Top Cities for After Effects Classes & Training

Students interested in learning After Effects at a dedicated training facility will find that almost all of their options are in major metropolitan areas. Since this is also where many of the highest-paying jobs are located, it makes sense that students looking for a career change consider the kinds of cities that offer the most robust training options for aspiring Animators of Motion Graphics Designers.

What is After Effects?

Adobe After Effects is a motion graphics application used to design and create special effects. This Academy Award-winning program has been a favorite of film, television, and internet creators since its creation in the early 1990s. 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 offers a way to bring your imagination to life. When combined with the other programs of the Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe After Effects is a great way to make sure a video project stands out from the crowd.

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

What Can You Do with After Effects Skills?

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.

New York City

Thousands of people move to New York City every year to enjoy its diverse culture, nightlife, history, and walkability. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it ranks fifth among the top-paying metropolitan areas in the United States. Designers who use After Effects likely find many employment opportunities in New York City. Glassdoor reports that Motion Graphics Designers earn about $79,000 annually, 3D Animators earn about $84,000, and Video Editors earn approximately $60,000 annually.

Noble Desktop offers several options for designers looking to learn After Effects in New York City. With a central location in midtown Manhattan and easy access to public transportation, Noble teaches small-group classes in spacious, modern classrooms. It runs shorter introductory After Effects courses and longer courses like bootcamps and certificate programs. Future Media Concepts is another New York City school that offers After Effects training.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles has a high cost of living, but it also has many employment opportunities for designers who know how to work with After Effects. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Los Angeles metropolitan area has the highest employment level for Special Effects Artists and Animators in the United States. The city also ranks sixth among the top-paying urban regions in the United States. Residents of Los Angeles have easy access to a wide variety of entertainment, including shopping, restaurants, sports, and concerts, and they are a short drive from beaches, mountains, and deserts. According to Glassdoor, Motion Graphics Designers in Los Angeles earn approximately $78,000 annually, Animators earn $65,000, and Video Editors earn $60,000.

Training Connection, Lumenbrite, and Ledet Training are just some schools that run in-person After Effects Classes in Los Angeles. Training options include courses for both beginners and more advanced students, as well as a comprehensive bootcamp.

San Diego

San Diego is widely known as a beautiful city with mild weather and a variety of recreation and entertainment options. U.S. News & World Report recently placed San Diego at the top of its list of Most Fun Places to Live in the U.S. San Diego also has many job opportunities related to motion graphics and special effects. Glassdoor reports that Motion Graphics Designers there earn about $70,000 per year, Animators earn $59,000, and Video Editors earn $56,000.

There are many schools in San Diego teaching After Effects. Ledet Training has a centrally located campus and runs a multi-day class that covers the essentials of this program and another where students can learn more advanced skills. AcademyX also offers a course that covers fundamental and intermediate After Effects skills and takes several days to complete.

Dallas

With no state income tax and a relatively low cost of living, Dallas is a popular and rapidly-growing city with many job opportunities. According to U.S. News & World Report, Dallas is the second-best place to live in Texas. This rapidly-growing city has been a hotspot for people looking to relocate in recent years. It has a relatively low cost of living and no state income tax and offers many job opportunities for designers. Glassdoor reports that Motion Graphics Designers there earn approximately $76,000 per year, 3D Animators earn about $81,000, and Video Editors earn $57,000.

Students will find alternatives for in-person After Effects Training in Dallas. Lumenbrite runs a beginner class, an intermediate class, and a bootcamp. Digital Training & Designs also has After Effects classes for both beginners and more advanced students. 

Houston

Like Dallas, Houston has become a top destination for people relocating to another city. Its employment opportunities, high quality of life, and relatively low cost of living earned it the number two spot on U.S. News & World Report’s list of Ten Most Desirable U.S. Cities for Millennials. Glassdoor reports that Motion Graphics Designers in Houston earn approximately $74,000 per year, Animators earn $61,000, and Video Editors earn $59,000.

