Animate with Depth: Cameras, Lights and 3D Layers in After Effects

Rich Armstrong, Product Designer

22 Videos (3h 10m)

- Intro
  
  1:48
- The 2.5D Stage
  
  0:58
- Get Your Artwork into After Effects
  
  8:29
- Arranging Your Layers in 3D Space
  
  12:41
- Adding Cameras
  
  10:38
- Parenting 3D Layers
  
  9:12
- Precomping 3D Layers
  
  9:41
- Animating Cameras and 3D layers
  
  25:30
- Rendering
  
  4:05
- Project Time
  
  17:11
- And There Was Light
  
  9:49
- More Lights
  
  9:23
- Material Options
  
  10:10
- Useful Camera Techniques
  
  7:58
- Rollercoaster Cameras and Auto orientation
  
  9:25
- Multiple Camera Angles
  
  11:53
- Make Better Stuff Faster
  
  7:00
- The Flickering Layers Issue
  
  11:42
- Your Project
  
  1:17
- Conclusion
  
  1:04
- Bonus! Layer-art in After Effects
  
  4:46
- Bonus! Make a cube
  
  5:16

19 students are watching this class

About This Class

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Take your animation skills to the next level by learning all about 3D layers, cameras, and lights in Adobe After Effects. In this class, you’ll learn how to transform your 2D artwork into the 3rd dimension inside After Effects. Your flat artwork will become alive in space, giving it depth and energy.

Besides getting into 3D with Adobe After Affects, there are a bunch of tips and tricks you’ll pick up even if you’re an After Effects and 3D pro. That being said, this class is meant for beginner to intermediate students, who have a little bit of experience in Adobe After Effects.

Come have fun and create an awesome piece of motion graphics with me!

Class Projects 4 See All

Produce a animated 3D postcard for your favourite cityStart by sketching your composition, Illustrating, designing and laying it out in Illustrator and/or Photoshop. Then bring it into After Effects to add cameras, lights, and animation! All the steps and principles will be explained in the class. If you're pressed for time, I've provided an Illustrator file containing many (and more) of the elements I used to create my animated postcard. Feel free to use it as a starting point – arrange, scale, rotate, change colors etc, before importing into and animating in After Effects. Here are a few resources that'll help: Common video sizes Adobe's Cameras, lights, and points of interest reference Adobe's After Effects' Keyboard Shortcuts

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18 of 19 students recommendSee All

This is a great class! The background music is kind of frustrating if I speed up video or want to listen to my own music. Overall awesome information.

Scott Youngblood

Very clear to follow along and some quite amazing effects and tips covered, i would highly recommend.

Chris G.

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Reviews (19)

Rich Armstrong

Product Designer

Although Rich calls himself a Product Designer he's more of a jack-of-all-trades / generalist / unicorn. He designs, animates and codes. And if you want to learn how to make stuff unicorn-style then read on! Rich studied multimedia design and graphic design, and taught himself to code. He's freelanced, worked for agencies and startups, and now runs a studio with his wife in Amsterdam. He creates compulsively, has super ginger-powers and can touch his nose with his tongue!

Rich ...

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Skills in this Class:

Animation Motion Graphics 3D Animation Adobe After Effects Graphic Design Creative