Here are 75 Adobe After Effects Tutorials that will go along way in assisting you to learn, grow and greatly improve on your skills. Enjoy !

Creating Additional Graphical Interface Elements

In this tutorial we are going to cover different techniques and approaches for creating interface elements using shape layers and various other filters. Hopefully this will inspire you and give you some ideas on how to use After Effects effectively to create stunning interface designs.

The Blue Planet

Create a cool earth in After Effects. Add atmosphere, rotation and cool lighting.

Building a Cube World: Part 1

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Carl Larsen shows you how to create a 360 degree camera-aware environment in After Effects without the use of third-party plug-ins.

Color Control in After Effects CS5

Franklin McMahon discusses 3 features in After Effects CS5 to help improve the color in your video clip: 1) Levels, 2) Vibrance, and 3) the Color Finesse 3 plugin.

Create the JibJab Effect

Learn how to turn yourself into a cartoony looking animation. If you have a client that wants something funny or if you’re just bored and need something to do with your friends, this is a simple tutorial that will generate some extremely entertaining results!

A Beautiful Ripple Using Form’s Audio React

In this tutorial we’re gonna show you how you can create an abstract audio reactant background with Trapcode Form and we will discover the advantages of Audio React.

Invent Your Own Custom Logo Transformation Template

In this tutorial I will show how to create a logo transformation template that can be re-purposed and features the ability to drop in any logo and have the effect and shadows update automatically… similar to something you might see on Videohive. Then, to finish off we will build a simple 3d environment plus some additional scene elements.

Waveform Monitors in After Effects

When we correct footage with just our eyes, how do we know that the decisions we make are correct and that we have remained within broadcast safe limits? That is where the waveform monitors help by giving clear empirical data on our footage so that the choices we make aren’t just based on what we see. In this AE tutorial, Andrew Devis introduces us to the Luma Waveform Monitor and how it can be used to correct a shot and stay within safe limits.

Shine Some Light On The Situation

When working on VFX, you can often measure your success by how invisible you are. If the audience doesn’t know there was an effect created, then you did a good job. In this tutorial I will show you all how to make turn a plain dolly shot into a dynamic room with light rays and a sky replacement.

Distressed Text

In this video tutorial, Richard Harrington shows a technique for distressing text using a photo layer as a texture map. Richard starts the project in Photoshop and finishes working with the layers in After Effects for the final touches.

Stabilize Shaky Footage

In this 2-part tutorial you will learn a great technique to stabilize shaky footage and we’ll cover compositing smoke behind this moving vehicle with Particular. Thanks to Mark Christiansen for his great technique for this tutorial. Check out his book ‘Adobe After Effects: Studio Techniques’.

After Effects 101

Learn the basics of After Effects 6.5 Pro & UI. Importing video, effects, keyframes & rendering.

Introduction to 2.5D Compositing Tutorial [Video]

I am sure that all of you at one time or another have experimented in After Effects’ 3D world, and for beginners it can be quite the concept to wrap your head around. Along with being able to animate in 2D space, you can actually manipulate, move and place objects in Z space as well as the X and Y plane. Z space is measured by distance to and from the camera, so if you were to move something back in Z space it would appear further away than something further up on the Z plane. Using this placement, you can rotate and place flat layers to create shapes and objects such as stages, streets, and even houses, given you know how to position correctly and efficiently. This is by no means a 3D modeling technique, just a little trick of the trade to spice up camera movements, and give your animations a sense of depth by placing objects in 3D space, and moving past them—like you would if you were to actually create the camera movement in real life.

Gravity in After Effects

Expressions in After Effects can be used to save you from doing a ton of animation by hand. In this video tutorial, learn to use some simple math functions and expressions to create a bouncing ball effect in Adobe After Effects.

Velocity Control in After Effects

This is a short, quick and easy tutorial showing how to use the graph editor to control the velocity of keyframes within after effects. I go over using the easy ease function and how to manipulate the bezier curves using the graph editor. This is a very basic tutorial but if you’ve never opened the graph editor to change the temporal interpolation of keyframes then you may want to watch to see how it’s done.

Animating Birds with After Effects

Like a lot of motion designers I spend many hours trying to accomplish complex animations in a short amount of time, while attempting to optimize my workflow within After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator. This tutorial utilizes Trapcodes Particular, which is one of After Effects more popular 3rd party plugins. Creating an animation like a flock of birds is very versatile and is a great filler animation which can add a lot of style to a piece. You can also adapt this technique to create other flying creatures…. perhaps a flying skull with flapping wings?

Disintegration

Build a furious procedural Disintegration effect in AE. Use displacement, turbulence and particle world.

Create a Mysterious Smokey Logo Reveal

In this fun tutorial, Adam walks us through the write-on effect as well as a new way to implement Trapcode Particular to create the popular simulation of an appearing wisp of smoke. He shows us some options to this effect as well how to customize any logo apply these principles in any way you wish.

