Adobe After Effects is a dynamic and comprehensive tool for creating motion graphics, special effects, and video compositions. Discover its capabilities and how it can open doors to diverse career opportunities in industries such as broadcasting, animation studios, marketing agencies, and more.
Adobe After Effects is a dynamic application for motion graphics, special effects, and video compositing that industry professionals and hobbyists alike use to create compelling visuals. Use the following guide to explore various free and paid formats to learn After Effects and potential career opportunities that utilize this incredible program.
Adobe After Effects is a motion graphics application that places special effects design and creation tools in your hands! Whether you are a small business looking to make eye-catching advertisements and commercials or an employee of one of the top animation studios, After Effects allows users to bring their imagination to life. This Academy Award-winning program has been a favorite of film, television, and internet creators since its creation in the early 1990s. Special, practical, mechanical, and theatrical effects Artists used After Effects software to create blockbuster movies such as Star Trek: Into Darkness and Ender's Game.
Combined with the graphics of Illustrator, the image-altering tools of Photoshop, and the video editing capabilities of Premiere Pro, After Effects’s comprehensive toolbar and layering features allow users to create dynamic special effects and title cards. After Effects also has a 3D design function, adding new emphasis and movement to any project. You can even use After Effects to create fully or partially animated features! When combined with the other programs of the Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects will help your video project stand out from the crowd!
Read more about what After Effects is and why you should learn it.
Think about the last time you watched a Hollywood blockbuster. What were the main things that you noticed throughout the movie? Maybe you noticed the quality of the animations and other motion graphics that added a unique texture to your viewing experience. Perhaps the dynamic opening credits that set the stage for the action caught your eye. Or maybe the incredible special effects drew you into the movie's action. Regardless of what visuals captured your attention, Adobe After Effects or a related motion graphics and special effects tool was likely responsible for these incredible visuals.
After Effects is a motion graphics and special effects software that allows you to animate text and objects, use green screens to add or remove elements, and develop unique transitions within your visual media creations. Users can create their own original graphics using Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator or redesign one of the many available templates to bring their vision to life. When users combine the editing power of After Effects with the capabilities of Cinema 4D Lite included with every subscription, they can add new textures and dimensions to their visual media.
Beyond the incredible toolkit offered within After Effects, this application is also compatible with many other tools. Part of the larger Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects can work with programs such as Adobe Audition, InDesign, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro to create original and composited forms of visual media. After Effects also works with third-party plugins such as FXFactory, Red Giant by Maxon, and CycoreFX, further maximizing the capabilities and functionality of this application.
Before pursuing an After Effects certificate or certification, many users first wonder what types of industries utilize After Effects. Some students may even wonder why they would invest time learning After Effects over Adobe Animate and whether the latter is more marketable. Look no further! Here are some of the top industries that employ After Effects professionals today:
Breaking news! Cable news networks frequently use After Effects to create motion graphics for different segments and to build a coherent narrative that engages audiences. Filmmakers use After Effects when inserting animation and special effects into their features. After Effects provides an avenue for Artists to live their Hollywood dreams!
When most people think of animated graphics, they often imagine traditional animation that requires artists to draw each frame by hand. However, computer animation began replacing this form of 2D animation as early as the 1950s and 1960s and now dominates the industry. Adobe After Effects is an excellent tool for creating this popular animation style.
Use After Effects to convey a narrative or cultural reference that attracts new audiences to your website. When scrolling through social media, most users stop when they encounter an amusing or eye-catching moving graphic. After Effects users who have their fingers on the cultural pulse will thrive as After Effects Artists and Video Editors for marketing brands.
After Effects professionals attract many different job opportunities on YouTube, whether working for a larger company or launching their own brand. With over 51 million YouTube channels, an attractive opening sequence and engaging graphics can make or break a content creator’s career. See how YouTubers are launching their careers into stardom through After Effects.
After Effects is an excellent tool for Artists looking to run their businesses as independent contractors, as it provides users the flexibility to work on their own projects while delivering essential advertising services to large and small businesses. Independent Contractors working with After Effects frequently contribute to a range of industries, ensuring that their work is never boring or repetitive.
Do you have a creative eye? Did your school assignments always have doodles in the margins? Would you like to transform your animation hobby into a career? After Effects gives you the tools to bring your imagination to life and start building your unique business or personal brand! Discover why Artists, businesses, and filmmakers gravitate toward After Effects to fulfill their motion graphics and special effects needs!
