If you want to learn important motion design concepts, you can opt for the best After Effects course. These courses are conducted by experts in marketing, broadcast, video, and other creative roles and can help you boost your creativity. Many of these courses also offer tons of hands-on practice and will turn you into a professional in no time.
So check out these top 10 free online after-effects courses that will help you take your motion graphics and animation skills to the next level.
List of Best After Effects Online Courses
If you want to become an expert in Visual Effects, Motion Graphics, and Compositing, you can enroll in the best online effect courses.
1. After Effects Basics -2D Flat Shadows in After Effects Free [Coursesity]
This free online After Effects course is perfect for beginners who want to sharpen their animation skills. The course is self-paced, and you can download the practice files and ask questions to the instructor. In this course, you’ll learn about the interface of After Effects, the animation principles, the Project Panel ‘Links panel,’ and simple video editing. You’ll also be taught 3 different animation techniques to create 2D long, flat 2D shadows.
What You’ll Learn?
- How to use the built-in effects of after effect
- After Effects basics
- Techniques like a radial blur, drop shadow, repeater, and AE Hint (SUAH)
- Precomposing, effects, simple expressions, and expanding boundaries
- How to save the long flat 2D shadows as a preset for future use
Rating: 4.2
Duration: 0.8 hours
Certification: Yes
Cost: Free
Pros: Certification of Completion, Self Paced
Cons: Not very extensive
2. Design and Animate a Vintage Badge in After Effects [Coursesity]
This is the best effects course offered by Courses. By enrolling in this course, you get a project-based walkthrough on animating and creating a vintage badge. You also get to solve simple to complex practice projects and activities to boost your creativity. After completing this course, you’ll gain the essential skills required to earn money as a freelancer or resell your packaged animations online.
What You’ll Learn?
- Design a Vintage badge using Adobe Illustrator from scratch
- How to add sound effects in Adobe Premiere
- Different techniques ranging from particles to parenting
- How to combine different noises and bring your idea to life
- Professional animation skills
Rating: 4.2
Duration: 5 h 1 m
Certification: Yes
Cost: Free
Pros: Certification of Completion, practice projects, and activities
Cons: More suitable for beginners
3. After Effects tutorial: Understanding workspace [Agitraining]
This free after-effects course is ideal for motion graphics professionals looking to improve their creativity and efficiency in this field. You’ll learn how to navigate the After Effects workspace. It includes step-by-step instructions and projects to enhance your knowledge base. You will also be taught how to open, hide, float, dock, move, or resize panels in the After Effects Workspace. Enroll in this after-effects class now to learn the fundamentals of creating professional motion graphics and animations.
What You’ll Learn?
- Hiding and viewing panels
- Undocking and docking panels
- Using drop zones of the After Effects panel interface
- Saving a custom workspace
- Resizing dock panels
- Resetting the workspace
Rating: 4.3
Duration: 1 hour
Certification: No
Cost: Free
Pros: Self-paced, covers both basic and advanced topics
Cons: No certificate
4. After Effects CC Masterclass: Complete After Effects Course [Udemy]
This online after-effects course can help you build a solid foundation in the animation world. The instructor of this course is Phil Ebiner, a creator, entrepreneur, photographer, and filmmaker. He has taught over two million students online and has created 119 courses to date. In this comprehensive course, Phil will teach you how to use graphics and special effects to enhance the quality of your videos.
What You’ll Learn?
- How to use layers and shapes, blend modes and pre-compositions
- How to stabilize green screen and footage
- How to export top-quality films
- Visual effects and professional motion graphics
- How to use a video in Premier Pro
Rating: 4.5
Duration: 26 hours
Certification: Yes
Cost: Free
Pros: full lifetime access, a discount of 90% for a limited time
Cons: N/A
5. The Stop Motion Look in After Effects [Skillshare]
This intermediate-level course is designed for those who want to advance their career as Motion Graphics designers. It is the best After Effects course, with many exercises and practice questions to help you apply what you’ve learned into practice. By enrolling in this class, you’ll get to learn from Jake Bartlett, a top instructor on Skillshare with over 55,000 followers. The course is divided into 22 lessons and will help you learn about testing out a variety of textures, implementing the stop motion technique, making graphics more realistic by adding depth, and much more.
What You’ll Learn?
- How to give depth to your graphics to make them look real
- How to apply different textures to graphics
- How to use different expressions for your scenes to create global controls
- How to give an animation stop motion look
- Keyboard shortcuts for an efficient workflow
Rating: 4.7
Duration: 3 hours
Certification: Yes
Cost: Free
Pros: Unlimited access, clear instructions
Cons: A bit advanced
6. After Effects CC Course: from Novice to Expert [Udemy]
This is one of the best-selling courses on Udemy. The trainer of this program is Louay Zambarakji, who has taught lakhs of students about Motion Graphics, Video Editing, and Visual Effects. You get over 283 lectures in this class covering topics such as 3D Camera Tracking, complex and compound shapes, time games with videos, and time games with motion graphics. The lessons are clear and interesting, and the teaching style is excellent. You’ll also get study guides and exercise files with this program.
