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In this workshop Jeff Foster—video producer, compositor, visual effects artist, and author of The Green Screen Handbook—teaches you the advanced tips, tricks, and workflow techniques he's used over the years to get great video/film composites, even when working with near-impossible footage. Learn advanced roto-painting techniques for the Wacom tablet and get up to speed on motion tracking, multipass mattes, multiple keying layers, simulated lighting effects, painting on video background plates, and more. Finally, Jeff shows how to apply what you've learned to a series of real-world projects in Adobe After Effects.

One of the most common visual effects tasks is to replace an image or video in a shot with another—be it a computer screen, a picture on a wall, a bumper sticker on a car, etc. This project-oriented course walks you through the major steps of replacing screens in After Effects, including tracking a screen in mocha AE, matching the new display to the depth-of-field blur and lighting of the original shot, and then cutting out a hand obscuring the screen using the Roto Brush and Refine Edge. A bonus movie at the end of the course discusses alternative approaches, including a demonstration of using reversible stabilization in Warp Stabilizer VFX for the tracking portion of the shot.

This course was created and produced by Chris and Trish Meyer. We're honored to host this content in our library.

This short course is designed for new users of Adobe After Effects CC, and those who might need a refresher—especially when moving to Creative Cloud. Chris Meyer leads a whirlwind tour of After Effects, helping overcome the "blank canvas" fear that confronts many new motion graphics artists the first time they launch the application. It's an excellent introduction to the After Effects Apprentice series, and a great overview for any new user starting an After Effects training program. Start watching to learn how to customize the interface, import and interpret footage, preview work, and render and export your compositions.

If you are still using a pre–Creative Cloud version of After Effects, such as CS6, we suggest you watch After Effects Apprentice 01: CS Pre-Roll instead. There have been numerous changes to the After Effects interface, especially in the area of previewing.

This short course is designed for those who have never used Adobe After Effects, or those who might need a refresher course on how it is laid out. Chris Meyer takes a whirlwind tour through the program, helping overcome the "blank canvas" fear that confronts many the first time they launch the program. It will serve as both an excellent introduction to the After Effects Apprentice series, as well as a preliminary overview for any new user before launching into their first tutorial or class. Exercise files for After Effects CS4 through CS6 are included with the course.

After Effects Apprentice is created by Trish and Chris Meyer and designed to be used on their own and as a companion to their book After Effects Apprentice.

Trish Meyer leads beginners through a gentle introduction to Adobe After Effects: from creating a new project and importing sources, through arranging and animating layers, applying effects, and creating variations, to rendering the final movie. However, this is no paint-by-numbers exercise. Trish demonstrates how she makes creative decisions and saves time through the use of keyboard shortcuts and smart working practices. Additional movies explain further details about how After Effects works under the hood. Her measured pace helps even those completely new to After Effects understand the program so that they can use it effectively on their own projects. Exercise files for After Effects CS4 through CC are included with the course.

After Effects Apprentice is created by Trish and Chris Meyer and designed to be used on their own and as a companion to their book After Effects Apprentice.

In this course, Chris Meyer helps beginning After Effects artists take their animations to the next level. Chris shows how to refine animations to create elegant, coordinated movements with the minimum number of keyframes—as well as slam-downs, whip pans, and other attention-getters. Additional movies show how to reverse-engineer existing animations, create variations on a theme, and master other parts of the program. Even though this course is designed for beginners, even veterans should learn tricks that many experienced users are unaware of. Chris' friendly running commentary lets you in on his mental process as he works on an animation. Exercise files for After Effects CS4 through CC are included with the course.

After Effects Apprentice is created by Trish and Chris Meyer and designed to be used on their own and as a companion to their book After Effects Apprentice.

In this installment of After Effects Apprentice, Chris Meyer focuses on ways to edit and enhance layers in After Effects CS4 through CC 2015. Through a series of Quizzler challenges and Idea Corner examples, Chris shares alternative ways to employ modes, sequencing, and adjustment layers, while special sidebar movies cover the subjects of creating seamless loops, animating effects points, understanding pixel aspect ratios, and employing Brainstorm to explore the variety of different looks that effects can create. The course also covers tricks for enhancing boring footage and tips for converting scans into moving sequences. Exercise files are included with the course.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer and are designed to be used on their own and as a companion to their book After Effects Apprentice.

