After Effects Motion Graphics Design 3

Course Setup
This course consists of 10 video-based lessons. Each lesson is approximately 30 minutes in duration and most include supplementary files and footage.
This course can be taken at any time - for instance every day for 10 days, or once a week for 10 weeks.

This practical, software-based course will focus on creating a professional broadcast graphics package from scratch. One of the strengths of After Effects is its plug in architecture and offerings such as Trapcode Particular, Form, and Lux are workhorses of After Effect artists. Over the ten lessons, After Effects will be at the centre of the course in conjunction with these and other plug ins.

In the broadcast industry, turn-around times for deliverables can be short, which makes efficiency a key component of being a professional motion designer. We need to have the right tools at our fingertips with an in-depth understanding of them to achieve this. This will be the core focus of this course: accelerating your creativity with your tools.

Course Outline

Lesson 1: Style Frames
Quantifying the deliverables list and creating a production timeline. Identifying format and specs. Creating style-frames in Photoshop. How to use Photoshop versions of Red Giant plug-ins and save the settings for use in After Effects.

Lesson 2: Trapcode
Creating dynamic, looping backgrounds with Trapcode Form and Particular, with additional colour effects with Trapcode Starglow and Shine.

Lesson 3: Light and Elements
Creating glitz and glam elements in Particular like falling confetti, atmosphere, dust, smoke and more. Also, using Lux to create volumetric light elements.

Lesson 4: Particular and Knoll Light Factory
Part 2 on Trapcode Particular as well as adding additional elements with Knoll Light Factory and Geomancy.

Lesson 5: Creative Typography
Focusing on creative typography and using the After Effects Type Tools and Animators. Integrating the elements to create a fullscreen graphic page.

Lesson 6: 3D PlaneSpace and 3D
Creating the show open and logo animation. Using PlaneSpace to align and distribute images in 3D space.

Lesson 7: Expressions
Finishing the show open and design and build lower thirds. Using expressions to speed along lower third creation.

Lesson 8: Trapcode Suite
Creating full-screen transitional elements in with Trapcode Suite.

Lesson 9: Colour Grading + Finishing
Finishing & colour grading with Magic Bullet Mojo, Looks and Colorista. Adding colour with Shine and Starglow.

Lesson 10: Overview
A project overview and recap. Exploring alternative methods of style framing inside After Effects