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Class Description, Introduction to After Effects
This After Effects training class will teach you everything you need to know to get started with After Effects, including: the interface, creating simple motion graphics, animating text, multimedia presentations, masks, character animations, and more. The class is an intensive, hands-on introduction to After Effects with a focus on creating real-world projects. You will learn by doing!
In this After Effects training class, the Web Guru will expertly guide you through the program, from the very beginning all the way up to some intermediate and advanced techniques. Upon completion of this course you will be able to use After Effects with confidence in a variety of real-world situations.
Who should take class?
- New After Effects users
- Filmmakers, Video Producers, Video Editors
- Other digital media professionals such as photographers, graphic designers, web designers, marketers, content creators, communicators and others who need to use After Effects with confidence
- After Effects can be complicated and it’s recommended that you take one of the following classes (or have equivalent experience) before taking this class: Introduction to Photoshop OR Introduction to Premiere Pro
What’s Included?
- Instruction from an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) and Adobe Certified Instructor (ACI), who is also an experienced filmmaker and video producer
- Detailed notes
- Lesson files and hands-on exercises
- Follow up sessions with the instructor by phone and email
Detailed Curriculum, Introduction to After Effects
Note: The following is the standard curriculum for the class, and is always customized to meet the needs of the students who attend.
1. The After Effects Workflow
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- Overview of panels
- Creating a project and importing footage
- Creating a composition and arranging layers
- Adding effects and modifying layer properties
- Animating the composition
- Previewing your work
- Optimizing performance in After Effects
- Customizing workspaces
- Controlling the brightness of the user interface
- Finding resources for using After Effects
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2. Creating a Basic Animation Using Effects and Presets
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- Importing using the Creative Cloud Library
- Importing video clips
- Importing stills
- Importing a sequence of stills (interpreting)
- Importing multilayered photoshop and illustrator files
- Creating a new composition
- Applying effects to a layer
- Changing parameters globally
- Creating keyframes
- Keyframe interpolation: auto, continuous, and bezier interpolation
- Temporal and spatial Interpolation
- Position vs. Anchor Point path
- Roving in time for spatial properties
- Creating and applying an animation preset
- Previewing your work
- Viewing Audio in the timeline
- Adding Markers in real-time
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3. Animating Text
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- About text layers
- Creating and formatting point text vs. paragraph text
- Using a text animation preset
- Text on a path
- Animating imported Photoshop text
- Animating text using a path animation preset
- Using a text animator
- Adding properties
- Adding a range selector
- Using a text animator group
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4. Working with Shape Layers
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- Adding a shape layer
- Creating custom shapes
- Creating stars
- Default properties of shape layers
- Add properties
- Creating Groups
- Stack your shapes & properties
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5. Animating a Multimedia Presentation
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- Getting started
- Working with Creative Cloud libraries
- Anchor points
- Parenting layers
- Precomposing layers
- Keyframing a motion path
- Applying an effect
- Solid color layers
- Animating precomposed layers
- Adding an audio track
- Editing audio files with Audition
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6. Animating Layers
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- Preparing layered Photoshop files
- About Photoshop layer styles
- Simulating light changes
- Duplicating an animation using the pick whip
- About expressions
- Animating movement
- Creating a track matte
- Adding a lens flare effect
- Adding video animation
- Rendering the animation
- Retiming the composition
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7. Working With Masks
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- About masks
- Creating a mask with the Pen tool
- Editing a mask
- Feathering the edges of a mask
- Replacing the content of the mask
- Mask interpolation
- Using masks from Illustrator and Photoshop
- Masks for spatial keyframes
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8. Other Effects
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- The smoother
- The wiggler
- Auto orient
- Splitting a layer
- Adjustment layers
- The effects and presets panel
- Pan Behind tool
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9. Distorting Objects with the Puppet Tools
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- About the Puppet tools
- Adding Deform pins
- Defining areas of overlap
- Stiffening an area
- Animating pin positions
- Recording animation
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10. Rendering and Output
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- Creating templates for the Render Queue
- Exporting using the Render Queue
- Rendering movies with Adobe Media Encoder