In this course, Chris Meyer demonstrates the most common techniques for adding selective transparency to layers in After Effects through the use of masks, track mattes, and stencils. In addition to explaining the tools and basic theory behind transparency, the course covers several practical applications for these techniques, including isolating objects, creating vignettes, and filling text with visual texture. Tutorials on crafting custom transitions and other treatments are also included. Exercise files for After Effects CS4 through CC accompany the course.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. The tutorials are designed to be used independently and as a companion to their book After Effects Apprentice.

One of the cornerstones of motion graphics is creating and animating type. In this course, Trish Meyer shows how to typeset titles professionally and create custom animations, as well as apply and modify the hundreds of text animation presets that After Effects ships with. Additionally, Chris Meyer shows how to add audio to projects, including spotting "hit points" to align keyframes and video action.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. The tutorials are designed to be used independently and as a companion to their book After Effects Apprentice.

Parenting is a way to group multiple layers within the same composition inside After Effects. In this course, Chris Meyer shows how to set up a parenting chain, discusses what makes a good parent, and demonstrates several techniques using parenting, such as creating a title animation with a minimal number of keyframes, building a geometric construct, and bringing an anthropomorphic robot arm to life. Sidebar topics include avoiding a scaling gotcha with parenting and creating abstract backgrounds using the Fractal Noise effect.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

Let Chris and Trish Meyer share with you two of the core secrets required to become an efficient After Effects user: understanding the render order (the internal order of operations After Effects uses when calculating masks, effects, transformation, track mattes, and layer styles) and the use of multiple compositions where a composition may be nested into one or more other comps. This makes it easier to group layers, efficiently re-use a common element to quickly accommodate client changes, pan around large composites of multiple layers, and solve render order issues.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

Expressions are one of the most powerful but underused features in After Effects. They can be used to animate layer properties with code, as compared to explicitly keyframing every value in the Timeline, and have multiple parameters and layers that follow the lead of a master layer or controller effect, making it much easier to coordinate complex animations and quickly accommodate client changes. In this introduction, Chris Meyer shows how to let After Effects do most of the work by creating simple but very useful expressions that can be put to work on a wide variety of jobs.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

Discover how to manipulate time in After Effects. Author Chris Meyer shows how to stop, slow, and speed up footage, and how to combine these techniques with nested compositions, expressions, and the Graph Editor. Along the way, he reveals several important yet somewhat hidden functions, such as the advanced composition setting that ensures predictable stop motion, the Frame Mix and Pixel Motion modes of the Frame Blending switch, and the Time Remap parameter.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

This installment of the After Effects Apprentice series introduces 3D space in Adobe After Effects. Authors Chris and Trish Meyer highlight key design considerations for working in 3D and provide step-by-step instructions for enhancing a scene with 3D lights and cameras. The course explores integration between Photoshop and After Effects, including modeling 3D objects with Repoussé extrusions and creating dimensional still images, and offers tips on using the different Axis Modes and maintaining maximum quality in 3D. There's also a chapter dedicated to the ray-traced 3D renderer, introduced in After Effects CS6, which allows you to build 3D layers into your composites, with realistic motion blur, depth of field, and reflections.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

Explore how to use the motion tracker and stabilizer built into After Effects and shows how to handle a variety of shots. Author Chris Meyer leads a quick tour of the third-party software mocha and demonstrates the workflow for The Foundry's KEYLIGHT, both bundled with After Effects. The course also covers tracking a greenscreen shot with a handheld camera and replacing its background.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

In this course, Trish and Chris Meyer introduce a series of creative tools inside Adobe After Effects. The centerpiece is Paint, where Trish demonstrates how to use the Brush, Eraser, and Clone Stamp tools to draw on a layer, remove portions of it, or repeat elements around a composition. These tools can be used for artistic purposes as well as to repair problem areas in footage. Chris shows off the Puppet tools for distorting layers, and the incredible Roto Brush, introduced in After Effects CS6, which allows you to separately define foreground and background elements so that you can replace backgrounds and selectively add special effects.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

In this course, author Chris Meyer shows how to create and animate vector-based artwork directly inside Adobe After Effects. The course covers the ins and outs of working with shape layers, including creating shape paths, applying shape effects, and reordering shape operators. The course also contains a series of exercises on creating common motion graphics elements using shape layers.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

This course pulls together the skills you've been learning in the previous After Effects Apprentice installments to create a real-world video promo. Trish leads you through building the artwork and components used in the final piece, and then Chris shows how to assemble these precompositions into a 3D world, timed to music. Along the way, Trish and Chris also share their thoughts as they design a video project, including unifying the overall look and handling change requests from clients.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

This project-oriented course leads you through the creative and technical process of building an opening title sequence from scratch in Adobe After Effects. Author Chris Meyer shows how to pull together numerous skills you've learned in the other After Effects Apprentice courses, from working in 3D space to creating type and shape layers to writing expressions. Along the way, Chris lets you in on the mental process he uses when creating similar spots for real-world clients, while sharing numerous tips that will help broaden your After Effects skills.

