Overview

Our After Effects helps you take performance to a new level with Global Performance Cache, which maximizes your productivity by saving virtually every preview for instant recall, meaning less waiting for After Effects to catch up. Learn how to tweak the software to work as fast as you do. Create and work with extruded text and shapes directly in After Effects, using the new raytraced 3D rendering engine for a polished final look. Master a wide variety of challenges and extend your creativity with new tools such as variable mask feathering, 3D Camera Tracker, Rolling ShutterRepair, and more high-quality built-in effects to make your final product look the way you intend. Enhanced integration between After Effects and other Adobe tools makes your workflow even faster and more fluid than ever before.

Levels: Essentials Intermediate Advanced

Course Outline

Interface, workspace, and getting around

  •  Getting started
  •  Creating a project
  •  Importing and organizing footage
  •  Creating a composition
  •  Working with and arranging layers
  •  Exploring effects
  •  Modifying layer properties
  •  Basic animation
  •  Managing the composition
  •  Previewing your work
  •  Choosing workspaces
  •  Common metaphors between Photoshop and After Effects
  •  An introduction to animation
  •  Frame vs timeline-based animation in Photoshop

Basic animation and working with Effects

  •  Getting started
  •  Importing footage using Adobe Bridge
  •  Creating a new composition
  •  Working with imported Illustrator files
  •  Finding and applying Effects
  •  Applying a preset
  •  Previewing effects
  •  Adding Transparency
  •  Rendering a composition

Animating text

  •  Understanding the After Effects text tools
  •  About text layers
  •  Using a text animation preset
  •  Scaling using keyframes
  •  Animating imported Photoshop text
  •  Managing imported Photoshop text
  •  Understanding parenting
  •  Animating text using a path animation preset
  •  Wiggle and randomizing text
  •  Web-ready text animations

Working with shape layers

  •  Getting started
  •  Adding a basic shape layer
  •  Creating custom shapes
  •  Incorporating video and audio layers
  •  Applying a Cartoon effect
  •  Adding a title bar

Working with Illustrator, Bridge, and After Effects

  •  Using Auto Trace
  •  Working with solids
  •  Exporting numbered sequences
  •  Working with Image Trace

Performing basic color correction

  •  Introduction to color correction workflows
  •  Working with Levels
  •  Working with Curves
  •  Using Synthetic Aperture Colour Finesse Simplified interface

Creating an introductory multimedia presentation

  •  Orientation
  •  Animating using parenting
  •  Anchor points and the Pan Behind tool
  •  Masking video using vector shapes
  •  Keyframing a motion path
  •  Other animation possibilities
  •  Applying effects
  •  Creating an animated slide show
  •  Working with audio
  •  Zooming in for a final close-up

Working with masks

  •  Getting started
  •  About masks
  •  Creating a mask with the Pen tool
  •  Editing a mask
  •  Feathering the edges of a mask
  •  Feathering the edges of a mask
  •  Replacing the content of the mask
  •  Variable mask feathering
  •  Targetable layer panel
  •  Track Mattes
  •  Rotobezier masks
  •  Mask Interpolation
  •  Creating vignettes
  •  Adjusting the color

Creating an introductory multimedia presentation

  •  Orientation
  •  Animating using parenting
  •  Anchor points and the Pan Behind tool
  •  Masking video using vector shapes
  •  Keyframing a motion path
  •  Other animation possibilities
  •  Applying effects
  •  Creating an animated slide show
  •  Working with audio
  •  Zooming in for a final close-up

Working with masks

  •  Getting started
  •  About masks
  •  Creating a mask with the Pen tool
  •  Editing a mask
  •  Feathering the edges of a mask
  •  Feathering the edges of a mask
  •  Replacing the content of the mask
  •  Variable mask feathering
  •  Targetable layer panel
  •  Track Mattes
  •  Rotobezier masks
  •  Mask Interpolation
  •  Creating vignettes
  •  Adjusting the color

Distorting objects with the puppet tools

  •  Getting started
  •  About the Puppet tools
  •  Adding Deform pins
  •  Controlling deform pins
  •  Animating pin positions
  •  Recording animation

Rendering and output

  •  Overview of Render Settings
  •  Choosing templates for the rendering process
  •  Choosing templates for output modules
  •  Overview of exporting to different output media
  •  Choosing render templates
  •  Post render possibilities

Tracking and stabilization

  •  Motion stabilization
  •  Motion tracking

3D Features

  •  Getting started
  •  Building a 3D object
  •  Working with a null object
  •  Working with 3D text
  •  Creating a backdrop for 3D animation
  •  Nesting a 3D composition
  •  Adding a camera
  •  Completing the scene

Using 3D Features

  •  Vanishing points and planes explained
  •  Getting started
  •  Animating 3D objects
  •  Adding reflections to 3D objects
  •  Animating a camera
  •  Adjusting layer timing
  •  Using 3D lights
  •  Adding effects
  •  Adding motion blur
  •  Previewing the entire animation

Get the course outline PDF