New essay for @every, by @afterimage We believe we will look back on Astra as a turning point in how creatives use AI in video work. For many months we were experimenting with different AI video approaches: generative workflows in ComfyUI, procedural animation with Python, motion design through the Cavalry and After Effects MCPs, and more. All of these were fundamentally limited by a lack of control. Generative models could sometimes make cool images, but changing one thing without disturbing everything else was difficult. Many of these generative tools weren't (and still aren't) built for true professional workflows. On the other hand, general models starting around Opus 4.5 were decent at writing python code to deterministically edit images and videos, but the models were really bad at “seeing” the images and videos they were supposed to be editing, which made them impractical. The day Astra launched, just from the rumors and marketing, our internal sense was "this might be the one". Then, when we saw the level of 3D detail people were able to achieve with Astra in Blender, we really suspected the model was finally able to "see" and iterate toward things that actually looked good. While everyone raced to build cool (but often useless) demos of 3D worlds, we got interested in something else: compositing 3D assets into live action footage at commercial-grade quality. To this day, we are quite surprised by how few Astra demos focus on this ability. It feels like a breakthrough for us. We tested a range of processes, from traditional VFX skills like masking and tracking to hybrid approaches like compositing Blender renders and generative imagery with real footage. At the highest levels, Astra doesn’t replace someone with true domain expertise in VFX artistry. But, through these tests, it started to feel for the first time that the LLM was actually a viable tool in the kit. It worked well in concert with other tools to make professional results we could actually see ourselves using. The coolest part about all this is that it makes it easy and painless to attempt visual effects on even the smallest projects and most off the cuff videos. We’re excited about the combination of casual footage and visual maximalism. Effects can now be completely over the top without feeling like the whole reason a shot exists. Full "Vibe Check" with video examples & side by side Astra vs Sol comparisons (gift link) ➡️ every.to/vibe-check/vibe-che…