Learn Adobe After Effects Animation Basics: In this introductory tutorial, viewers will learn the basics of Adobe After Effects.  The video covers essential topics like understanding the interface, creating a new composition, and working with tools like the Shape Tool. It provides step-by-step guidance on animating objects, including position, rotation, and opacity animations. Keyframe usage is explained, along with handy keyboard shortcuts for efficient editing. By the end of the video, users will have created a simple animation and gained foundational knowledge for further exploration.

Introduction: Learn Adobe After Effects Animation Basics

Hello and Assalamualaikum! Today, we will begin learning Adobe After Effects. Insha’Allah, I will teach you animation step by step. So, let’s start with our first lecture.

When you open After Effects, the interface looks like this. At the top, where the software’s name is displayed, is called the Title Bar. Below it, you’ll see options like File, Composition, and Layer , among others.

The toolbar you see here is called the Tool Bar. The section on the left is the Project Panel, where all the imported files will appear. On the right, we have the Timeline Panel, where we will work on animations.

Getting Started

Whenever you start a new project in After Effects, you need to create a new composition, which is like your workspace or canvas.
1. You can name your composition anything, such as “Animation.”
2. For HD videos, select the **HDTV 1080p** preset.
3. Set the duration of your animation here. For instance, you can choose 15 seconds or extend it to 25 seconds if needed.
4. You can also set a custom size, like 1200×800 pixels.

Once your composition is created, you’ll see the workspace divided into sections. The lower section is the Timeline, where we will manage layers and keyframes.

Basic Animation Example

Let’s draw a **Rectangle** using the Shape Tool.
1- First, turn off the **Stroke** if you don’t need it.
2- Set a **Fill Color**, such as red.
3- Draw the rectangle on your canvas.

To center the rectangle:
4- Press Ctrl + Home button to align it to the centre of your composition.

When you select the rectangle layer, its Properties will appear on the right side. These include Position, Scale, Rotation, and more. Let’s animate this rectangle.

Animating in After Effects

1. Position Animation:

1- Add a Keyframe at the start for the rectangle’s position.
2- Move to another point in the timeline (e.g., 2 seconds) and change the rectangle’s position.
3- Play the animation, and you’ll see the rectangle move from the first position to the second.

2. Rotation Animation:

1- Select the layer and add a keyframe for Rotation.
2- Set the rotation to 360 degrees (one full turn).
3- Play the animation, and the rectangle will rotate smoothly.

3. Opacity Animation:

1- Add a keyframe for Opacity at the start (e.g., 100%).
2- Add another keyframe at 2 seconds and set the opacity to 0%.
3- This will create a fade-out effect.

Shortcuts to Remember
1- P: for Position
2- R: for Rotation
3- S: for Scale
4- T: for Opacity

Combining Animations

You can combine multiple animations like position, rotation, and scale for a single object. For example:
1- Move the rectangle from left to centre while rotating it.
2- Add a scale effect to make it grow or shrink as it moves.

Practice Task

Try creating a simple animation where a rectangle enters the screen, rotates, and disappears. This will help you understand keyframes and animation timing.

Closing Notes

This was a basic introduction to Adobe After Effects and simple animations. Practice these steps, and in the next lecture, we’ll explore advanced techniques and create more professional animations.

Thank you, and see you in the next session!

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