Adobe After Effects is a highly rated motion graphics tool that allows users to create dynamic opening and closing credits, stunning special effects, and cohesive and compelling narratives. Part of the larger Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects works seamlessly with other Adobe programs like Animate, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro and is compatible with third-party software such as Frame.io, Universal Audio, and Flow. Creators can use After Effects to build unique designs from scratch or develop their own vision using one of the many included presets. After Effects even allows users to design 3D figures using the Cinema 4D Lite extension, integrating new textures and experiences into their media.
Read more about why you should learn After Effects.
After Effects is a dynamic program that enables users to create visually compelling videos. Despite its strengths, the program is not necessarily intuitive or beginner-friendly. Users report the highest success rates when they pair formal instruction with practice and independent study. The three main learning formats for mastering After Effects include in-person, live online, and on-demand courses.
In-person classes mimic a more traditional learning style and context familiar to anyone who attended public or private school. Students enrolled in these classes frequently learn from industry professionals through project-based curricula and hands-on experience. Four-year universities and specific technical colleges such as Training Connection and Ledet Training often host these courses throughout the United States. Noble Desktop offers its highly rated After Effects Bootcamp and After Effects in a Day at its Manhattan campus. Unable to make it to Manhattan? Use Noble Desktop’s After Effects Classes Near Me tool to find a class in your area.
Since the onset of the pandemic and the rise of alternative learning opportunities, many students have been searching for training options beyond the traditional classroom environment. They have discovered the benefits of live online learning through institutions such as Noble Desktop, Future Media Concepts, and The Knowledge Academy. Like in-person classes, skilled professionals teach live online courses and are available to answer questions and assist throughout the course. Students can set up their ideal working environment and avoid the distractions of a traditional classroom. Several live online classes even offer career support and one-on-one mentoring opportunities. Find a live online class that fits your schedule and budget using Noble Desktop’s helpful After Effects live online courses comparison tool.
Students who cannot commit to the intensity or time requirements of live online or in-person classes tend to gravitate to on-demand classes. On-demand courses are pre-recorded videos that can be watched whenever most convenient for the student. Like other forms of software training, on-demand courses feature instruction from industry professionals and frequently come with assignments, handouts, and other supplemental material. The asynchronous nature of these classes means that students cannot receive real-time support. However, they can watch and rewatch the videos as often as needed. Interested in taking an on-demand course? Check out Noble Desktop’s list of Best After Effects Courses Online.
Still unsure which learning formats will be most conducive to your After Effects learning experience? Check out some of Noble Desktop’s free online resources to experience these formats before financially committing to one. Do you enjoy watching YouTube tutorials and learning new skills by seeing someone else demonstrate them first? Visit Noble Desktop’s YouTube Channel, which offers tutorials and demonstrations for most Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office Suite applications led by Noble Desktop instructors. These tutorials allow you to learn the general structure of all three learning formats while exploring your ability to learn asynchronously. Students who want to diversify their learning formats should explore Noble Desktop’s After Effects Learning Hub, which includes a fantastic collection of blog posts, product overviews and reviews, and tutorials.
Are you interested in trying live online learning without enrolling in a bootcamp or certificate program? Check out one of Noble Desktop’s Free Design, Coding, and Business Seminars. You can even start learning how to create original and composited animations and motion graphics through recordings of past seminars such as the Intro to After Effects and Get Started in Motion Graphics courses.
Read the full guide on how to learn After Effects.
Learning After Effects is a commitment that requires time and energy to pursue. If you are unsure whether this application is worth the time and effort necessary to master it, researching before and after you begin your subscription is one of the best ways to help prepare yourself for long-term success. For example, an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription gives you access to Adobe After Effects and Adobe Animate. Which program will help you meet your personal and professional needs? Check out Noble Desktop’s blog post with a detailed comparison of Adobe After Effects and Animate programs to ensure that you invest your time and money well.
Are you searching for a way to expand your skills and learn new techniques? Even after you have committed to purchasing an After Effects subscription or an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you may feel overwhelmed determining the best place to start learning this complex program. Noble Desktop offers a free Get Started in Motion Graphics course and an Intro to After Effects seminar recording. Noble Desktop even has a free technical training YouTube channel to help you understand the ins and outs of After Effects. These free introductory videos and tutorials work best alongside in-person or live online courses found using Noble Desktop’s After Effects Classes Near Me and Best After Effects Classes Online.
These tools are also great ways to identify other free introductory classes online. Udemy, for example, offers a range of free courses in multiple languages. Entry-level students are the intended audience of these on-demand videos, focusing on specific skills rather than connecting different techniques and applications. Nevertheless, this platform allows students to explore the benefits and limitations of on-demand classes. Coursera offers similar free learning opportunities, but classes tend to be much broader, and many of the free courses provide overviews of other animation and motion graphics applications besides After Effects. Students may also use these free courses to prepare for more advanced techniques and tools that more structured classes cover.
