After Effects Prerequisites

Adobe After Effects has the reputation of being the residential bad boy of Adobe Creative Cloud. From the steep learning curve necessary to write complex expressions or scripts to animate motion graphics to the intricate and detail-oriented process of rotoscoping, After Effects requires years of practice and training to master. Nevertheless, there are skills that you can develop and resources you can take advantage of to expedite this process. Read the following article to learn more about prerequisites you can use to better prepare for using After Effects.

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.

Is After Effects Easy to Learn?

A frequent critique of Adobe After Effects is that this application is not intuitive. Many new users complain that the application is frustrating to learn without official training. Simple edits, such as adding text, require several steps that can be difficult to master without a step-by-step training guide or formal instruction. Several reviewers even dissuade new users or hobbyists from investing in the program due to their frustration of working with the program as more experienced users. “It is probably one of the most difficult/complex/hardest to use (of the Adobe Apps),” highlighted one reviewer, “There are so many features and buttons you can use. I feel like we barely scratch the surface of using this app to its full capacity.” Without formal instruction, many new users can quickly feel overwhelmed and burn out using this advanced program. 

While the foundational editing layers and timeline organization of Adobe programs are consistent throughout the Adobe Creative Cloud, the sequential use and specific function of these tools differ depending on their application’s purpose. Reviewers of After Effects indicate that one of the most challenging aspects of learning this application is that its functionality and shortcuts are very different from other Adobe programs, requiring users to rewire and relearn how to use these tools for After Effects. These moving parts may appear impossible to manage and understand without an official training program. These problems are exacerbated by the amount of RAM that After Effects needs to function and the tendency for the program to crash unexpectedly. 

After Effects is only one application of the much larger Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem. Consequently, users do not just have to learn to work with After Effects to create their visual media. Still, they have to learn how to draw with Illustrator if they want to create original graphics, edit with Photoshop to modify graphics, and use Premiere Pro to stitch together the parts of their video into a cohesive narrative. These moving parts and different programs can quickly become overwhelming to new users without the assistance of guided tutorials, workshops, and certificate programs.

Students struggling to learn After Effects can choose many different learning formats to master this program, many with unique positive and negative aspects. Users can learn the function of After Effect tools by watching on-demand After Effects classes and After Effects Video Tutorials on YouTube. Nevertheless, these surface-level courses rarely help students develop their creativity and unique identity as artists. 

Students usually develop their artistic skills and vision through practice and building a community of After Effects users in their in-person and live online classes. Students looking for comprehensive but short-term overviews of this application may want to consider enrolling in Noble Desktop’s After Effects Bootcamp or Learn After Effects in a Day courses. Motion graphics artists that plan to pursue a career in visual media should check out Noble Desktop’s Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate course. This multi-month course teaches students how to weave the tools offered in applications such as Audition, After Effects, Cinema 4D Lite, and Premiere Pro to create professional-grade video projects and further develop their professional portfolios. 

What to Know Before Learning After Effects

Animators, graphic designers, and hobbyists love using Adobe After Effects to produce their advertisements and other forms of visual media. As a professional tool, Adobe After Effect requires a steep learning curve that can be difficult for new users to learn unassisted and may necessitate the purchase of new technology. Here are a few things to keep in mind before purchasing a subscription to After Effects: 

Research the Top Animation Trends 

From Liquid Motion to Kinetic Typography, there are many ways to use animation and graphic motion to capture your viewer’s attention. As the animation field continues to adapt to new technologies and expand into new industries, researching the latest trends in animation and creating a pathway to learning the tools you need to keep up with industry innovation and make the most of your Adobe After Effects Experience. 

Knowing the current trends of this program also ensures that you can identify the education opportunities that are most likely to set you up for long-term career and personal success. The best way to learn Adobe After Effects is through external education opportunities and practice, so make sure you have personal and professional bandwidth to pursue this industry favorite. 

You will need a Computer with a Higher RAM Capacity.

One of the most common complaints about After Effects on application review websites is that the program requires a significant amount of your computer’s Random Access Memory (RAM). While you can adjust your computer settings to dedicate a portion of RAM to After Effects, the program may still crash while rendering videos and force the user to begin the editing process again. Reviewers that use gaming and other high-end computers report the highest level of program success, especially when using multiple Adobe Programs. Several users also indicate that not all computers can operate Adobe programs, so it is essential to make sure that you purchase a compatible hard drive before enrolling in a subscription. 

Learn More about Adobe Creative Cloud 

Adobe After Effects is part of the larger Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem. The general organization of the toolbar and the methodologies used to create and edit layers of After Effects mirror those used in programs like InDesign and Photoshop. If you want to create graphics and edit videos, you must employ programs like Adobe Illustrator and Premiere Pro to realize your original content. 

The best value for Adobe programs is to bundle the applications into a single monthly subscription, giving you all the tools you need to realize your animated vision. Several animation and motion graphics certificate programs and classes can help you learn how to get the most out of your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. 

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

• Learning Adobe After Effects is a long-term commitment that requires time and practice
• While advanced tech professionals can use on-demand videos or independent study to learn Adobe After Effects, beginner and intermediate-level students are more successful enrolling in a tech bootcamp or certificate program from Noble Desktop. 
• Adobe After Effect requires a computer with high RAM capabilities.
• Original animations and motion graphic production require a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.