Students living in Houston can attend in-person After Effects classes at Ledet Training or Lumenbrite, which both have Houston campuses. Ledet offers a beginner class and an advanced class, both of which take several days to complete. Lumenbrite also runs courses for both beginner and more advanced students and a bootcamp.

Tampa

Tampa residents say that they like this city for its combination of a laid-back beach lifestyle and large-city amenities such as entertainment, dining, sports, and museums. CNN Money ranks it at number nine on its list of 50 Best Places to Live, calling it “a rare combination of action-packed and affordable.” Motion Graphics Designers living in Tampa earn about $74,000 per year, according to Glassdoor, while Animators earn about $60,000, and Video Editors earn $57,000.

Tampa students can take After Effects classes through Certstaffix Training, which runs live online courses but also provides access to a local computer lab. Future Media Concepts and Ledet Training also offer live online After Effects classes.

Seattle

Seattle is a popular place to live, with a wide variety of both employment and recreational opportunities. Niche ranks it the best city in America for outdoor activities and the third-best city for young professionals. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state of Washington has the second-highest overall employment level for Special Effects Artists and Animators. Motion Graphics Designers earn an average of $84,000 per year, according to Glassdoor, while Animators make about $78,000, and Video Editors earn approximately $72,000 yearly.

Seattle-based students can learn After Effects at Luminous Works Training, which offers a multi-day class covering the fundamentals of this application, and a shorter Level 2 class that covers more advanced features. The School of Visual Concepts also runs an After Effects class focused on using After Effects for design. This class is for intermediate-level students.

Chicago

Chicago has a dynamic local economy and is home to many large companies, making it an excellent place to find work in motion graphics. This city is relatively inexpensive to live in and is known for its Midwestern friendliness, making it unique among other large cities, which are often expensive and impersonal. According to Glassdoor, Motion Graphics Designers in Chicago earn about $73,000 annually, Animators earn about $67,000, and Video Editors earn approximately $60,000.

There are several After Effects class options in Chicago. Training Connection runs beginner and intermediate classes with the option of a free retake. Ledet Training, Future Media Concepts, and CTS Training also offer a variety of After Effects classes catering to beginners and more advanced students.

Miami

People love Miami for its mild winters, beautiful beaches, and many entertainment offerings. However, it is also an excellent place to find work in a career related to After Effects. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida has the fifth-highest employment level for Special Effects Artists and Animators. According to Glassdoor, Motion Graphics Designers in Miami earn approximately $67,000 annually, Animators earn about $59,000, and Video Editors earn about $56,000.

For designers living in Miami, Ledet Training offers in-person After Effects classes. Its beginner class takes multiple days to complete and provides an in-depth overview of this application, including instruction on enhancing video, elearning, and other projects. The advanced course covers more complex skills such as 3D kinetic typography, expressions, audio linking, infographic techniques, and special effects.

Atlanta

Atlanta recently ranked number one on CNN Money’s 50 Best Places to Live in the U.S. list. CNN explains that only does this city have a considerable amount of cultural diversity, but it is “a job-seeker’s paradise.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state of Georgia has the third-highest employment level for Special Effects Artists and Animators, a category that includes Motion Graphics Designers. In Atlanta, Motion Graphics Designers earn an average of $76,000 per year, according to Glassdoor, while Animators earn about $62,000, and Video Editors earn approximately $56,000.

Emory Continuing Education, Ledet Training, and Lumenbrite all offer in-person After Effects classes for Atlanta residents. Emory’s is an introductory, multi-week course. Ledet and Lumenbrite both offer introductory and more advanced courses that take multiple days to complete.

Learn After Effects Skills Online

There is a variety of online After Effects courses for students who don’t live in any of these major metropolitan areas. Many schools offer live online instruction, which has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its flexibility and ease of access. In live online classes, students receive live instruction but can log on from any location they want. On-demand classes are another online option. These lack live instruction; however, they are popular because they allow students to go at their own pace.

To learn more about After Effects courses you can take live online, use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool.

Learn After Effects Skills with 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 practically covers techniques, 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 developing 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.