Create Motion Graphics and Visual Effects

Adobe After Effects is the industry-standard software for creating motion graphics, visual effects and animated titles for video productions.

In this hands-on two-day training, participants learn the fundamentals of motion graphics: working with compositions, animating with keyframes, creating text and shape animations, applying effects and exporting professional video content.

The course also introduces modern After Effects workflows such as Essential Graphics templates, basic AI-assisted tools like Roto Brush and Content-Aware Fill, and integration with Adobe Premiere Pro.

Through practical exercises, participants develop the skills needed to create animated graphics and simple visual effects for video, presentations and social media.

Duration

2 days.

Course Outline

Day 1 – After Effects Fundamentals and Animation Basics

Introduction to After Effects

• Understanding the After Effects workspace
• Panels and interface overview
• Creating and organising projects
• Importing video, images and graphics
• Understanding compositions and timelines

Working with Layers

• Understanding layer types
• Transform properties (position, scale, rotation, opacity)
• Layer order and stacking
• Parenting layers

Keyframe Animation

• Understanding keyframes
• Creating basic animations
• Motion paths
• Easy Ease and animation smoothing

Text Animation

• Creating text layers
• Formatting typography
• Using text animation presets
• Animating text properties

Practical Exercises

• Creating animated titles
• Basic motion graphics animation

Day 2 – Effects, Masks and Motion Graphics

Working with Shape Layers

• Creating vector shapes
• Animating shapes
• Creating motion graphics elements

Using Effects

• Applying and adjusting effects
• Creating visual effects
• Using adjustment layers

Working with Masks and Track Mattes

• Creating masks
• Animating masks
• Track matte techniques
• Simple compositing techniques

AI Tools in After Effects

• Roto Brush basics
• Content-Aware Fill for video
• Basic rotoscoping workflows

Motion Graphics Templates

• Introduction to Essential Graphics
• Creating reusable templates
• Integration with Premiere Pro

Exporting and Rendering

• Rendering using the Render Queue
• Exporting with Adobe Media Encoder
• Preparing videos for online platforms

Final Exercise

Participants create a short motion graphic including:

• animated text
• shapes
• effects
• video export

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the After Effects interface and workflow
• Create basic animations with keyframes
• Animate text and graphic elements
• Apply effects and masks
• Create simple motion graphics
• Export animated content for video and social media

Audience

This course is designed for:

• Beginners interested in motion graphics
• Video editors working with Premiere Pro
• Marketing professionals creating video content
• Designers expanding into animation

Prerequisites

Participants should have:

• Basic knowledge of Windows or macOS
• General computer skills

No prior After Effects experience is required.