Soul Removal

Create Energy particle system in After Effects. Add facial Distortion and handy expressions.

Money Makes The Word Go Round

In this tutorial I’ll show you a cool way to create your own economy show opening sequence. We’ll use Digieffects Freeform (bundled free with CS5) to create a single dollar bill flopping in the air. Then, using Trapcode Particular, we’ll emit hundreds of dollar bills to create a nice animation. Finally, we’ll add some nice Depth of Field using a custom build depth map and the Lens Blur plug-in.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball 3D in After Effects

Animating your After Effects design in 3D space is fun and, for the most part, easy to achieve. However, the camera and objects can have their own agendas in some instances, but a few tricks can change a seemingly uncontrollable camera animation into pure, cool cinematography…

Get Tangled Up In Twisted Wire Text

In this tutorial I will demonstrate a very simple way to trace text and then recreate it using multiple Trapcode Particular layers wobbling and shivering in 3D space. A very simple technique which results in a stunning look that could easily be modified into roots, veins, or any number of other ideas.

The Birth Of A Logo – Day 1

There was an explosion of characters and thus the Logo was born. In this tutorial we’ll be using some of the new options of Trapcode Particular 2 as well as some techniques with Trapcode Form to create an epic depiction of the first logo in history.

The Ring

Build a silver ring in After Effects with a particle wipe. Use valueAtTime expression to automate over time.

Bessie Potter

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Michael Park demonstrates how to make a dark, cloudy title reveal similar to the one seen in the “Movie Which Must Not Be Named.” All textures and fonts are available in the project download as well as the final CS4 project file.

Animated Swirls in Adobe After Effects

Animated swirls are all the rage in the motion graphics world, and there are some pretty cool things that can be done with them. But creating and animating such elements is really not as difficult and time-consuming as it would seem, even if the shapes are detailed and intricate. Bring on the swirls!

Create a Sci-Fi Movie Title Sequence

This tutorial covers the creation of a space-like si-fi title sequence from scratch. Michael shows us how you can easily create a visually interesting and impressive title animation with some simple title cards and text animation. The tutorial uses the Twitch plugin from Video Copilot, though a similar effect could be obtained by manual keyframing.

Create an Ethereal Morphing Letter Canvas

Once in a while a new (or in this case very rarely used) technique appears on the scene and suddenly you start seeing it everywhere. Well we have a feeling that this is going to be one of those. In this tutorial Satya shows us how to use the built-in radio waves plug-in to create an incredibly beautiful and ethereal animation of morphing letters.

Dynamic Bar Graphs

Create a dynamic bar graph with customizable values. Streamline graph production without sacrificing quality.

Animating Spray Paint and Stencil Effect in After Effects

So in this tutorial I’m going to show you how to create a spray paint effect using After Effects. It’s a fairly simple process but I’ve got a few tricks that you may not have thought of. Here is a sample video of what you’ll be creating.

Shatterize

Create a progressive shatter effect in After Effects. Composite with Glows and add subtle camera shake.

Pucker Up With A “Rocky Horror” Lips Rig

Inspired by the opening sequence of one of my favorite cult movies of all times – “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, I decided to share with you a great technique of recreating that effect. The original footage was a real person singing, so here I will give you a quick walkthrough to help you easily rig lips for a very precise lips sinking.

Growing 3D Vines

First of all I’d like to apologize for the length of this tutorial – it’s about 50 minutes. It’s been over 3 months since my last post so I’m a bit out of shape. Hopefully next one will be shorter, but for now, before you start watching this make sure you’ve got supplies of some snacks and soda, or coffee if you Tea Cups With Lids Amber Rings Wholesale Tea Trays Toddler Sleeping Bags prefer, so that you have everything you need to sit back and enjoy the tutorial.

Create a Photo Montage with After Effects

Lots of programs and plug-ins create cool photo montages easily and quickly—handy for such things as photo DVDs and slideshows. But what if you don’t have those programs or plug-ins, or you want something a little more creative (yet still as easy to replicate and reuse) using a software program you already own? A few tricks and techniques in After Effects will have you up and running in no time at all.

Glass Orbs

Use After Effects to create shiny glass orbs in 3D. Create a spherical and reflection map from images.

3D Motion and Position of Text Characters with After Effects

Typography is one of the qualities upon which we base most of our design work, and the type animation engine in After Effects offers a gamut of ways to express typographic flair. One of my favorites is the ability to control the 3D motion and position of text characters. When combined with simple camera moves, depth of field, and some real-world studio tricks we use every day, the results can be—literally—powerful. Let’s get started.

