Motion Graphics Self-Paced Course Instructions
Getting Started
Awesome, you have registered for your course and set up payment – nearly ready to roll, here is a quick checklist, run through it, and get started!
- Download the Software (instructions below)
- Request a student letter, generally needed to download the student version of the software.
- Read through course instructions, and expiry details, (all below).
- All filter details and suggested computer specs are listed below.
- Register for an account on Design Alive’s exclusive Forum – the Jewish Design Forum. (Sign up for an account in the top right corner)
- Still facing an issue? Use our help page so we can help you.
Upon setting up payment you will be automatically directed to your course where all the course material is available to start learning. You will also have received an email with a link to your course.
Alternatively, you can log in to school.designalive.com with the login details that you received via email
Username: Email address
Password: Check your emails
You will find your course in the left menu under ‘my courses’ or on the dashboard
Teachers Details
Email Support:
Your teacher will be checking her email daily and will do her best to answer questions within 24 hrs. We suggest you create an email with all your questions as you listen to each class, and send it to your teacher when you finish
Course Expiration
You have 18 months to complete the full course, this includes Premiere and After Effects, after which your course will expire.
Course Extensions:
If you did not manage to complete the course within the time frame, there is an option to extend the course for a monthly extension fee of $25 from when the course expires. You can extend your course for up to 6 months.
To rejoin the course 6 months after the course expiry there will be a fee of $200.
Software Details
- Students are required to have Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects installed and functioning on their computers before the course begins. The prerequisite for this course includes comfortable knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and basics of Adobe Illustrator.
- You will need to have Photoshop and illustrator from the Creative Cloud functioning on your computer.
- The only legal way to obtain the software is via the Adobe.com subscriptions which give you to use all the Adobe software online.
- Adobe.com do not offer the option to buy it outright.
- Anyone who offers to install it on your computer (for free or for a minimal charge) is likely to be installing a copied version.
Instructions:
- Sign up for a monthly subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.
- The student edition of Adobe Creative Cloud costs $19.99 per month for the first year (price will be different for subsequent years).
- Terms and conditions can be found here.
- To sign up for the student edition, you will be asked for the name and address of your school. Please note that Design Alive does not appear on the list of schools on their website, and it is usually sufficient to write Design Alive, Manchester UK.
- Adobe’s US number for purchase by phone is 800-585-0774.
- If Adobe request proof of student status please request using this link.
Course Instructions
The course begins with 11 classes of Adobe Premiere where you will learn exciting video editing and production followed by 38 classes of After Effects to teach you sizzling effects.
You will first be enrolled to Premiere and once completed please email miriam@designalive.com to request access to the after Effects part of the course.
- Each class has a recording, homework assignment, and a quiz. Some classes have images you will need to download for classwork. Please do not proceed to the next class until you have completed the homework assignment.
- You do not have to wait until the teacher replies that the homework is acceptable before proceeding to the next class.
- It is to your disadvantage to merely listen to the classes without doing the assignments, as it is the practice that will determine whether you have grasped the concepts taught in class and help you absorb the material.
- Homework files can be submitted using the ‘Upload your files here’ slot in your course. There is a separate place for each homework assignment. Quizzes can be also be answered this way.
- All your grades can be viewed online by checking the grade option in the left side menu.
Portfolio
We hope to produce 5 pieces of work to form your course portfolio; a video clip from Premiere, and 4 After Effects projects. We look forward to a rewarding and successful year together.
Filter/Whitelist Info
Design Alive recommends the following filters as students have been very happy with these filter companies and the support they provide.
- Techloq
- Gentech
- Nativ USA
- Netfree filter has also be approved for Design Alive but please note that having a filter which blocks skin content may be frustrating at some point
Before you begin the course please ensure that all the following sites below are unblocked: You can copy the list and send it to your filtering company.
- designaliveschool.webex.com
- webex.com
- designalive.com
- school.designalive.com
- for cisco webex- exclude multiple EXE
- You will need the cisco webex app working.
- autodesk.com (for Autocad students)
For more information regarding filter issues and troubleshooting please use this link
Credits
Design Alive are proud to be able to give credits for this course, there is a $240 fee and some extra assignments to be completed (5 written tests).
If you are interested in receiving credits, please use this link for more information and to register.
Computer Specs
Design Alive do not assist with helping you buy a computer suitable for the course, but below are suggested computer specs and details of a computer technician/salesperson who can help you.
Students that are doing video editing need a top end computer.
- An i7 or i9 CPU
- At least 16GB of RAM & 256GB of storage
- A 64-bit operating system
- A dedicated (internal) graphics card (ex. NVIDIA) – not integrated!
- Besides being more expensive, we do not recommend Apple especially because our instructors use a PC (and Revit is not supported on Macs.)
- While a 17 inch laptop is easier to see what you are designing, it would be too heavy to carry when visiting clients. Instead; we suggest a standard 15.6 inch screen and when working from home, you can opt for a secondary & larger 27” monitor (about $200).
- An (external) SSD drive to safely hold your projects and ensure that your computer does not get overloaded.
Design Alive has partnered with B&H Photo in NYC to handle all of these technical requirements and queries. They are a well-known and established company and are up-to-date with the most current specs and performance. Our contact is Boruch Berman and he can be reached at Boruchb@bhphoto.com. Please mention Design Alive when you send an email for his personal callback to select a machine that’s right for you (please do not call).
Here is a link to the current computers he currently suggests which are priced from low to high. Bear in mind that spending more money does not necessarily mean you are getting anything better and he will discuss this. Please feel free to do your own research for comparisons. (If this link becomes invalid then please let us know)
Please be aware that all class recordings, classwork and homework assignments are the property of Design Alive. No materials may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, transferred, sold, used to create derivative works, performed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Design Alive.
All downloads (recordings and assignments) must be deleted from your computer within 6 months of completing the course.