Eight lessons that take you from your first composition to building your own visual effects and motion graphics. Structured logically from the basics up, with nothing assumed.
Built for absolute beginners - nothing is assumed
All exercise files included
Yours to keep and download forever
Direct support from me whenever you get stuck
After Effects is an industry-leading video compositing tool. It gives you powerful features to composite - layer - different visual elements on top of each other, which is what lets you add exciting visual effects to your film projects or build motion graphics and animations from scratch.
8 lessons, ordered from the very basics upwards.
The visual effects workflow and the concepts behind video compositing, then the interface itself: importing video, images and audio, working with compositions and layers, and creating and exporting a simple effect end to end.
A deeper look at compositions: the different ways to create them, how to adjust their settings, how to use them to group layers, and how to build reusable visual elements you can use throughout a project.
Masking is a fundamental compositing tool. Create masks and adjust their properties, combine multiple masks to manage more complex scenes, and animate mask paths to follow moving objects in your footage.
Adjustment layers apply the same effects to every layer beneath them. Covers the theory, why you would reach for one, how to create and use them, and how to use masks to control where the adjustment applies.
Track mattes let one layer define the opacity of another, which opens up endless possibilities. Covers how they work, how to set your layers up, the different matte types, and some advanced uses including animation.
Parenting connects layers together by position, scale and rotation so transforming the parent moves all its children. Use it to build complex hierarchical animations with ease, including combined with 3D layers.
Null objects are placeholder layers used to control other layers. Combine them with parenting to drive animation, or use them as control layers to manage effect parameters across your composition.
After Effects has a true 3D space with 3D layers, lights and cameras. Turn layers into 3D, set up a camera to view the scene, create and configure lights, position everything, and animate it.
Complete beginners who have never opened After Effects
Video editors adding motion graphics and VFX to their skill set
YouTubers and content creators building their own titles and effects
Anyone who has watched scattered tutorials and wants a structured path
Eight structured video lessons, basics through to 3D
Every project and exercise file used in the lessons
Lifetime access - download the videos and watch offline
Direct Q&A support from me on Udemy
Reviews from students who took the course.
Tobias has a very unique way of teaching that makes me want to learn. Initially After Effects seemed very daunting and difficult, I didn't know how I was going to approach learning this subject, but I started following Surfaced Studio on YouTube and he made everything look so easy and fun! I knew that if I wanted a good foundation in learning anything After Effects it was going to be from him. Now I'm completely comfortable with After Effects and enjoy using this program.
Melissa
Not over the top and very easy to follow.
Hasan
No. The course is written for absolute beginners and does not assume you have used the program before. Everything is covered step by step from the very basics.
You need a copy of Adobe After Effects to follow along. Adobe offers a free trial, and the concepts in the course apply across recent versions of the program.
Udemy is an online training portal where you buy on-demand courses. Once purchased, the course is yours to keep forever - you can download the videos and watch them offline whenever you want.
Yes. All of the exercise files are provided as part of the course material.
Some of it, yes - and I am upfront about that. The course reorganises my best tutorials into a single clear learning path, adds the exercise files, lets you download and watch offline, and comes with direct support from me.
Message me on Udemy. I answer student questions directly and I would rather you finish the course happy than quietly give up on it.
Lifetime access, every exercise file, and direct support from me when you get stuck.
