Key details

After Effects training course for beginners, teaching key techniques for creating motion graphics and visual effects to show on websites and use in apps.

Adobe After Effects is the leading professional software for motion graphics, video compositing and visual effects. Used across all forms of video and screen based media, After Effects offers a powerful set of tools to deliver stunning visual results.

Introduction to After Effects training covers key tools and features, including tracking, keying, 3D space and shape layers.

It is ideal for newcomers to After Effects, and those with limited After Effects experience.

This course can be attended remotely, from your place of work or home. For a limited time, we’re offering discounts off the usual course price. See Remote training for further details.

Upcoming course dates

Accredited After Effects training

Armada is an Adobe Authorised Training Centre (AATC), accredited by Adobe to provide After Effects training.

Courses are hosted by Chris Nelthorpe, an Adobe Certified Instructor (ACI) and an Adobe Certified Expert in After Effects.

How will I learn?

After Effects training is hands-on and practical.

Our trainers teach the necessary theory then demonstrate techniques step-by-step. You then practice the techniques taught on a computer running After Effects.

There is plenty of time to ask questions, and you can take away all the files you create.

Training guide and certificate

Course delegates receive:

• A comprehensive training guide for After Effects, to refer to throughout the course, and to use as a refresher afterwards.
• An e-certificate confirming successful completion of an Adobe‑accredited After Effects training course. Click here to see an example of the certificate you receive.

After course support

Following After Effects training, delegates are entitled to 30 days’ email support from their After Effects trainer to help with any post-course issues. For further details, see Support.

Prerequisites

No prior After Effects knowledge is necessary.

After Effects version

Training is based primarily on After Effects 2020. The techniques taught are relevant to all recent releases of After Effects.

All After Effects training is suitable for both Windows and Mac users.

Our guarantees to you

Our price guarantee is your assurance that you’re getting the best value for money.

Our training guarantee ensures that you learn the concepts and skills you need.

On-request After Effects training available

As well as our scheduled courses, Introduction to After Effects training is also available on-request, i.e. one-to-one training or a ‘closed’ course for your group, hosted at one of our centres, or your venue.

On-request training can be tailored to take into account any existing knowledge you have, and the work you’re going to be doing in After Effects. Please contact us for a quote.

General information

Course times

9.30am–4.30pm.

Payment

Payment for After Effects training can be made bank transfer or card.

We accept purchase orders from UK-registered companies.

If you’re self-funding your training, you can pay in staged payments, interest-free, over 12 months.

For further details, see training course payment options.

Cancellations and transfers

If a booking on a scheduled Introduction to After Effects course is cancelled giving less than 10 working days’ notice, a cancellation fee is payable. View cancellation terms.

If a delegate requests a transfer to a different scheduled Introduction to After Effects course giving less than 10 working days’ notice, a transfer fee is payable. View transfer terms.

Terms and conditions

Training course bookings are subject to our terms and conditions.

Expert trainer

Chris Nelthorpe

Chris is an Adobe Certified Instructor (ACI) and an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in both After Effects and Premiere Pro. He is also an expert user of Adobe Audition. He uses all three applications extensively in his professional work as an Editor, Motion Graphics Designer, Visual Effects Artist and Sound Designer.

Chris has worked on documentaries, short films, fashion shoots, corporate videos and features, editing over a hundred show reels for clients including Forces TV and British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS).

Course content

Welcome to After Effects

• What is Adobe After Effects…?
• Tour of the interface
• Setting preferences

Getting started

• Creating a new project/composition
• Creating a new composition from footage

Animation techniques

• Keyframing
• Temporal and spatial keyframes
• Motion paths
• Orientation
• Anchor point essentials
• Rove across time
• Toggle hold
• Exponential scale
• The Graph Editor
• Motion sketch
• Roving and hold

Layer control

• Arrange, organise and navigate layers
• Fun with shape layers

Effects

• Examples of effects
• Applying effects
• Masks and mask animations

Tracking

• The different types of tracking
• Track camera
• Track motion
• Perspective corner pin

Working with transparency

• Track mattes and stencils
• Green screens

Type and type animation

• Working with type
• Text on a path
• Basic text animation
• Text animation presets
• Layer styles

Tutorials

• Track mattes
• Layer styles, expressions and presets
• Basic sky replacement
• 2D tracking
• Creative steps
• Masking
• 3D tracking
• Colour grading and looks
• “Fake” 3D text

Remote training

Remote training lets you join a live After Effects course from your place of work or home. You can:

• See and hear our trainer and other delegates participating in the After Effects training.
• Allow our trainer and the other delegates to see and hear you (if you have a webcam, and you’re agreeable).
• Interact by speaking, using chat, or raising your ‘virtual hand’ if you need assistance.
• Share your screen with our trainer to show them what you’re seeing.

