Instant Access includes all on-demand FX courses. Live mentored classes are not included.
Instant Access Course Catalog
Everything included, organized by track.
All courses below are including with Instant Access. Nothing here requires a separate purchase or scheduled live class.
2D FX Courses
Start with animation principles and software fundamentals or create series-ready FX and stylized in-game assets.
3D VFX Courses
Dive into real-time lessons teaching VFX and particle systems for industry-standard game engines.
VFX Apprentice Toolkit
Breakdown VFX projects, build and play in real-time game engines, and see how VFX artists create effects for games.
2D FX Courses for Games and Animation
22 Courses | Beginner & Intermediate
Master stylized, professional-level FX principles for gaming and animation,
from foundational mechanics to polished, portfolio-ready assets.
Applied Foundations - FX Animations
2D FX: Level One
Learn how to animate 2DFX like fireballs, lightning, sparkles, and negative blips. Apply the principles of animation to create next-level effects.
Animating Small 2D FX
2D FX: Level One
Start with the leading motion and finish with a ready-to-brag flipbook by following the FX breakdown of one of the best-known 2D artists, Alex Redfish!
Animating Medium 2D FX
2D FX: Level One
Dive into these more complex animation studies, with different viscosities, multiple elements, and more complex shapes. Create directional fire, bubble bursts, water flings, and more!
Intro to Toon Boom Harmony
FREE | 2D FX: Level One
Toon Boom Harmony is used throughout the animation industry. Let's dive into the popular 2DFX animation software with this step-by-step burst effect.
Intro to Photoshop for VFX
FREE | 2D FX: Level One
Get up to speed on the Photoshop tools, layers, adjustments, and pro tips FX artists use in the free VFX course.
Intro to Adobe Animate
FREE | 2D FX: Level One
Learn to create FX flipbooks with Adobe Animate (formerly Adobe Flash) with this free course on making an animated swipe effect.
Intro to FX Concept Painting
2D FX: Level One
Dive into the world of FX concept painting. Get to know a variety of painting techniques as you learn to create fire, wisps, zaps, and goo.
FX Concept Painting Elemental Studies
2D FX: Level One
Create concept art for various elemental effects, including a fiery explosion, goo splat, lighting zap, and more!
2D FX Playbook
2D FX: Level One
Apply animation basics to the world of visual effects. Learn how to create FX intro and outro animations. Then dive into overlapping actions and looping FX.
FX Design Principles
2D FX: Level One
Learn the design principles of FX animation. This course covers the fundamentals of effects animation to help you plan out your designs.
FX Timing Principles
2D FX: Level One
Timing plays a big role in defining the look and feel of an effect! Learn about seven fundamental principles and how to use them to create world-class FX.
Elemental Foundations
2D FX: Level One
Learn about the different principles used in 2DFX animation. Level up the visual appeal of your effects with these lessons on fire, liquid, dust, debris, and more!
Drawing Foundations
2D FX: Level One
Learn the basics of drawing with good old-fashioned pen and paper before you take on digital software. This FX course focuses on linework and perspective.
2D FX Meme Lab
2D VFX: Level Two
Different budgets and projects can dictate the style and level of detail you can use when creating your effects! Let's make some fun meme-able gifs to show you the difference!
FX for Characters
2D FX: Level Two
Learn how to create a variety of effects centered around characters. Pick up the crucial aspects behind the process of creating fire, smoke, electricity, and more!
2D FX Explosion Masterclass
2D FX: Level Two
Create a massive 2D explosion with animator Dan Elder. You will complete each phase of the stunning explosion effect inspired by the many FX Dan has created for television.
Ignited - 2D FX Animation
2D VFX: Level Two
Work through a fiery animated short from the concept phase through production with instructor Slava Lightsoul!
2D FX Animated Title/Logo Masterclass
2D VFX: Level Two
In this high-octane FX course, you'll see step-by-step how a 2D FX master maximizes the excitement of an effect for a slick title logo.
VFX Paintover Series
2D VFX: Level Two
VFX supervisors often use paintovers to offer feedback. Learn how to enhance your effect concepts through the feedback process from our resident specialist, Kees.
Post Process and Mograph
2D FX: Level Two
Get to know Adobe After Effects and learn various post-process techniques to reinvigorate your FX and make them shine!
3D VFX Courses for Games
18 Courses | Beginner & Intermediate
Targeted training focused on real-time game pipelines in Unreal and Unity.
Everything to equip you with the technical and artistic expertise to excel in your game development career.
Beginner's Guide to VFX
FREE | 3D VFX: Level Zero
Start your visual effects journey and learn all about the world of game development and stylized real-time VFX. This FREE course will introduce you to the various departments, game styles, tools, and systems used to make effects for games.
VFX Foundations & Artistic Principles
FREE | 3D VFX: Level One
A high-level introduction to the world of VFX for games. Learn how VFX are used to inform gameplay with their use of shape, color, value, and timing. Each a powerful tool for VFX artists to create stylized FX.
Color Theory for Visual Effects
3D FX: Level One
Color is a big part of VFX design! Get acquainted with the different aspects of color in this fundamentals series. Learn how color works and how to create color palettes for your effects.
