Introduction to Adobe After Effects CC

Course Description

After Effects CC software lets you deliver cinematic visual effects and motion graphics faster than ever before with new Global Performance Cache. Extend your creativity with built-in text and shape extrusion, new mask feathering options. Get into motion graphics - come learn what After Effects CC can do!

Who Should Attend

Video, animation and graphics professionals who need a working knowledge of Adobe After Effects CC.

Prerequisites:

• Practical working knowledge of computers and basic Mac OS X or Windows skills.
• Photoshop Fundamentals: An Introduction to Photoshop class or equivalent experience is recommended.

Course Outline

Note: The curricula below comprise activities typically covered in a class at this skill level. The instructor may, at his/her discretion, adjust the lesson plan to meet the needs of the class.

Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Motion Graphics

• RGB Color Model
• Frame size
• Resolution
• Pixel aspect ratio
• Alpha channels
• Frame rate
• Time code
• Interpreting footage

Lesson 2: Getting to Know the Workflow

• About the After Effects work area
• Creating a project and importing footage
• Creating a composition and arranging layers
• About layers
• Adding effects and modifying layer properties
• Animating the composition
• About the Tools panel
• About timecode and duration
• About the Timeline panel
• Precomposing
• Previewing your work
• Optimizing performance in After Effects
• Rendering and exporting your composition
• Customizing workspaces
• Controlling the brightness of the user interface
• Finding resources for using After Effects

Lesson 3: Creating a Basic Animation Using Effects and Presets

• Importing footage using Adobe Bridge
• Creating a new composition
• Importing video clips
• Importing a sequence of stills
• Importing multilayered photoshop and illustrator files
• Pan Behind tool for layers
• Creating a new composition
• Applying effects to a layer
• Applying and controlling effects
• Applying an animation preset
• Changing parameters globally
• Creating keyframes
• Temporal and spatial Interpolation
• Roving in time for spatial properties
• Previewing the effects
• Adding transparency
• Rendering the composition

Lesson 4: Animating Text

• About text layers
• Installing a font using Typekit
• Creating and formatting point text
• Creating and formatting paragraph text
• Using a text animation preset
• Animating with scale keyframes
• Animating imported Photoshop text
• Animating type tracking
• Animating text opacity
• Using a text animator group
• About text animator groups
• Animating a layer's position
• Animating a range
• Adding motion blur

Lesson 5: Working with Shape Layers

• Adding a shape layer
• Creating custom shapes
• Creating stars
• Default properties of shape layers
• Add properties
• Creating Groups
• Stack your shapes & properties

Lesson 6: Animating Multimedia Presentation

• Using Creative Cloud Libraries in After Effects
• Adjusting anchor points
• Parenting layers
• Precomposing layers
• Keyframing a motion path
• Animating additional elements
• Applying an effect
• About solid-color layers
• Animating precomposed layers
• Animating the background
• Adding an audio track
• Supported audio file formats

Lesson 7: Working with Masks

• About masks
• Creating a mask with the Pen tool
• Editing a mask
• About mask modes
• Creating a Bezier mask
• Feathering the edges of a mask
• Replacing the content of the mask
• Using masks from Illustrator and Photoshop
• Masks for spatial keyframes
• Pan Behind tool for masks
• Zooming and panning by touch
• Adding a reflection
• Creating a vignette
• Using the Rectangle and Ellipse tools
• Adjusting the timing
• Tips for creating masks
• Trimming the work area

Lesson 8: Distorting Objects with the Puppet Tools

• About the Puppet tools
• Adding Deform pins
• Defining areas of overlap
• Stiffening an area
• Animating pin positions
• Squash and stretch
• Recording animation
• Act it out with Adobe Character Animator

Lesson 9: Other Effects

• Time remapping
• Motion sketch
• The smoother
• The wiggler
• Auto orient
• Splitting a layer
• Adjustment layers
• Time remapping

Lesson 10: Rendering and Outputting

• Creating templates for the Render Queue
• About compression
• Exporting using the Render Queue
• Preparing movies for mobile devices
• Rendering movies with Adobe Media Encoder
• Preparing a movie for broadcast output