Read about more free After Effects videos and online tutorials.
After Effects is a standout program in the Adobe Creative Cloud. Users frequently claim that After Effects is one of the most complex programs to learn, even though it mirrors other Adobe applications in form and structure. Even basic graphics require multiple steps and tools that can be challenging to follow without the assistance of a skilled instructor who can guide you through the process. While adding educational costs to your monthly After Effects subscription may appear to be financially prohibitive, this is the easiest way to ensure you get the most out of your After Effects program.
After Effects requires considerable time and practice to master regardless of the user’s technological background and capabilities. Nevertheless, students can still prepare to use this complex application before downloading the software. For example, they can invest in a gaming or high-tech computer with ample RAM to reduce the chances of the program crashing. They can also research current motion graphics and special effects trends to build their skills through education and practice. Exploring the interconnected nature of the Adobe Creative Cloud can also help users better situate After Effects in the motion graphics and video production process.
Keeping these training tips and tools in mind, many students may wonder how much a subscription to After Effects costs. Ultimately, their ability to access After Effects depends on their intentions for using the program. Those with smaller, short-term projects may want to enroll in the monthly payment plan, which runs for about $32 per month. Users willing to commit to an entire year can lower this monthly fee to $21. Another way to save money is to pay a $240 annual subscription fee upfront, reducing the average monthly cost to about $20.
Subscribers looking to access the entire Adobe Creative Cloud can save money by bundling 20 applications for an annual fee of $600. Additional subscription plans for a full year are also available for $83 per month and $55 per month. Still unsure if After Effects or acquiring the Adobe Creative Cloud is the right decision for you? Users can try out these programs using Adobe’s seven-day free trial to determine which program will work best for them.
Read about how difficult it is to learn After Effects.
After Effects has a bit of a reputation on many online forums. Despite users of all skill levels enjoying this application’s various tools and functionality, many note that this program is more difficult to learn independently than other Adobe programs and video editing software. “At first, After Effects seemed very intimidating, ” commented one G2 reviewer. “I started watching free videos on YouTube, but I often got confused or couldn’t find the right buttons. I had to invest in a paid course and spend hundreds of hours learning the interface, which I don’t regret.” While After Effects is part of the larger Adobe Creative Cloud, this program frequently requires more outside instruction to master than other applications. Keeping these experiences in mind, how does learning After Effects compare to other Adobe applications?
After Effects integrates well with other Adobe programs like Premiere Pro and third-party software like Cinema 4D Lite, but it often requires additional training to effectively connect After Effects with these tools or to use the application on its own. While some users may claim that Premiere Pro and Cinema 4D Lite are more intuitive than Adobe After Effects, neither program operates at full capacity without After Effects. Animation Artists can use Premiere Pro to edit original and composited visual media that they create with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects. However, they cannot design advanced motion graphics and special effects using Premiere Pro alone. Cinema 4D Lite can also add stunning 3D graphics to animations created in After Effects, but its usefulness depends on the user’s ability to leverage After Effects to build foundational content.
Beyond the codependency of these programs, there is also the consideration of their subscription and education expenses. While some choose to access After Effects or Premiere Pro individually for $20.99 a month, savvier users know it is more cost-effective to subscribe to the entire Adobe Creative Cloud for $54.99 per month. This subscription fee also includes access to Cinema 4D Lite, saving you the additional cost of a Cinema 4D subscription, which can run from $59.91 to $94.00 per month.
All Adobe After Effects users can benefit from formal and informal training opportunities, regardless of their technical background and capabilities. There are educational opportunities for all learning styles and schedules—from on-demand, live online, and in-person courses to free video tutorials and blog posts. But which program will ultimately help you reach your goals? The following section helps you decide which learning format and resources best suit your needs.
If you are a beginner or an After Effects user looking to casually refine your skills, you may want to consider exploring free opportunities to learn how to use After Effects. Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, offers several free resources to After Effects users. These opportunities cover the program broadly or focus on developing specific skills rather than providing a more comprehensive overview you’d likely encounter with more formal training. Those who enjoy learning by reading articles and opinion pieces should check out the Learn After Effects resource guide, which provides free blog posts, tips, and tutorials for using After Effects. You can also explore live online learning through Noble Desktop’s Free Technical Training Seminars if you wish to pursue a more formal educational opportunity. You can even watch recordings of past seminars such as the Get Started in Motion Graphics or Intro to After Effects courses.
