How Much is an After Effects Course?

Whether you’re pursuing a professional education or a hobbyist looking to expand your skill set, enrolling in an Adobe After Effects class can be an enormous step toward your goals. The price of an After Effects course can vary widely depending upon the type of class, the duration, and what objectives it helps you achieve. Whether you’re aiming to earn a certification, a beginner looking for hands-on training, or an advanced student needing to fill some gaps in your knowledge, there is an After Effects class option to fit every need and budget. While there are cheaper on-demand options, live online and in-person After Effects classes cost anywhere between a few hundred dollars to several thousand. This article will help you narrow that range by helping you understand the different class types available and which will help you meet your goals.

Certification-Prep Programs: For Aspiring Professionals

Certification-prep classes are ideal for those who want to earn an Adobe Certified Professional in After Effects. This certification is occasionally a requirement in job descriptions for Motion Graphics Designers, Animators, or Video Editors. However, even when it is not a requirement, a certification in After Effects can help move a job candidate’s resume to the top of the stack. A certification can also help mid-career professionals earn promotions, raises, or qualify for desired career pivots. 

A class is not necessary to take the exam required to earn a certification, but the material covered by the exam is extensive and requires true expertise in the application to pass the test. Beginners will appreciate a certification-prep class, as these provide comprehensive training led by a live instructor, a feature that will significantly expedite the learning process over attempting to master the application independently or with on-demand classes. Expect to pay anywhere between $500 to $3,000 for an After Effects Certification Program. Higher priced courses usually provide more features, such as exam vouchers, hands-on projects, and sometimes even one-on-one mentorship sessions to ensure students are well-prepared for their certification exam.

Live Bootcamps & Short Courses: Ideal for Beginners

Beginners to After Effects who have no need to earn a certification will likely find what they are looking for in live bootcamps and short courses on the application. Whether hosted in-person or live online in a virtual classroom, these After Effects classes provide students with interactive, real-time training led by an expert instructor. Typically ranging from $300 to $1,500, a high-quality After Effects bootcamp or short course features a mix of lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises, plus the opportunity to ask questions and receive immediate feedback from a live instructor. In-person and live online versions of these courses offer similar learning experiences. However, some students may find they prefer meeting in a traditional classroom while others may value the ability to attend live online classes from the comfort of home.

Self-Paced Classes: Excellent Supplements at Reasonable Prices

Self-paced classes are another After Effects course format you may wish to explore, especially if you already have an intermediate or advanced level of expertise with the application. These courses are sometimes called asynchronous or on-demand classes, as their defining features are prerecorded lectures (if any lectures are included) and lack of a set schedule, allowing students to do their coursework whenever works for them. 

Training institutions that provide these After Effects courses can offer these classes at a low overhead, as no live instructor is involved, and the materials may seldom be updated. Both of these features can be significant downfalls in on-demand classes and make them especially unsuited for beginners. That said, the lower price of these courses can make them worthwhile, especially for highly disciplined After Effects students, as they can range between $9.99 when on sale and a few hundred dollars, depending on their quality, scope, and content.

Free Resources: What Are They Good For?

It’s natural to want to save money when you can and wonder if any free After Effects classes are available to meet your needs. Starting your journey with Noble Desktop’s free After Effects seminars is an optional way to begin to get your feet wet in the application. Similar free After Effects tutorials and videos on the websites of other professional training centers and YouTube can also help you get acquainted with the powerful tool. These resources are particularly useful for beginners trying to understand what After Effects is all about before committing to more formal education in the software. They can also serve as excellent supplements, offering quick answers and diverse perspectives on challenging topics that arise during your learning process. However, unless your After Effects goals are extremely basic, these free resources won’t provide the depth and quality of training you need to reach them. Professional-level After Effects training is a worthwhile investment that will pay off in the doors it unlocks in a student’s career.

Learn After Effects Skills with Noble Desktop

Design and tech school Noble Desktop offers a wide menu of After Effects courses to help you meet your learning goals, whatever they may be. Noble’s After Effects Bootcamp features live expert instructors who will guide you through the interface, tools, and techniques of After Effects through lectures, discussions, and plenty of hands-on exercises. No experience is necessary to enjoy this 18-hour bootcamp, which is available in-person in Manhattan or live online. Your tuition includes Noble’s proprietary workbook, a free course retake, one-on-one mentorship, and a verified certificate of completion. Once you’ve mastered the foundational skills of After Effects, you will learn several advanced animation techniques, such as motion tracking and greenscreen. By the time you graduate from this After Effects Bootcamp, you’ll be a confident user of the application able to turn graphics, photos, and text into animations, join clips with transitions, and bring dynamic motion graphics using many other After Effects features.

If you’re interested in earning an Adobe Certified Professional in After Effects certification, Noble Desktop’s After Effects Certification Program features all you need to ensure you can confidently pass the exam. Beginners are welcome to this After Effects course, which includes 36 hours of class time. This certification-prep program features Noble’s After Effects Bootcamp, their After Effects Advanced course, six hours of one-on-one tutoring, the fee for the Adobe Certified Professional for After Effects exam, and a free retake option for the exam or the entire program if needed. When you graduate from the program, you’ll receive a verified digital certificate of completion, which you can feature on your LinkedIn profile alongside your impressive After Effects certification.

When you’re looking for an After Effects class to start a career in animation, motion graphics, or video editing, you may wish to consider enrolling in a career-prep certificate program like Noble Desktop’s Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate. In addition to mastering After Effects, you’ll also learn the other tools and skills you need to land your first job in your desired field. You’ll enjoy modules on Cinema 4D in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, and Photoshop, as well as additional modules, Motion Graphics & Video Editing Portfolio Development. Whether you attend in-person in NYC or live online, your experienced instructor will assist you in building an impressive portfolio that accurately showcases your new skills—a must-have for securing a job as an Animator, Motion Graphics Designer, or Video Editor. With the help of ample career support, you’ll complete the program job-ready with a certificate to demonstrate your dedication to your professional development to your future employers.