What is the Fastest Way to Learn After Effects?

Are you trying to learn After Effects as quickly as possible to launch a new career in animation or motion graphics? Or do you need to grasp the fundamentals in the shortest possible time to level up a current project? Regardless of your reason for learning After Effects swiftly, there’s an appropriate class to help you achieve your goals as fast as possible. The fastest way to simply learn the interface may be a free After Effects seminar like those offered on Noble Desktop’s website. On the other hand, a certificate program in motion graphics or video editing may be the fastest option to learn After Effects and other skills so you can land that first job fast, when your objective is a new career. Whatever your objective, live classes and bootcamps featuring an expert instructor who can support you in real-time will be a faster option than relying on self-paced solutions. This article aims to provide clarity on the available options and guide you in selecting the most suitable After Effects class to meet your unique learning needs.

Free Resources for Learning After Effects Basics

For busy professionals, students, or parents simply needing the quickest of introductions to After Effects, exploring the man free After Effects learning options online might be worth considering. While videos on YouTube and tutorials on the websites of professional training schools are freely available for those who may want a simple introduction to After Effects, they are not a great choice for those with more extensive learning goals. For those looking to attain a professional level of expertise in After Effects to kickstart a career, these free options may be a beneficial secondary resource for studying purposes. However, constructing a comprehensive education solely from free resources online is challenging, if not impossible, and certainly not the most time-efficient way to master After Effects.

Introductory After Effects Classes for the Curious Beginner

For beginners looking to quickly learn the essentials of After Effects, an introductory short course or bootcamp is often the most efficient training method. Professional training institutions like Noble Desktop offer these classes under names such as After Effects in a Day and After Effects Bootcamp. These courses, available both live online and in-person, feature live expert instructors to guide students through a proven curriculum and answer questions in real-time This hands-on approach ensures mastery of the material, making these classes far more effective than relying solely on free resources.

The length of introductory After Effects classes can vary, typically running anywhere from a few hours to a week, with most averaging between two and three days. While a free video tutorial may be significantly shorter than these courses, a live After Effects bootcamp or short course can provide a substantially more thorough understanding of the application’s fundamentals, equipping students with a working knowledge of After Effects in a shorter timeframe than free resources can, in the long run. A live introductory course in After Effects can be helpful for students still deciding whether they enjoy working with the application enough to invest in a comprehensive education in the tool. However, for those who are already committed to mastering After Effects at a professional level, a certification-prep course will be a faster method to meet those goals.

After Effects Certification-Prep Programs for Aspiring Professionals

For those committed to mastering After Effects at a professional level and earning a certification to prove it to prospective or current employers, certification-prep programs offer the most direct and comprehensive pathway. These programs, such as Noble Desktop’s After Effects Certification Program, transform novices into job-ready professionals within a matter of a couple of weeks of part-time classes. Students in certification-prep courses will delve deeply into a comprehensive training in the application so they have the knowledge and experience they need with it in order to pass the Adobe Certified Professional in After Effects exam when the time comes to take it. Many certification-prep courses, including Noble’s, provide one-on-one mentorship and include the exam fee in the tuition. Participants in certification-prep courses will be ready to ace Adobe’s exam significantly faster than those who attempt to learn the application through other methods.

On-Demand Courses: Hit or Miss for the Disciplined Learner

For a select few After Effects learners, on-demand classes may be the fastest way to meet your learning goals. Professional training schools occasionally offer on-demand classes, but you’ll find the most options on platforms like Udemy and Coursera. Also known as self-paced classes, on-demand courses feature prerecorded lectures, written lessons, and exercises, all packaged so students can do the coursework at their own pace. For most learners, the lack of a live instructor and set schedule makes staying focused and completing their course challenging. However, for the highly disciplined and determined learner with a successful history of self-driven learning, an on-demand class could be a fast-paced opportunity to meet their After Effects learning goal.

There are several drawbacks to on-demand classes that After Effects learners should be aware of before committing to this learning path. The first is that, as a prepackaged, passive income source for the course creators, on-demand classes can quickly become outdated in a rapidly evolving field like After Effects. It can be challenging to recognize this, especially if you are a beginner to After Effects. Beginners should also be aware that even on-demand introductory After Effects courses can be slower options for learning than a live course with an expert instructor on hand to answer questions and provide feedback in real-time. On-demand classes are typically best for those with an intermediate to advanced level of mastery of After Effects with learning needs limited to one particular skill or tool in the field. However, they are not the fastest option for beginners seeking a comprehensive After Effects education to land their Animator job, as they lack the career support, instructor mentorship, networking opportunities, and portfolio-building support provided by certificate programs.

Learn After Effects Skills with Noble Desktop

Design and tech school Noble Desktop offers a wide selection of After Effects courses so you can find an option that fits your schedule and personal learning needs. Noble offers an 18-hour After Effects Bootcamp live online or in-person for students in Manhattan. Your tuition includes a one-on-one mentorship session, our proprietary workbook, a free retake option, and a verified certificate of completion. Experienced instructors will lead you through lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises in the basics of After Effects before moving on to greenscreen removal, motion tracking, and other advanced animation techniques. Upon graduation from the bootcamp, you will be an expert user of After Effects able to turn graphics, photos, and text into dynamic animations, join clips with transitions, and use After Effects many tools to create stunning motion graphics, visual effects, and animation projects.

Earning an Adobe Certified Professional in After Effects can be your ticket to breaking into a new career in animation, video editing, or motion graphics—or open doors in your current profession. Wherever you are in your career journey, you are welcome to join Noble Desktop’s After Effects Certification Program, an all-inclusive course featuring the training and support you need to pass the After Effects certification exam. This program features 36 hours of classroom education, including Noble’s After Effects Bootcamp and their After Effects Advanced course. Tuition covers six one-on-one tutorings sessions, the exam fee, and a free retake for the program or the exam if desired. No experience is required as a prerequisite for this certification-prep program. 

To kickstart a career in animation, video editing, or motion graphics, you need training in After Effects and several other tools and skills, as well. You may wish to learn After Effects in Noble Desktop’s Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate for a comprehensive career-focused program. This certificate program offers extensive training in the tools of the trade, including After Effects, Cinema 4D in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, and Photoshop, as well a portfolio-building module to ensure you have a professional-quality portfolio you’re proud of by the time you complete the program. This certificate program is offered in-person in Manhattan and live online and includes a free retake option, eight one-on-one mentoring sessions you can use as career support, and a verified certificate of completion.