Learning Motion Graphics in 21 days - Day 2

Day 2
INTRODUCTION TO THE MOST USED MOTION GRAPHICS PROGRAM (ADOBE AFTER EFFECT)
Day 2, I went online in search for the best program to use when it comes to creating awesome motion graphics effect, as some of you would have already guessed, Adobe After Effect came out on top. Now there are loads of programs that a motion graphic designer should learn how to use like Adobe After Effect (Commonly known as AE), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere etc.

After Effects After Effects (commonly referred to as AE) is the flagship program for motion graphics. It allows users to animate, alter and composite media in 2D and 3D space. 2D designs created in a program like Illustrator can be brought in, animated and manipulated to create a motion graphics piece. Because After Effects is created by Adobe it shares a lot of similarities and integration features with their other software. Not only can you work with 2D elements if After Effects, but you can also work with 3D elements as well. Objects and scenes from popular 3D applications can be used directly as footage inside of After Effects. If you can imagine an effect, After Effects can most likely help you create it. There are hundreds of built-in plug-ins as well as third party plug-ins that let you extend your effects with things like particles, blurs and a whole lot more. Since this is like a crash course on Motion Graphics, I plan to keep it simple and easy. If you want to know more about other programs and plugins that are a great addition to AE, you can check out a few of these resources listed below

https://www.pluralsight.com/blog/creative-professional/software-need-know-motion-graphics

https://www.adorama.com/alc/8853/article/4-must-have-motion-graphic-design-applications

https://www.rocketstock.com/blog/motion-graphics-software-you-should-know/

SETTING UP ADOBE AFTER EFFECT
Adobe After Effect is a licensed software created by Adobe, you can download the trial version which you can use for free for 30 days before you will be required to purchase a license. Click the link below to get your trial version

https://creative.adobe.com/products/download/aftereffects (Size: 1.9mb)

After downloading the setup file, follow these steps to install the program. Please note that Adobe After Effect only works for a 64bit system architecture.

1. Find and open After_Effects_Set-Up.exe
2. Follow instructions to install After Effects CC and the Creative Cloud desktop app.

Great! Now that you have installed AE, it’s time to get familiar with the interface. See you in Day 3

image credit: ADOBE