Among the software used in the professional world to create special effects, Adobe stands out from the competition with the world-renowned After Effects. This software is part of the Creative Cloud, and being so popular, many people want to learn how to use it. Do you know what is the best way to learn After Effects? I’ll show you today.
Learn Adobe After Effects | From zero to hero
There are countless tutorials and materials available to learn After Effects, but not everything will get you on the right track. Some are dictated by teachers who don’t know the best way to explain a class for beginners, others are very advanced, to begin with, and others are focused on specific tools or effects, so you need to learn how to pick the best option for you among the batch.
The good news is that there are sites dedicated to teaching Adobe After Effects from scratch, with people focused on teaching and experts who know the software 100%, so it won’t be hard for you to learn After Effects if you know where to look.
After Effects Tutorials from Adobe
The first site I’ll show you is Adobe’s own website, where you’ll find a very large video tutorial gallery, and what better way to learn After Effects than directly with the people who created it?
This gallery has almost 100 videos created to help the user to know the software, as well as its functions, tools, and even more advanced effects.
Among the tutorials available, you will find:
As the name implies, this is a tutorial created for those people who have never opened Adobe After Effects, as it teaches you the basics of the program.
- Open, create, and save new projects.
- Get to know the interface.
- Import assets for use in a project.
- Create an order for assets in the Project panel.
With a duration of a little more than 15 minutes, this tutorial gives you a short walk through the basic functions and creates the basics to start working on the software.
After Effects Animation Tutorials
Layers are the main way of working that After Effects gives you, and with this tutorial, you will learn the basics of working with compositions and layers.
- Create a composition with multiple layers.
- Explore techniques to position layers in a composition.
- Record multiple keyframes to create animation.
- Import assets for use in a project.
- Apply and adjust effects.
More than 25 minutes at your disposal to start learning some of what After Effects can help you create.
The best of Adobe tutorials? They’re completely free. You have hours of knowledge available to you at the click of a button, making this one of the best ways to learn After Effects.
After Effects online courses
Another practical and quick way to learn how to use Adobe After Effects is through online courses. There are websites that offer different courses for all levels of learning, including beginners without any knowledge of Adobe software.
Learn After Effects on Skillshare
A website with more than 400 online courses available, covering almost all the functions offered by After Effects and more. There you will find courses adapted to your current level, dictated by experts in Adobe software. Among the best courses to learn After Effects are:
Learn Adobe After Effects CC 2023 for Beginners
One of Skillshare’s most complete beginner courses, in which you won’t need any previous knowledge about special effects or After Effects. This course is dictated by Jordy Vandeput, who has been teaching special effects for more than 10 years, and whose Youtube channel has more than 1.5 million followers. The course contains:
- The User Interface and functionalities of the most important panels.
- Masking and compositing.
- Blending and working with stock visuals.
- Tracking (Mask, Motion, and Camera).
- Text and Shapes.
- Animations and motion design.
- Generated Visual Effects.
At the end of more than 3 hours of the course, you’ll be ready to start immersing yourself in the world of animation and special effects or to try a more advanced course to learn After Effects.
After Effects CC: The Complete Guide
A guide with everything you need to know to get off to a good start in the world of animation and special effects, dictated by a professional with more than 10 years of experience in video editing. This course includes:
- Getting comfortable with After Effects CC.
- Starting a new composition.
- Using basic tools.
- Working in the After Effects CC timeline.
- Adding shape and text layers.
- Animating position, scale, rotation, and opacity.
- Working with shape layers and masks.
- Real-world projects such as lower thirds and bumpers.
- Motion graphics principles and best practices.
- Using video effects and presets to speed up workflow.
- Green screen and chromakey removal.
- Visual effects and rotoscoping.
- Motion tracking and video stabilization.
- Creating unique transitions.
- Exporting your projects.
- and so much more!
More than 9 hours of content at your disposal, ideal for beginners.
Learn After Effects on Udemy
Another website focused on online courses, with more than 300 courses dedicated to learning After Effects. If you are a total beginner, this would be a good place to start. One of the most valued and longest-lasting courses you can get at Udemy is:
After Effects CC: Complete Course
One of the most complete courses you will get in Udemy, and one of the most valued too, with more than 30 hours of video dedicated to teaching After Effects. This course guarantees that, at the end of the lesson, you will be able to use all the basic tools and functions, as well as some intermediate and advanced effects. Among the things included in this course, you will find:
- The latest Responsive Design Techniques (CC 2023).
- Create your First Motion Graphics Video.
- How to Design and Animate a full AE Project.
- Spatial and Temporal Interpolation and Motion Path Animation.
- Reveal Techniques using Track Mattes and Masks.
- Important Techniques to Help You Create even better animation.
- Essential 3D Animation Techniques.
- Advanced 3D with Cameras, Lights, and Shadows.
- 3D Camera Orbit Null.
- Complex, Compound, and Bezier Shapes.
- Per Character Text Animation and how to use text presets.
- How to use the Puppet Tools in CC 2022 and CC 2023.
- How to Use Expressions.
- Animation Presets – Using, Editing, Creating, and Saving Presets.
- How to Composite with Masks and Effects.
- Motion Graphics Time Games.
- Videos Time Games.
- Motion Tracking.
- Camera Tracking.
- Green Screen Chromakeying.
- Rotoscoping.
- Importing and Animating Vector Graphics from Adobe Illustrator.
- Best Exports for YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook.
- Motion Graphics Visual Effects.
- Color Correction & Color Grading.
- How to use the all New Script to Animate Mask points.
- Using the Essential Graphics Templates.
An intensive course that includes real-life examples. Not to be missed if you want to learn how to use After Effects correctly.
Once you have completed the courses, you will have all the necessary basic knowledge to move on to the next level. Learning After Effects has never been easier, so don’t waste time and add this Adobe software to your professional resume.
If you would like to learn about Adobe After Effects check our article How to get Adobe After Effects for free.
