Learn Non-Scary Adobe After Effects: Parenting & Tracking

Overview

Ready to make your animations interact with live footage? In this second course, Tim Wilson shows you how to bring your After Effects skills into the world of motion tracking, parenting, and dynamic effects. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to: * Track moving objects and attach graphics or text that follow motion naturally * Use null objects and parenting to create complex, coordinated animations * Apply creative effects like pulsing shapes, animated lines, and text reveals * Work with time adjustments such as slow motion, reverse motion, and time remapping You’ll complete hands-on projects like tracking a car and overlaying animated graphics or designing planet-and-rocket sequences. This course is ideal for intermediate users who want to give their animations a polished, integrated feel that matches real-world footage. Basic familiarity with keyframes, layer structure, and text animation is recommended. With Tim’s clear, step-by-step teaching style, you’ll confidently blend motion graphics into live-action scenes for stunning results. Instructor bio: Tim Wilson is a design software coach, creative mentor, and Adobe Certified Expert and Instructor. With a background spanning photography, forensic imaging at Scotland Yard, and design education, Tim has trained learners from major brands like BBC, Sky, Disney, and Barclays, as well as solo creatives worldwide. At Red Rocket Studio, he focuses on making design tools approachable and practical, helping students gain confidence, simplify complex processes, and bring their creative ideas to life.

Syllabus

Introduction to Parenting in After Effects

This module introduces learners to the fundamentals of parenting in After Effects. You’ll learn how to link objects together, animate parent-child relationships, and control motion independently where needed. Hands-on practice projects provide the foundation for more complex animations in later modules. By the end, you’ll be able to confidently create coordinated motion sequences with multiple elements.

Animating Space and Objects

In this module, learners apply parenting to create dynamic space-themed animations. You’ll animate planets, rockets, astronauts, stars, and UFOs, coordinating multiple elements seamlessly. Rendering techniques are introduced to ensure your animations look polished. This module reinforces object animation skills while combining creativity with technical control.

Introduction to Motion Tracking

This module introduces learners to motion tracking fundamentals. You’ll track moving objects in video footage and attach graphics or text using null objects. Keyframe smoothing techniques ensure that animations follow natural movement paths. By the end of this module, you’ll be ready to integrate motion graphics seamlessly with live footage.

Motion Tracking Projects and Integration

In this final module, learners complete a hands-on motion tracking project. You’ll track a moving car, attach animated graphics and text, and refine the animation using parenting and keyframe adjustments. This module synthesizes all the parenting and tracking skills learned in previous lessons, giving you a complete, portfolio-ready animation.