# After Effects Advanced

Canonical URL: <https://www.creativelive.com/classes/after-effects-advanced>

## Overview

Unlock the power of Adobe After Effects in this comprehensive, advanced animation course. Dive into shape layer animation, harness the power of the graph editor, and explore the expansive capabilities of After Effects' 3D features. You will also master dynamic text animations, bringing your projects to life with a professional touch.

This hands-on course guides you through real-world projects, ensuring you gain practical experience and a thorough understanding of advanced animation workflows. You will learn to create animations, utilize expressions and scripts to accelerate your workflow, and work with masks and track mattes to enhance the style of your projects.

By the end of this course, you will have the skills to craft sophisticated animations, enhancing your motion graphics and compositing abilities from start to finish. Whether you are looking to elevate your current projects or take on new creative challenges, this advanced After Effects course will equip you with the expertise needed to excel.

## What you'll learn

- Work with 3D layers, cameras, and lights to create dynamic scenes
- Create and animate custom shape layers using the Pen tool
- Develop advanced text animations and save presets for future use
- Optimize animations with expressions and wire parameters for complexity
- Enhance audio integration by adding markers and applying audio effects

## Prerequisites

Participants should be comfortable with the basics of After Effects equivalent to our [After Effects Bootcamp](/classes/after-effects)

## Curriculum

#### Working with 3D in After Effects

- Working with Layers in 3D Space
- Creating & Animating Camera & Light Layers

#### Working with Shape Layers

- Creating & Formatting Shape Layers
- Creating Custom Shape Layers with the Pen Tool
- Editing Shape Layer Vertices
- Working with Shape Layer Effects (Pucker & Bloat, Repeater, Etc.)

#### Advanced Text Animation

- Animating Text as a Graphic
- Working with Dingbat Fonts
- Creating Custom Text Animators & Saving Presets

#### Creating Custom Easing with the Graph Editor

- Using the Graph Editor

#### Animating with Effects

- Using Effects

#### Optimizing Animations with Expressions

- Adding Expressions to Properties
- Creating More Complex Expressions
- Wiring Parameters with Expressions

#### Beyond Position Keyframes

- Using the Motion Sketch Panel to Capture Motion
- Using the Smoother Panel to Soften Movement
- Using the Nulls to Paths Panel

#### Working with Audio

- Adding Markers to Audio
- Working with Audio Effects
- Generating Keyframes from Audio Layers

## Schedule
- Jul 27, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026 — Live Online
- Aug 18, 2026 – Sep 3, 2026 — Live Online
- Sep 28, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026 — Live Online
- Nov 23, 2026 – Nov 25, 2026 — Live Online

## FAQ

### Do I need to bring anything to the class?

No. We provide computers (Mac or PC) with After Effects installed. Choose your operating system at checkout.

### What computer do I need to run After Effects?

After Effects will run on either Mac or PC. 

Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements for [After Effects](https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/system-requirements.html)

## Pricing

**Tuition:** $975