After Effects Advanced

This class covers topics such as Motion tracking, Particle simulation, advanced 3D, advanced Masking, Roto Brush Tool, Puppet Tools, Time-warp / Time-lapse simulations and more.

Target Audience: This class is aimed at existing After Effects users who need to take their video production to a higher level. Students should have already completed After Effects Fundamentals or have the equivalent experience. Training available on both Mac and PC platforms.

Detailed Course Outline

Unit 1: Camera Work Flows

• After Effects Cameras: Not your Daddy’s DSLR
• Creating Cameras and setting Camera properties
• Camera cuts, rack focus, and other classic Camera moves
• Animating Cameras on a path
• Creating Flythroughs
• Managing Cameras, Lights, and shadow
• The power of Camera rigging
• Camera power linking

Unit 2: Advanced Compositing Techniques

• Understanding A Over B
• Blend Modes and Mask Modes
• Pre-Rendering and other techniques
• Render Order and Priorities
• Optimizing Projects: Global vs Persistent Cache
• Edges on Camera and the Real World

Unit 3: Keying Techniques

• Understanding blue and green screen chroma keys
• Tips for shooting green screen footage
• Using the Keylight effect
• Procedural mattes for the lazy
• Hi-con mattes
• Key Cleaner for poorly-lit footage
• Linear Keying effects
• Third Party Keying Suites

Unit 4: Stabilization and Tracking

• About stabilization and tracking
• Using the Warp Stabilizer VFX feature
• Single-point and multi-point motion tracking
• Motion tracking with Mocha planar data
• Other tracking techniques
• 3D Camera tracking
• Shadow catchers
• Null objects

Unit 5: The Art of Rotoscoping

• About rotoscoping
• Classic rotoscoping workflows
• Using the Roto Brush Tool
• Creating and refining Roto Brush segmentation boundaries
• Using the Refine Edge Tool
• Freezing and unfreezing Roto Brush data
• Articulated Mattes
• Refining Mattes: Feather, Track
• The legacy Paint Tools: painting, cloning, and erasing
• Roto like a Jedi: Hot core energy effects

Unit 6: Particle Effects

• About particle simulation
• After Effects' particle generators
• The Particle Playground effect
• The CC Particle Systems II effect
• Customizing particle properties
• Additional particle effects and techniques
• Popular third-party particle effects

Unit 7: Color Correction and Color Grading

• Enterprise-based color workflows
• Histograms and Channels: Using the Lumetri scopes
• Using the Lumetri Color Effect and the Lumetri Color panel
• Adjusting levels and exposure
• Adjusting color balance and saturation
• Legalizing Luma/Color for Broadcast
• Additional color correction options
• Cinematic color grading

Unit 8: BONUS TRACK - Puppet Tools Distortions

• About the Puppet Tools
• Adding Deform pins
• Animating pin positions
• Stiffening with the Starch Tool
• Recording deformations
• Acting it out with Adobe Character Animator

Unit 9: BONUS TRACK - Advanced Color Options

• Understanding HDR (High Dynamic Range)
• Linear HDR Compositing: Lifelike
• Linear LDR Compositing
• Color Management and LUTs

Note: Our outlines are a guide to the content covered on a typical class. We may change or alter the course topics to meet the objectives of a particular class.