What is After Effects?

- After Effects is an application available in Adobe Creative Cloud that sits squarely between Photoshop and Premiere Pro. I like to think of it as Photoshop over time. As you complete this After Effects Essential Training course, I think you'll begin to understand why After Effects has really become the industry standard when it comes to creating motion graphics. Much like how Photoshop has many different kinds of users, After Effects too is used for many different kinds of jobs and job tasks as well. For example, After Effects is widely used by motion graphics designers to create projects like type animation and animated infographics, but it's also a favorite tool for visual effects artists who use it to create effects like fairy dust or fire.

It's also a go-to tool for green screen, compositing, and rotoscoping. Video editors often use After Effects to create more advanced graphics templates for use in Premiere Pro, or to fix video problems with image stabilization, advanced retiming effects, or even retouch and repair video footage. As you can see, After Effects has many uses, but once you gain a grasp of the basics, you'll be able to take your projects in whatever direction you choose. While the job tasks might seem drastically different, the general workflow for using After Effects doesn't ever really change, so understanding the essentials is key.