The After Effects Apprentice series was created by Trish and Chris Meyer. These tutorials are designed for After Effects CS4 through CC, and can be used on their own or as a companion to the Meyer's book, After Effects Apprentice.

Want to play video against "walls" or other objects in your After Effects animations? You need to learn how to map video to 3D space. Although After Effects supports 3D, its native implementation is rather limited. Fortunately, After Effects CC comes bundled with the 3D application CINEMA 4D Lite and a pipeline to integrate its output directly into the After Effects timeline. In this first of three project-oriented courses for C4D beginners, After Effects expert Chris Meyer shows you how to map video into the face of a 3D object, and then composite animated 3D text over it in After Effects.

These courses are designed for users who are familiar with 3D space in After Effects, but who have never used CINEMA 4D. This course includes an overview of the C4D Lite user interface, as well as setup information you need to know whenever you use live C4D layers in After Effects. A bonus chapter shows how to set up a C4D Lite and After Effects scene to maximize production efficiency—and minimize render times.

Look for the upcoming courses After Effects Apprentice 18 and 19 for more C4D Lite projects.

After Effects CC comes bundled with the 3D application CINEMA 4D Lite. But many new users are intimidated by 3D space. After Effects Apprentice offers three training courses just for C4D beginners. In this installment, After Effects expert Chris Meyer shows you how to create, extrude, and animate 3D text in C4D Lite, and believably composite it over a 2D background inside After Effects. The tutorials cover creating 3D text from scratch, animating with effectors, texture mapping and lighting the text, working with 3D cameras, and rendering. Chris also shows a workflow for extruding Illustrator artwork for animation.

The first course in the series, After Effects Apprentice 17, includes an overview of the C4D Lite user interface, as well as important setup information you need to know whenever you use live C4D layers in After Effects. We recommend you watch it first if you have no prior experience with C4D.

Learning After Effects? Take your skills to the next dimension: 3D. After Effects CC comes bundled with the 3D application CINEMA 4D Lite and a pipeline to integrate its output directly into the After Effects timeline. In this course for C4D beginners, After Effects expert Chris Meyer shows you how to track and extract the camera move and ground plane from already shot footage, and add a 3D model—complete with lighting and shadows—to the scene. These project-based lessons are a great way to familiarize yourself with C4D motion tracking and layers.

The first course in the series, After Effects Apprentice 17, includes an overview of the C4D Lite user interface, as well as important setup information you need to know whenever you use live C4D layers in After Effects. We recommend you watch it first if you have no prior experience with C4D.

Work along with motion graphics artist Eran Stern in this course, as he uses After Adobe Affects and Illustrator to create a TV broadcast promo from concept to design. Eran shows how to build compelling broadcast graphics, tell a short story with huge impact, and create a graphic package for a special sports event by harnessing the power of simulation effects, 3D spheres, and live footage. The course also offers tips on building a matching color scheme for your video, creating 3D titles, and much more.

In this one-of-a-kind workshop, motion graphics artist Eran Stern shares techniques for using Adobe After Effects to create an eye-grabbing sci-fi visual effect. Follow along as Eran takes a homemade video shot, prepares it for high-end postproduction, and uses a combination of tools in After Effects to achieve a complex, realistic visual effect. The course covers tracking, masking, and effects, as well as how to animate strokes, repeat elements, and fix problem areas in your footage.

Well-done motion graphics have the ability to add interest to even the driest subject matter. In this course, learn how to leverage the 3D options in Adobe After Effects to create a bouncing animated sphere that can make your motion graphics project stand out. To familiarize you with the technical aspects of creating and animating this sphere, Ran Ben Avraham takes you through his creative workflow. He demonstrates how to create a basic sphere, create squash and stretch animation, prepare your sphere for animation, and animate it.

This is a project-based learning experience. Each step of the process is rich with object lessons that are applicable to the variations that a motion design and compositing artist will face in the real world.