How To Create An Animated Video In Adobe After Effects: The Best Beginner Tutorial

There are a growing number of content creators looking to supplement their brand’s visual marketing. Animated videos have become increasingly popular as a result, and for good reason. They’re an excellent way to help viewers grasp new concepts faster and more effectively than static images or text alone ever could. A great example of such an animated video is the one from Adobe on how to use their software. These videos are simple, easy-to-follow examples that illustrate common tasks in Adobe software like After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. They also double as excellent tutorials for users just learning these programs for the first time! Unless you’re already familiar with After Effects, it can be tricky learning how to use it. But fortunately there are plenty of great resources out there for anyone looking to create their own animated video in Adobe After Effects. In this post we’ll look at some of the best beginner tutorials on creating an animated video in After Effects:

What You’ll Learn

First and foremost, you’ll learn how to create a basic animated video in After Effects. You’ll learn what tools and techniques you can use to create the artwork, and how to bring it all together into a finished product. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to create your own animated videos from scratch, from ideation to completion! You’ll also learn how to set up your work space for success. You’ll learn about the various panels and tools that make up the After Effects interface, and how to use them effectively to get the best results with your work.

The Basics: How To Use The Tools

There are quite a few tools you’ll need to know in order to create your animated video in After Effects. You’ll start by creating basic shapes and lines out of your desired visual assets to use as the basis of your animation. You’ll use the pen and shape tools to do so, as well as other basic functionality like the move tool, rotate tool, etc. You’ll use the graph editor to visually script what you want your animation to do. This can be tricky, so a lot of tutorials will recommend using an expression instead. Once you’re ready to start adding your sound, you’ll use the audio tools panel to do so. This is where you’ll add your audio clips, as well as adjust their volume, panning, etc.

Storyboard Your Animation

Once you’ve created all of your assets, you’ll need to put them together into an animation. The first step in doing so is storyboarding your animation. This is where you take each visual asset you want to include, and map out where it should go in your sequence. This is important not only because it lets you see if your assets are the right length, but also because it helps you think through how you want the viewer to experience your animation. By storyboarding your animation, you can ensure that everything is where it should be, and that you’ve properly communicated your message. You can do this in After Effects by using the board mode. You can also do this in a program like Photoshop, or draw it out on paper.

Create Your Art Assets

Before you actually create your animation in After Effects, you’ll need to create all of your visual assets. This includes your background, characters, objects, etc. Once you’ve figured out what you want your final product to look like, you’ll create the assets you’ll use in your animation. This can be done in a variety of ways, but it’s recommended to do so digitally where possible. This will make it easier to import them into your After Effects project.

Add Motion And Timing

Once you’ve created all of your visual assets, as well as any sound effects or music that you want to include in your animation, you’re ready to start adding motion and timing to your work. You’ll use keyframes to do so. By adding keyframes to your assets (i.e. your visual elements), you can track the progress of your animation. You can then adjust the timings of each keyframe in your visual assets until you’ve gotten them just right. While it’s possible to do this manually, it’s not recommended. Instead, you’re strongly encouraged to use an expression to do so. This will make your work much easier to read and manage, which will make editing and tweaking your work in the future much easier.

Export And Render

Once you’re ready to actually create your animated video in After Effects, you can export and render your work. Once you export your project, you can then render it. Renders are what you use to export your finished product. This can be an animated video, a still image, an audio file, etc. When you’re ready to render your work, you can choose the output format you want to use. This is where you’ll select the final resolution, frame rate, etc. for your video. Once again, there’s more to creating an animated video in After Effects than just what we’ve listed here. But these are some of the basics you’ll need to know in order to create your own animated video in After Effects.

Conclusion

Creating an animated video in After Effects can be a tough process for those new to the software. Thankfully, there are plenty of excellent beginner tutorials out there that can help you get started. These tutorials will walk you through all of the necessary steps to create your own animated video in After Effects. With the knowledge in this post, you’ll be able to create your own animated video in After Effects. You’ll know how to use the tools, storyboard your sequence, create your visual assets, and add motion and timing to your work using keyframes. And when you’re ready to actually create your video, you’ll know how to export and render it.

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