2D Animation Curriculum

This lesson goes over what you will be learning in the Intro to After Effects module and introduces Adobe After Effects as a powerful compositing and animation tool used to combine visuals, create effects, and build 2.5D animated projects. It also explains how students will use After Effects to animate characters, move graphics through 3D space, format projects for different platforms, and build a practical animation pipeline through repetition and experimentation.

This lesson introduces keyframes as the main way to create movement and change over time in After Effects. Students learn how different keyframe types—linear, bezier, easy ease, and hold—affect motion, timing, and interpolation so their animations feel more polished and believable.

This lesson walks students through the After Effects interface, showing how the main panels, workspaces, menus, and preferences are organized. It also helps beginners get comfortable with important settings like auto-save, memory, cache, previews, labels, and performance so they can work faster and avoid common workflow issues later.

This lesson walks students through the fundamentals of working with text in After Effects, including creating text layers, choosing fonts, adjusting color, spacing, stroke, alignment, and paragraph settings. It also introduces a few practical text workflow tips, like installing fonts, converting Photoshop text into editable After Effects text, and using the Character and Paragraph panels more confidently.

This lesson shows students how to use the Project Panel as the main place for importing, organizing, and managing media in After Effects. It also covers key project settings, file types, footage interpretation, proxies, and workflow tools that help keep bigger animation projects organized and running smoothly.

This lesson introduces cameras in After Effects and shows how they can add cinematography, depth, focus, and movement through 3D space. Students learn the basics of one-node and two-node cameras, depth of field, camera tools, motion blur, auto-orient, and simple expression-based camera movement.

This lesson explains how compositions work as the main workspace where students combine media, set frame size, duration, frame rate, resolution, and 3D rendering options. It also walks through the Composition Panel tools so students can navigate, preview, align, crop, compare, and manage their scenes more confidently.

This lesson introduces lights and material settings in After Effects, showing how 3D layers can receive light, cast shadows, and take on different surface qualities like flat, shiny, or metallic. It also explains how to use these tools tastefully so they add depth and mood without overcomplicating the project or slowing down render times.

This lesson gives students a deeper look at the Timeline Panel, where they’ll organize layers, control visibility, blending, motion blur, parenting, playback, and timing. It also introduces different layer types and the Flowchart view, helping students understand how to keep complex After Effects projects clean, flexible, and easier to manage.

This lesson introduces the Paint tools in After Effects, including the Brush, Eraser, Clone Stamp, and Motion Sketch tools. Students learn how to create animated brush strokes, erase or reveal parts of a layer, clone visual details, and record hand-drawn cursor movement to add a more organic feel to their animations.

This lesson gives students a practical tour of the After Effects toolbar, covering the main tools they’ll use to select, move, zoom, rotate, draw shapes, create masks, add text, and work in 3D space. It also introduces more advanced tools like Roto Brush, Puppet Pins, painting, cloning, and erasing so students know what’s available as they build their workflow.

This lesson explains how audio fits into animation, from scoring and syncing dialogue to lip-sync and sound design. Students learn how to import audio, read waveforms, adjust volume levels, balance a mix, and use basic audio effects inside After Effects.

This lesson digs deeper into shapes, masks, and paths, showing how they can be used to create visuals, hide or reveal parts of an image, animate custom forms, and control complex designs. It also introduces practical masking and rotoscoping techniques, plus useful path tools like null controllers that make animation more flexible and easier to manage.

This lesson introduces expressions and scripts as powerful ways to automate repetitive tasks, link properties, create loops, add random motion, and build more efficient After Effects projects. Students learn basic expressions like wiggle, time, and loop, while also getting a first look at scripts, presets, and third-party tools that can speed up their workflow.

This lesson gives students a broad tour of After Effects effects and adjustment layers, showing how different categories like blur, color correction, distortion, generate, matte, stylize, and time effects can change or enhance a project. It’s meant to be used like a reference guide, helping students learn the most useful effects first and experiment with others as their workflow grows.

This lesson walks students through the rendering process in After Effects, including previews, pre-renders, the Render Queue, output settings, codecs, image sequences, proxies, and Adobe Media Encoder. It helps demystify how to export projects efficiently while choosing the right format for works-in-progress, final videos, or professional delivery.

