After Effects Bootcamp (Live Online)

Overview

Expand your skills in creating special effects for professional video and motion graphics projects. This comprehensive course teaches students how to use industry-standard tools for advanced visual effects, motion graphics compositing, and video enhancement. No prior experience with after-effects software is required, though graphic and video professionals will find substantial value in the content. The course emphasizes hands-on projects and practical techniques applicable to real-world production scenarios. Training is available on both Macintosh and Windows platforms to accommodate your equipment setup.

Target Audience:

This course is designed for graphic designers and video professionals who need essential knowledge of video editing, motion graphics creation, and digital compositing. Experienced users will benefit from numerous hands-on projects and advanced techniques covered throughout the curriculum. No prior experience with After Effects software is necessary to succeed in this course.

Detailed Course Outline:

Introduction: Real-World Usage of After Effects

Understanding what After Effects is and its primary applications
Comparing cloud-based versus standalone licensing plans
Identifying types of media that After Effects can create
Learning what media formats can be imported into After Effects
Understanding the main components of an After Effects project file
Applying best practices for After Effects workflow and project organization
Reviewing media deployment and file format options
Understanding factors that determine project resolution
Learning how frame rate affects project specifications
Following best practices for managing graphical and audio assets
Meeting required technical specifications for quality work

Hands-On Unit 1: Setting Up an After Effects Project

Understanding RAM requirements and real-time rendering capabilities
Working with linked media and reloading updated clips
Configuring preferences and project settings
Creating new projects and importing video footage
Building compositions and arranging layers effectively
Applying effects and modifying layer properties
Creating animated compositions
Using the Time Controls Panel for playback and preview
Understanding switches and modes in the Timeline panel
Creating rendering presets for consistent output
Customizing the After Effects workspace to your preferences

Hands-On Unit 2: Basic Animation With Effects and Presets

Working with imported vector layers from Illustrator
Creating and formatting text elements
Applying built-in text animation presets
Adding effects to layers and adjusting parameters
Previewing effects before final rendering
Nesting compositions and pre-composing nested elements
Adding transparency and alpha channels to elements

Hands-On Unit 3: Animating Text

Designing titles using text layers
Creating and formatting text with styling options
Using text animation presets for quick results
Animating elements manually with keyframes
Understanding keyframe interpolation techniques
Using parenting relationships to animate dependent elements
Converting imported Photoshop text for manipulation
Applying path-based text animation presets
Animating type tracking and letter spacing
Adjusting text opacity and transparency over time
Using text animator groups for complex animations
Converting paths to positional keyframes
Auto-orienting layers to follow motion paths
Adding motion blur to enhance realism

Hands-On Unit 4: Animating Shapes

Understanding the differences between shape and mask layers
Creating and working with shape layers
Creating and animating geometric shapes
Using repeaters to duplicate shape elements
Integrating video and audio layers into compositions
Applying stylization effects like cartoon rendering
Designing title bars and graphics overlays

Hands-On Unit 5: Skills Summation Project

Adjusting layer anchor points for precise positioning
Using vector shapes to mask and isolate video
Applying self-generating effects for motion graphics
Creating automated slide show sequences
Balancing and mixing audio track levels

Hands-On Unit 6: Working with Masks

Understanding alpha channels, masks, mattes, and color keying
Importing masks created in Photoshop
Animating mask shapes and properties over time
Using the Graph Editor for advanced keyframe interpolation
Creating and saving custom animation presets
Creating and editing masks directly in After Effects
Feathering mask edges for smooth transitions
Using specialized mask feathering tools
Applying blend modes for composite effects
Creating vignette effects around image edges
Performing basic color correction on masked areas

Hands-On Unit 7: Working in 3D

Manipulating 2D text and objects in three-dimensional space
Creating extruded 3D text with shading and materials
Animating 3D text elements
Using multiple viewpoints to work in 3D space
Adding and positioning lights for 3D scenes
Creating shadows and material shading effects
Animating light properties and material characteristics
Exploring third-party 3D plug-ins for extended capabilities

Hands-On Unit 8: Color Correction and Cleanup

Adjusting color balance and tonal range
Replacing unwanted backgrounds
Using the Clone Tool to remove unwanted elements
Correcting specific color ranges selectively
Warming colors using Photo Filter effects

Hands-On Unit 9: Rendering and Exporting

Testing compositions before final rendering and export
Understanding video and audio compression options
Using After Effects' Render Queue for output
Rendering through Adobe Media Encoder for flexibility
Creating and saving render templates for consistency
Exporting to multiple media formats, including high-resolution, DVD-V, web video, YouTube, and mobile devices

Hands-On Unit 10: 3D Advanced Concepts

Switching between camera perspectives in 3D scenes
Working with multiple simultaneous views
Adding and animating lights in 3D space
Adding and animating cameras for cinematography
Creating smooth camera motion through interpolation
Cutting between multiple cameras for dynamic editing
Using Cinema 4D Lite within After Effects for modeling

Hands-On Unit 11: Advanced Masking

Working with complex mask shapes
Positioning and scaling intricate mask elements
Feathering complex masks for blending
Animating complex mask shapes over time
Using the Roto Brush Tool for frame-by-frame rotoscoping
Creating and refining rotoscope segmentation boundaries
Freezing and unfreezing segmented areas

Hands-On Unit 12: Color Keying

Understanding blue and green screen keying principles
Creating garbage mattes to isolate subject matter
Refining keyed mattes and masks
Using the Keylight effect for professional keying
Applying standard Color Key effect as an alternative

Hands-On Unit 13: Particle Simulations

Applying particle simulation effects to compositions
Adjusting particle birth rate, lifespan, and properties
Adding secondary effects to particle systems
Compositing particle effects with other layers

Hands-On Unit 14: Time-warp Simulations

Using the Timewarp effect to adjust video speed
Establishing keyframes to control motion timing
Using the Graph Editor to create fast, slow, and reverse motion

Hands-On Unit 15: Painting and Cloning

Learning the available paint tools and their applications
Creating and saving custom brush presets
Creating brush strokes and paint effects
Animating painted strokes over time
Using brush-based rotoscoping for hand-drawn effects
Creating animation with the eraser tool
Duplicating video content using the Clone tool

Hands-On Unit 16: Puppet Tool Distortion

Understanding Puppet Tool functionality
Adding deformation pins to control character distortion
Using the Starch Tool to stiffen areas
Animating pin positions to create character movement

Hands-On Unit 17: Warp Stabilization and Motion Tracking

Using the Warp Stabilizer VFX feature to smooth shaky footage
Customizing Warp Stabilizer settings for optimal results
Using the Track Motion panel for motion analysis
Applying single-point motion tracking to elements
Managing track points for accurate tracking
Applying multipoint tracking for complex motion
Using Mocha planar tracking data for advanced tracking

Hands-On Unit 18: Expressions

Writing basic expressions for animation control
Using Pick Whip expressions for quick linking

Hands-On Unit 19: 3D Camera Tracking

Tracking 3D camera movement in footage
Creating text and shadow elements in 3D space
Adding ambient lighting to compositions
Locking layers to planes using null objects
Adjusting camera depth of field for focus effects

Hands-On Unit 20: Time-lapse Simulations

Creating time-lapse photography effects
Manipulating lighting changes over extended time periods
Duplicating animations using the pick whip tool
Creating track mattes for advanced compositing
Animating shadow elements across time
Adding lens flare effects for visual interest
Applying and customizing Time Remapping keyframes

Note

Course outlines serve as guides for typical course content. Topics may be adjusted to meet the specific objectives and needs of individual class groups.

What's Included