How to Learn After Effects Online

Students with busy schedules that wish to avoid long commutes may want to pursue a virtual training program over a costly in-person course at a local university or technology center. Online classes have the benefits of in-person instruction, such as being taught by industry professionals and built around completing projects and other hands-on assignments. However, online training programs also allow students to choose their learning environment, are frequently less expensive than in-person opportunities, and do not require a commute. Use the following article to explore the online training formats available to students learning After Effects. 

What is After Effects?

Adobe After Effects is a motion graphics application that places special effects design and creation tools in your hands! Whether you are a small business looking to make eye-catching advertisements and commercials or an employee of one of the top animation studios, After Effect allows users to bring their imagination to life. This Academy Award-winning program has been a favorite of film, television, and internet creators since its creation in the early 1990s. Special, practical, mechanical, and theatrical effects artists used After Effects software to create blockbuster movies such as Star Trek: Into Darkness and Ender's Game. 

Combined with the graphics of Illustrator, the image-altering tools of Photoshop, and the video editing capabilities of Premiere Pro, After Effect’s comprehensive toolbar and layering features allow users to create dynamic special effects and title cards. Adobe Effects also has a 3D design function, adding new emphasis and movement to any project. You can even use After Effects to create fully or partially animated features! When combined with the other programs of the Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects will help your video project stand out from the crowd!

Read more about what After Effects is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with After Effects?

Think about the last time you watched a Hollywood blockbuster. What were the main things that you noticed throughout the movie? Maybe you noticed the quality of the animations and other motion graphics that added a unique texture to your viewing experience. Perhaps the dynamic opening credits that set the stage for the action caught your eye. Or maybe the incredible special effects drew you into the movie's action. Regardless of what visuals captured your attention, Adobe After Effects or a related motion graphics and special effects tool was likely responsible for these incredible visuals. 

After Effects is a motion graphics and special effects software that allows you to animate texts and objects, use greenscreens to add or subtract objects and elements, and develop unique transitions to your visual media creations. Users can create their original graphics using Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator or redesign one of the many available templates to create their vision. When users combine the editing power of After Effects with the capacities of Cinema 4D Lite included with every subscription, these artists can add new textures and dimensions to their visual media. 

Beyond the incredible toolkit offered within the After Effects program, this application is also compatible with many other tools. Part of the larger Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects can work with programs such as Adobe Audition, InDesign, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro to create original and composite forms of visual media. After Effects also works with third-party plugins such as FXFactory, Red Giant by Maxon, and CycoreFX, further maximizing the capabilities and functionality of this application. 

Live Online After Effects Training

Many students are searching for alternatives to the traditional classroom environment and the need to commute to acquire a collegiate-level education. Many students, for example, are discovering the benefits of live online learning. Like in-person classes, live-online workshops and courses feature instruction from skilled professionals who are available to answer questions and provide assistance throughout the course. Nevertheless, students can set up their ideal working environment and avoid the distractions of a traditional classroom. Several live online classes even offer career support and one-on-one mentoring opportunities to live online students. 

Many students gravitate to live online training when building their After Effects skill sets. The general structure of live online courses mimics those of in-person classes, where professional experts tend to balance lectures and demonstrations with hands-on assignments and experience. Live online training centers even offer opportunities for one-on-one mentoring and networking with your professors and classmates. Designed for students with busy schedules and multiple responsibilities, live online classes tend to occur during accessible times for those who work during business hours or have other commitments that may prevent them from attending in-person classes. 

Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, offers several live online learning opportunities for students looking to develop and enhance their After Effects skills. Beginner or casual After Effects users may wish to enroll in Noble Desktop’s After Effects Bootcamp or After Effects in a Day course. These short-term classes teach students how to animate text and graphics, create title sequences and end credits, and start creating 3D objects. 

Participants looking to pursue a career in computer animation and motion graphics development may wish to enroll in one of Noble Desktop’s highly-rated certificate programs. Enhance your skills and round out your resume by enrolling in the Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate Course or Motion Graphics Certificate Course. These multi-month classes walk students through multiple Adobe Programs necessary to create original visual content like Audition, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. These certificate programs prepare students to enter the workforce with the confidence and skills necessary to succeed in their chosen careers. 

Unsure which course to take? Check out Noble Desktop’s list of the Best After Effects Courses Online. This helpful resource allows students to compare live online and on-demand courses' costs, duration, and curriculum.

