Create then Animate: A Fall-Themed Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, & After Effects Workflow

Practice illustration in Adobe Illustrator, texturing in Photoshop, and animation in After Effects by animating colorful falling leaves.

Along the way you’ll learn tricks for creating professional-looking illustrations, time-saving tips for working more efficiently, and we’ll break into the 3D tools in After Effects to add a whole other dimension to your animations.

In the end you’ll have an animation you can put in your portfolio or post on social media to showcase your skills.

There’s something so creatively fulfilling about starting with nothing but an idea, creating an original illustration and bringing it to life with animation. But it’s not always easy to get an idea out of your head and onto the screen just as you imagined it. It takes practice. A lot of practice. But that practice can be fun! That’s where this class comes in!

You should know:

This class is designed for those that already have a basic familiarity with Adobe Illustrator and After Effects. The first class in the Create then Animate series is perfect for complete beginners, and you can also check out my class curriculum for more guidance if you’re just getting started.

You'll learn how to:

Adobe Illustrator

• Use reference images
• Create vector illustrations using shape tools, the Pen Tool, and the Anchor Point Tool (to create curves)
• Give illustrations a geometric look using techniques like the round corners widget
• Use Mirror Repeat for perfectly symmetrical illustrations
• Work with Libraries and color artwork
• Separate layers so they can be accessed in Photoshop
• Save Illustrator artwork for Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop

• Add textures using brushes
• Import new brushes
• Create clipping masks
• Export PNG files

Adobe After Effects

• Import PNG files and create a new composition from a file
• Use masks
• Convert layers to 3D layers and add curvature
• Set up 3D rotation controllers using Nulls and Essential Properties
• Counter rotate leaf stems to make them look realistic
• Quickly and efficiently set up additional leaves
• Create subtle animations on the leaf controlled by expressions
• Animate leaves falling while rotating in 3D space
• Animate leaf drifting while rotating in 3D space and bending
• Adjust motion paths
• Use the graph editor to adjust motion curves for realistic motion
• Duplicate and adjust leaves efficiently
• Randomly scale leaves with an expression