Advanced After Effects: Coding for Motion Design

A course by Desmond Du , Motion Designer

Motion Designer. Savannah, United States.
Joined August 2020

Take your motion design skills to the next level by learning to code expressions with JavaScript to create complex animation rigs with style

  • 100% positive reviews (75)
  • 5448 students
  • Audio: English
  • Portuguese, English, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, German, French, Italian

Take your motion design skills to the next level by learning to code expressions with JavaScript to create complex animation rigs with style

A course by Desmond Du

Expressions are snippets of code in JavaScript that allow you to create animations that would be impossible to design manually, and they're one of the most efficient motion design tools in Adobe After Effects. Motion designer Desmond Du has been using expressions while collaborating with the NBA, Turner Classic Movies, Adobe, and Cartoon Network.

In this online course, Desmond teaches you how to code expressions to create complex animation rigs with style and ease. Learn to use a variety of techniques to make a series of abstract geometric animations that will be assembled and composite into the final project.

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What will you learn in this online course?

20 lessons & 24 downloads

  • 100% positive reviews (75)
  • 5448 students
  • 20 lessons (4h 7m)
  • 24 additional resources (4 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • Portuguese, English, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, German, French, Italian
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Animate a 25-second title sequence for a fictional documentary using expressions and mathematical equations to create complex animation rigs.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is aimed at intermediate to advanced After Effects users with basic knowledge of expressions who want to bring coding, math, and science to their creative pieces!

Requirements and materials

All you need is a computer with access to After Effects, and previous experience with the software.

New to Adobe After Effects? In that case, we recommend taking Domestika Basics courses to learn how to use the software: Introduction to After Effects.


Reviews

5448 Students
75 Reviews
100% Positive ratings

Desmond Du

A course by Desmond Du

Teacher Plus
Motion Designer

Desmond Du is a Motion Designer based in Savannah, Georgia. He specializes in animation using JavaScript expression rigging and scripting, procedural workflow, tool kitting, and automation. His past experience includes working in broadcast motion graphics at WarnerMedia Studios for brands and networks such as NBA, Turner Classic Movies, E-League, Cartoon Network, and Bleacher Report. He has also done animation work for clients and studios such as STATE Design, ThinkMojo, Saatchi & Saatchi, MTV, Salesforce, SCAD, and ACI Worldwide.

Although he is passionate about motion design, Desmond finds immense joy and fulfillment in teaching, and believes his mission is to help everyone realize their true potential, and transform their design career for the better! Currently, he is an MFA candidate at the Savannah College of Art and Design, with the aim of teaching professionally at a college level.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Introduction to Coding Expressions

    • Understanding the Assignment
    • The Basics of Coding
  • U3

    Familiarizing Yourself with Procedural Design

    • Step Repetition: Transforming Properties
    • Step Repetition: Animating with “valueAtTime”
    • Step Repetition: Working with Effects and Layers
    • Randomization: Animating Multiple Layers
    • Randomization: Displacement
    • Generating Number Sequences with For-Loop
    • Generative Design: Algorithms
    • Generative Design: Procedural Cyber Lines
  • U4

    Creation of a Sequence Animation

    • Compositing
    • Adding Type
    • Additional Design Assets
    • Stylization and Art Direction 1
    • Stylization and Art Direction 2
    • Faster Workflow with Animation Proxies
  • U5

    Taking It to the Next Level

    • Learning to Learn
    • Improvement and Collaborations
  • FP

    Final project

    • Advanced After Effects: Coding for Motion Design

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Advanced After Effects: Coding for Motion Design. 3D, and Animation course by Desmond Du

Advanced After Effects: Coding for Motion Design

A course by Desmond Du
Motion Designer. Savannah, United States.
Joined August 2020
  • 100% positive reviews (75)
  • 5448 students