What You’ll Learn?
- How to design professional visual effects and motion graphics
- Time games with motion graphics
- Temporal and spatial interpolation, text animations, puppet tools, Compositing, camera and motion tracking, vector graphics
Rating: 4.6
Duration: 31 hours
Certification: Yes
Cost: Free
Pros: Lifetime access, beginner level
Cons: N/A
7. After Effects CC Tutorial: The Complete Motion Graphics Course [Udemy]
Learn to create impressive motion graphics videos and amazing infographics by enrolling in this online after-effects course. This course is ideal for both beginners and intermediates in motion graphics. The course covers Illustrator basics, creating pie and bar charts, the Duik plugin for animating various characters, and important websites needed by a motion designer. Subtitles are available in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and the students dissatisfied with the course content can avail of a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What You’ll Learn?
- Animated infographics
- Tools and properties of Adobe software
- Ways to organize files in the project
- The null object and the adjustment layer
- Precompose in After Effects
Rating: 4.6
Duration: 31 hours
Certification: Yes
Cost: Free
Pros: Lifetime access, Access on TV and mobile, 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons: Not suitable for advanced learners
8. Free After Effects CC Tutorial: Motion Graphics [LinkedIn Learning]
If you want to become a pro in Adobe After Effects, this course can be your ideal option. This class is conducted by Alan Demafiles, a 3D generalist and freelance motion designer. He has published 8 courses on LinkedIn Learning, and his client list includes Samsung, Discovery Channel, and Sony Pictures. You’ll be taught how to build an effective workflow and use the tools and techniques to create impressive motion designs in After Effects CC.
What You’ll Learn?
- How to manually animate and change speed with time remapping, keyframes, and leverage Graph Editor.
- Tips and tricks for building an effective workflow
- Essential animation techniques to add more personality and depth to your projects
- How to use 3D geometry and layers
Rating: 4.6
Certification: Yes
Duration: 1 ¼ hour
Cost: Free
Pros: Covers all the basics, easy to understand
Cons: It is free only for first-month users
9. After Effects Essential Training: The Basics [LinkedIn Learning]
If you’re a beginner looking to start your animation journey, you won’t find a course better than After Effects Essential Training. The lessons taught in this best After Effects course include topics on industry terminology, animate compositions, working with layers, applying various effects, heaps, and rendering. The instructor of this course is Mark Christiansen, who has a clientele including companies like Adobe, Sun, Sony, and Intel. He is also the author of the After Effects Studio Technique guide.
What You’ll Learn?
- Core terminology of motion design, video, and film
- Building compositions, animating, adding effects, and working with layers
- Detailed insight into the After Effects interface
Rating: 4.7
Certification: Yes
Duration: 1 ¾
Cost: Free
Pros: Perfect for beginners, easy explanations, tons of downloadable resources
Cons: It is free only for new users
10. Adobe After Effects CC – Motion Graphics Design & VFX [Udemy]
This beginner-friendly course will help you master the complex after-effects concepts. It is ideal for people who wish to become successful motion graphics designers. You get tons of practice exercises with this course to enhance your creative skills and develop your portfolio as a graphics artist. You’ll be taught how to create attractive data visuals and motion graphics and edit bad footage with the help of color correction.
What You’ll Learn?
- Video rendering methods for uploading on Vimeo and YouTube
- How to fix bad videos and add sound to motion graphics
- How to export your video and fix shaky footage
- Green screen footage and animating static images
Rating: 4.5
Certification: Yes
Duration: 5 hours
Cost: Free
Pros: Downlable resources, access to TV and mobile
Cons: N/A
Conclusion
Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced learner, these top-notch After Effects courses will help you accomplish your creative goals. When you enroll in these courses, the experienced instructors will walk you through all the aspects of Adobe After Effects so that you can become a pro in this field. And the best thing is that these courses are free and well-planned, and you can access them from anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Should You Enroll in The Best After Effects Course?
You should enroll in the best After Effects course to sharpen your animation skills and learn the essential techniques to kickstart your journey as a motion graphic artist. You also get a certificate of completion after completing these courses so you can develop your portfolio.
Do You Need to Have Knowledge of Adobe After Effects to Enroll in The Best After Effects Course?
No, you can enroll in the best After Effects course even if you’re a beginner and don’t have knowledge about motion graphics and animation.
What Should You Keep in Mind While Enrolling in The Best After Effects Courses?
You should consider the duration of the course, course material, instructor, and the topics that will be covered while enrolling in the best After Effects course.
Which Is the Best After-Effects Course?
All these courses are well-suited for people of different experience levels. You’ll have to consider your goals and what you intend to learn through these courses while picking the best After Effects course.