In this lesson, you'll learn the core transform properties that drive animation in After Effects, including anchor point, position, scale, rotation, and opacity. You'll also explore how these controls work in 3D space, how to use tools like the Pan Behind tool and Pick Whip, and how null objects can be used to control and organize more complex animations.

This final lesson shows students how to clean up and organize After Effects projects so files stay linked, easy to manage, and ready to hand off to clients, studios, or other artists. It also wraps up the Intro to After Effects module by reinforcing the importance of structure, problem-solving, and using these lessons as a reference library moving forward.

This lesson introduces the 2D Animation Fundamentals module, where students start applying the After Effects tools they learned to create real animated work. It gives a quick preview of upcoming skills like graph editor animation, text and logo animation, shapes, masks, puppet tools, expressions, 2.5D camera moves, and a final looping portfolio project.

This lesson teaches students how to create smooth and engaging transitions between scenes, objects, and ideas using techniques like snapping, swiping, morphing, fragmenting, overlapping, and distraction. Students then apply these methods by animating transitions between icon designs, helping them build more stylish and professional motion graphics sequences.

This lesson introduces the Graph Editor as one of the most important tools for controlling timing, weight, speed, and personality in After Effects animation. Students then apply those skills by creating a looping vignette animation, adjusting f-curves, styling the motion, and exporting the final piece as a GIF.

This lesson teaches students the fundamentals of kinetic typography, from using text animators, range selectors, 3D text, blur, fill, stroke, spacing, and expression-based motion to create more dynamic type animations. In Part II, students build on those tools with professional techniques like mattes, melting text, liquid reveals, brush-style strokes, and layered lettering animations for portfolio-ready work.

This lesson teaches students how to use shape objects to create more polished 2D animations, starting with a bouncing ball exercise that builds motion, rotation, weight, squash and stretch, character, and camera shake. It also covers more advanced shape workflows, including creating complex designs, importing graphics from Photoshop and Illustrator, converting vectors into editable After Effects shapes, and animating objects like a record player, headphones, and vintage audio devices.

This lesson expands on expressions by showing students how to automate more complex animation behaviors, link properties, create reusable controls, and save time with expression presets or tools like KBar and Mute. Students explore practical expressions for wiggle, loops, random motion, counters, gravity, elastic movement, markers, switches, and controllers so they can build smarter, more flexible After Effects projects.

This lesson teaches students how to use shape modifiers like Merge Paths, Offset Paths, Repeater, Trim Paths, Wiggle Paths, and more to create dynamic, flexible animations. Students then apply those tools through practical projects like animated channel scenes and an airline safety card, giving them more creative ways to bring simple shapes and paths to life.

This lesson explores the creative thinking behind logo animation by studying a wide range of professional examples, from simple and elegant reveals to complex, clever, character-based, and motion-driven designs. Students then apply these ideas by choosing two provided logos and animating each using one of the techniques discussed in the lesson.

This lesson shows students how simple paths and lines can be used to communicate objects, ideas, and even complex concepts through shape, motion, and visual metaphor. Students then practice creating elemental animations and more abstract concept-based animations using line work, color, timing, and movement.

This lesson introduces a wide range of After Effects tools, scripts, plugins, and extensions that can speed up animation workflows, improve organization, simplify rigging, enhance path animation, and automate repetitive tasks. It also explains which tools are must-haves versus nice-to-haves, while encouraging students to explore the resources that best fit their own workflow.

This lesson introduces several ways to stylize After Effects animations so they feel more unique, handmade, and visually interesting. Students explore techniques like shimmy, noise, texture, scribble, fuzzy edges, and fluid effects, then apply them through a series of creative practice assignments.

This lesson guides students through the final portfolio project for the 2D Animation Fundamentals module: creating a polished looping animation that shows off their skills in motion, style, transitions, typography, logos, paths, and effects. It also walks through different ways to approach the project, including using stock assets, referencing inspiration responsibly, or designing original graphics from scratch.

This lesson introduces the 2.5D Character Animation module, where students will learn how to rig and animate characters inside After Effects. It previews upcoming topics like professional animation analysis, rigging tools, character controls, walk and run cycles, faux 3D techniques, facial animation, and a final character-based portfolio project.