Send A Happy 2011 New Year Card

In this holiday season, it’s always fun to send cards to each other, well in this tutorial we are going to make a lovely animated New Year card that you can post on Facebook and tag all your friends in or whatever else you might wanna do. Enjoy and we’ll see ya next year!

3D Text Animation in After Effects

This 3D Text Animation project gives viewers a chance to learn about the new per-character-3d animation option in After Effects CS5.

Futuristic HUD

Create 3D interface display as seen in Iron Man’s helmet. Build self-animating components and artificial lighting.

Youveelizer

UV mapping finally available in After Effects. Check out this amazing tutorial to learn how to integrate your 3D artwork with After Effects to improve your workflow, save time and money. It’s a must-see! In a nutshell all you need to do is to apply the Youveelizer to a layer with a UV render pass to apply a texture to a rendered 3d object, or to a Tea Cups With Lids Amber Rings Wholesale Tea Trays Toddler Sleeping Bags Normal render pass to add reflections. All 3d objects should be rendered out from a 3d application such as 3d Studio Max, Maxon Cinema 4D, or any other 3d package capable of rendering UV and Normal render passes.

Lightning Strike

Add Rain & Atmosphere then build a Lightning Bolt. Use Action Essentials 2 and make Sam explode.

Bitweiser Light

Problems with overerexposed footage? Need to work in 32bpc for nice depth of field and motion blur? Now you can! Convert your footage from 8bpc to 32bpc with my new free plugin. We all deal with overexposed footage from time to time when doing postproduction, color correction, motiongraphics or visual effects. Usually theres not much we can do about it. In some cases we can replace the sky when it was a cloudy day and the clouds turned out looking like a white or gray solid. But what if the overexposed pixels are exactly what you need? Well… than you need to do nothing… until you start blurring the footage or adding color correction. In those cases you end up with areas that turn out gray while they should still be white. That causes a lot of additional work when compositing.

Blowing Flowers

In this video tutorial, CreativeCOW leader, Eran Stern demonstrates how to create flower trails using Trapcode Particular in this special holiday episode. You’ll also work with the light emitter and use 3D layer to obscure particles.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball … 3D in After Effects

Animating your After Effects design in 3D space is fun and, for the most part, easy to achieve. However, the camera and objects can have their own agendas in some instances, but a few tricks can change a seemingly uncontrollable camera animation into pure, cool cinematography…

Make Form Cinematic

The secret to making motion graphics look sexy and less digital is to borrow some tips from the cinematic production world. Simon breaks down a bunch of tips including how to build your own light leaks and film scratches! The tricks learned in this tutorial can be applied to any motion graphics piece.

Magic Glass Breaking Time Freeze

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a cool looking glass/window break. I’ll be talking through some basic compositing with Action Movie Essentials 2 and cover a little time remapping. There are a handful of other Harry Potter-themed tutorials here on Aetuts+.

Discover How To Recreate the Sherlock Holmes End Credits Effect

This tutorial uses hand drawn elements, textures, and pre-matted motion elements to recreate a look that is similar to the Sherlock Holmes credits. It gives you basics to build on. The great thing about this effect is that it is made to look organic and not 3D and effects heavy, but it still turns out looking really professional. It does not require very much expertise in free hand drawing seeing that all you have to do is trace a still image. Take this tutorial and build upon it to create something awesome.

Animating Spray Paint and Stencil Effect in After Effects

So in this tutorial I’m going to show you how to create a spray paint effect using After Effects. It’s a fairly simple process but I’ve got a few tricks that you may not have thought of. Here is a sample video of what you’ll be creating:

Leap Into Hancock-Style Super Jump Effect

You may have to get up and stretch out a little before starting this tutorial. It’s got some pretty ground breaking techniques and covers quite a lot leaving very little up in the air. In honor of this being a leap year and all, here you go… jump in. Similar to Andrew Kramer’s tutorial, this one shows how to use a Difference Matte to roto out an actor and then composite various HD elements in front AND behind an actor to make the ground smashing effect seen in movies such as Hancock and games such as Crackdown.

Graffiti Writing on a Wall in 3D

Simulate graffiti writing on a wall in 3D. Add some paint splatter elements.

Create a MoGraph Urban Jungle

In this tutorial Naim Alwan ventures outside of After Effects for a little bit of 3D Matchmoving to create this stunning Urban Jungle effect where vector graphics are perfectly tracked to some city footage. In day 1 you will learn how to do a track using Boujou (although any matchmoving software will work for this) and then import and apply that information in After Effects successfully.

DVD authoring tools

Create a DVD menu and export for DVD authoring. Use Encore to build buttons and loop menus.

Evolution Preview

This is one of the seven tutorials that are included with Evolution. The preset is compatible with virtually every language of After Effects.

Adobe After Effects: 3D Stroke Effect

Animate a thin particle system in 3D space. Use expressions to enhance particle control.

