01. Orientation- Instructor introduction - Class overview & objectives

02. Inside the Comp: How It All Comes Together- Advanced comp shot breakdown with insights and real-world problem solving

03. Workspace & Workflow: Crafting an AE Setup That Boosts Your Creativity- Streamline your AE workspace for VFX compositing - Maximize efficiency with an organized workspace

04. Plugins & Assets: The Freebies You Love, Plus the Paid Tools That Actually Deliver- How to make the most out of AE's built-in features - Essential free & paid plugins for AE compositing - System for managing assets such as stock footage, textures, and more

05. ACES: The Game-Changer You Didn’t Know You Needed- Why ACES is a game changer & why you will love it

06. Cracking the Shot: Easy Ways to Break It Down- Taking a closer look before we start

07. Sky Replacement & Cloud Animation- Replace dull or blown-out skies with rich, dynamic ones - Animate clouds to add subtle parallax and story-driven movement - Blend edges with naturalistic lighting and color grading

08. Atmospherics: Fog, Haze, Dust, Rain- Create layered fog and haze using solids and assets - Simulate depth using dust and rain elements with parallax - Match the mood to the scene (i.e. eerie, dreamy, apocalyptic)

09. Fire Comps Part 1- Comp fire assets in AE the right way - References are your best friend

10. Fire Comps Part 2- Make it even better with heat distortion, looks, optical glow

11. Adding Final Post FX- Add soft glows, bloom, grain, and LUTs for stylization - Use adjustment layers for modular look development

12. Shot Breakdown & Slap Comp- Analyze the shot's composition, lighting, and potential challenges - Break down elements by layer: background, midground, foreground, CG, roto, and cleanup - Gather references and understand the creative direction - Build a rough slap comp and identify any missing assets needed for the final shot

13. Keying & Preparing the Matte- Denoise and key the shot by selecting the cleanest screen color for accurate separation - Fine-tune the matte using Screen Matte view and adjust black/white levels - Refine edges using Screen Softness, Shrink/Glow, Simple Choker & clean up spill with Despill Bias or Advanced Spill Suppressor - Use garbage mattes, precompose the keyed layer, and organize for a clean comp workflow

14. Multi-Pass Compositing- Composite key render passes like diffuse, specular, AO, reflection, and emission - Use blending modes (add, screen, multiply, overlay) effectively to integrate layers - Isolate and fine-tune highlights, shadows, and surface details for precise CG-to-live match

15. Fire Compositing & Layering Part 1- Import and precompose multi-layer CG fire passes; isolate usable channels and clean up artifacts - Color correct and grade fire to match the scene's lighting using temperature, brightness, and saturation adjustments - Add emissive lighting to nearby surfaces using Add/Screen blending modes or lightwrap techniques - Layer multiple fire sources with 2D elements or stock footage to enhance depth and realism

16. Fire Compositing & Layering Part 2- Apply displacement, distortion maps, and turbulence to mimic heat haze and rising hot air - Blend fire with smoke and ember elements for a more cohesive and realistic composite - Animate flicker and glow using expressions or exposure tweaks to simulate dynamic fire behavior - Finalize the composite with grain matching, motion blur, and lens effects like bloom or glare

17. Atmospheric Effects- Add atmospheric fog and light rays - Help the fire feel embedded in the environment with fog, light shafts, and volumetric glows

18. Putting It All Together- Composite a full CG object or environment into a live-action plate - Include before/after breakdown layers to highlight each step

19. Blender to EmberGen Walkthrough- How was the fire created?

20. EmberGen to After Effects Walkthrough- Exporting the fire from EmberGen to After Effects

21. Extra Practice: Do It On Your Own- Access additional footage from the same scene to apply the techniques taught in this section

22. Importing & Organizing Multi-Pass Renders- EXR file handling with multi-channel pass extraction - Setting up ACES workflow for accurate lighting and grading - Folder structures, precomps, and naming conventions that scale

23. Understanding the Language of CG Passes- Diffuse, Specular, Reflection, AO, Emission, Shadows, and more - When and how to combine passes using Add, Multiply, Overlay, and more - Control reflections and highlights with precision

24. Creating Depth & Atmosphere- Use Z-depth to simulate haze, depth grading, and light falloff - Add fog, glows, flares, and other environmental FX using 2.5D techniques - Create realistic volumetrics and lens effects directly inside AE

25. Camera FX: Real-World Imperfections- Simulate lens blur (depth of field) using Z-depth and compound blur - Add chromatic aberration, film grain, lens flares, and subtle camera jitter - Composite lens grime, bokeh overlays, and interactive lighting

26. Look Development & Final Polish- Add creative color correction, LUTs, and grading overlays - Match your CG style to real-world references or cinematic looks

27. Relax! Time to Work Smarter in AE- Learn commonly used expressions, hotkeys, techniques, and organizational skills

28. Motion Curves & Keyframes- Why graph editors are essential in compositing

29. Portfolio & Breakdown Tips- How to present your comp in a reel: breakdown, formatting, and before/after wipes

30. My Journey & What You Can Learn From It- How I navigated the learning curve as a beginner - Early mistakes I made, and how you can steer clear of them - Lessons from real-world projects: client work, music videos, and cinematic shots - Why persistence, curiosity, and creative problem-solving outweigh fancy tools

31. Final Thoughts- What matters most isn't the tools, but how you see and solve problems - Final words: You did it. Now take what you've learned and make it yours!