Can I Learn After Effects in 3 Months?

Learning After Effects in three months is achievable, especially with the guidance of expert instructors in a structured live online or in-person course. In three months of After Effects training and practice, most learners will become proficient in basic animation, keyframing, compositing, and some advanced visual effects. More complex tasks like 3D integration and high-end visual effects may require additional practice, and After Effects users will continue to polish their workflow and make new discoveries throughout their years of using the application. This article explores realistic expectations an After Effects user can have about their first three months with the application, how they can learn the application more quickly, and what aspects of working with After Effects they may anticipate continuing to learn after three months of training.

How Much After Effects Can I Learn in 3 Months 

After Effects students in live instructor-led classes can gain intermediate and possibly even expert-level mastery of the application in three months of study. The intensive learning environment of an Adobe bootcamp or certification-prep program—either full-time or part-time and typically much shorter than three months—allows students to quickly grasp the software’s core functions, including basic animation, keyframing, and compositing. As full-time students, After Effects learners will rapidly become adept at navigating the interface, optimizing workflows, and organizing projects efficiently. By the end of three months—and often earlier—most learners will be capable of producing professional-quality motion graphics and basic visual effects and be more than ready to use After Effects in the workplace.

Those attending a part-time After Effects class will naturally progress more slowly than full-time students, but they can still achieve strong proficiency in the application in the time frame. The pace and scope of the specific part-time class will ultimately determine what an After Effects student can learn in three months. However, they can be confident they will have mastered the software’s fundamental concepts and gained comfort and ample experience using its fundamental tools. After three months of learning, part-time After Effects students will be proficient in creating simple animations, applying effects, and basic compositing. However, more complex techniques like advanced 3D work or intricate visual effects may or may not still be beyond their reach at this stage. That said, most part-time learners will be ready to pass an Adobe Certified Professional in After Effects exam after three months of study—and often much earlier.

Self-led After Effects learners can expect a wider variety in their first three months of progress than those enrolled in part-time or full-time programs. Their progress largely depends on their aptitude for self-learning, past experience in motion graphics or with Adobe applications, and the quality of the resources they consult in their studies. A highly driven and motivated self-learner has the potential to gain a solid understanding of basic animation principles and become familiar with After Effects’ essential tools within three months. However, without the structure of a live online or in-person class or the guidance of a live instructor, self-learners may struggle to understand more advanced concepts and industry-standard workflows associated with the application. Self-learners can often achieve significantly more when they actively seek out a mentor and an online community, as a network of fellow learners and expert mentorship is crucial in any After Effects learner’s education.

Regardless of an After Effects student’s chosen learning approach, it’s important to maintain realistic expectations about the level of proficiency they can reach in three months. While students enrolled in a live full-time or part-time class will, in all likelihood, gain the skills to earn an After Effects certification and use the application in the workplace in three months or sooner, self-taught learners may need additional time to reach the same level of expertise.

How Can I Learn After Effects More Quickly?

Consistency and dedication are crucial to mastering After Effects quickly. Clear goals and a structured learning schedule are necessary for staying on track and efficiently moving forward for any learner, whether enrolled in a live class or studying independently. Experimenting with different tools within the software and seeking constructive feedback from mentors or peers are also effective strategies for accelerating the After Effects learning experience. While a motivated, self-driven After Effects learner can theoretically gather all these resources for a self-learning journey, live online and in-person classes provide all these benefits and more to create the most efficient After Effects learning environment available to students today.

Aspiring learners can find various After Effects class options to help them meet their specific learning needs and goals. Live classes featuring the benefits of a set schedule, the guidance of a live instructor, a learning community, and a proven curriculum are available in-person or online, part-time or full-time, and with a variety of focuses and levels of comprehensiveness. A beginner-friendly After Effects Bootcamp like the one Noble Desktop offers is arguably the fastest way to learn the application. Bootcamps are intensive, immersive courses featuring in-depth curricula and a focus on hands-on learning. While they are typically full-time, Noble Desktop offers a part-time version of all of their After Effects bootcamps and courses, including their After Effects Certification Program for those who need the most comprehensive training possible and an Adobe Certified Professional in After Effects certification.