Hand-Painted Textures for Stylized FX
3D VFX: Level One
Hand-painting your textures isn't the only way you can create them! Get acquainted with Adobe 3D Substance Designer and the procedural method. You'll learn how to create tileable textures for your effects.
Procedural Textures in Substance Designer
3D VFX: Level One
Create seamless textures procedurally using Adobe Substance 3D Designer. Darin Aranda is here to guide you through the entire process.
League of Effects
FREE | 3D VFX: Level One
Breakdown League of Legends-inspired effects and dive into sandbox project files to see how these effects are made. This free course takes a look at fan art created by Kevin "Sirhaian" Leroy, whose incredible work landed them a job at Riot Games.
Unreal Engine 5 Niagara Block-in VFX
3D VFX: Level One
This course is designed to help you start making Niagara effects in Unreal Engine 5, regardless of your experience level. Learn how to get started with a collection of block-in VFX like fire, hit impacts, and explosions.
Unity Block-in VFX
3D VFX: Level One
This course is designed to help you start making effects in the Unity game engine, regardless of your experience level. Learn how to get started with a collection of block-in VFX like fire, hit impacts, and explosions.
Intro to Materials for Unreal Engine 5
3D VFX: Level One
Learn how to use and navigate a node-based Shader interface in Unreal Engine. This course covers key concepts and techniques used when creating UE materials for VFX.
Intro to Shaders in Unity
3D VFX: Level One
Learn all about node-based Shaders and how to create them inside of the Unity game engine. Get to know one of the most powerful tools for creating FX.
Modeling for VFX
3D VFX: Level One
Modeling meshes for VFX allows you to create a variety of different effects. Learn the key concepts of 3D modeling like meshes, UVs, and modifiers, and how to prepare these assets for use in game engines.
Elemental Studies in Unity
3D VFX: Level One
Bring the elements to life in Unity! Learn how to use a technical approach to VFX as you create fire, water, lightning, and more inside of the Unity game engine.
Elemental Studies in Unreal
3D VFX: Level One
Learn to create fundamental elemental VFX like fire, water, lightning, and more to get valuable experience in Unreal Engine!
This series is perfect for confident VFX beginners as an intermediate step before tackling really big effects.
Booms & Blasts
3D VFX: Level Two
The definitive course for real-time stylized FX for Unreal Engine and Unity. Create four of the most frequently used elemental game effects with explosions, wisps, lightning, and splats.
Intermediate 2D/3D FX Courses
Bridge the gap between design and implementation with training
that blends 2D and 3D theory to make game-ready assets that stand out!
Magic Shield: Production-Level FX Breakdowns
Apprentice: Level Three
Break down a magical shield made in Unreal Engine 5 using the Niagara particle system. As a bonus, learn how to import your VFX into the Unreal Editor for Fortnite.
Attacks: Production-Level FX Breakdowns
Apprentice: Level Three
Let's break down some amazing production-ready attack effects with Rubfish and look at the design of projectiles, slashes, and explosions.
Game FX for Sidescrollers
Apprentice: Level Three
Dive into the Unreal Engine sidescroller FX pipeline and create in-game spells and healing effects.
AOE: Area of Effect VFX
Apprentice: Level Three
Follow along with a VFX Apprentice student as they create a ready-to-ship AOE explosion effect!
Portfolios and Job Applications
Apprentice: Level Three
A series offering insight into creating portfolios that will impress professional artists and companies, and how to apply for VFX jobs.
Tools for Every Apprentice
Work and play in game engines.
Create and kitbash real-time VFX in tools trusted by AAA game developers and studios.
VFX Asset Library
Build and play with real-time VFX.
Sidescroller
Preview FX and work inside of a fully functioning sidescroller environment for Unreal Engine and Unity.
3D Sandbox
Explore and build FX in a 3D sandbox environment. See and feel your FX in real time with Unreal Engine and Unity.
Learn directly from VFX artists behind your favorite worlds
Study under veteran FX artists led by Jason Keyser. Absorb techniques used to create legendary visual styles across games and animation.
Meet Your Instructors
Direct Feedback
Member-only feedback channels offer clear critiques and guidance from VFX artists. No more hitting creative or technical roadblocks.
Weekly Live Sessions
Instant Access members are invited to weekly live sessions every Monday and Wednesday. Pick up in-demand skills studios are looking for.
Global Community
Connect with thousands of students, creators, and working artists in a Discord server. Share work, swap tips, and stay motivated.
What Professional VFX Artists Say
Kevin Leroy
VFX Artist - Riot Games
I truly wish this website existed when I first started VFX. It's full of industry-defining training covering a vast diversity of subjects. More importantly, it covers different engines and software. From concepting to in-engine implementations, these courses have it all, and it is all of the highest quality.
Luke Mason
VFX Artist - Blizzard Entertainment
The comprehensive photoshop lessons forever changed how I paint, whether it be for texture painting or concepting. I haven't followed anything that so directly led me towards personal growth as a digital artist.
Fred Hooper
Lead VFX Artist - NVIDIA
VFX Apprentice is THE go-to place to learn real time visual effects. Jason will teach you how to make effects from the ground up from an artistic and technical perspective. The VFX Apprentice courses will start you on the path to becoming a real time VFX artist.