After Effects users looking to understand the program more deeply should consider taking advantage of a short but intensive learning opportunity that will rapidly expand their personal and professional toolkit. For students seeking in-person training, Noble Desktop offers its After Effects Classes Near Me search engine, which curates and compares the best programs in your area. Industry professionals frequently teach these courses and are available to answer questions and offer personalized guidance.
Those who prefer to learn After Effects from the comfort of their own space should check out Noble Desktop’s list of the best Live Online and On-Demand After Effects Classes. If you'd like to skip the research and go straight to a highly rated learning opportunity that can take you from novice to expert in just a few days, look no further than Noble Desktop’s After Effects Bootcamp and After Effects in a Day class. These courses allow you to learn from industry professionals around the world while working from your home or office, and they are available on both part-time and full-time schedules.
If you are planning to use your After Effects knowledge to jump-start a new career or impress your current employer with your motion graphics skills, the best way to demonstrate your talent is to acquire a Video Editing or Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate. Rather than focusing on a specific application or technique, these certificate programs teach users how to use multiple editing programs such as After Effects, Audition, and Premiere Pro to create original and composited content from start to finish. These classes can be taken in-person at Noble Desktop’s Manhattan campus or live online anywhere. Make your next big career move with Noble Desktop.
Are you looking for a training program to jump-start your After Effects adventures? Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, is known for its highly rated full- and part-time bootcamps and certificate programs. Expert instructors set students up for long-term success through project-based learning and many opportunities for hands-on experience. Students living in or near New York City can easily commute to regularly offered in-person After Effects classes held at Noble Desktop’s Manhattan campus. Want to avoid a long commute? Consider enrolling in one of Noble Desktop’s live online After Effects classes, where you can receive dynamic and interactive After Effects training from the comfort of your home or office!
Wondering which class format will help you cultivate your After Effects knowledge and skills? Consider your timetable and ultimate objectives. Students looking to use After Effects more casually or as an additional skill for an existing career may want to enroll in Noble Desktop’s After Effects in a Day or three-day After Effects Bootcamp. These classes save you time and money by balancing lectures with hands-on experience, maximizing retention, and setting you up for success. “Definitely recommend Noble Desktop over taking a semester-long continuing education class at an expensive art school, ” raved one reviewer. “This class covers techniques in a practical manner, and you can get started on your own after three days of intensive learning.” Worried that you couldn’t possibly retain everything you learn? Noble Desktop offers a free retake for all of its classes!
Students interested in a more dramatic career change or looking to develop their portfolio and résumé may want to enroll in the Motion Graphics Certificate or Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate programs. These training programs use hands-on experience and project-based instruction to teach students how to create original content using After Effects, Premiere Pro, and other Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Students also benefit from one-on-one mentorship and receive a comprehensive step-by-step manual to ensure they have all the tools needed for long-term success.
In this tutorial we're going to show you how to do compositing in Adobe After Effects. We're going to be working with a piece of green screen footage and we're going to superimpose it over a new background.
Want an easy way to insert graphics and text into your footage? Learn how in this 3D Camera Tracking tutorial from Noble Desktop!
Want to make your own custom screen wipes? Need a cool techno effect for your project? Check out this Audio Bars transition tutorial from Noble Desktop!
Discover how AI is transforming After Effects workflows and the future of motion graphics. Embrace innovative tools to enhance your creativity and efficiency.
Join Jerron Smith from Noble Desktop for an enlightening tutorial on creating captivating metaball animations in After Effects for a mesmerizing, ethereal visual experience.
Here's part two of our series on Common Mistakes in After Effects and how to fix them! We'll be editing masks, toggling switches, and reloading footage in this video from Noble Desktop! We all make mistakes, but let's learn how to fix them!
After Effects can be a tricky program to learn sometimes, and it's common for users of all experience levels to make mistakes when using it. In this two part tutorial, we'll be going over some common mistakes and how to fix them in Adobe After Effects!
Zap back to the 90s in this retro arcade inspired animation! Learn how to add some old-school video game charm to your projects with this fun tutorial from Noble Desktop!
Showing 5 of 136 entries
Learn to create compelling video content with Adobe After Effects. This course covers the basics of animation, text effects, and file integration needed to start creating impressive visual content from scratch. Get hands-on experience with real-world projects taught by an experienced instructor.
Dive into the dynamic world of Adobe After Effects with this advanced course, designed to elevate your animation and motion graphics skills. From mastering 3D layers and custom shapes to optimizing animations with expressions, you'll create captivating visuals that stand out in any project.
Learn motion graphics and visual effects with Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. Develop your skills in animation, video editing, and special effects, and create a motion graphics demo reel to showcase your work to potential clients or employers.