WEEKLY STUDY PLAN (8 Weeks)
🗓️ Week 1: Interface & Animation Basics
🎯 Goal: Get comfortable with the interface and timeline
Topics:
● After Effects layout: timeline, project panel, comp viewer, effects
● Create your first composition
● Add basic shapes and text
● Keyframes: position, scale, rotation, opacity
● Easy Ease (F9) and interpolation
Practice:
● Animate a bouncing ball
● Text fade-in/out
🗓️ Week 2: Working with Layers & Timing
🎯 Goal: Learn animation timing and how layers interact
Topics:
● Layer order, parenting, nesting
● Anchor point and motion paths
● Pre-composing
● Layer trimming and stretching
Practice:
● Animate a logo reveal
● Animate objects to follow paths
🗓️ Week 3: Shape Layers & Text Animation
🎯 Goal: Create clean, animated titles and shapes
Topics:
● Shape layers: fill, stroke, merge paths
● Animate shapes: trim paths, stroke width, transforms
● Text animators: animate by character, word, or line
● Masking techniques
Practice:
● Create a kinetic typography scene
● Make a text title that draws itself on
🗓️ Week 4: Graph Editor & Animation Principles
🎯 Goal: Master smooth movement and motion curves
Topics:
● Graph Editor: speed vs. value graphs
● Squash & stretch, anticipation, overshoot (Disney's 12 principles)
● Bounce and inertia using expressions
● Using motion blur
Practice:
● Animate a bouncing icon with squash
● Add subtle overshoot to a menu pop-up
🗓️ Week 5: Effects & Presets
🎯 Goal: Enhance visuals using built-in effects
Topics:
● Blur, Glow, Drop Shadow, and CC effects
● Color correction: Curves, Levels, Tint
● Use and customize animation presets
● Adjustment layers
Practice:
● Stylize a logo with glow and blur
● Make a VHS glitch effect
🗓️ Week 6: 3D Layers & Cameras
🎯 Goal: Learn depth, lighting, and camera animation
Topics:
● Enable 3D layers
● Move objects in 3D space
● Add and animate cameras
● Use lights and shadows
Practice:
● Create a 3D fly-through of text or shapes
● Build a 3D-looking scene using 2.5D layers
🗓️ Week 7: Masking, Tracking & VFX
🎯 Goal: Learn basic visual effects and compositing
Topics:
● Masking and rotoscoping (Rotobrush)
● Green screen (Keylight effect)
● Motion tracking and stabilization
● Screen replacement
Practice:
● Replace a phone screen in a video
● Add animated text to moving footage
🗓️ Week 8: Final Project & Exporting
🎯 Goal: Build and export a complete motion graphic video
Topics:
● Combine all your skills into one video
● Add background music and sound effects
● Render using Adobe Media Encoder or built-in Render Queue
● Export for YouTube or Instagram
Practice:
● Create a 15-30 second animated promo video or intro
● Upload to YouTube or your portfolio
🧰 Recommended Tools
Tool Purpose
Adobe After Effects Main software
Adobe Media Encoder High-quality exporting
Mixkit / Pexels Free video/audio assets
MotionArray Templates & presets (optional)
AE Juice Free plugins & animations
📘 Learning Resources
● YouTube Channels:
○ Ben Marriott – Clean motion design tutorials
○ Mt. Mograph – Fun, fast-paced AE projects
○ Video Copilot – VFX & sci-fi style effects
● Courses:
○ Motion Design School
○ Skillshare After Effects Classes
○ Adobe’s official After Effects Learn portal
