After Effects Guru: Keyframe Assistants

2h 35mIntermediate2015-05-27

Authors

Ian Robinson

Motion Graphics Designer and Educator

Course details

Explore the tools in After Effects that help with the animation "between" the animation: keyframe assistants. These features help speed up repetitive tasks and add style to animations. This course starts with the basics: using the Keyframe Assistant tool itself to control the appearance, sequence, and timing of multiple layers within a single pre-composition. Then you'll move into very refined, keyframe-specific adjustments using a few different tools: Convert Audio to Keyframes, the Wiggler, ease adjustments, and expressions. In the final chapter, author Ian Robinson explores some very helpful third-party assistants like LayerMonkey, MotionMonkey, PlaneSpace, and Ecospace to speed up your day-to-day workflow.

Learning objectives
Controlling the speed and appearance of multiple layers with sequence layers
Building audio-driven animation
Integrating expressions and keyframes
Creating random animation with the Wiggler
Smoothing keyframe animation with ease adjustments
Increasing productivity with Layer Monkey, MotionMonkey, and Ease and Wizz

Skills covered

Motion GraphicsAfter EffectsRenderingMotion Graphics and VFXVisualization and Real-TimeAdobeAECProduct and ManufacturingAnimation and IllustrationDeep Dive (X:Y)

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - What you should know before watching this course
03 - Using the exercise files

1. Building and Controlling Animation with Sequence Layers

04 - Preparing Creative Cloud assets for animation
05 - Building the sequence of layers
06 - Distributing and positioning a sequence of images
07 - Controlling playback of sequenced layers with time controls
08 - Putting it all together

2. Keyframe Animation Techniques

09 - Exploring motion between keyframes
10 - Adding intensity to animation with audio-driven keyframes
11 - Creating dynamic random animation with the Wiggler

3. Expanding Animation with Expressions

12 - Getting started with expressions
13 - Creating expressions for type animation
14 - Creating random motion with expressions
15 - Simulating realistic movement with expressions
16 - Converting animation between expressions and keyframes
17 - Saving expressions

4. Increasing Productivity with Third-Party Assistants

18 - Installing third-party assistant scripts
19 - Understanding LayerMonkey and TypeMonkey
20 - Building animation with TypeMonkey
21 - Building custom animations with LayerMonkey
22 - Building animation with MotionMonkey
23 - Combining LayerMonkey and MotionMonkey
24 - Exploring Ease and Wizz
25 - Positioning layers with PlaneSpace
26 - Repeating graphics with Trapcode Echospace

Conclusion

27 - Next steps