This lesson teaches students how to create animal walk, run, and trot cycles by breaking quadruped movement into clear key poses, timing, interpolation, cleanup, and secondary action. Students then practice applying these workflows to provided animal rigs while learning how to use reference footage to understand different creature movements.

This lesson teaches students how the 12 animation principles apply specifically to 2.5D character animation, helping characters feel believable, expressive, and full of weight. Students then practice principles like squash and stretch, anticipation, staging, arcs, timing, secondary action, exaggeration, and appeal using a simple provided character rig.

This lesson teaches students how to create the illusion of 3D movement using 2D artwork, starting with simple objects like bottles, paper airplanes, and rockets before moving into character faces. Students then learn how tools like Joysticks n’ Sliders can make faux 3D face rigs easier to control, helping characters look around, blink, emote, and feel more dimensional.

This lesson introduces character rigging systems in After Effects, showing how tools like parenting, the Puppet Tool, DUIK, RubberHose, and DeeKay Tool can make complex character animation much easier to control. Students learn the strengths of each rigging workflow and practice building functional character rigs they can use in future animation projects.

This lesson teaches students how facial expressions work and how simple changes to eyebrows, eyes, mouth shapes, and body language can communicate clear emotions. Students then build on their faux 3D face rigging skills by creating facial controls and animating the eight major expressions on the provided Hugo character rig.

This lesson breaks down the full process of creating a believable walk cycle, from contact poses and transfer poses to timing, interpolation, cleanup, secondary action, 2.5D details, and forward translation. Students then practice building their own walk cycle using the provided rig and key pose references, with optional Duik rig challenges for extra practice.

This lesson wraps up the 2.5D Character Animation module by showing students how to connect face controls into a full-body character rig for easier animation. Students then create a 6–10 second portfolio piece featuring a walk or run, a clear emotional change, facial expressions, and simple story-driven action.

This lesson builds on walk cycles by teaching students how to create a believable run cycle using contact, transfer, kickoff, and up poses. Students learn how to adjust timing, curves, cleanup, secondary action, 2.5D details, and translation so their character feels fast, powerful, and full of momentum.

This lesson introduces the 2.5D Pipeline module, where students learn how to take an animation project from idea to final export using a professional production workflow. It previews each stage of the process, including briefs, scripts, storyboards, styleframes, sound, asset creation, character setup, animation, post-production, and final delivery.

This lesson teaches students how to turn their storyboard and styleframes into organized graphic assets that are ready for animation. It covers planning what needs to be built, designing assets in Photoshop or Illustrator, organizing scenes and layers, and preparing everything with the animation process in mind.

This lesson teaches students how to read and break down a creative brief so they can clearly understand deliverables, style references, timelines, output specs, and missing information before starting production. Students then choose a provided brief, extract the key details with a checklist, and set up an organized project structure for the rest of the pipeline.

This lesson teaches students how to create, prep, and organize character assets for 2.5D animation projects. It covers planning character needs, setting up body parts for rigging, using Photoshop or Illustrator, importing characters into After Effects, and deciding whether to design, reference, purchase, or hire out character artwork.

This lesson teaches students how to turn a creative brief into a clear 30 or 60-second animation script using structure, word count, and concise messaging. It walks through hooks, perspective shifts, pitches, proof, summaries, and calls-to-action so students can write scripts that are short, engaging, and animation-friendly.

This lesson guides students through the main animation phase of the 2.5D pipeline, where all previous skills—motion, transitions, typography, rigging, faux 3D, and facial animation—come together in a longer-form project. It also shows how to study real project examples, keep scenes moving, set up the After Effects template, import assets and audio, time everything to the voiceover, and begin building the full animated sequence.

This lesson teaches students how to turn their script into a clear storyboard that acts as the blueprint for the entire animation. It walks through using a storyboard template, adding voiceover, sketching thumbnails, describing action, cleaning up panels, and exporting the finished boards as a PDF.

