10 Best Adobe After Effects Courses to Take in 2023
Master motion design and watch your ideas come to life with the best Adobe After Effects courses and tutorials.
Whether you want to create video intros, animate titles or add transitions to your clips, Adobe After Effects is what you’re looking for. With its latest features like 3D design space and multiframe rendering among a host of others, After Effects lets you do all the cool stuff with your videos you had imagined!
Before we get into the article, in case you’re interested in learning video editing first, don’t forget to check out my Adobe Premiere guide. Or if you also want to learn about photo editing, you can’t miss out my Adobe Lightroom guide. These should be a good addition to your toolbox as you master After Effects.
In this guide, I’ve selected the 10 best free and paid Adobe After Effects online courses for you from the 420+ Adobe After Effects courses on our catalog by following a well-defined methodology that you can find below.
But if you want to jump straight to the results, here are my top 10 picks. You can click on a course to jump to the corresponding section:
| Course | Workload | In Brief |
| 1. Learn Adobe After Effects (Gareth David Studio) | 15 hours | Best free course for beginners to learn Adobe After Effects with practice opportunities |
| 2. After Effects CC 2020: Complete Course from Novice to Expert (Udemy) | 35 hours | Most comprehensive and practical course to for beginners learn Adobe After Effects |
| 3. After Effects for Beginners (Envato Tuts+) | 4-5 hours | Second-best free course for beginners to learn Adobe After Effects quickly |
| 4. After Effects CC Masterclass: Complete After Effects Course (Udemy) | 27 hours | Great comprehensive and practical course for beginners to learn Adobe After Effects |
| 5. After Effects – Motion Graphics & Data Visualization (Udemy) | 6 hours | Excellent course for data visualization in After Effects from Adobe certified instructor |
| 6. Fundamentals of Animation in After Effects (Domestika) | 3 hours | Short, project-based course for beginners to learn the basics of Adobe After Effects |
| 7. Animating With Ease in Adobe After Effects (Skillshare) | 3 hours | Intermediate-level course to learn more advanced techniques in Adobe After Effects |
| 8. After Effects CC 2022 Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning) | 4-5 hours | Good and simple course for beginners to learn Adobe After Effects with a free trial |
| 9. Learn After Effects 2022 | Beginners Tutorial (Olufemii) | 1 hour | Very short, free project-based course for beginners to learn Adobe After Effects |
| 10. Adobe Creative Cloud Resources (Adobe) | 2-3 hours | Short tutorial compilation by Adobe to learn the essentials of Adobe After Effects |
What is Adobe After Effects?
Adobe After Effects is an industry-standard software for motion graphics design, video compositing and animation developed by Adobe Systems. Artists and post-production professionals use After Effects to create high-quality work for TV, fim, video and the web.
Using After Effects, you can animate texts and shapes to design title sequences and motion graphics, or even perform complex tasks like 3D rendering. This visual effects tool has got everything you need to bring text and graphics to life.
Like other Adobe tools, After Effects works seamlessly with other Adobe software like Photoshop, Illustrator, XD, Character Animator and Animate. What’s more – in 2019, Adobe After Effects even won an Academy Award for its scientific and technical achievements!
Why are Adobe After Effects Skills Important?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for special effects artists and animators was $78,790 in May 2021. Their employment is projected to grow 5 percent from 2021 to 2031, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Moreover, on average, about 6,700 openings are projected each year over the decade. You can find more information on the employment and wages of special effects artists and animators here.
Besides that, according to CII, the design industry in India was worth almost Rs. 19K crore in 2020, which increased even more in the following year. For the UK, the average salary of full-time graphic artists is around £35K per year. Clearly, there are increasing opportunities in this market with growth across the globe.
What is My Experience with Adobe After Effects?
I am a Guided Project Instructor and a Beta Tester at Coursera, having tested many courses before they’re officially launched. I have taken over 50 online courses in various subjects.
My experience as an online learner and teacher has given me some perspective on what to look for in an online course. I used my experience to evaluate each course in this list.
Course Ranking Methodology
I built this ranking following the now tried-and-tested methodology I used in previous rankings (you can find them all here). It involves a three-step process:
- Research: I started by leveraging Class Central’s database with 100K online courses and 200K+ reviews. Then, I made a preliminary selection of 420+ Adobe After Effects courses by rating, reviews, and bookmarks.
