Illustrator Essential Training vs The Beginner's Guide to Adobe After Effects

Tony Harmer walks through Illustrator's core in a logical sequence — artboards, selection, shapes and line tools, path drawing and transformation, color models, gradients, strokes, brushes, layers and groups, patterns, appearances, transparency, type, image placement and export — and the 2024/2025 editions add a section on generative AI content. Across five released versions the official rating sits at 4.8/5 (2024: 1,148 ratings; 2021: 1,914; 2022: 1,676; 2023: 1,320), an unusually high and stable signal. Reviewers describe the material as dense and thorough; the main critique is that some assignment toolbars don't match the learner's default setup, and that experienced users hit familiar ground before the advanced sections.

Tony Harmer — a certified Adobe Creative Suite Master with 40+ years in the creative industry and close ties to the Illustrator product team — is the standout asset. Reviewers repeatedly single out his delivery as "detailed, easy to follow, and even entertaining," and even a 17-year Illustrator veteran reported learning new tricks. His voice, pacing and articulation draw consistent praise. The only recurring instructor complaint is occasional mismatch between his on-screen toolbars and a fresh install, which can briefly confuse beginners.

LinkedIn Learning is $39.99/month or roughly $19.99/month billed annually, and the course is also bundled with LinkedIn Premium Career and free through many public-library cards. For learners who already hold a LinkedIn subscription or library access, this 5–7 hour course is excellent value and the completion certificate posts straight to a LinkedIn profile. Paying the standalone monthly fee for this one course is less compelling — independent reviewers call the subscription "more on the expensive side" and "expensive if used infrequently," and the certificate is not accredited. The equation flips for prolific learners who tap the 20,000+ course catalogue.

Each lesson ships with downloadable exercise files and the course includes 22 quizzes for self-assessment, so learners practice alongside the instructor rather than just watching. The gap, flagged by multiple reviewers, is open-ended project work: the exercises are instructor-led replications rather than briefs that push learners to design their own piece, and one reviewer asked directly for "more practice sessions or more question examples." There is no portfolio-grade capstone and no instructor feedback on submitted work.

The skills taught — vector paths, transformations, color, type, brushes, patterns and export for print and web — are genuinely foundational and transfer directly to real Illustrator work. Reviewers describe the tool demonstrations as practical and immediately usable, and a decade-lapsed user called it a strong refresher on newer tools like the curvature tool. The certificate carries professional signalling value on LinkedIn but is not an accredited credential, so it complements rather than replaces demonstrated portfolio work.

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.