Why Learn After Effects?

Many viewers think that the incredible visual effects of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek and Star Wars franchise are only accessible to the top Hollywood motion graphics artists. Nevertheless, many professionals use Adobe After Effects to create these special effects. This dynamic program allows motion graphics and special effects enthusiasts to use professional tools such as greenscreen and keyframes to realize their vision at every level of experience. Use the following article to learn how to use After Effects to create the reality of your choice.

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. 

Common Professional Uses for After Effects

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 if the latter is more marketable. Look no further! Here are some of the top industries that employ After Effects professionals today: 

Broadcasting Companies and Live-Action Film Studios 

Breaking news! Cable news networks frequently use After Effects to create motion graphics for different segments and to create a coherent narrative that engages audiences. Movie-makers use After Effects when inserting animation and special effects into their features. After Effects provides an avenue for artists to live their Hollywood dreams! 

Animation Studios 

When most people think of animated graphics, their minds frequently imagine traditional animation that requires artists to draw each frame by hand. Nevertheless, computer animation began to replace this type 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.

Marketing Agencies 

Use After Effects to convey a narrative or an inside joke to attract new audiences to your website. When scrolling through social media, most users tend to stop when they encounter an amusing or eye-catching moving graphic. After Effects users that have their fingers on the cultural pulse will thrive as After Effects artists and video editors for marketing brands. 

YouTube

After Effect professionals attract many different job opportunities on Youtube, regardless if they are working for a larger company or working on getting their brand off the ground. 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. 

Independent Artist or Contractor 

After Effects is an excellent tool for artists looking to run their businesses as independent contractors, as it gives users the time and space to work on their projects while providing essential advertising services to large and small businesses. Independent contractors working with After Effects frequently contribute to a range of industries, ensuring that your job will never be boring or repetitive.

Adobe After Effects Develops Key Skills 

Adobe After Effects is an essential tool for aspiring artists and storytellers. By mirroring the design of other Adobe video editing software such as Premiere Pro and Illustration, After Effects allows users to divide their motion graphics into editing layers that work together to create a cohesive story. Motion graphic artists can use Adobe Effects’ timeline design to animate their story on a scene-by-scene basis, developing their eye for creativity, detail, and visual nuance. After Effects is also compatible with several third-party plugins, such as FxFactory Pro and Block Party, allowing users to expand their video editing capabilities and create visually stunning production. 

Creators can also use Adobe After Effects to develop non-video editing skills. After Effects encourages adaptability in organization and vision as different tools contribute new elements to their narrative. Especially relevant to advertising and other consumer-based industries, Adobe After Effects also helps users to learn how to transform audience analytics and preferences into a practical and impactful output. In the tradition of the Geico Gecko and Chester the Cheetah, use After Effects to create advertisements that will define the cultural zeitgeist for years to come. 

Adobe After Effects Tools Grow with You 

After Effects reviewers on sites such as G2 and TrustRadius frequently highlight the steep learning curve required to master Adobe After Effects. While Adobe After Effects requires a lot of initial time and labor, many creators emphasize that the program’s many editing tools and capabilities make this initial period of development a valuable experience. “Post-Production within After Effects reaches unimaginable levels,” raves one reviewer, “you can completely transform the look of your project, giving it a professional look.” Highly rated across multiple platforms, Adobe After Effects is a program you can’t afford to miss! 

 After Effects' ever-growing popularity also means that there are several books, online tutorials, workshops, and bootcamps to help users through this initial learning process. Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, offers several blog posts and free Youtube tutorials that are an excellent starting point for all users. Those looking to develop and refine their skills should also consider enrolling in a Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate program that can demonstrate their capabilities to future employers. 

Launch Your Future Career 

After Effects is an essential software program for any professionals looking to enter the animation or special effects industry. Careers such as Animators, Motion Graphics Designers, Video Editors, and Videographers frequently require a background in working with After Effects and other video-producing programs. Noble Desktop offers several After Effects bootcamps and workshops that are an excellent starting point for learning how to use After Effects and other Adobe Programs. 

Recent trends assert that this is a perfect time to learn how to use After Effects and other Adobe programs. Linkedin recently included affiliated marketing, UX design, and video production on its “Top Skills of 2020” list, all of which benefit from or directly use Adobe After Effects tools and technology. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also recently published in its job outlook statistics report that the employment of animators and special effects artists will grow 16 percent from 2020 to 2030. That is double the percent change of all the occupations in the United States!

Advertising Companies and Other Industries Love After Effects

Many advertising agencies agree that word-of-mouth advertising is an effective means to sell your products or services. One of the best ways to get consumers talking about your business is to create dynamic multi-media advertisements that get people talking! When combined with Premiere Pro and Illustrator, Adobe After Effects can create eye-catching and thought-provoking commercials by incorporating vibrant graphics and entertaining animation. As social media bombards users with a plethora of content, you want to make sure that your content can stand out from the crowd by using Adobe After Effects. 

Adobe Creative Cloud Programs Promote Collaboration

Motion graphics animation and editing for videos can be a very isolating process. This limitation can become frustrating when artists try to collaboratively design and build a commercial or film. We live in a globalized world, so neither your audience nor your employees can be limited to a single location. With new integrations like Frame.io, multiple users can communicate and contribute to a single project from anywhere in the world. Collaborators can comment on each other’s After Effects video timelines, discontinuing the practice of exchanging wordy emails with several opportunities for miscommunication and misunderstanding. Adobe Creative Cloud Programs are also compatible with Mac and PCs, limiting the need for hardware and software standardization. 

How to Start Learning After Effects

After Effects is a dynamic program that allows users to create visually engaging videos. Despite these strengths, the program is not necessarily intuitive or beginner-friendly. Users report the highest level of success when they pair formal instruction with practice and independent study. The three main teaching formats for learning After Effects include in-person, live online, and on-demand courses. 

In-person classes mimic a more traditional learning style and context that anyone who attended public or private school will recognize. Students enrolled in these classes frequently learn from industry titans through project-based curriculums 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 one 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. Nevertheless, students can set up their ideal working environment and avoid the distractions of a traditional classroom. Several live online classes even offer students career support and one-on-one mentoring opportunities. Find a live online class that will work for your schedule and budget using Noble Desktop’s helpful After Effects live online courses compare and contrast tool. 

Students that cannot commit to the intensity or time of live online or in-person classes tend to gravitate towards 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 aid in real-time. 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 Effect Courses Online. 

Still unsure which learning formats will be most conducive for your After Effects learning experience? Check out some of Noble Desktop’s free online resources to experience these learning formats before financially committing to one. Do you enjoy watching YouTube tutorials and learning new skills by seeing someone else demonstrate them first? Check out 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 composted 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.

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

• Amateur and professional video artists and editors can use After Effects to add motion graphics and special effects to their visual media. 
• There are many personal and professional reasons to learn how to use After Effects. 
• Third-party plugins such as Frame.io make communicating with other artists more accessible.
• Noble Desktop is a great resource for After Effects users looking to broaden and develop their skill sets.