- Evaluate: I read through reviews on Class Central, Reddit, and course providers to understand what other learners thought about each course and combined it with my own experience as a learner.
- Select: Well-made courses were picked if they presented valuable and engaging content and they have to fit in a set of criteria and be ranked accordingly: comprehensive curriculum, release date, affordability, ratings and enrollments.
The end result is a unique selection of courses that combines a decade of Class Central data and my own experience as an online learner to try to get the best of both worlds. So far, I’ve spent more than 10 hours building this list, and I’ll continue to update it.
Course Ranking Statistics
Here are some statistics regarding this course ranking:
- Combined, these courses have accrued over 538K enrollments.
- 4 courses are free or free-to-audit and 6 courses are paid.
- The most-represented course providers in the ranking are YouTube and Udemy, with 3 courses each.
- All 10 courses are in English.
- The Adobe After Effects subject is followed by over 6.2K learners on Class Central, and accounts for over 420 courses in Class Central catalog.
So without further ado, let’s get to my picks for the best Adobe After Effects online courses.
1. Learn Adobe After Effects (Gareth David Studio)
My first pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is the free course Learn Adobe After Effects, offered by Gareth David Studio on YouTube.
This free course is made for beginner designers. Whether you use the latest version of Adobe After Effects or an older one, since this course teaches you the basics of the software, you should be able to follow along simply by downloading the practice files. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to create your very own video presentation in After Effects.
What You’ll Learn
In this course, you’ll learn what After Effects is, be introduced to its interface, and learn about layers and the Timeline panel, compositions, the Project Panel ‘Links panel’, animation principles, keyframes, simple video editing, simple animation, easing, and time stretching.
Next, you’ll learn about precomposing, importing files, creating shapes, pen tool and paths, fill and stroke effects, animating along a path, effects and presets, text animation presets, transition presets, color effects, adjustment layers, blending modes, masking, and animating a shape layer mask.
After that, you’ll explore track mattes, null objects and parenting, exporting and handy tips, plan and design for a video presentation, prepare and set up a document, animate type with an image, animate a bouncing pin, a simple transition and a British Flag sequence, and synchronize to music.
Finally, you’ll edit a video sequence, duplicate and edit an animation sequence, build a complex layout and animate it, animate a shape layer mask, duplicate and edit sequences, animate still images, create color enhancing footage, create a 2D scene, and animate a simple 2D scene.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 49 videos. Each video involves about 15 to 30 minutes of work. Concepts are taught through video lectures only. All downloadable resources are provided in the YouTube description of the course. Just click on Start Learning and go to Direct link.
| Channel | Gareth David Studio |
| Provider | YouTube |
| Instructor | Gareth David |
| Level | Beginner |
| Workload | 15 hours |
| Certificate | Not available |
Fun Facts
- David is a designer with over 15 years experience.
- He runs his own design business, Gareth David Studio, where he specializes in logo and brand identity design.
- He shares his design knowledge and experience with aspiring designers through his YouTube channel.
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
2. After Effects CC 2020: Complete Course from Novice to Expert (Udemy)
My second pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is After Effects CC 2020: Complete Course from Novice to Expert on Udemy.
Learn the fundamentals of motion graphics and visual effects with the most comprehensive and practical course on this list. Not only will you learn about motion graphics, visual effects and compositing, but will actually get a chance to practice the materials hands on by downloading the practice files so that you can become a pro animator.
What You’ll Learn
First, you’ll learn about the latest responsive design techniques, create your first motion graphics video, design and animate a full motion graphic project, create complex motion paths, import complex motion paths from vector files, use spatial and temporal interpolation, and create reveal techniques using track mattes and masks.
Next, you’ll master important animation techniques, create advanced 3D with cameras, lights and shadows, work with complex, compound and Bezier shapes, use the latest shape properties, perform text animation, create the latest modern titles and lower thirds, and use the Puppet Tools.
After that, you’ll use expressions, create animated infographics, create data visualization charts, use, edit, create and save animation presets, use masks and effects, and create motion and video graphics time games, learn about motion tracking and camera tracking, and perform green/blue screen chroma keying.