On-Demand After Effects Classes

Students invested in learning After Effects but would like to train on their schedule may want to consider enrolling in an on-demand tech class. Like in-person or live online classes, on-demand videos cover introductory and advanced animation and motion graphics techniques. Industry experts guide you through complicated tools and techniques of After Effect in a rewatchable format. Learn After Effects on your schedule in the learning environment of your choice with on-demand classes. 

Classes vary in cost, duration, and complexity, requiring students to compare and contrast the cost of After Effect classes to discover which opportunity best suits their needs. A subscription to Skillshare, for example, will bring you eighteen lessons, hands-on projects, and the entirety of Skillshare’s diverse video catalog. Students looking for a much more comprehensive overview may want to consider Udemy’s Adobe After Effects: Complete Course from Novice to Expert. This course allows students to progress and refine their skills over 35 hours of videos. On-demand video programs offer a way to learn almost any animation and motion graphics skill at your own pace. 

On-demand video training is not without limitations. Students frequently struggle to find footing in asynchronous courses without in-person or live online instructors. While students can watch on-demand videos as many times as they would like, they still lack an onsite or online professional that can help answer questions specific to their problems. On-demand training programs also remove the opportunity to network and build a professional identity in a classroom setting, which is essential, especially if you want to use After Effects professionally.

Free Intro Courses & Tutorials

Learning After Effects is a commitment that requires time and energy to pursue. If you are unsure whether this application is worth the time and effort necessary to master it, researching before and after you begin your subscription is one of the best ways to ensure that you prepare yourself for long-term success. For example, an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription gives you access to Adobe After Effects and Adobe Animate. Which program will help you meet your personal and professional needs? Check out Noble Desktop’s blog post with a detailed comparison of Adobe After Effects and Animate programs to ensure that you invest your time and money well. 

Are you searching for a way to expand your skills and learn new techniques? Even after you have committed to purchasing an After Effects program or an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you may feel overwhelmed determining the best place to start learning this complex program. Noble Desktop offers a free Get Started in Motion Graphics course and an Intro to After Effects seminar recording. Noble Desktop even has a free technical training YouTube channel to help you understand the ins and outs of After Effects. These free introductory videos and tutorials work best in conversation with the in-person or live online courses found using Noble Desktop’s After Effects Classes Near Me and Best After Effects Classes Online. 

These tools are also great ways to identify other free introductory classes online. Udemy, for example, offers a range of free courses in multiple languages. Entry-level students are the intended audience of these on-demand videos, focusing on specific skills rather than connecting different techniques and applications. Nevertheless, this platform allows students to explore the benefits and limitations of on-demand classes. Coursera offers similar free learning opportunities, but classes tend to be much broader, and many of the free courses overview other animation and motion graphics applications besides After Effect. Students may also use these free courses to prepare for more advanced techniques and tools that more structured classes cover. 

Read about more free After Effects videos and online tutorials.

Comparing Online Methods with In-Person Learning 

Imagine your ideal After Effects training format. Are you in a classroom or working from a desk at home? Does an instructor dictate your schedule? Or do you have the freedom to choose when and where you study? Does the thought of not being able to ask an instructor for clarification sound intimidating or like a fun challenge of individual discovery? By considering these questions, you begin the first steps in determining if in-person, live online, or self-paced training is the best learning format for Adobe After Effects. 

In-person, live online, and self-paced training options positively and negatively influence students’ decisions to use them during their After Effects training. Live online and in-person classes are great for those who thrive in community-based environments and are working to build their professional networks. These students frequently benefit from opportunities for individualized and tailored instruction. Instructors also structure these classes to be more hands-on and project-based than on-demand formats that are asynchronous and do not provide opportunities for structured feedback. Students also benefit from on-campus computer labs with instruments designed to run Adobe programs. Nevertheless, these students will still have to modify their personal computers to run these applications if they plan to use this program outside of class. 

Students that enroll in live online and on-demand After Effects classes benefit from the lack of commute to local colleges and tech schools. Beyond saving on commuting costs, on-demand courses are also a cost-effective way to learn the basics of this program on a budget. Nevertheless, those pursuing a career in special effects, motion graphics, and other forms of visual media production will still need to enroll in more advanced live online or in-person classes to learn more advanced techniques. 