To complement their formal training, After Effects students can also accelerate their learning journey by taking advantage of the various readily accessible online resources. Adobe and professional training schools like Noble Desktop provide free After Effects seminars and tutorials that can be valuable supplements to learners’ training, providing alternative perspectives and exercises on topics they’re studying in class. YouTube videos, online forums, podcasts, blogs, and articles like those in Noble’s After Effects Learn Hub are other free resources that After Effects learners can leverage in their independent study time to reach their learning goals faster.

What After Effects Skills Will I Need to Learn After 3 Months?

After three months of After Effects training, ambitious learners may still wish to expand their skill set with more advanced training. While Noble Desktop’s 12-hour After Effects Bootcamp is all the experience you need to enroll in their After Effects Advanced course, self-learners may find themselves ready for it after about three months of training. Students in this class will benefit from hands-on projects and one-on-one tutoring as they learn advanced animation, compositing, and visual effects techniques. Whether enrolled in this course or another advanced After Effects course, learners will learn how to use the application to perform tasks such as compositing video footage with still images and animated graphics, tracking the movement of objects with MochaAE, and removing greenscreens. Many learners will be ready to master these and other advanced skills prior to completing three months of training, but others will be more comfortable pacing their learning journey so that they are learning these after their first three months.

Those interested in learning After Effects and related motion graphics or video editing tools and techniques to launch a new career may be interested in enrolling in a career-focused certificate program either as a beginner or after taking an introductory After Effects course. Noble Desktop provides several comprehensive certificate programs featuring After Effects training, including their Motion Graphics Certificate and Video Editing Certificate. While these and similar programs can be completed on a full-time schedule in less than three months, they will usually run for about six to eight months when attended as a part-time student. In the later months of these part-time courses, After Effects learners will study related tools, like Premiere Pro and other Adobe Creative Cloud applications, perform extensive hands-on work integrating concepts, techniques, and best practices of their chosen field, and build a professional portfolio.

Whether an individual still has several months of a class remaining after three months of studying After Effects or has already been certified and using After Effects for several weeks, they can count on continuing to learn and refine their knowledge of the application for years to come. Through their career using the application, they’ll encounter additional tips, tricks, and techniques, and if they want to remain competitive in their professional career, they will stay on top of updates to the application itself and best practices within any workflows involving After Effects.

Learn After Effects with Noble Desktop

At design and coding school Noble Desktop, learners can meet their specific learning goals by choosing from one of their many After Effects class offerings. These courses are available in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus and live online for students to attend from home anywhere in the world. Here, you can explore some of the After Effects training options currently provided by Noble Desktop.

Noble Desktop offers an 18-hour After Effects Bootcamp suitable for beginners as well as long-time users of the application who would like to fill some gaps in their knowledge. Experienced instructors will lead you through a proven curriculum featuring lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises that will ensure you master and retain the skills you learn in the program. Tuition covers several perks, including Noble’s proprietary workbook, a free retake option, one bonus one-on-one mentorship session, and a verified digital certificate of completion. The After Effects bootcamp covers all of the essentials of the application, from the basics to more advanced animation techniques like greenscreen removal and motion tracking. By the time you complete the bootcamp, you’ll be an adept After Effects user, able to transform images and text into animations, join clips with transitions, integrate video footage in your projects, and confidently create motion graphics and animation projects using the application’s many features.

Noble Desktop offers an After Effects Certification Program, carefully crafted to equip you with all the tools and support you need to earn an Adobe Certified Professional in After Effects certification. In addition to providing comprehensive training in After Effects in Noble’s After Effects Bootcamp and After Effects Advanced course, this all-inclusive course included six hours of one-on-one tutoring, the exam fee, and a free retake option for the complete program or the exam. Upon finishing the program, you will earn a verified certificate of completion and be ready to move forward to new opportunities in your animation, motion graphics, video production, or design career. 

If you aim to build a career in video editing, motion graphics, or animation, Noble’s Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate program will provide you with all you need to achieve that goal. As one of Noble’s several comprehensive, career-focused certificate programs, this intensive bootcamp-style course is an all-in-one, cost-effective training that can prepare you for the job market much faster than a traditional college degree. The Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate program covers After Effects, Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, Cinema 4D in After Effects, and Photoshop. Noble’s expert instructors will also provide you with guidance in assembling a professional portfolio and eight one-on-one mentorship sessions for career support. Tuition covers these features, plus the free option to retake the program and a verified digital certificate of completion.