Finally, you’ll understand rotoscoping, importing and animating vector graphics from Adobe Illustrator, best exports for YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook, motion graphics visual effects, color correction and color grading, use new scripts to animate mask points, and use the essential graphics templates.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 50 sections. Each section involves about 1 to 2 hours of work. Concepts are taught through a combination of videos and readings. Downloadable resources are also provided.
| Provider | Udemy |
| Instructor | Louay Zambarakji |
| Level | Beginner |
| Workload | 35 hours |
| Enrollments | 146.5K |
| Rating | 4.7/5.0 (29.4K) |
| Certificate | Paid |
Fun Facts
- This course is a bestseller on Udemy.
- Zambarakji loves teaching video editing, animation, motion graphics and visual effects.
- He has a 4.6 instructor rating on Udemy with over 384K students.
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
3. After Effects for Beginners (Envato Tuts+)
My third pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is the free course After Effects for Beginners, offered by Envato Tuts+ on YouTube.
Here’s another great free course to help you become a pro motion designer quickly. Aimed towards complete beginners, this course starts from the very basics of After Effects and moves up to more advanced techniques. You’ll also get a chance to practice your new skills using the downloadable files provided.
What You’ll Learn
In this course, you’ll learn what After Effects is, take a look at the Main Panel, settings and After Effects tools, and learn about composition, precomposing, layer properties, keyframe basics, keyframe easing and spatial interpolation.
You’ll also understand masking, shape layers, text animation and what 2.5D is, and learn about motion tracking, camera tracking and 3D text, 3D text, mattes, effects, third-party effects, lower third and exporting from After Effects.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 31 videos. Each video involves about 5 to 10 minutes of work. Concepts are taught through a combination of videos, readings and quizzes. All downloadable resources are provided in the YouTube description of the course. Just click on Start Learning and go to Direct link.
| Channel | Envato Tuts+ |
| Provider | YouTube |
| Instructor | Dave Bode |
| Level | Beginner |
| Workload | 4-5 hours |
| Certificate | Not available |
Fun Facts
- Bode is a video and audio production expert in NY.
- He works as a camera operator, editor, inventor, motion graphics designer, recording engineer, and studio musician.
- In early 2011, he started his own business, bodemedia.tv to provide free resources for people so that they could create great videos.
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
4. After Effects CC Masterclass: Complete After Effects Course (Udemy)
My fourth pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is After Effects CC Masterclass: Complete After Effects Course on Udemy.
Learn to think like a motion designer with this comprehensive and practical Adobe After Effects course. This course will teach you how to improve the quality of your videos by creating motion graphics using basic, intermediate and advanced techniques. Any version of After Effects can be used for taking this course. Work alongside the instructor by downloading the practice files.
What You’ll Learn
In this course, you’ll learn about starting a new composition, using the basic tools, working in the After Effects CC timeline, adding shape and text layers, animating position, scale, rotation and opacity, working with shape layers and masks, and real world projects such as lower thirds and bumpers.
You’ll also explore motion graphics principles and best practices, using video effects and presets to speed up workflow, green screen and chroma key removal, visual effects and rotoscoping, motion tracking and video stabilization, creating unique transitions, and exporting your projects.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 28 sections. Each section involves about 30 minutes to 1.5 hours of work. Concepts are taught through a combination of videos, readings and assignments. Downloadable resources are also provided.
| Provider | Udemy |
| Instructor | Phil Ebiner |
| Level | Beginner |
| Workload | 27 hours |
| Enrollments | 338.7K |
| Rating | 4.6/5.0 (12.2K) |
| Certificate | Paid |
Fun Facts
- Ebiner is a top-rated Udemy instructor with 2.5M+ students.
- Other courses from Ebiner are featured on my Adobe Lightroom guide and Adobe Premiere guide.
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
5. After Effects – Motion Graphics & Data Visualization (Udemy)
My fifth pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is After Effects – Motion Graphics & Data Visualization on Udemy.
Are you a complete beginner who wants to transform boring data into exciting visualizations? Then think no more. This course from an Adobe certified instructor will put you on the track. You’ll start from the very basics of After Effects and work through real-world projects to practice your VFX skills. A cheat sheet and exercise files are also included.
What You’ll Learn
In this course, you’ll learn how to take Excel spreadsheets and animate it in After Effects, make animated pie charts, line charts and bar graphs, create percentage counters, animate icons making beautiful infographics, and create ‘voice over’ infographics.
