If you want to add punch to your business promos, Adobe After Effects can help you achieve that extra polish in your projects with relatively little effort. While After Effects business promo templates can provide you with ready-made project files, including clearly-labeled elements and file structures that you can customize, sometimes the best option is creating an AE project from scratch. To get you started, we’ve pulled together the 29 After Effects tutorials for business materials and marketing creative–use these tips and tricks to add your own brand of creativity and whimsy to each project.
1. Learn About Shape Layers
Check out this short, semi-advanced After Effects tutorial on working with shape layers in the program. Watch as the artist creates a graphic loading-screen video and uses simple shapes to turn simplicity into stunning results.
2. Make Text Animators Work for You
According to The School of Motion, some designers frown on text animators, but they don’t have to rain on your parade. This beginner-level video on using text animators creatively might jump start the design scheme for your next original business promo.
3. Create a Cartoon Animation for Beginners
Give your business promos a personal touch with this medium-difficulty handwriting effect tutorial. You’ll use the path tool to make handwritten text appear.
4. Find Out How to Use the Camera Tool Better
If you struggle to get your camera tool settings just right, spare 10 minutes and watch this simple video tutorial to “Learn to Better Use the Camera in Adobe After Effects.”
5. Delve Into Particle Logo Effects
Forgettable just won’t cut it when it comes to business promos. This challenging Particle Logo Effects tutorial will teach you how to make your logo appear out of or disappear into particles—poof, like magic.
6. Build Backgrounds
Better backgrounds can lend more texture and substance your business promos. Check out this advanced After Effects tutorial on building backgrounds with effects to give your backgrounds more punch.
7. Follow the Bouncing Ball Tutorial
We all have to start somewhere, and for many businesses, it starts with a bouncing ball. For example, this beginner bouncing ball tutorial provides step-by-step instructions for animating a simple ball, a process you can apply to any other object for your promos.
8. Shape Holograms
First step business promo—next step Star Wars. This hologram tutorial takes you through the process and outlines key mistakes that designers often make.
9. Perform Stop Motion Paper
If you grew up watching “Gumby,” you can make those same animations come to life for your business. Learn how to make the effect happen with this stop motion crumpled paper tutorial.
10. Key In On Keying
If you need to key your green screen or blue screen footage, this After Effects advanced keying tutorial will make the magic happen. Add any background you like behind your subject for maximum impact.
11. Figure Out Flickering Transitions
Creative transitions between screens can help add visual interest to your promo videos. This flickering transitions After Effects tutorial comes with a project file so you can follow along in the process.
12. Look at Logo Bumpers
Your logo deserves its time to shine. Learn to create an inventive logo bumper with this semi-advanced tutorial.
13. Pick a Pop-Up Book
Who doesn’t love a bedtime—or a business—story? Learn how to make a paper pop-up book and animate the book for your video.
14. Turn Day to Night
If you want to make daytime footage look like you shot your subject at night, use a simple After Effects strategy to change the time. You won’t have to worry about selecting the wrong hour for shooting the original footage.
15. Move On Morphing
Learn how to morph one shape into another using After Effects. This tutorial uses typography, but you can apply the technique to other shapes in overlays or graphic illustrations.
16. Add Fog to Footage
Weather sets the mood for your footage. With this tutorial, find out how to add a fog effect to your footage to create a dreamy or mysterious atmosphere.
17. Split Intro Text
Split layers allow you to play with transitions and create neat animations. Easily learn how to split your intro text to make your promos introduction more engaging.
18. Light Up a 4D Neon Sign
If you want to add a splash of color and movement to your video, follow this tutorial to create a 4D neon sign with a background.
19. Replace the Sky in Footage
The sky doesn’t always cooperate when you’re shooting video. Learn how to replace the sky to create the desired visual image in this After Effects tutorial.
20. Remove Objects
If an unwanted object appears in your business promo video footage, remove it in After Effects. The technique takes practice, but you’ll get better at perfecting your backgrounds and subjects.
21. Work With Watercolor and Paint Elements
A splash of color might help your business promo stand out. This moderately advanced tutorial shows you how to use watercolor and paint elements to great effect.
22. Animate Raindrops
Do raindrops keep falling on your head? Consider adding them to your video. Use this advanced tutorial to create animated raindrops on any surface.
23. Get an Earth Zoom
Give your video extra gravitas by zooming in from a map to any location in the world. This excellent effect is useful for location-specific business promos.
24. Leverage the Lower Third
Your video’s subjects can’t wait to see their names in lights. Use a lower third animated graphic to easily name the people in your promo or provide extra information for viewers.
25. Combine With Compositing
Take your compositing skills to a new level with this tutorial, which walks you through different projects and shows you how to work with multiple layers.
26. Take On a Time-Lapse Sequence
Learn how to turn any series of JPEG images into a time-lapse video in After Effects. This relatively simple process can produce stunning results for promo videos.
27. Shake the Camera
Camera shake can give your audience motion sickness, but sometimes the shaking works well when used purposefully. If you can’t get the effect in-camera, use an advanced tutorial produce camera shake in post-production.
28. Investigate Animated Infographics
Infographics have become increasingly popular for displaying data and communicating ideas. If you animate your infographic with this tutorial you’ll keep eyes glued to the screens longer.
Armed with these tutorials, you can create professional-quality business promos and videos, which can ultimately improve your relationships with your customers and level up your marketing creative.
Interested in learning more about working with AE templates? Check out all of our After Effects tutorials.
If you’re looking to save time, start downloading pre-made templates from our library.
