Learn Adobe After Effects: Creating Animations & Graphics

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If you're new to After Effects, Adobe's motion design software for the web, TV, and film, the program can be overwhelming at first. But don't worry—once you learn the basics, you'll have no trouble creating animations and other special effects for graphics-related projects. This wikiHow article will walk you through creating your first Adobe After Effects composition, and teach you everything from importing files and adding layers to working with animations and effects.


 Projects in Adobe After Effects are called compositions, or comps. At the Welcome screen, locate and click on the New Composition button in the right column. If you already have the program open, you may either click on the “Composition” tab and select “New Composition” or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N. Every time you create a new composition, a “Composition Settings” window will appear on your screen.



  • Don’t know what resolution to choose? Locate “Preset” and click on the drop-down menu. The menu is divided up into four sections, respectively: Web settings, standard definition broadcast settings (NTSC and PAL), HD settings (the most used), and film settings. Select “UHD 8K 23.976”, which is four times the resolution of 1080p HD with 23.976 frames per second. It’s always a good idea to create effects in 8K for future-proofing.
  • In the second row, find “Start Timecode” and “Duration.” Leave the “Start Timecode” at 0. “Duration” refers to the total length of the project, from start to end. Set the “Duration” to the required length for your composition.[1] [2]


 Before you begin to work on the composition, you should always name and save the project. Click on the “File” tab at the top of the screen. When you select “Save,” a “Save As” window will appear. At the top of the window, type in the name of your composition. Select a location to save this file to and click the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen. The saved composition will appear in the “Project” tab to the left of the screen.



  • While you may save this file in any location, it is recommended that you it near your “Footage” file. This file is located within the “Exercise Files” folder.

 To create a composition, you need material to manipulate and animate. Select File > Import > File or double-click on the Project tab. Select all of the files you wish to import and hit “Open.” The imported files will appear in the “Project” tab. Alternative methods include:

  • Double-click anywhere on the “Project” tab.
  • Strike “Command + I.”
  • Drag images directly into the “Project” tab.[3] [4]

 A composition is a composite graphic, or a composite of layers. Each individual layer of your composition is made up of a file. All of the layers combined form a composite graphic. There are several ways to add a file to your composition.

  • You may drag and drop files from the “Project” tab into the “Timeline” tab (located at the bottom right of the window), the “Composition” window (located to the right of the “Project” tab), or the “Layer” tab (located directly below the “Project” tab.)

 Once the files appear in the “Layer” tab, you may begin to manipulate the files. From this tab, you may alter the order of the files and edit the appearance of a file.

  • To adjust the hierarchy of the layers, drag a file up or down the list. The order of the files will alter the appearance of the composition (see the “Composition” window.) Files at the top of the layer list will appear over files at the bottom of the layer list.
  • To alter the appearance of a file, click on the sideways triangle next to the layer’s number. This will open up a “Transform” menu. From this menu, you may alter the following properties: anchor point, position, scale, rotation, and/or opacity.

3
Generate a timeline for your composite graphic. The “Timeline” function allows you to animate the graphic—it controls when each layer is or is not visible. The “Timeline” is found to the right of the “Layer” list. Each layer has its own life bar within the timeline, which you can trim, extend, or group with other layers as desired.

 Select a layer from the list. Move your cursor over the line dividing the list and the timeline so that a double arrow appears. Click and drag the double arrow across the timeline to produce a translucent grey box (this shows that a clip is trimmed.) Stop once you reach the moment you would like the layer to appear.



  • The red line with the yellow tab shows your current time. You can use this line to help you automatically trim layers. Select the layer you wish to trim. Drag the red line to your desired starting or ending point for the layer. Strike “Command + [“; to automatically trim a layer to the right of the red line, strike “Command ].”





  1.  When you work within the “Composition” window, you may manually position, or transform, the layers. Select a layer from the list. Move your cursor over the “Composition” window and zoom, or scroll, out. A set of handles will appear around the composition. This indicates the layer may be transformed, or positioned.

    • To shrink or expand the layer, click on the handle, press ⇧ Shift, and drag your cursor towards the inside or outside of the window.
    • To rotate an element, press Ctrl+W. This will activate the rotation tool.
    • To move a layer on a 2-D plane, click on the element you want to move and drag it to its new position.




  2.  To create a 3D layer, return to the “Layer” tab. The column directly under this icon controls the 3D settings for each layer. To activate this feature, check the layer’s blank space in this column. Return to the “Composition” window—if you activated the 3D property, a Y, X, and Z handle will appear on the layer’s anchor.

 The parent function allows you to tie your layers together. One layer, the parent, will drive the actions of another layer, the child. The child layer, can still move independently of the parent.[7] [8]



  • Select the child layer (the layer that you want to apply the keyframes to)—this layer will become the child.
  • Locate the “Parent” category in the layer tab.
  • In the “Parent” column for this layer, locate the curly-q shaped icon in the child’s row. Click on the icon and draw a black line from the icon to the “Layer Name” section of parent. Through this process, the child will become tied to the parent.[9] [10]