You’ll also learn animation techniques needed to bring your data to life, have the finished files, use techniques used by professional motion graphic designers, and explore other resources and websites to help your new career path.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 50 sections. Each section involves about 30 minutes to 1.5 hours of work. Concepts are taught through a combination of videos and readings. Downloadable resources are also provided.
| Provider | Udemy |
| Instructor | Daniel Walter Scott |
| Level | Beginner |
| Workload | 6 hours |
| Enrollments | 38.9K |
| Rating | 4.7/5.0 (7K) |
| Certificate | Paid |
Fun Facts
- This course is a bestseller on Udemy and is also available on Udemy.
- Scott is a digital designer, an Adobe authorized instructor, and winner of 2 Adobe MAX awards!
- He teaches all kinds of Adobe and other software on this official website, Bring Your Own Laptop.
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
6. Fundamentals of Animation in After Effects (Domestika)
My sixth pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is Fundamentals of Animation in After Effects on Domestika.
As the name suggests, this course will teach you the fundamentals of motion design using Adobe After Effects. In this project-based course, you’ll explore techniques like dynamic typography, character animation and motion tracking to create a unique showreel with After Effects.
What You’ll Learn
In this course, you’ll learn about influences, animation basics such as the interface and hardware and software, showreel, character rigging and walk cycle, handwriting animation, kinetic typography, connecting objects and expressions, and HUD design and motion tracking.
You’ll also learn about the parallax effect, titles and transitions, green screen and color grading, sharing your showreel, putting it all together, blocking out the showreel, finding your song, and the fundamentals of animation in After Effects.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 18 lessons. Concepts are taught through a combination of videos and exercises. Downloadable resources are also provided. At the end of the course, there is a final project.
| Provider | Domestika |
| Instructor | Michael Tierney |
| Level | Beginner |
| Workload | 3 hours |
| Enrollments | 2.7K |
| Rating | 100% |
| Certificate | Paid |
Fun Facts
- Tierney has been traveling since 2017, taking inspiration from new countries and cultures.
- He has worked for high profile brands and clients for over a decade in the industry.
- He specializes in Adobe Creative Suite, Cinema 4D, motion graphics, animation, concept development, graphic/digital design, and illustration.
- He also teaches on his YouTube channel, Michael Tierney.
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
7. Animating With Ease in Adobe After Effects (Skillshare)
My seventh pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is Animating With Ease in Adobe After Effects on Skillshare.
This course is meant for intermediate designers who already have some basic understanding of Adobe After Effects. Here, you’ll take your next step in motion designing as you learn to use the After Effects graph editor. If you’ve never used After Effects before, you can take Animating With Ease in Adobe After Effects (V1) or any of the beginner-level courses in this guide.
What You’ll Learn
In this course, you’ll learn about artwork preparation, getting organized, the speed graph, the value graph, motion paths and rove keyframes, using the graph editor with other properties, anchor points, overshoots, commanding keyframes, adding details, looping the animation, exporting a GIF, and a bonus graph editor demo walkthrough.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 18 lessons. Each lesson involves about 5 to 15 minutes of work. Concepts are taught through a combination of videos and projects. Downloadable resources are also provided.
| Provider | Skillshare |
| Instructor | Jake Bartlett |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Workload | 3 hours |
| Enrollments | 28.8K |
| Rating | 99% |
| Certificate | Not available |
Fun Facts
- Bartlett is a top teacher on Skillshare.
- He is a motion designer from Denver Colorado.
- He also has a YouTube channel and a website, both named Jake In Motion, where he teaches motion design and more.
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
8. After Effects CC 2022 Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning)
My eighth pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is After Effects CC 2022 Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning.
Learn the essentials of Adobe After Effects quickly and easily, and watch your creativity come alive on screen. From shape layer tools and dynamic type animators to visual effect workflows and 3D compositing workspace, you’ll learn all the techniques you need in order to create better animations in After Effects. A 1-month free trial is available with this course.
What You’ll Learn
The first module is about working with layers and shapes. You’ll get an overview of the shape layer, and learn about transformation levels, shape layers vs. masks, repeating elements, path operators, precomposing and nesting, collapse transformations and blending modes.