Realistic Gun Blow Back

Simulate a blow back action from a small firearm. Recreate the barrel and add motion blur to slide.

The Healer

Create a healing effect as seen by many super heroes. Cover advanced motion tracking tips and compositing.

Particle Explosion

Build a complex particle system using CC Particle World. Synchronize the particle blast to shatter a title.

2D To 3D Stereo Conversion With Mocha Pro & FreeForm Pro

In this tutorial, Martin Brennand, the senior product specialist from Imagineer Systems shows how to convert 2D film to stereoscopic 3D. Mocha Pro is used for the roto and clean plating, Freeform Pro is used for the extrusion and a useful script breaks down the masks into luminance depth graded by layer order.

Earth Zoom

Create a cosmic Earth zoom in AE. Use masking and parenting to link imagery.

Skin Displacement

Be sure to play with the matte layer by changing the size of the bugs and the opacity to increase or decrease the displacement amount. This way you can make some bugs that extrude more and others less.

Missile Smoke Trails

Create realistic smoke trails with Particular particles. Randomize the look of a cloud texture with 3d turbulence.

3D Light Casting

For displacement effect, please refer to the Energy Wipe Tutorial. For camera shake, please refer to the Earthquake Tutorial.

Animated 3d Complex Energy Scene

Create a complex energy scene with CC particle world. Animate particles in 3D with multiple instances.

Fracture Design

Fracture layers and manipulate in 3D space with ease. Use expressions, scripts and create a distressed title.

Advanced vehicle collision with body damage

Create a realistic vehicle collision with body damage. Discover Keying tips, the puppet tool and much more.

Create a Palmticular Tree

Today we’ll look at a post that first introduced many of the features found in Trapcode Particular2 by creating a growing palm tree. This tutorial was first published back in August of 2009.

Creating a Force Field Effect in Adobe After Effects

In this tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create a awesome force field effect in Adobe After Effects – with no 3rd-party plug-ins. He’ll also cover some basic color correction techniques. Warning: This tutorial is almost 40 minutes long. Go get some snack and hit the head before you sit down to this one. You may also want to tell your spouse your going out to buy groceries and then sneak back in through a window so you can have some quiet time. Hint: Use headphones & close the door.

3D camera movement from footage

Use Boujou to solve 3d camera movement from footage. Export camera data for After Effects and 3D Max.

Energetic Titles

Works with English, Spanish, French & German versions of AE from 7 through CS4. The font is called NEWTOWN and is free online.

3D Debris Meteor Crash smoke trail

Composite 3D Debris and create meteor smoke trail. Add dust atmosphere and street cracking.

Create A Realistic Glass Reflection

Transparency is an important element to reflect in one’s relationships and if we can help you in that area it’d be our pleasure! In this tutorial you’ll find out how to create a realistic glass reflection on a 3D object, created within After Effects. We’ll then simulate a normal pass and have it reflect the environment with the “normality” free plug-in.

EarthQuake expression with controller 32bpc

Create an easy earthquake expression with controller. Generate 32bpc motion blur from 8bit footage.

Creating Fire in After Effects CS3

One of the toughest things to achieve in After Effects is a true feeling of space, environment, and temperature even. One way to infuse your scene with reality is to add light—and not simply a spotlight with a feathered edge and a few shadows here and there, but a realistic light cast from the very essential form of illumination: fire!

Stylistic 3D City

Create Whispy Spirit-like Text

Today we’ll look at a Quick Tutorial I posted back in May 2009. I was playing with the good ol’ built in CC plugins and came up with a fun technique. I used CC Smear as the basis to create text that appears in as if a spirit whisped into it.

Frozen world aound you

Puppet Animation in After Effects

Learn how to rig a still image using the Puppet Pin tool and animate it using only After Effects. Start with a transparent still image, rig it for animation using after effects and animate. Create a basic set using 3D layers and light it using AFX lighting and shadows.

How To Create And Rig A Realistic Puppet Overview

This is a quick overview of Aetuts+’s “How To Create And Rig A Realistic Puppet” Series. We will be posting a new chapter every day or so for the entire month of October. There are 17 parts total so check it regularly!

Create an Elegantly Handwritten Text Reveal

In this tutorial you will learn how to animate a handwritten text sequence with ink bleeding through the paper to create an elegant old-world style title reveal.

Create a Split-Flap Type Display

Today we’ll look at a post that was published 2 years ago in June 2009. “Split-Flap-What?” You may ask… It’s the term used for displays that are found in train stations and airports, where they typically display departure and/or arrival information and do that cool flipping of letters to display the new information. This tutorial does not show how to create the effect from scratch but instead it is a tutorial to explain how to use the project file created by Mattias Peresini who runs the totally awesome mattrunks website which has incredible tutorials for After Effects in French. We are very happy to have Mattias doing his first English tutorial for us here at Aetuts+.