本视频教程是由Digital-Tutors机构出品的AE快速入门视频教程第一季，Digital-Tutors Quick Start to After Effects Volume 1，时长：1小时14分，大小：2 GB，格式：FLV高清视频，附工程源文件，教程使用软件：After Effects CC v. 12.0.0.404，作者：Laura Smith，官方发布时间：2013年8月，共12个章节，语言：英语。
After Effects是Adobe公司推出的一款图形视频处理软件，适用于从事设计和视频特技的机构，包括电视台、动画制作公司、个人后期制作工作室以及多媒体工作室。而在新兴的用户群，如网页设计师和图形设计师中，也开始有越来越多的人在使用After Effects。属于层类型后期软件。
AE全称After Effect是adobe公司开发的一个视频剪辑及设计软件。After Effects ，用于高端视频特效系统的专业特效合成软件，隶属美国Adobe公司。它借鉴了许多优秀软件的的成功之处，将视频特效合成上升到了新的高度：Photoshop中层的引入 ，使AE可以对多层的合成图像进行控制，制作出天衣无缝的合成效果； 关键帧、路径的引入，使我们对控制高级的二维动画游刃有余；高效的视频处理系统，确保了高质量视频的输出；令人眼花缭乱的特技系统使AE能实现使用者的一切创意；AE同样保留有Adobe优秀的软件相互兼容性。
Digital-Tutors机构是号称全球最大的CG付费教程网站，2000多万次视频播放记录，顶级客户的优秀项目实例，被誉为教学和娱乐结合的最好的教程，RenderMan创建人称之为“完美的学习站点”，成立至今已经有12年之久，内容集中在视频制作和游戏制作两大板块，其网站完整的教学的理念，先进的技术支持（他们甚至开启了移动手机看教程的计划，支持IPAD/IPHONE/ANDROID），都让人耳目一新。尤其是多层级的教学难度设置，有趣的考试内容，时不时的竞赛，让DT成为非常活跃的一个CG机构。
Digital-Tutors Quick Start to After Effects Volume 1
Welcome to the a Quick Start to After Effects. Quick Starts are a series of specially-constructed courses meant to be followed in sequence and include valuable exercises to reinforce learned concepts.
The lesson format for these Quick Starts will be similar to other Digital Tutors introductory training. We’ll go through After Effects in a very methodical, step-by-step, way, making sure to cover the tools and techniques that are most important in enabling you to get up and running quickly. Each volume of a Quick Start will build upon the skills you learned in the previous volumes, enabling us to progressively build and create more complex projects or projects with other objectives.
In this initial volume, we’ll cover the basics of getting started working in After Effects. We’ll discuss navigation and the interface. We’ll cover methods of working with outside sources for assets and how to import them to After Effects. We’ll also learn how to work with layers on the Timeline and how to start editing and adding effects to them to create a story.
In the end we’ll end up with a finished commercial style ad that will teach you the basics of getting started with After Effects as well as give you a few editorial pointers. While following along with these lessons and building a project together will provide you with valuable knowledge, the real power comes from being able to take the techniques you’ve learned and apply them in a different way to your own work. With this in mind, you’ll be presented with an assignment immediately following each volume. These assignments will challenge you to take the skills that you’ve learned in a particular volume and apply them to a different set of assets.
These courses are designed to be taken in sequence so we really encourage you to start with this volume and proceed all the way through to Volume 5, and take advantage of the periodic assignments along the way to get the full learning experience.