Adobe After Effects Introduction for Animators & Illustrators

London Software Training

Certificate of completion

Digital certificate - Included

• Course Brochure - download

Adobe After Effects Introduction 2 Day Course Outline:

Getting Started in Adobe After Effects

• Workspaces – selecting a layout and resetting the windows: the project window, timeline and viewer
• Setting up your database and folder structure
• Creating Compositions – comp settings
• Essential viewer window settings
• Creating assets within Adobe After Effects
• Arranging objects in the viewport
• How layers work in the timeline window
• Object properties basics – position, scale, rotation, anchor point and opacity

Animating

• Manipulating object transforms
• Navigating the timeline, playing scrubbing and zooming
• Simple animation – your first keyframes
• Position animation and Bezier curves
• Manipulating keyframes
• Using the keyframe navigator
• Adding ease to improve animation quality
• Copying and pasting keyframes
• Proportional scaling of keyframes on the timeline
• Using hotkeys to reveal keyframes and properties
• Adding Motion Blur – adjusting the global motion blur settings

Adding Effects

• The effect controls palette
• Ensuring that you explore effects completely – good workflow practices
• How effects work with keyframes
• Combining effects together
• Adjustment layers

Best Practices and Importing Different Files

• Exploring the interface in more detail, switches, modes and time controls
• Ensuring correct workflow vector files
• The collapse transformations switch
• Importing video footage
• Trimming and time manipulation of layers
• Sorting, finding and working with assets in the project window
• Importing Photoshop files
• Importing Illustrator files
• Layer modes
• PreComps – Why Precomps are vital
• Sending Projects To Others

Keyframes

• Hold keyframes
• Reversing animation
• Roving keyframes
• Auto orientation

Track Mattes and Masks

• Track Matte Types - Luma & Alpha
• Editing masks
• Using masks to reveal and hide layers
• Animating Masks
• Other mask uses for paths and effect controls

Creating a Basic Logo in Adobe After Effects

• Anchor point issues
• Pre-composing base elements for better workflow
• Adding effects to build our sequence
• Parenting Layers
• A simple expression - “Wiggle”
• How Wiggle works – what the numbers do

Text

• Using basic presets as a start point
• Text presets – a special case
• Creating your own text animators
• Saving text animators as a preset

Rendering

• Rendering and Media Encoder - Best Practices

Please note that course delivery is available either in-class (£245) or live online (£295).

What our students say about this Adobe After Effects course:

Annie - Adobe After Effects is such a modern and diverse tool, it becomes limitless what I can achieve, from slideshows to animations to portfolio showcases and immersive video editing - I am really excited to see what I can get on with!

Clare - Brilliant course, really clear, well-structured training. Fantastic support.

Cari - It is such a fantastic course. The team was super patient and helpful and we've all learned so much.

Our Adobe After Effects Introduction 2-Day Course is ideal for absolute beginners or anyone looking to consolidate their existing video-editing and motion graphics skills within a supportive and creative learning environment.

No previous experience of Adobe After Effects required, just a keenness to learn!

Adobe After Effects opens up many opportunities within various industries. For example, an Animator (average annual salary £44,000).

We offer guidance on CV and portfolio building as part of the course. You may also want to look at London Software Training’s Career Development Packages to develop your creative opportunities.

• Motion Graphics
• Animation
• Branding
• Graphic Design
• Illustration