After Effects Expressions training

Learn Expressions in After Effects

With expressions you can automate and simplify the workflow when working with animations, motion graphics and everything else in After Effects. You can work a lot faster, and more flexible, than if you only use keyframes. Expressions are especially useful when building MOGRTs – Motion Graphics Templates.

Pfeiffer did research for Adobe that shows that you can add graphics to a short video four times faster with Motion Graphics Templates!  Read the report here.

To work effectively with Motion Graphics in After Effects you need to know how to write expressions – code based on JavaScipt, with some special adaptations for After Effects. It sounds very hard to work with code, but but when you understand how these expressions are made, you’ll see that you don’t really have to write the code manually. After Effects can write most of the code for you!

During this training you’ll earn how Expressions can be built faster and easier with point-ad-click, Expression Language Manus, and copy/paste from web sites and PDFs. You’ll learn what can be controlled with expressions – and what can’t be controlled with expressions. You’ll also learn how to build your own Expressions Library, to make re-using them a lot easier.

 

Contents

• What are expressions?
• Built-in Expression helpers in After Effects
• Variables
• Dimensions and Arrays, simplified
• Expression Controls
• Finding and fixing errors
• Logical operators (if/else, and, or etc.) in combination with checkboxes, sliders, menus etc.
• Treating text strings and splitting, changing and merge text
• Time Expressions
• Replacing keyframes with expressions
• Rounding, maximum, minimum, PI and other JavaScript Math
• Principles for building Motion Graphics projects with expressions
• Exporting and sharing Motion Graphics Templates
• Workshop

 

The first day of this two-day training is an intro to Expressions with lots of small projects. The second day is workshop based, where you build your own Motion Graphics projects with expressions. You can bring existing projects you want to streamline, or you can bring some Graphics elements (logos, fonts, still images and video, etc.) and start a new project.

When you’ve completed the two days, you’ll have one or more projects on your system with lots of useful expressions you can re-use in upcoming Motion Graphics projects in After Effects. You’ll also get an overview of the most used expressions for Motion Graphics, and a list of links to online resources like tutorials, forums, Facebook groups and blogs where you can learn more about expressions.

 

On-site training – or on Zoom/Teams

This is an on-site course, held at your companies’ premises. You must provide a room for the training, with a projector or big TV. Alternatively, it can be done online via Zoom or Teams.

 

Prerequisites

You must know your OS (Windows eller MacOS) well, and manage to make folders, copy files, delete files, use keyboard shortcuts, etc. You must have the newest version of After Effects installed on your system. A free 7-day trial is OK.

 

Training that Jarle offers

• Basic After Effects Training
• Intermediate After Effects Training
• Expressions in After Effects
• Create Lottie animations for apps and the web in After Effects
• Basic Premiere Pro Training
• Intermediate Premiere Pro Training
• Advanced Premiere Pro Workflows

 

About Jarle

Jarle was trained as a videographer and video editor at NRK – the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. After 14 years as sound engineer/videographer/editor in the NRK, he started his own company where he makes documentaries and corporate movies. When he’s not doing training, writing articles or books, that is.

Jarle teaches film and video production at several universities, and he wrote the Norwegian book “Video i Praksis” (practical video production), which is now in its fifth edition.

Most of the courses Jarle offers are basic or intermediate training, but he has also trained experienced editors at NRK , Monster, Seefood, Strix,  Danmarks Radio, TV 2, SVT, Swedish TV4, Valve Media Oy, Aito Media Oy, BBC, Disney Channel and many others – even Adobe’s own employees! He has presented at international events like Adobe Video World, Adobe MAX, NAB, Post | Production World, and Editors Retreat.

He has also done training in Video Camera Shooting Techniques, Video Editing Theory, Podcast Production in Adobe Audition, Storytelling with Video, Green Screen Workshops, Lighting Workshops etc. for countless companies and organizations that use video on their Social Media channels, on websites, and for internal and external training videos and info films.

Jarle has written a book on advanced editing techniques Premiere Pro (The Cool Stuff in Premiere Pro) and a book on making Motion Graphics Templates in After Effects – for use in Premier Pro (Making MOGRTs). He’s also a beta tester for Adobe, and he’s an Adobe Certified Instructor and Adobe Certified Expert on Premiere Pro og After Effects. Jarle uses Premiere Pro, After Effects and the other Creative Cloud A/V apps for all his films and videos.