Discover the Best After Effects Classes in Washington, D.C.
Add professional-quality animation and effects to videos with Adobe After Effects. This powerful tool can import photos from Photoshop or drawings from Illustrator that can be used to create motion graphics and animation for titles, logos, and credits. After Effects is also used to add special effects and animation to videos.
Special Effects Artists and Animators use tools like After Effects to create video content for apps, social media channels, and websites. Although many Special Effects Artists and Animators work in the television, film, and advertising industries, any industry that uses training or information videos hires people who know After Effects.
After Effects is powerful and can be complicated to learn. Many people find it easier to master software tools by taking a class. If you want to switch to a career as a Special Effects Artist and Animator, signing up for After Effects classes is a good way to start. You can find in-person classes in the area, but live online sessions are an option, too.
Best After Effects Classes & Schools in
Ledet Training offers in-person After Effects training in These hands-on sessions prepare students to take the Adobe Certified Expert exam at the conclusion of the classes. After Effects 101 covers the foundations of After Effects such as the user interface; efficient workflow; basic tools like masks, puppet tools, and roto tools; and rendering and outputting the final video.
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this class.
Duration: This is a full-time class over three days.
Cost: The cost for this course is $1,299.
Advanced After Effects from Ledet Training presents project optimization, compositing, color correction, motion tracking, and more advanced techniques for animation and special effects.
Prerequisites: Students should take After Effects 101 or have a basic knowledge of After Effects before enrolling in this course.
Duration: This is a full-time class over three days.
Cost: The cost for this course is $1,295.
Ledet Training’s Video Tools Bootcamp includes both introductory and advanced After Effects courses plus training in basic video production. This course includes instruction in Premiere Pro and After Effects and addresses both the essentials of video editing and animation.
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this class.
Duration: This is a full-time class over five days.
Cost: The cost for this course is $2,199.
American Media Training offers a beginner’s course in After Effects Level 1 introduces the After Effects workflow and creating animation using preset effects. The class uses hands-on assignments to create animated multimedia projects. Covered topics include using layers, masks, and distortion tools plus animated text. The course touches on more advanced techniques like color correction, rotoscoping, and 3-D animation, but these topics are covered in more depth in After Effects Level 2.
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this class.
Duration: This is a full-time class over two days.
Cost: The cost for this course is $895.
American Media Training also offers After Effects Level 2 to help students achieve intermediate After Effects skills. This course builds on After Effects Level 1 and covers more advanced concepts like compositing, color correction and keying, rotoscoping, motion tracking, expressions, and special effects.
Another option for After Effects training in is After Effects Bootcamp from Noble Desktop. This live online class for all levels presents students with professional animation and motion graphics techniques for video production. The course is taught by experienced video editors and starts with the basics like navigating the workspace and adding animation, and moves on to more advanced techniques like motion tracking and 3D animation using layers.
Prerequisites: Students may find previous knowledge of photo editing using Adobe Photoshop and video production using Premiere Pro helpful but this is not required.
Duration: This is a full-time class over three days.
Cost: The cost for this course is $975.
Noble’s After Effects in a Day is another live online option. Students learn the essentials of video editing and animation, such as how to use the After Effects interface and timeline, along with video editing basics like cuts, eases, and fade-ins. Class projects include adding animation to photos and logos and then adding a soundtrack.
Prerequisites: Experience with Adobe products like Photoshop and Illustrator is helpful, but not required. Students who have never used these products might want to take a Photoshop or Illustrator class before signing up for an After Effects class. Design skills are also helpful.
Duration: This is a one-day, six-hour class.
Cost: The cost for this course is $425.
Washington, D.C Industries That Use After Effects
Not surprisingly, the top industry in is government, but technology companies are not far behind. Fintech, edtech, and healthtech are all growing in the D.C. area. Google and Snapchat both have offices there, as do Lockheed Martin and Capitol One. D.C. is also a film-friendly city and has many TV stations and multimedia events. Advertising and public relation firms are another option when people with After Effects skills are looking for work.
After Effects Jobs & Salaries in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 5 to 12 percent growth nationally in jobs for Special Effects Artists and Animators through 2030. The yearly median pay for Special Effects Artists and Animators in the US is around $78,000, while After Effects jobs in the D.C. region pay a median annual salary of $69,000. Glassdoor.com lists a likely salary range between $53,000 and $90,000.