This lesson walks students through the post-production process for finishing their 2.5D animation, including post-effects, pre-rendering, sound design, quality control, rendering, and export. It shows how to polish the final piece, catch mistakes, mix audio, choose the right format, and prepare the animation for delivery or portfolio use.

This lesson teaches students how to create styleframes that prove the visual look of an animation before full production begins. It covers choosing a style, finding inspiration, solving technical design challenges, and creating two polished frame options based on a storyboard panel.

This lesson gives students guidance on how to keep building their 2.5D animation portfolio after completing their first full pipeline project. It explores different portfolio directions like marketing videos, narrative shorts, show openers, title packages, maps, infographics, logo animations, and raw skill pieces so students can choose the path that fits their goals.

This lesson introduces Adobe Audition and shows students how to record, edit, mix, and export audio for their animation projects. It covers voiceover, dialogue, music, sound effects, basic audio settings, track editing, and exporting a clean WAV file to use in the production pipeline.

This lesson introduces the Advanced 2.5D Animation module, where students build on the full production pipeline with more complex freelance-focused skills and marketing strategy. It previews advanced topics like targeted scripts, stronger storyboards, concept development, sound design, complex scenery, expressive characters, acting, dialogue, facial animation, and final delivery.

This lesson takes students deeper into Adobe Audition by exploring more advanced tools for cleaning, shaping, mixing, and retiming audio. It covers dialogue editing, soundtrack cutting, sound effects, Essential Sound tags, noise reduction, EQ, pitch and tempo changes, and recording a polished scratch voiceover for the animation project.

This lesson introduces key marketing concepts that freelance animators should understand because much of their paid work supports a client’s larger business goals. It covers the marketing funnel, audience targeting, buyer personas, B2B vs. B2C messaging, video marketing, and how metrics, KPIs, and ROI help determine whether an animation is successful.

This lesson teaches students how to create more complex scene assets with depth, detail, and animation in mind. It covers planning scenery, using layered Photoshop assets, experimenting with 2.5D multiplane setups, studying real project examples, and preparing environments that feel more dynamic than simple flat backgrounds.

This lesson teaches students how to study a creative brief from a freelance animator’s perspective, focusing on what information is provided, what questions still need to be asked, and how the project fits the client’s goals. Students then choose or create a brief, use the freelancer brief analysis checklist to extract key details, and set up the foundation for their advanced 2.5D animation project.

This lesson teaches students how to build more capable 2.5D characters for advanced animation projects, especially when characters need multiple perspectives, stronger body controls, and more expressive facial movement. It covers preparing character assets in Photoshop or Illustrator, planning anchor points with structure rigs, importing layers into After Effects, using tools like DUIK, Joysticks n’ Sliders, and Overlord, and studying fully rigged character examples.

This lesson teaches students how to write a more targeted, audience-focused script that connects the creative brief to the marketing funnel. It builds on the previous scriptwriting structure by adding audience needs, messaging, tone, buyer journey awareness, and longer 90–120 second formats for more advanced freelance projects.

This lesson teaches students how to make 2.5D characters speak by using phonemes, visemes, Adobe Animate lip-sync tools, and manual mouth-shape timing. It also shows how to bring that lip sync back into After Effects and build a stronger character performance using facial animation, body motion, timing, and dialogue.

This lesson encourages students to push beyond familiar styles and use styleframes as a way to prove whether a visual idea or animation concept can actually work. It focuses on creative exploration, asking “what if,” finding inspiration, and experimenting with new approaches before committing to a full animated sequence.

This lesson walks students through the final post-production and output process for an advanced 2.5D animation project, with added context for freelance delivery. It covers post-effects, pre-rendering, sound design, quality control, export formats, client review stages, and planning final deliverables for different distribution platforms.

This lesson teaches students how to turn a finished script into a polished, client-ready storyboard that clearly communicates the visual plan for an animation. It covers thumbnail sketching, refining panels, adding action notes, exporting boards as a PDF, creating optional animatics, and developing styleframes to prove the final look before production begins.

This lesson guides students on how to keep building a strong freelance 2.5D animation portfolio after completing the advanced pipeline. It explores portfolio directions like marketing videos, title packages, maps, infographics, logos, raw skill pieces, and next steps like building a demo reel or moving into the Freelancer Toolkit.