Getting started with Adobe After Effects: Top 10 After Effects Tutorials for Beginners
Want to get to grips with one of the most popular post-production tools on the market? Check out these top After Effects tutorials for beginners.
If you want to enhance the look of your next video project, then now’s the time to brush up on or learn some basic Adobe After Effects skills. With our 15 essential After Effects tutorials for designers, you can be sure that every frame of your film will look fantastic.
What is After Effects?
Adobe After Effects is an application for creating animation, motion graphics, and special effects for videos, online content, and presentations.
It can make any multimedia content look marvelous, from film and broadcast TV to websites and in-store displays. Many creators, such as video editors, visual designers, and advertising agencies, use After Effects – however, thanks to our free online learning hub Envato Tuts+ – you don’t need to be a professional to get started.
How to Use After Effects
You’ll soon be on your way by getting familiar with the basics. Here’s how to get started with After Effects:
- Download Adobe After Effects.
- Find the perfect images, graphics, fonts, and more for your project using Envato Elements.
- Familiarize yourself with essential elements of the After Effects interface, such as the Tools, Project, and Composition panels, as well as the Menu bar and Timeline.
- Click the ‘New Composition’ button at the bottom of the Project panel. Then, in the Menu bar, choose File > Import > File to open a dialog box, where you can import media into your composition.
- Explore and experiment with various tools – like the Anchor Point Tool, Text Tool, Rotation Tool, and Shape Tool.
- Choose File > Save. Always remember to save as you go!
- Start editing your image and let those creative juices flow!
Why Use After Effects Tutorials?
Everyone from total beginners to experienced users can benefit from our self-learning After Effects tutorials, which will see you creating stunning transitions, openers, and other effects for your videos in no time. In addition, After Effects templates can take your projects to the next level thanks to a range of pre-made project files broken down into editable layers containing animated elements, motion graphics, typography, and much more.
Top 10 After Effects Tutorials for Beginners
1. A to Z of After Effects: Tips, Tricks, & Hacks
From adding awesome animations to making the most of the Zoom Tool, this collection of 26 valuable tips, tricks, and hacks will kickstart your creative journey on After Effects.
2. Adobe After Effects for Beginners
Start to use the After Effects interface like a professional producer with this After Effects Course for Beginners that introduces a range of essential tools and shows you how to customize your setup to cater to your specific needs.
3. How to Use Masks in After Effects
This online lesson shows you how to use different mask modes to achieve stunning visual effects – from text transitions to vignettes. Watch the video tutorial and follow the on-screen instructions to master masks in After Effects.
4. How to Use Text in After Effects
Do you want to master the text or type tool? With this free tutorial, you’ll be aligning, modifying, and scaling your words and letters in no time.
5. How to Use Shape Layers to Animate in After Effects
They are super-powerful tools for creating graphics and much more – so it makes sense to get your know-how in ‘shape’ with this shape layers explainer video. You’ll learn how to use the Ellipse, Polygon, and Pen Tools to create static and animated objects.
6. How to Animate the Layers of a Logo in After Effects
Whether for your website or a professional branding project, learn how to bring a logo design to life through animation. This handy After Effects tutorial will teach you how to make your mark with movement.
7. How to Use Layer Controls in After Effects
Watch this lesson and learn how to use Layer Controls to further immerse yourself in animation. As a result, you’ll be able to start adding multiple dynamic elements to your next After Effects project.
8. Visual Effects Compositing in Adobe After Effects
If your next video or broadcast assignment requires combining two or more visual elements into a final still or moving image, you will need to know about compositing. Thankfully, this Tuts+ tutorial has got visual effects compositing in After Effects covered.
9. Animating Icons With Adobe Illustrator and After Effects
From branding elements to animated infographics and instructive videos, icons are vital to any designer’s toolkit. With After Effects, you can animate the icons you have created in Illustrator – watch this tutorial to find out how.
10. How to Animate Handwriting With a Video Template for After Effects
Add an analog element to your next video with this tutorial on handwriting animation. Prepare to discover a memorable and (literally) moving way to get your message across.
For more valuable resources on Adobe After Effects, peruse these Top 10 After Effects Templates, or this range of awesome After Effects Projects. While you’re here, also check out our blog on After Effects vs. Premiere Pro, as well as these 15 Professional Broadcast Package Templates.
To level up your skills in everything from code and web design to business strategy and branding – head over to Envato Tuts+ to check out the wide variety of free tutorials and online courses. Or, for access to millions of creative assets, subscribe to Envato Elements for unlimited downloads of stock videos, graphics, music, photos, and more.