The second module is about animating in After Effects. You’ll explore keyframe interpolations, add and adjust keys, use the Graph Editor for speed and value, alter speeds with time remapping, understand anchor point fundamentals and parenting, use expressions to loop animation, and work with the Essential Graphics panel and essential properties.
The third module is about creating transparency for compositing. You’ll learn about creating and animating masks, using track mattes, using the Roto Brush tool, Mocha AE crash course, and keylight.
The fourth module is about working with type. You’ll learn about activating Adobe fonts, using the type tool, and using text animators.
The fifth module is about working with effects. You’ll learn how to work with effects, be introduced to the Puppet tool, limit effects with mask references, and use Content-Aware Fill.
The sixth module is about basic After Effects 3D. You’ll take a look at the introductory concepts to 3D in After Effects, 3D navigation, cameras and lights, and 3D layer properties.
The seventh module is about 3D geometry. You’ll be introduced to Cinema4D renderer, create extruded 3D text and shapes, get an overview of Cinema4D Lite overview, and use Cineware.
The eighth module is about working with trackers. You’ll understand point tracking, Warp Stabilizer, Mocha AE planar tracking, and camera tracking.
The ninth and final module is about rendering. You’ll learn how to export to disk using the Render Queue, and render with Media Encoder.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 9 modules. Each module involves about 15 to 50 minutes of work. Concepts are taught through a combination of videos, practice exercises and quizzes.
| Provider | LinkedIn Learning |
| Instructor | Alan Demafiles |
| Level | Beginner |
| Workload | 4-5 hours |
| Enrollments | 19.5K |
| Rating | 4.8/5.0 |
| Certificate | Paid |
Fun Facts
- Demafiles is a freelance 3D motion designer and VFX artist at demafleez.com.
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
9. Learn After Effects 2022 | Beginners Tutorial (Olufemii)
My ninth pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is the free course Learn After Effects 2022 | Beginners Tutorial, offered by Olufemii on YouTube.
This free course is practical and project-based. In only a matter of 60 minutes, you’ll be able to master the basics of Adobe After Effects and take your motion graphics and VFX skills to the next level. You can download the practice files included in the course and work along with the instructor.
What You’ll Learn
In this course, you’ll take a look at shape tools and gradient fills, grid effects and 3D layers, pre-Composing, animation keyframes, chrome text and alpha matte, bevel edges, side text, compositing, finishing touches, adding distortion, and exporting from After Effects.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 15 videos. Each video involves about 5 to 10 minutes of work. Concepts are taught through video lectures only. All downloadable resources are provided in the YouTube description of the course. Just click on Start Learning and go to Direct link.
| Channel | Olufemii |
| Provider | YouTube |
| Instructor | Nick Khoo |
| Level | Beginner |
| Workload | 1 hour |
| Certificate | Not available |
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
10. Adobe Creative Cloud Resources (Adobe Creative Cloud)
My tenth pick for the best Adobe After Effects online course is a collection of free tutorials offered by Adobe Creative Cloud.
Made by the creators of After Effects itself, these tutorials, which are basically articles containing demo videos, are a good supplement to your After Effects learning journey. Take them separately or alongside the previous courses on this list. These tutorials are completely free and will guide you through the fundamentals as well as more complex concepts in a quick and concise manner.
What You’ll Learn
Here are some of the broad concepts that you’ll learn in these tutorials:
Animation: Animation for social media, animation for video, advanced animation techniques, animation essentials, animate logos and text projects, build and animate shapes, animate infographics.
Workflow: Improve workflow, Creative Cloud workflow, improve workflow techniques, work with templates and presets, Creative Cloud libraries.
Effects: Apply and adjust effects, fix motion blur.
Layers: Format text layers, layer foundations, paint, clone, and rotoscope layers, position and scale layers.
Projects: Create hand-drawn titles and graphics projects, animate logos and text projects, fix green screen projects, create VFX with tracking projects, add 3D elements using tracking projects, design a movie title, work with VR, work with cinema 4D lite.
How You’ll Learn
The course is broken down into 125 tutorials. Each tutorial has a sample file to follow along and it takes about 5 to 20 minutes of work to conclude. Concepts are taught through a combination of videos and readings. You can sort tutorials by skill level, duration, or relevancy.
| Institution | Adobe Creative Cloud |
| Level | Mixed |
| Workload | 2-3 hours |
| Certificate | Not available |
If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.
