Digital-Tutors > Training > Getting Started with After Effects

Getting Started with After Effects

In this series of lessons we'll learn how to get started using the video editing software After Effects. Using After Effects we can quickly composite images, edit video and create visual effects.

We'll begin this project by learning the basics of importing images and moving around the After Effects user interface. Then we'll do some basic compositing, masking, animation and color correction. We'll finish with a project to composite a 3D render, create an interesting animated wipe and render it into a video file.

Runtime:
1 hrs. 15 min.

Software Requirements:
After Effects CS4 for project files

Release Date:
10/29/2009

Lesson Outline

Introduction and Project Overview
In this lesson we will learn the topics and techniques covered in this project

Creating Projects and Importing images in After Effects
In this lesson we will learn how to create a new project and how to bring in external images and videos

Creating Compositions and bringing footage into a comp
"In this lesson we will learn how to create a place to work inside, called a composition, and how to bring our external images into this composition"

Rendering Images out of After Effects
In this lesson we will learn how to add a composition to our render queue and the settings we need to change to get images out of After Effects

Creating Masks to remove parts of a layer
In this lesson we will learn how to remove part of a layer using the Pen tool and masks

Using effects to color correct in After Effects
"In this lesson we will learn how to add effects to layers, some of which help us edit and change color values"

Using Blending Modes to composite 3D renders
In this lesson we will learn how to change how our layers interact with each other by editing the blending modes

Creating and working with Solids and Transparency
In this lesson we will learn how to create images inside of After Effects and how to control the transparency or opacity of a layer

"Basics of moving, rotating and scaling layers"
In this lesson we will learn how to move layers around and all the tools that we can use to do it quickly

Cutting out Layers with a Track Matte
"In this lesson we will learn how to use another layer, like an image, to set the transparency of a layer"

Using Pre-composing to combine two layers
In this lesson we will learn how to group layers together in pre-comps so that we can have a single layer affect multiple other layers easily

Animating in After Effects to create a wipe effect
In this lesson we will learn how to set keyframes in After Effects and various tools and techniques we have to make this process easy and fast

Rendering our Movie file out of After Effects
"In this lesson we will learn how to render a movie file out of After Effects, including the steps that should be taken to safely render."