Your experience will be as close as possible to actually being in the classroom…

• The training will follow the same syllabus as our classroom-based Introduction to After Effects courses.
• It will be presented by the same Adobe Certified Instructors.
• We’ll post you a training guide, and send you all the information you need to participate in the training. We’ll even post you a headset and microphone if you need one.
• You’ll receive the same e-certificate confirming successful completion as classroom-based delegates. Click here to see an example of the certificate you receive.
• You’ll carry out exercises in After Effects, assisted by our trainer. If you haven’t got After Effects installed on your computer, we’ll send you a link to fully-functional trial software that you can download and install.
• You’ll be entitled to 30 days’ email support from your trainer.

When you attend our remote training, you’re participating in a real course, hosted by a real trainer, in real time. This training shouldn’t be confused with libraries of pre-prepared e-learning content, that provides an inferior training experience.

For a limited time, we’re offering 30% discount off the usual Introduction to After Effects course price for remote training.

Discounts and bundles

To make your After Effects training as affordable as possible, we offer:

• A discounted After Effects training bundle.
• A range of training discounts on our scheduled (public) After Effects training courses.
• A price guarantee that you won’t get After Effects training for less.

After Effects training bundle

Book classroom-based courses in:

• Introduction to After Effects (2 days), and
• Advanced After Effects (1 day)

for £545 + VAT, saving £75 + VAT.

The bundle price is applied automatically when you book these two courses.

Training discounts

Multiple places

If you book multiple course places, we can offer you:

• 10% discount if you book two places.
• 15% discount if you book three or four places.
• 20% discount if you book five or more places.

This can be for several people attending one course, one person attending several courses, or a combination.

These discounts are available for both classroom-based courses and remote training.

Concessions

We offer a 10% discount on scheduled After Effects course places to:

• Students, teachers and lecturers.
• People who work for a registered charity.
• ISTC members.

These discounts are available for both classroom-based courses and remote training.

Please call us if you qualify for a discount. Evidence of your status that entitles you to a discount may be requested.

Terms and exclusions

Only one of the above discounts can be applied to any booking.

The above discounts are not available for training bundles or on-request course bookings (one-to-one training or a ‘closed course’ for your group).

Price guarantee

When you book training with Armada, we want you to be certain that you’re not paying over-the-odds. So, if you book a place on any scheduled (public) course and then find the same course at a lower price elsewhere, we will match that price.

To qualify for the price match:

• The course you find must be comparable. By this we mean it must:
  • Cover the same subject.
  • Be the same duration or longer.
  • Hold the same accreditations as our course, i.e. it must be provided by an Adobe Authorised Training Centre (AATC).
  • For classroom-based courses, be in the same region, i.e. within 50 miles of our centre.
  • For remote training, be a live course, i.e. not pre-prepared e-learning content.
• The lower price must be advertised on the other company’s website.

To claim a price match, just call any time before attending your course and tell us where you saw the price.

Complementary services

We offer a range of services to support your Adobe After Effects development.

Bureau service

If you have a peak workload, or require assistance with a specific project, Armada has highly experienced After Effects specialists who can carry out project work for you. We’ll be happy to quote for any project you’re looking to outsource.

Clients for whom our specialists have recently completed projects include Honda, Raytheon, Forces TV, British Forces Broadcasting Service and Giallo Films.

Background music

We can advise on the use and choice of a wide range of library music which we can edit to fit your project exactly, or we can compose and create a bespoke soundtrack for your project.

Video production

We can produce professional-standard features to incorporate into your video projects, such as:

• Motion graphics: we can produce titles to bookend your projects, and infographics to illustrate charts and figures that help to tell the story you require.
• Visual effects: we can significantly alter locations and weather.

Consultancy

Our consultants can provide expert advice on best practice and approach for your e-learning development. We can advise on:

• Lighting for specific effects setups, such as green screen photography.
• Purchasing post-production hardware and software so that you get the best out of your existing kit and future-proof your new purchases.
• Workflow and organisation of media.
• Timeframes and working with clients.