5 Best Visual Effects (VFX) Tutorials For Beginners in 2024

Learn Visual Effects (VFX) as a beginner and create un-imaginable things for any film or moving medium that will be too time consuming, expensive or impossible to capture on film.

5 Best Visual Effects (VFX) Tutorials For Beginners in 2024

Visual Effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which images are created or manipulated outside the context of live action filmed in film and video. In simple words, VFX is a term used to describe images created, processed, or enhanced for any film or other moving medium that does not occur during live-action shooting.

Visual effects include combining real-time video footage (special effects) and generated images (digital or optical, animals or creatures) that look realistic but would be dangerous, expensive, impractical, time-consuming, or impossible to capture on film.

Keeping this in mind, here at Coursesity, we have curated some of the Best Online Visual Effects (VFX) Tutorials with certification. Hope that you will find the best course for you to learn how to create computer creatures, crowds, and gimmicks that look realistic but would be dangerous, time-consuming, or impossible to capture on film.

Disclosure: Coursesity is supported by the learner's community. We may earn an affiliate commission when you make a purchase via links on Coursesity.

Top VFX Courses List

  1. Adobe After Effects: Complete Course from Novice to Expert

  2. After Effects CC 2023 Essential Training: VFX

  3. Fundamentals of VFX

  4. VFX Keying: Master Course Online Class

  5. Introduction to Nuke VFX Compositing: The Essentials

1. Adobe After Effects: Complete Course from Novice to Expert

Learn VFX Visual Effects & VFX Compositing from scratch.

In this course, you will:

  • Understand the concepts behind Animation Techniques and Motion Design.
  • Learn how to Design, Animate, and Sequence complete Motion Graphics Projects.
  • Work with all the transformations basic and beyond.
  • Learn easy, yet powerful, techniques to create the most complex animations.
  • Create Stunning Visual Effects (VFX) using Build in Effects (no expensive third-party plugins).
  • Apply specialized effects such as Rotoscoping, Chromakeying, and Camera Tracking.

With this course, you will learn how to create Motion Graphics to enhance your videos using a step-by-step, easy-to-use method. You will practice compositing techniques to achieve stunning video effects.

Next, you will learn how to use specialized visual effects (VFX) such as Motion Tracking, Camera Tracking, Chromakeying, Rotoscoping, and Stabilizing. You will also learn how to master Visual Time Effects on Videos and Motion Graphics.

Then, you will work in 3D space with Cameras, Lights, and Shadows and practice your new skills with 3D Motion Graphics Projects.

  • Course rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 ( 25,931 Ratings total)
  • Duration: 34h 30m
  • Certificate: Certificate on purchase
After Effects CC Class: Complete Course
Adobe After Effects CC Create stunning Motion Graphics, VFX Visual Effects & VFX Compositing with 50+ practice projects.

2. After Effects CC 2023 Essential Training: VFX

Learn how to create stunning 3D, VR, and cinematic visual effects (VFX) with Adobe After Effects CC 2021.

The course includes:

  • Create Transparency
  • Keying
  • Work with Trackers
  • Work with Effects
  • Composite 3D Renders
  • Work with Rendering
  • Work with Immersive 360 VR

Learn how to create stunning visual effects with one of the most widely-used and highly-regarded compositing applications on the market—Adobe After Effects CC. In this Visual Effects course, you will dive into the fundamentals needed to start creating mind-blowing visual effects (VFX) with After Effects.

Discover how to build accurate masks and keys, use rotoscoping to separate foreground from background, perform motion and camera tracking, and add your own 3D elements to a scene.

Learn how to use effects such as particles and noise to create fire, replace the sky, and more. Then dive into the world of virtual reality as the course explores the application's immersive VR and 360-degree video features.

  • Course rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 (59 Ratings total)
  • Duration: 4h 26m
  • Certificate: Certificate on purchase
  • View course

3. Fundamentals of VFX

Learn VFX as a Beginner.

The course includes:

  • History of VFX
  • Understanding Mattes and Chroma Keying
  • Requirements for Compositing
  • Advanced Subjects in VFX

In this VFX course, you will gain a comprehensive understanding on how Visual Effects are created. You will learn what is required to create convincing and photorealistic effects.

In conjunction with all of this, you will also learn advanced techniques such as Deep Compositing, Planar Tracking, 3D Camera Projection, Image Based Lighting, Node-based Compositing, and Match Moving.

  • Course rating: 4.4 out of 5.0 (310 Ratings total)
  • Duration: 3h
  • Certificate: Certificate on purchase
Fundamentals of VFX
The Complete Guide to Creating High-End Visual Effects

4. VFX Keying: Master Course Online Class

Take a deep dive into the key for visual effects in NUKE. Learn about green-screen, blue-screen, luma, and saturation keys; spill suppression; color correction; and edge refinement.

The course includes:

  • Keying Workflows
  • Pre-Processing the Green Screen
  • Other Types of Keys
  • Building the Uber Key
  • Spill Suppression
  • Compositing Techniques
  • Color Correcting
  • Sweetening the Comp
  • Fixing Edge Problems
  • Special Keying Solutions

Blue-screen and green-screen keying is the bread and butter of visual effects compositing. Every VFX artist must master this complex subject to succeed in the industry. This course will thoroughly train you on the subject of keying, covering literally every aspect of the job.

You will be introduced to several overall compositing workflows, as well as a myriad of tips and tricks and several keying techniques never before published. Learn about green-screen, blue-screen, luma, and saturation keys; spill suppression; color correction; edge refinement; and more.

  • Course rating: 4.8 out of 5.0 (29 Ratings total)
  • Duration: 12h
  • Certificate: Certificate on purchase
  • View course

5. Introduction to Nuke VFX Compositing: The Essentials

This VFX course will take you through the fundamental concepts of VFX Compositing in Nuke, and how to learn the user interface. It is focused primarily on the 2D aspects of compositing to get you started.  

The course includes:

  • Setting up, and software basics
  • Learning your first nodes
  • Roto & Rotopaint
  • Compositing Fundamental Concepts
  • 2d Motion Tracking a scene and Cleanplating
  • Keying and Chroma Keying Greensreens

The course involves replacing a background, color correcting and blending the foreground and background, motion tracking the background to the foreground, and seamlessly bringing it all together. You will also learn how to create an animated hologram effect from scratch appearing in front of the character.

By the end of the course, you will successfully be able to composite what would be considered a "Junior Digital Compositing" shot.

  • Course rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 (561 Ratings total)
  • Duration: 4h 30m
  • Certificate: Certificate on completion
Introduction to Nuke VFX Compositing: The Essentials - NK101
A full Nuke visual effects training course for VFX Compositing in Nuke. Final project of a Junior Compositor shot!

Hey! We hope you have found these Online Visual Effects (VFX) Courses with the certification list helpful and intriguing. Since you've made it this far then certainly you are willing to learn more and here at Coursesity, it is our duty to enlighten people with knowledge on topics they are willing to learn.

Here are some more topics that we think will be interesting for you!