Before determining which training format will work for you, here is a little secret: the best After Effects users do not limit themselves to a single learning opportunity. Depending on where they are in their After Effects journey, a motion graphics artist may use a combination of two or more training formats. These different formats help them learn and retain the ins and outs of After Effects using different teaching techniques. 

Regardless of the combinations of training formats you choose, Noble Desktop can help you find the program that best fits your educational, financial, and scheduling needs. Interested in learning the basics of After Effects with on-demand training? Check out Noble Desktop’s Best After Effects Training on Demand list. Would you like to avoid the distractions of in-person learning? Noble Desktop’s Top Live Online After Effects Courses search engine allows students to compare and contrast the best live online classes available. Looking for an instructor is a little closer to home? Use Noble Desktop’s Best After Effects Classes Near Me tool to take the guesswork out of which program will best fit your needs. Get the most out of your After Effects program with the help of Noble Desktop.

Tips to Succeed when Learning After Effects Online

Design a Curriculum 

Online learning provides the flexibility to choose how they would like to learn to use After Effects. While live online classes will come with a pre-existing curriculum to follow, users can still tailor their learning to focus on their specific needs and interests. A great starting point for developing your curriculum is to investigate current trends in the motion graphics and special effects industries to determine what types of outputs you would like to create with After Effects. Once identified, you can use these tools and techniques to identify which type of online class will cover this material. 

Develop Personal Goals 

Setting goals while learning After Effects can help keep you motivated and focus your efforts on cultivating your ability to use specific tools and techniques necessary to complete these tasks. Learning After Effects takes time and practice, so setting goals can help longer processes have tangible results and outputs that will demonstrate your progression. Keeping a list of goals can also help you identify which courses and resources will help you achieve your personal and professional aspirations. 

Designate a Personal Workspace 

Creating a personal workspace is essential to your After Effects learning experience. For one, you will need to ensure that you have all of the technology, tools, and software to run After Effects. Gaming and other high-end computers with significant RAM capacity prevent your computer from regularly crashing while using After Effects. Being able to design the environment that best suits your learning needs and style is also a great way to ensure that you will use this space regularly and stick to your After Effects learning schedule. 

Discover Your After Effects Community 

Every adventure is more fun with a companion or two! Building a community of After Effects users through courses, online forums, and other gatherings can help you achieve your long-term goals by keeping you accountable to your practicing goals and assisting when you are learning the challenging aspects of After Effects. Finding other After Effects users is also a great way to network with potential collaborators and employers with similar skills and interests. 

Learn After Effects with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Are you looking for a training program to jump-start your After-Effects adventures? Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, is known for its high-rated full and part-time bootcamps and certificate programs. Expert instructors set students up for long-term success through project-based learning and many opportunities for hands-on learning. Students living in or near New York City can easily commute to regularly offered in-person After Effects classes offered at Noble Desktop’s Manhattan campus. Want to avoid a long commute? Consider enrolling in one of Noble Desktop’s live online After Effects classes, where you can receive dynamic and interactive After Effects training from the comfort of your home or office!

Wondering which class format will help you cultivate your After Effects knowledge and skills? Consider your timetable and ultimate objectives. Students looking to use After Effects more casually or as an additional skill for an existing career may want to enroll in Noble Desktop’s After Effects in a Day or three-day After Effects Bootcamp. These classes save you time and money by balancing lectures with hands-on experience, maximizing retention, and setting you up for success. “Definitely recommend Noble Desktop overtaking a semester-long continuing education class at an expensive art school,” raved one reviewer, “This class covers techniques in a practical manner, and you can get started on your own after three days of intensive learning.” Worried that you couldn’t possibly retain everything you learn? Noble Desktop offers a free retake for all of its classes! 

Students interested in a more dramatic career change or would like to develop their portfolio and CV may want to enroll in the Motion Graphics Certificate or Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate programs. These training programs use hands-on experience and project-based training to teach students how to create original content using After Effects, Premiere Pro, and other Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Students also have several opportunities for one-on-one mentorship and receive a comprehensive step-by-step manual that ensures they have all the tools needed for long-term success.

Key Insights

• Students can learn how to use After Effects online through live online, free introductory courses, and on-demand video formats. 
• Live Online courses tend to be highly interactive and provide many opportunities for hands-on learning. 
• On-demand videos are frequently cheaper and more flexible than traditional in-person and live online classes. 
• Research is essential when determining which class format would work best for your needs.