Skillshare
Skillshare "Beginner's Guide to Adobe After Effects" Review — Jake Bartlett, 35 Opinions Analysed
Jake Bartlett's Beginner's Guide to Adobe After Effects is the strongest beginner motion-design course available under a Skillshare membership. Across 35 analysed opinions the defining characteristic is the quality of explanation: Bartlett consistently teaches the *why* behind each technique, not just the mechanics, and reviewers describe gaps in their After Effects understanding closing quickly. The 34-lesson structure builds logically from workspace orientation through animation principles to effects, with a single Taco Tuesday project as the throughline. The course ends where intermediate motion design begins — no expressions, no rigging — but for a beginner who needs a clear, confident foundation in AE, this is the most consistently endorsed starting point in the Skillshare catalogue.
Final score
from 35 analysed opinions
Published AI-researched, editor-audited
Distribution of opinions
Per-criterion scores
34 lessons across approximately 5 hours cover the After Effects workspace, composition, keyframing, masks, shape layers, text animation, and effects in a logical build. Reviewers consistently describe the progression as genuinely systematic — each lesson builds directly on the previous one rather than jumping between topics. The main gap is that the course ends where intermediate motion design begins; no expressions, no rigging.
Jake Bartlett has been teaching After Effects since 2013 and has 30+ courses on Skillshare. The dominant praise is that he explains *why* you are doing each step, not just the button sequence to press. Students consistently describe his instruction as gap-filling — knowledge they had been missing about AE falls into place quickly. Pacing is brisk but never rushed.
Covered under a standard Skillshare membership ($168/year or first month free trial). For the breadth and quality of 34 lessons of motion design instruction, the value-per-lesson under a membership is excellent. The caveat is that After Effects itself requires a separate Creative Cloud subscription ($55+/month), which is the real cost of learning the tool.
The single final project — a 'Taco Tuesday' arcade-style animation — is fun and motivating as a through-line. Reviewers enjoy completing it and find it a coherent showcase of the skills covered. It is, however, a playful exercise rather than a professional portfolio showpiece; its game-show aesthetic does not translate directly into a reel.
After Effects is the industry standard tool for motion graphics, broadcast, and digital content production. The foundational skills covered — layer animation, timing, masks, effects — transfer directly to real client work. Reviewers in motion design and video production describe the course skills as the exact foundation they use professionally. The gap is that the course does not reach expressions or templates, which are daily tools in professional AE workflows.
What learners said
What people loved
5- Explains the *why* behind every AE technique, not just which buttons to click — reviewers describe this as the defining difference from other beginner tutorials×19
- 34 well-paced lessons build systematically from workspace basics to animation principles, masks, and effects without gaps in the progression×15
- Jake has taught AE since 2013 and has 30+ Skillshare courses — a demonstrated long-term commitment to the platform and the subject×10
- Fun Taco Tuesday game animation project provides a clear, motivating throughline from lesson 1 through the final deliverable×9
- Covered under Skillshare membership with no additional course cost×8
What frustrated learners
4- Course ends where intermediate motion design begins — no expressions, no character rigging, no complex workflows for professional production×10
- The Taco Tuesday project is a fun exercise but not a professional portfolio showpiece — its game-show aesthetic does not transfer directly to a real motion-design reel×7
- After Effects updates occasionally make specific UI references in older lessons feel slightly dated; Bartlett does not always update lessons after CC releases×5
- Adobe Creative Cloud subscription ($55+/month) is the real cost of following this course — easily 3–4× a Skillshare membership and rarely mentioned upfront×4
Real quotes from real users
“Gaps in my knowledge about AE were filled pretty quickly.”
“He explains why you're doing what you're doing.”
“I can always go to Jake's videos and I'm 100% sure that I'm going to learn something new every time.”
“The videos were really good in explaining the 'why' and tips for workflow and many keyboard shortcuts.”
“The course is designed for those interested in motion design and wanting to jump into After Effects. Once completed, students will be fully equipped to move on to other After Effects courses.”
“Great for understanding the foundations but you will need a follow-up course for expressions and more complex workflows.”
Frequently asked questions
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How we evaluated this
This review synthesizes 35 opinions collected across the public web. Final score = Bayesian average penalising small samples, then weighted by the positivity ratio. No paid placements, no hidden agenda.
- 20 from Blogs
- 10 from Official course platform
- 5 from Forums