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U3 Academy
BeginnerFree

AI From Zero

Your first image in the first lesson, then the full picture: models, tools, prompts and cost.

  • 18 lessons
  • 2 hours 50 min
  • Completion certificate
  • Last updated:
Free
Start freeWatch the first lesson
A sample clip until the real recording is uploaded

About the course

A free course for people who are genuinely starting from zero. No experience and no powerful computer needed: everything runs in the cloud from a browser, and much of it from a phone.

In the first lesson you make your first image yourself, from a simple brief of four things: subject, place, light and camera. Then we explain, simply, how models work, the difference between language, image and video models, today's tool landscape, and how to write a prompt as a creative brief rather than a wish.

You will understand what a credit is, how to estimate the cost of practice before you spend, and how to use a reference image. At the end you turn your image into your first 5 second video with a single camera move.

This is the first door into the U3 Method: tools change, the method stays.

Who it is for

  • Anyone starting from zero who wants to understand before subscribing to any tool
  • Creators, designers and marketers who want the right start
  • Business owners who want to know what is actually possible
  • Anyone who tried a tool, got a random result and does not know why

The problem it solves

Most people start with the tool: open it, type a line, get a random result and assume the tool is the problem. The real issue is that nobody explained how the model reads a request, how a prompt should be written, or what practice costs. This course gives you the map before you spend time or money.

By the end you will be able to

  • 1Produce your first image yourself from a simple four part brief
  • 2Understand the difference between language, image and video models and pick the right one for each task
  • 3Write a prompt as a creative brief with subject, place, light and camera
  • 4Use a reference image to get closer to what you have in mind
  • 5Estimate the cost of practice in credits before you start
  • 6Turn an image into your first 5 second video with one camera move

U3 Method concepts covered

The course has two layers: a durable method that stays with you whatever the tools do, and hands on execution on today's tools that we update as soon as a tool changes.

6 method modules
2 tool execution modules
Read the U3 Method

Curriculum

Lessons marked free are open to watch now; the rest unlock when you enrol.

  1. 01Your first imageBefore any theory, you make a real result yourself.Method2 lessons23 minutes
    1. Your first image in 15 minutes · VideoFree lesson14:00
    2. One change that makes the difference · VideoFree lesson9:00
  2. 02How models work, simplyA simple, equation free understanding of what happens inside the tool.Method3 lessons30 minutes
    1. What an AI model is · VideoFree lesson10:00
    2. Language, image and video models · VideoFree lesson12:00
    3. Why results change every time · VideoFree lesson8:00
  3. 03The tool landscapeToday's image, video and audio tools, and how to choose without subscribing to everything.Tool execution3 lessons26 minutes
    1. Image tools · VideoFree lesson9:00
    2. Video and audio tools · VideoFree lesson10:00
    3. The task before the tool · VideoFree lesson7:00
  4. 04The prompt as a creative briefFrom a one line wish to a clear brief the model understands.Method3 lessons31 minutes
    1. Think before you write · VideoFree lesson9:00
    2. From one line to a brief · VideoFree lesson12:00
    3. References: the image that explains more than words · VideoFree lesson10:00
  5. 05Credits and production costKnow what practice will cost before you start.Method2 lessons16 minutes
    1. What a credit is · VideoFree lesson8:00
    2. Cheap draft first, final second · VideoFree lesson8:00
  6. 06Your first 5 second videoThe image from your first lesson starts to move.Tool execution2 lessons22 minutes
    1. From an image to a 5 second video · VideoFree lesson13:00
    2. Just one camera move · VideoFree lesson9:00
  7. 07Rights and safety from day oneThe habits that protect you and others from your very first experiment.MethodRights and ethics2 lessons16 minutes
    1. People's faces, voices and consent · VideoFree lesson9:00
    2. When to say the work is made with AI · VideoFree lesson7:00
  8. 08Your next stepChoose your next course by goal, time and budget.Method1 lesson6 minutes
    1. Choose your track · VideoFree lesson6:00

A free lesson to try now

Your first image in 15 minutesYou open Gemini or Google AI Studio, write a four layer brief (subject, place, light, camera) for a cup of coffee on an Alexandria balcony at sunset, and make a real 4:5 image yourself. Then you save the prompt that made it for the rest of the course.

Required tools and their cost

Tool costs are not included in the course price.

Approximate monthly estimate

$0 to $20 a month

Approximate monthly tool spend in USD while you practice, checked on 4 October 2026. Tool costs are not included in the course price.

Estimated practice credits

30 test generations (images and a short video)

Most lessons work on free plans. If you want to experiment more in the video lesson you may need one small monthly plan.

Required tools

Optional tools

Tool costs are not included in the course price. You can finish this course on the tools' free plans; the amount shown is an estimate if you decide to experiment more. Prices change, so check them on the official sites.

Last verified: 4 October 2026

Projects

  • Your first image and first video

    A finished 4:5 image from a four layer brief and a 5 second video made from it with one camera move, delivered with the prompts that made them.

Before you start

None. You only need a Google account and a phone or computer with a browser.

Certificate

U3 Academy · Certificate

Completion certificate

Issued when you finish every lesson and required assessment, with a verification code anyone can check.

How anyone can verify a certificate

Who teaches you

Mohamed YousryFounder and Creative Director, U3 AI AgencyFounder and Creative Director of U3 AI Agency in Alexandria. At U3 Academy he teaches the same system he uses to direct films, commercials and platforms for clients in Egypt, the Gulf and Europe.

Questions about the course

Yes. Every lesson is free and open. The tools themselves have limited free plans and paid plans, and we tell you exactly when you might need to pay.

No. Everything runs in the cloud from a browser, and much of it from a phone too.

An image and a short video you made yourself, a clear map of the tools, and enough understanding to choose your next course well.

Yes, a U3 Academy completion certificate with a verification code, once you finish every lesson and required assessment.

Last updated:

Courses to continue with

  • Beginner

    Image Craft

    Eleven layers that turn a prompt from a wish into a shooting brief: camera, lenses, light, materials and a locked identity.

    25 lessonsAbout 5 hours
    Price announced soon
  • IntermediateFlagship

    The Director's Eye

    Learn to see like a director before you generate a single shot: sizes, angles, movement, editing, treatment and storyboard.

    20 lessonsAbout 4 hours
    Price announced soon
  • Intermediate

    AI Video Production

    From still to identity locked video: engine routing, Elements, timecoded prompts and continuity.

    22 lessonsAbout 4 hours
    Price announced soon

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