After Effects Apprentice, Third Edition: Real World Skills for the Aspiring Motion Graphics Artist

by Chris Meyer, Trish Meyer

Whether you re new to After Effects and want to get up to speed quickly, or already a user who needs to become familiar with the new features, After Effects Apprentice was created for you. With 11 core lessons plus a final project that pulls it all together, you ll learn how to tap this program s vast potential whether you create motion graphics for network television, corporate communications, or your own projects.

Fully updated to cover the major new features introduced in After Effects CS6, CS5.5, and CS5, this edition of the book presents a professional perspective on the most important features a motion graphics artist needs to master in order to use After Effects effectively. You ll learn to creatively combine layers, animate eye-catching titles, manipulate 3D space, track or rotoscope existing footage to add new elements, color key and stabilize a shot to place it in a new environment, and use effects to generate excitement or enhance the realism of a scene. Easy to follow, step-by-step instructions guide you through the features, with explanations of the "why" instead of just the "how" behind each technique. You ll learn more than just the tools; you ll learn skills that you can immediately put to work expressing your own ideas in your productions.

Topics include how to:



Animate, edit, layer, and composite video and still images.

Manipulate keyframes and the way they interpolate to create more refined animations.

Use masks, mattes, stencils and blending modes to add sophistication to your imagery.

Create and animate text and shape layers

Place your layers in 3D space.

Use tracking and keying to create special effects, such as replacing screen displays.

DVD contains: All exercise source material and project files for After Effects CS6, CS5.5, and CS5, plus 90 minutes of video tutorials.

Customers who buy an electronic version of the book can contact Simon Jacobs(simon.jacobs@taylorandfrancis.com) with their receipt and Focal Press will grant access to the companion files.

Note: After Effects CC (Creative Cloud) released on June 17, 2013 will also open and run all of the CS6 projects. Very few of the lessons have been affected by the move from CS6 to CC; we ve noted any significant differences in a PDF downloadable from our web site at http: //www.crishdesign.com/books/After-Effec..."

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Art, Reference

364 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Chris Meyer is an Associate Professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He studies human interactions and teams in organizations with a focus on negotiation, motivation, and emotion. Chris, an award-winning professor, teaches negotiation and organizational behavior at the graduate and undergraduate level. Prior to his academic work, Chris held sales and management positions in several high-tech and start-up organizations.

Reviews

[Hugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used this for class. I think we had a different edition with more pages, but I'm sure the info is basically the same. These are mind numbingly boring to read and the exercises are broken down step by step. You will learn something when you do them but I don't know if there's anything here you couldn't learn on YouTube.

[VampireNovelFan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know nothing about After Affects, this publication is what you want to buy. The tutorials are rich and colorful and have substance to them. While it gives you more of a skeleton understanding for how to use the program, you may be tempted (and are encouraged) to play around a bit and learn a thing or two for yourself. It also helps to have a DVD so that you can work through the exercises yourself.

[Helen Newall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, which I still use, because even though I'm out of the starting blocks with After Effects, there's still much to learn. The authors have videos on Lynda.com which I also find to be the most useful of any. They are both skilled teachers. This is a must-have even though it's CS4 and AE is now at CS6. I don't think any AE novice could regret this acquisition!

[Lauren]

This is not exactly pleasure reading. It's required for class and that said, I'm learning a lot about After Effects...one day I may even become "adept"...don't hold your breath though...

[Antti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tolles Buch.