Over the years, we’ve put together a large collection of free Adobe books that we share with you, our readers, here… This extensive set of helpful ebooks has now grown to over 30 different titles that you can legally download, use, and learn from for free, forever.
These instructional books cover Creative Cloud, Creative Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, Premiere Pro, Dreamweaver, Animate, XD, Lightroom and more – but until recently, we haven’t had a solid offering for Adobe After Effects.
Fortunately, this changed with the publication of the “Motion Graphics in After Effects that Speaks to Your Brain” guidebook, which comes from Adobe Community Professional and renowned AE guru, Dr. Mathias Möhl.
Dr. Möhl started writing this book before Covid, and then generously decided to provide it 100% free for everyone for an unlimited time with no strings attached, as his contribution to supporting the community during the pandemic. His advice is to use your time wisely and keep learning new skills, as they’ll help you to run a successful business when you’re able to launch one. Thanks to his hard work, you can download the book for free here.
Here is the overview description of this 51-page guide:
So, you’ve started playing around with After Effects, maybe watched some YouTube tutorials, and wondering what the next step is? Or perhaps you already know After Effects pretty well, but still feel there’s a gap between you and a ‘real’ motion graphics professional? Well, there is a difference between knowing how to use the software and creating good motion graphics. For the latter, you need to know not just which buttons to click, but also a great deal about design, workflow, and even how your audience’s brain works.
This book is here to bridge the gap between what you can figure out with learning by doing and what you need to know to become a professional motion graphics artist.
The first quarter of the book gives you a solid foundation in animation and design (color, type, layout, storyboards and music), before moving on the meat of the volume: animating, keyframing, staging, focus, squashing and stretching, templates and automation.
You can download this guidebook for offline viewing in Apple Books or ePub or Zip format via the link given below, or read it there online in your web browser… It is not available in Kindle or PDF format because of many essential videos embedded within the content, which those platforms do not support. The full digital ePub book (or Zip file) is ~420 MB in size:
Here are a few reader reviews for the book:
“Fantastic book with amazing explainer videos. This is a great place to start.”
“Excellent reference! Helped fill in some gaps in my knowledge. And it’s free!”
Thank you for writing this. I’ll be sharing this informative resource with many people.
“You should 100% download this free eBook if you are getting into MoGraph and AdobeAE.”
“Read this book. Very useful; I learned a lot of things. Thanks for this book!”
“This free eBook simplifies principles that everyone in the field must know.”
“A great case study project with tons of AE tips and tricks.”
“Simply put, the most useful book you can read on After Effects.”
You’ll need After Effects itself to complete everything as outlined in the book. If you don’t have the software yet, just download a free working trial for any CC 2024 product for Windows or Mac (or try the complete Creative Cloud) – then install and start right away.
Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2024 direct download links and free trials.
If you prefer video training instead (or in addition), then check out the free Adobe Learn Series for After Effects. For more free video tutorials on many different tools and topics, see the 200 new courses and sessions from the recent Adobe MAX conference.
And to continue learning, don’t miss dozens more free books for many Adobe products, covering recent versions of all major applications… This large collection includes the official Adobe user manuals, which are comprehensive in size and scope.
After Effects Book Trailer Video
Dr. Möhl, the author, only has one request:
If you’ve enjoyed this free AE book, please recommend it to others. Take a few moments to rate it on Apple Books or Goodreads, write a review, or tell your friends about it. Thank you! This makes a big difference for us – it helps us to continue creating content for you, and helps others to discover the book.
See Also
- What are the differences between Adobe CC vs. CS6?
- The 10 most common myths about Creative Cloud
- How to save 60% with the Student & Teacher Editions
- Free Adobe Stock! Download 1,000,000+ top images
- Don’t need full Cloud? Get PS + LR for $9.99/month
- How to join Adobe’s Creative Cloud for free
Do you have any questions about Creative Cloud? Just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!
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Adobe After Effects Book on Motion Graphics. Great epub book. Works well in the Adobe Digital Editions free ebook app for Windows 10, showing all the videos OK.
Terrific Pete, thanks so much!
Just checked and Adobe Digital Editions can be downloaded for free on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS:
Thanks sir, I really appreciate you doing a good job
Thank you…
You’re very welcome, Tian – hope you get a lot out of the free book!
Is book actually for free?
Yes, absolutely legally free to download.