Skip to main content

After Effects in a Day

Noble Desktop logo via Noble Desktop Affiliated with Course Report

Learn the basics of the Adobe After Effects user interface, timeline, and layer animation in this accelerated training course. Gain the skills needed to create GIFs, animate logos, and import layered files from Illustrator and Photoshop.

What's included with live classes

  • Adobe After Effects (1 month)
  • Free course retake within one year to refresh the material and gain practice.
  • Course workbook
  • Class recordings

Overview

Get Started with Animating Motion Graphics

Learn to start using Adobe After Effects to animate photos, text, and video, and add music/sounds. You can even import files from Illustrator (such as a logo) or Photoshop and animate their elements.

Get started in this 6-hour workshop, or dive in deeper with our 18-hour After Effects Bootcamp.

Recommendations

Compare live and self-paced learning

Schedule & enrollment

Find dates that fit your schedule, then book on Noble Desktop.

Book live on Noble Desktop
Live tuition
$425
Course length
6 hours

All class times are Eastern (ET).

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

  • Dates

    Class time

    Starts at 10am ET

    Final session ends at 5pm ET

    Attend

    In-person or live online

Confirm current dates and availability on Noble Desktop before booking. Enrollment opens in a new tab.

Self-paced tuition & enrollment

Learn through recorded lessons on your own schedule.

Tuition
$425
Course length
6 hours
Format
Self-paced online

This course is available for 30 days. You can choose when to start your access period. Once you activate, you will have 30 days to complete it (access the course materials, quizzes, projects and videos). You may request one extension of seven (7) days. Other extension requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Videos are not downloadable.

Prefer to enroll directly? Open the course website.

Curriculum

What you'll learn

  • Create animations with graphics such as logos and photos
  • Become familiar with the interface, timeline, and layers
  • Import a logo made in Adobe Illustrator and animate it
  • Create fluid, natural motion using easing
  • Add transitions such as fade-ins and fade-outs
  • Export a video of the final animation

Course syllabus

Section 1

Intro to After Effects

  • The Project, Composition, & Timeline panels
  • Importing a Layered File with all its Layers Intact
  • Using Title Safety to ensure TV viewers can see the text

Working with Keyframes

  • Animating in the Class Names
  • Previewing in real time
  • Adding Easing
  • Sliding Over the Entire Class List
  • Animating the Icons
  • Animating the “In a Day” Title
  • Adding Motion Blur
  • Trimming Off Extra Time

Outputting to GIF

  • Exporting from After Effects
  • Making the Animated GIF in Photoshop
  • Reducing the Number of Frames

Section 2

Noble Logo Animation: Anchor Points & Animating with Overshoot

  • Converting an Illustrator file from CMYK to RGB
  • Animating the black square to overshoot its final size
  • Changing where the rectangles scale from by moving layer anchor points
  • Setting layer in points using the In column
  • Keeping vector layers sharp as they scale up

Noble Logo: Masking Layers & Parenting

  • Pre-composing layers
  • Hiding the letters before they animate using masks
  • Moving the entire logo away from the rising letters using parenting

Noble Logo: Rotation, Fade-Outs, & Rendering

  • Adding anticipation keyframes before a major animation
  • Animating the Rotation property
  • Adding a fade to white using a solid color layer
  • How to find missing project files

Optional Bonus: Preparing an Illustrator File for Animation

  • Resizing artboards & vector graphics
  • Setting up layers to individually animate elements in After Effects

Bonus: HBO Intro Sequence

Importing Flattened Files & Adding Easing

  • Importing a layered PSD as a merged file
  • Isolating HBO logo, Feature & Presentation text using masks
  • Creating fade-ins & fade-outs
  • Adding automatic easing to slow down portions of the animation

Working with Numerous Layers

  • Familiarizing ourselves with the Photoshop layout: layers extending outside canvas bounds, guides
  • Scaling up each tile using a single null object and Parenting
  • Randomizing the order in which the photos animate in
  • Orchestrating the exit animation so the tiles fall down in diagonal groups

Vector Layouts

  • Animating vector shapes using the Trim Paths feature
  • Continuous rasterization
  • More null objects: animating the three pay television content descriptors

Putting It All Together & Adding Audio

  • Sequencing multiple compositions
  • Animating like an editor: overlapping shots & using blending modes
  • Adding audio to a composition

Self-paced course

Learn through recorded lessons on your own schedule.

