After Effects Certifications and Certificates

Adobe After Effects is a favorite animation and motion graphics tool employed by several industries. Consequently, After Effect professionals frequently seek ways to signal their expertise to potential employers. Certifications and certificates are excellent credentials for users to demonstrate their aptitude to potential employers. However, as both qualifications require users to commit time and energy to their professional development, they may question which accomplishment best represents the skills on their resume. The following article compares and contrasts each qualification to help users make an informed decision. 

What is After Effects?

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 Effect 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 Effect’s comprehensive toolbar and layering features allow users to create dynamic special effects and title cards. Adobe 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.

What Can You Do with After Effects?

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 texts and objects, use greenscreens to add or subtract objects and elements, and develop unique transitions to your visual media creations. Users can create their original graphics using Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator or redesign one of the many available templates to create their vision. When users combine the editing power of After Effects with the capacities of Cinema 4D Lite included with every subscription, these artists can add new textures and dimensions to their visual media. 

Beyond the incredible toolkit offered within the After Effects program, 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 composite 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.

Certifications vs. Certificates: What’s the Difference?

Certifications and Certificates in Adobe After Effects are a great way to signal your competency to potential employers and other professionals. Both qualifications require time and energy toward independent and official training, but the steps to acquiring certifications and certificates vary slightly. 

After Effects users frequently acquire a certificate after completing an animation or motion graphics course, while certifications require the additional step of taking an exam to demonstrate proficiency. Those who earn a certificate usually achieve this qualification by taking a course that may last a few weeks or months. Contrastingly, certificates require users to take a 50-minute exam, usually after accumulating over 150 hours of hands-on experience. Certifications exams assess a user's ability to effectively work in the visual effects and motion graphics industry, including how well they can develop, organize, add special effects, and disseminate video projects. 

While certifications and certificates demonstrate slightly different mastery of the After Effects program, the routes to these qualifications frequently overlap. The third-party organizations that award certifications usually do not offer official training programs. Aspiring motion graphic and visual effects artists will instead train with certificate programs like the ones Noble Desktop provides to prepare for their exams. 

Top Certifications & Certificates for After Effects

Motion Graphics and Visual Effects artists looking to increase their marketability should pursue certification or certificate for After Effects. When included on a resume or CV, this qualification signals the applicant’s ability to potential employers.

Third-party exam company Certiport is responsible for offering the Adobe Certified Professional exam for After Effects and all other programs for the Adobe Creative Cloud. While the main Adobe Website offers a practice exam, the most efficient way to master After Effects is to enroll in a certificate program. Certificate programs typically walk users through multiple Adobe applications, preparing them to create visually stunning videos from initial conception to publication. 

Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool and New York City’s top school for programming and coding, offers several live online certificate programs that help students prepare for the Adobe Certified Professional Exam. Students interested in pursuing careers as animators or special effects artists should consider enrolling in Noble Desktop’s Motion Graphics Certificate. This program assists beginner students as they learn programs such as After Effects, Cinema 4D Lite, and Premiere Pro. Built around project-based learning, this course teaches students how to edit motion graphics with After Effects, work with greenscreens to replace backgrounds, and add texture and dimension using 3D graphics.

Aspiring animators and video editors should consider Noble Desktop’s Video and Motion Graphics Certificate program. This multi-month course prepares students to create original visual media content and teaches skills relevant to multiple industries. Taking a holistic approach to education, the Video and Motion Graphics Certificate program teaches students how to add audio to videos using Adobe Audition, motion graphics, and 3D images using After Effects and Cinema 4D Lite and create a completed project using Premiere Pro. This course prepares students to enter the job market by helping them build their portfolios through project-based learning and creating a demo reel. 

Should I Get Certified in After Effects?

Certifications are an excellent way for job applicants to demonstrate their After Effects capabilities to potential employers and collaborators. Nevertheless, the relevance of certifications depends on the user’s ultimate career goals and aspirations. A simple scan of After Effects jobs on sites like Indeed indicates that while most organizations are looking for a background working with Adobe Creative Cloud programs, very few call for applications requesting a certification. Most businesses will accept certificates as proof of experience or ask applicants to complete a trial project to ensure competency.

Students who ultimately want to become an Adobe Certified Professional for After Effects can still greatly benefit from acquiring a certificate in Adobe After Effects before taking the exam. Certificate programs ensure that participants stay focused on the tools and techniques necessary to pass their exams during their 150 hours of practice. Students also benefit from a collaborative community of professionals they acquire while taking the course. 

How to Get Certified in After Effects

After Effects users become certified after taking a 50-minute exam through Certiport. However, preparing for these exams is much more labor intensive. Most students train with After Effects for at least 150 hours before taking the exam. One of the best ways to prepare for this exam is to enroll in an After Effects bootcamp or certificate program. These programs will help participants streamline their studies and build a supportive community. 

Certificate programs also teach students to use other Adobe programs such as Premiere Pro. Students who take the Adobe Certified Professional Exam for After Effects and Premiere Pro are eligible to become Adobe Certified Professionals in Video Design. This certification demonstrates your ability to use these programs to create video projects from start to finish, regardless of the type of media. 

Learn After Effects with Hands-on Training at 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 high-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 learning. Students living in or near New York City can easily commute to regularly offered in-person After Effects classes offered 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 overtaking 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 would like to develop their portfolio and CV 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 training to teach students how to create original content using After Effects, Premiere Pro, and other Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Students also have several opportunities for one-on-one mentorship and receive a comprehensive step-by-step manual that ensures they have all the tools needed for long-term success. 

Key Insights

• Certificates and Certifications are an excellent way for applicants to demonstrate their proficiency in After Effects to potential employers. 
• Most employers recognize certificates as indications of applicants’ skills in After Effects. 
• Certificates can help students prepare for their certification exams. 
• Students can take a certificate class with Noble Desktop to learn how to use After Effects and prepare for the Adobe Certified Professional for After Effects exam.