I love Adobe After Effects and have been using it since 2002. It’s Photoshop on steroids, and whatever crazy idea you have for an animation, After Effects can pull it off in one way or another.
With great power comes a steep learning curve. After Effects is one of those programs that you load up for the first time, look around and say “huh?”. It’s not one of those programs you load up, muck around for twenty minutes and out pops a shiny piece of sweet animation. If anything your first few animations will be the ugliest things you have ever seen. Don’t be discouraged though, we all started from this place.
To learn After Effects, you need to watch a lot of tutorials. It’s a sophisticated program, and there are many principles you need to understand before you feel comfortable gallivanting within the program by yourself.
I have scoured the Internet and pulled together a thorough list of the best After Effects video tutorials. Some for pay, but the majority are free. So lean in, press play and start learning how to become an After Effects master.
Basic After Effects
Adobe TV Learn After Effects
There is no better way to learn After Effects than from the team who built the program. This easy to follow video lecture series walks you through the basic principles of how to use the program, create animations and encode them from playback.
Video Copilot Basic Training
Andrew Kramer does an excellent job of breaking down something complex into something simple and easy to follow along. This is a must-see ten-part video series that introduces you to After Effects, shows you around, demonstrates everyday tasks and explains how to render your work.
Maxafter After Effects Basic Training
An eleven chapter video series by Shoaib Khan that will only take you about an hour to complete. Shoaib walks you through the After Effects basics so you will feel more comfortable using the program. It’s not my top pick for After Effects training, but it’s an easy way to digest some knowledge in a short amount of time.
Greyscale Gorilla After Effects Training
Nick from Greyscale Gorilla has put together a simple two-part video series that will take you less than forty minutes to completes. He walks you through how to animate and pre-compose in the first part and in the second part he shows you key-framing. These are two essential principles in any After Effects project and are two skills you will need to master.
Creative Live Adobe After Effects Starter Kit (Paid)
In this intensive 6-hour course, renowned author, video producer, and Adobe Community Professional Jeff Foster will show you how to use After Effects’ many functions to enhance your projects with animated titling and 3D motion graphics.
Intermediate After Effects
Video Copilot Motion Graphics Tutorials
If you liked Andrew’s Basic Training tutorials, you will love watching the rest of his videos. With over 150 free video tutorials to choose you will need to wipe your schedule clean and start your After Effects tutorial binge asap.
Lynda.com After Effects Tutorials (Paid)
Lynda.com is the gold standard in online video tutorials. If you are serious about learning After Effects, this is your one-stop destination. This site has it all with over 150 video courses that include After Effects training. Plus, with every Lynda.com subscription, you have access to over 3000 other video courses that cover topics such as design, web, photography and more.
Motionworks After Effects Tutorials
John Dickinson wants to help you master After Effects. He has put together over 75 unique video tutorials that everyone who wants to have a deep understanding of After Effects should watch. His Effects A-Z series is brilliant. He examines one effect, shows you its controls and shows you how it could be used in creative ways.
Tuts+ After Effects Tutorials
Tuts+ is another gold standard in the industry. The website has over 1000 video tutorials on After Effects. They all teach new techniques to common projects designers face every day.
Digital-tutors After Effects Tutorials (Paid)
From beginner to advanced After Effects teaching this fee-based video tutorial website offers a lot. It tackles all the important topics that you would find in other teaching websites, and it’s newest videos demonstrate how to integrate After Effects with other programs like Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop, Mocha, Red Cinema, Illustrator and Cinema 4D.
Advanced After Effects
School of Motion After Effects Tutorials
These guys and girls want to make you a better motion graphic designer. They have put together a top-notch lineup of tutorials that will get your head spinning and your After Effects senses buzzing.
Motion Script AE Expression Resources
To unleash the full power of After Effects, you will need to learn expressions. Dan Ebberts is the After Effects expressions pro, and his website will teach you all about them.
