After Effects is one of the more exciting video applications you can learn, but it can be quite intimidating for those new to the program. Let’s take a look at five essential tutorials for learning the basics of After Effects.
1. The Interface
Created by: PremiumBeat
While After Effects is quite deep, you don’t have to know everything about the program to create impressive motion design with it. This PremiumBeat tutorial by Mikey Borup shows us how to navigate the After Effects interface. In a lot of ways, AE is very similar to a traditional video editing application, so if you have experience with project panels or timelines, you’ll be able to pick it up quickly.
2. The Tools Panel
Created by: Stop Motion Magazine
The After Effects tools panel allows you to quickly rotate your objects, move your cameras, mask out your layers, create shapes, change anchor points, resize viewing composition, and much more. Once you get the hang of After Effects, you won’t have to click the tools anymore. Instead, you can quickly recall a tool using keyboard shortcuts.
This tutorial from Stop Motion Magazine covers all of the basic tools you should know in After Effects. Master these tools and you’ll open up a world of creative possibilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaV4L2DIA2I
3. Using Effects
Created by: MotionMile
The effects in After Effects are what make it so different from other video applications. This epic tutorial from MotionMile is a great crash course in how to use individual effects to create a cool cinematic title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpmFiC5JtG8
4. Animation Basics
Created by: School of Motion
Keyframes are the cornerstone of animation in After Effects. Essentially a keyframe sets a value at a point in time. Want to animate movement between two points? Simply set two keyframes. The thing that makes After Effects super helpful for animators is the amount of customization users have over the way the keyframes work with each other. Using the graph editor, designers can smooth out movements to make everything look more organic and professionals.
5. Exporting
Created by: lynda
After you’ve created an epic animation, it’s time to export your video. There are basically two options in After Effects for exporting video: the Render Queue and Media Encoder. Both have their advantages and disadvantages—but for most editing scenarios, you’ll probably want to use Media Encoder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eulwBU4s5k&list=PL26pr4T7OzVNoIWlASEBtpyubTzPWriHs&index=2
Know of any other awesome After Effects tutorials? Share in the comments below.