Beginner's Guide to Adobe After Effects: Core Tools & Setup

Hongshu Guo introduces the After Effects interface, project setup and core animation properties in three modules. Learners work with position, scale and opacity before developing a simple animated sequence. Activities and a project give the instruction a concrete outcome without requiring a complex first production.

What you will learn

• Organize assets and create a composition
• Animate basic layer properties
• Develop a simple motion sequence

Who this suits

The course welcomes complete newcomers; Beginner is our classification from its stated audience because no formal level label is displayed. Basic computer skills and access to After Effects are needed.

Before you enroll

The estimated four hours include activities. Software access is separate, and rendering speed depends on the project and computer. Keep early compositions small enough to preview comfortably. This is the foundations part of a pathway, with the later animation course covering different material.

Coursera offers paid enrollment or subscription access. Check the enrollment screen for assessment and certificate terms, trials and any financial-aid options. Provider access terms can change; review them before paying.

Put it into practice

Animate an original small graphic using position, scale and opacity. Name the layers clearly, preview the motion and explain how a timing change affects what the viewer notices.

Source and review

This overview is based on the provider's published information, checked on 12 October 2026. It is an editorial assessment, not a claim that we completed the resource. Time filters are approximate study ranges; projects and exercises can take longer.

View the curriculum and current access options at Coursera.

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