Take your After Effects skills to a new level! Twelve step-by-step tutorials, designed by industry professionals, explore a variety of creative approaches as they teach useful design concepts and production techniques. Updated for After Effects 6.5, this new edition covers the most significant Version 5 and 6 features including 3D space, cameras, lights, parenting, text, animation presets, paint, and expressions. Each carefully structured project presents the "why" behind the steps, so you can adapt these techniques to your own designs and motion graphics work. All contain timeless concepts that will be of use for many years to come. After Effects in Production also contains six case studies of commercial projects created by award-winning studios such as ATTIK, Belief, Curious Pictures, The Diecks Group, Fido, and the authors' own studio, CyberMotion. These detail the integration of After Effects, 3D programs, live action, and a variety of animation techniques, revealing the artistic concepts behind the spots as well as the inventive techniques used to execute them. The enclosed DVD contains QuickTime movies of each of the final animations, allowing you to step through them frame-by-frame so you can examine them in detail.

After Effects CS5.5 Update: /tv.adobe.com/show/after-effects-cs55-new-creative-techniques/ Chris and Trish Meyer have created a series of videos demonstrating how to use their favorite new and enhanced features in After Effects CS5.5. Virtually all of these videos use exercise files from Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects (5th Edition for CS5) as their starting point, extending the usefulness of this book for its owners. These videos may be viewed for free on AdobeTV. * 5th Edition of best-selling After Effects book by renowned authors Trish and Chris Meyer covers the important updates in After Effects CS4 and CS5 * Covers both essential and advanced techniques, from basic layer manipulation and animation through keying, motion tracking, and color management * The downloadable resources are packed with project files for version CS5, source materials, and nearly 200 pages of bonus chapters Trish and Chris Meyer share over 17 years of hard-earned, real-world film and video production experience inside this critically acclaimed text. More than a step-by-step review of the features in AE, readers will learn how the program thinks so that they can realize their own visions more quickly and efficiently. This full-color book is packed with tips, gotchas, and sage advice that will help users thrive no matter what projects they might encounter. Creating Motion Graphics 5th Edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect the new features introduced in both After Effects CS4 and CS5. New chapters cover the revolutionary new Roto Brush feature, as well as mocha and mocha shape. The 3D section has been expanded to include working with 3D effects such as Digieffects FreeForm plus workflows including Adobe Repoussé, Vanishing Point Exchange, and 3D model import using Adobe Photoshop Extended. The print version is also accompanied by downloadable resources that contain project files and source materials for all the techniques demonstrated in the book, as well as nearly 200 pages of bonus chapters on subjects such as expressions, scripting, and effects. Subjects include: Animation Techniques; Layer Management; Modes, Masks, and Mattes; Mastering 3D Space; Text Animation; Effects & Presets; Painting and Rotoscoping; Parenting, Nesting, and Collapsing; Color Management and Video Essentials; Motion Tracking and Keying; Working with Audio; Integrating with 3D Applications; Puppet Tools; Expressions; Exporting and Rendering; and much more.

This is the only book on the market to focus exclusively on the creation of visual effects for After Effects users, and is a one-stop resource for anyone who wants in-depth explanations that demystify the realm of visual effects and how they were created, thanks to veteran author Mark Christiansen's friendly and accessible style. A thoroughly packed, informative read, this masterful guide focuses on explaining the essential concepts, features, and techniques that are key to creating seamless movie-quality visual effects. Users who are comfortable with After Effects will find a helpful review of the fundamentals - managing footage, viewing and editing layers, animating type, and more - so they can learn how to work smarter and more efficiently. Readers of all levels will learn core techniques for effects compositing including color matching, keying, rotoscoping, motion tracking, emulating the camera, and concluding with using expressions in After Effects, written by contributor and expert Dan Ebberts. An incredibly useful appendix on scripting in After Effects is included as well, written by Adobe engineer Jeff Almasol. The final section of the book delves into creative explorations, demonstrating professional effects that are commonly seen in films and games which readers can re-create. Readers will also find comprehensive coverage of all that's new and makes this version of Adobe's effects programa must-have update, including the revolutionary new Roto Brush, all new effects such as the New Refine Matte effect, new support for Color Look-Up Tables, workflows that take advantage of the all-new 64-bit support, inclusion of third-party tools for additional creativity, and much more. Note from the publisher: FREE Adobe After Effects CS5.5 updates are available for this title. Simply register your product at www.peachpit.com/register and you will receive the updates when they become available.

Realize your creative potential with a working knowledge of After Effects 7. Renowned artist and designer Angie Taylor demonstrates professional workflows and inspires with practical tutorial lessons that help put the theory (and you!) to work. You'll learn from a comprehensive survey of the new interface and features, with illustrated techniques for animation, visual effects and motion graphics. Practice exercises to reinforce essential techniques, and continuous projects challenge you with fantastically creative uses of the application. The companion DVD includes everything you'll need to complete the tutorials as well as an array of bonus plug-ins and demo software.

"The official training workbook from Adobe Systems"--Cover.

Motion graphics are no longer just for movie and television screens. You now see motion graphics anywhere there’s a moving image, including your desktop web browser, your smartphone, and on digital signage when you shop or travel. Creating motion graphics with Adobe After Effects can enhance your value as a creative professional. Learn Adobe After Effects CC by building cool creative projects that teach you how to: Apply and customize effects and layer styles, and use animation presets to apply pre-built animations and effect combinations Achieve advanced effects quickly using techniques such as green screen background removal, masking, speed changes, motion tracking, and animation in 3D space Animate individual layers of still graphics imported from Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator Animate text, including changing type size, letter spacing, rotation, and color over time, and flowing text along a path Create a set of visually consistent intro videos for a social media platform, while practicing efficient production techniques Export a motion graphics composition once and render multiple versions for different delivery media (such as television, web sites, and smartphones) This study guide uses over 7 hours of video integrated with text to help you gain real-world skills that will get you started in your career in motion graphics. It lays the foundation for taking the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) certification exam and helps prepare you for an entry-level position in a competitive job market.

Learn how to automate After Effects to save time and multiply your efforts. Designer and developer Arlo Emerson will guide you through several techniques using scripts written in both JavaScript and Python. If you're a motion artist but a beginner at scripting, the examples will provide a solid footing for understanding how to automate After Effects. For seasoned developers and technical artists looking to automate the pipeline, Arlo's examples are battle-tested, real-world tools that can be easily extended to solve specific problems.