Adobe After Effects ACP study plan

Configure project settings (frame rate, resolution, bit depth, color management) for three distinct delivery targets and save each as a reusable template

Rebuild a custom workspace, then demonstrate ten core shortcuts and panel workflows while narrating each step

Assemble a 15-second composition from scratch using solid, text, and footage layers with blending modes and track mattes

Animate position, scale, rotation, and opacity with keyframes, then refine timing with ease handles and the Graph Editor

Organize the project with folders, labels, and two pre-compositions to establish a repeatable workflow

Parent layers into a rig and control it with a null object and pickwhipped expressions, including a loopOut cycle

Apply keyframe assistants (Easy Ease, roving keyframes) and convert one animation to an expression-driven wiggle

Time-remap a footage clip and control playback speed with keyframes on the time-remap property

Build a pre-composition hierarchy that lets one timing change cascade through three scenes

Animate text and shape layers on separate tracks and stagger their timing for a choreographed sequence

Import a layered PSD and a layered AI file using correct import options (composition vs. footage, merged layers, crop layers)

Set up a proxy workflow, generate proxies, and toggle between proxy and full-resolution footage

Establish an asset folder and naming convention, then apply labels and use the search field to isolate assets by type

Use Collect Files to gather the project and all source assets into a single delivery folder

Relink deliberately missing footage and confirm the composition renders identically after relinking

Draw and refine masks with all mask modes, feather, and expansion, then animate a mask path to create a reveal

Combine multiple masks on one layer and control them with mask modes and inversion

Apply adjustment layers and effect stacks, then reorder and animate effect properties with keyframes

Save, organize, and reuse animation presets, and apply a third-party-style preset chain to a new layer

Build a transition sequence driven entirely by animated masks and effect animation

Construct shape layers using path operators (Merge Paths, Offset Paths, Repeater) and convert a text layer to shapes

Animate a shape-based logo reveal using trim paths and a repeater with offset keyframes

Set typography using the Character and Paragraph panels, then animate text with two text animators

Use per-character 3D animation and a text animator selector with range keyframes

Align elements with guides, grids, and snapping to produce a clean, grid-based layout

Enable 3D on layers, add a camera and lights, and choreograph a camera move with depth of field

Extrude 3D text with the Cinema 4D renderer and apply a bevel and material

Track a planar surface with the 3D Camera Tracker, attach a replacement element, and verify the solve's stability

Perform a point-tracked screen replacement, then corner-pin the inserted footage to match perspective

Add atmospheric effects (fog, glow, light wrap) that sell the composite's depth and integration

Configure output modules and the render queue for H.264, ProRes 422, and a PNG sequence with matching color and frame-rate settings

Export an alpha-channel deliverable and verify transparency in a second application

Send a composition to Media Encoder, queue a batch of two outputs, and confirm the watch-folder behavior

Audit project settings and clean the project (remove unused footage, reduce project to a delivery copy)

Re-time a prior deliverable for a different frame rate and document the resulting changes

Complete a full-length timed mock exam and log every missed question by domain

Rebuild the two lowest-scoring domain tasks from a blank project without notes

Review the error log and rewrite each missed concept as a one-sentence rule

Re-run the timed mock exam sections that scored below 80 percent and compare results

Assemble a final portfolio folder with four polished deliverables and consistent naming