you can turn it down with the layer's opacity.

The "missing effect" warning

If a preset was built with a plugin you do not have installed, After Effects warns that an effect is missing and leaves it out. Every pack in the shop lists the plugins it needs, and the Starter Pack needs none.