This course is available for 30 days. You can choose when to start your access period. Once you activate, you will have 30 days to complete it (access the course materials, quizzes, projects and videos). You may request one extension of seven (7) days. Other extension requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Videos are not downloadable.

View self-paced tuition & enrollment

Learn how to use Adobe After Effects to animate photos, text, and video, as well as add music and sounds. You can even import files from Illustrator (like a logo) or Photoshop and animate their elements. Get started with this course, or dive in deeper with our After Effects Bootcamp.

Basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator is helpful but not required. If you've never used Photoshop, consider taking our Photoshop Bootcamp, and if you've never used Illustrator, consider taking our Illustrator Bootcamp. Design skills are also helpful but not required.

Self-paced curriculum

What you'll learn self-paced

  • Build animations using graphics like logos and photos
  • Get familiar with the interface, timeline, and layers
  • Import a logo made in Adobe Illustrator and bring it to life with animation
  • Create fluid, natural motion using easing
  • Add transitions like fade-ins and fade-outs
  • Export a video of your final animation
Self-paced syllabus

Section 1

Intro to After Effects

  • The Project, Composition, & Timeline panels
  • Importing a Layered File with all its Layers Intact
  • Using Title Safety to ensure TV viewers can see the text

Working with Keyframes

  • Animating in the Class Names
  • Previewing in real time
  • Adding Easing
  • Sliding Over the Entire Class List
  • Animating the Icons
  • Animating the “In a Day” Title
  • Adding Motion Blur
  • Trimming Off Extra Time

Outputting to GIF

  • Exporting from After Effects
  • Making the Animated GIF in Photoshop
  • Reducing the Number of Frames

Section 2

Noble Logo Animation: Anchor Points & Animating with Overshoot

  • Converting an Illustrator file from CMYK to RGB
  • Animating the black square to overshoot its final size
  • Changing where the rectangles scale from by moving layer anchor points
  • Setting layer in points using the In column
  • Keeping vector layers sharp as they scale up

Noble Logo: Masking Layers & Parenting

  • Pre-composing layers
  • Hiding the letters before they animate using masks
  • Moving the entire logo away from the rising letters using parenting

Noble Logo: Rotation, Fade-Outs, & Rendering

  • Adding anticipation keyframes before a major animation
  • Animating the Rotation property
  • Adding a fade to white using a solid color layer
  • How to find missing project files

Optional Bonus: Preparing an Illustrator File for Animation

  • Resizing artboards & vector graphics
  • Setting up layers to individually animate elements in After Effects

Bonus: HBO Intro Sequence

Importing Flattened Files & Adding Easing

  • Importing a layered PSD as a merged file
  • Isolating HBO logo, Feature & Presentation text using masks
  • Creating fade-ins & fade-outs
  • Adding automatic easing to slow down portions of the animation

Working with Numerous Layers

  • Familiarizing ourselves with the Photoshop layout: layers extending outside canvas bounds, guides
  • Scaling up each tile using a single null object and Parenting
  • Randomizing the order in which the photos animate in
  • Orchestrating the exit animation so the tiles fall down in diagonal groups

Vector Layouts

  • Animating vector shapes using the Trim Paths feature
  • Continuous rasterization
  • More null objects: animating the three pay television content descriptors

Putting It All Together & Adding Audio

  • Sequencing multiple compositions
  • Animating like an editor: overlapping shots & using blending modes
  • Adding audio to a composition

Course Reviews

No reviews yet

Be the first to share your experience with this course

Write the First Review

Find the path that fits your
career goals

Sign up for bootcamp advice

Enter your email to join our newsletter community.

By submitting this form, you agree to receive email marketing from Course Report.