Adobe After Effects: Essentials

In this two-day immersive course, you’ll learn the basics of how to build animations, add effects, and create visual stories that captivate audiences. Whether you’re creating dynamic visuals for business presentations or cinematic effects for creative projects, After Effects can transform your ideas into scenes that look straight out of the movies. 

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Navigate and customise the After Effects interface, setting up an efficient workspace.
• Create basic animations using keyframes, layers, and transform properties.
• Apply effects using masks, mattes, and blending modes to add dimension to your work.
• Use colour, transparency, and depth tools to enhance the look and feel of your videos.
• Confidently export files for a range of platforms, including web and broadcast media.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is ideal for:

• New or self-taught users of After Effects who want to understand the fundamentals of animation and effects.
• Graphic designers and content creators looking to add motion to their work.
• Business professionals who want to create engaging visuals for presentations, social media, and marketing materials.
• Anyone interested in exploring motion graphics for web, video, and multimedia projects.

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of PC/Mac operation and familiarity with other Adobe design software such as Premiere Pro is beneficial but not required. 

Course Outline

Getting Started with After Effects

• Overview of projects, compositions, and timelines

• Navigating and customising the workspace

• Working with colour, transparency, and channels

Animation Foundations

• Transform properties and keyframe basics

• Snapping and timeline navigation

• Keyframe interpolation, easing, and motion blur

Working with Layers

• Trimming, stacking, and sequencing layers

• Blending modes and transparency control

• Organising projects with pre-compositions

Masks & Text Effects

• Creating masks and shapes for visual effects

• Using the pen tool for custom masks

• Designing and animating text with presets and custom animators

Motion Tracking & 3D Basics

• Tracking and stabilising video footage

• Using corner pinning to integrate assets

• Introduction to 3D layers, cameras, and lights

Exporting & Rendering

• Best practices for rendering and export settings

• Managing the render queue for multiple outputs

Reflections & Planning

• Review of key animation and effects techniques

• Discuss where After Effects can be applied in your projects

• Identify next steps for developing your motion graphics skills