Product Description

Discover the experts' techniques for creating award-winning animation, composites and special effects for TV, film and more-with Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects by Trish and Chris Meyer. Dozens of inspiring examples help you break through to new heights of creativity and proficiency.

This color-packed book starts with the fundamentals of Adobe After Effects 4.1 and progresses step by step. The authors offer real-world explanations of how the program works, and a CD-ROM of example projects showing each concept in action. Hands-on tutorials demonstrate creative techniques, shortcuts, and tricks you can apply to your own art, using both the Standard and Production versions of After Effects.

For users of all levels, topics include:
- Mastering complex animation and keyframe assistants
- Creating transparency with alpha channels, masks and keying
- Transfer modes, rack mattes and numerous effects tips and tricks
- Building hierarchies of nested compositions
- Working with fields, DV, NTSC, PAL, widescreen and film

The companion CD-ROM contains hundreds of movies, stills, objects and audio clips, plus free plug-ins and more. It also includes the tryout version of Adobe After Effects 4.1 for Mac and Windows.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #592364 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 477 pages

Amazon.com Review
If you have been using After Effects for years, have just started using it, or are considering using it, get this book. Written by Trish and Chris Meyer, perhaps best known for their monthly motion-graphics column in DV Magazine, Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects is the definitive book on using this powerful tool.

Every page is in color and is filled with tips, notes, warnings, and screenshots. The format is clearly not boilerplate--there is no wasted space, yet the book manages to strike a balance between being information-packed, easy-to-read, and enjoyable to look at. The only downside of this book is that it doesn't have a spiral or lie-flat binding.

Nine sections break down the features of After Effects in a logical manner, starting with basic animation and key framing, and on to layers, masks, mattes, effects, and rendering. Part 6's four chapters explain using After Effects with its sister applications, Photoshop and Illustrator, and Part 7 covers audio--an important but rarely discussed aspect of any presentation. Part 9 features a wide array of technical discussions, including field rendering and interlacing, 3:2 pull-down, working at film-resolution and widescreen sizes, prerendering, and using proxy files.

The CD-ROM gives 22 tutorials and includes project files. These lessons range from the basic ("Getting Animated" for After Effects beginners) to what falls into the "Oh, wow, I would never have thought of that!" category (a Matrix title-sequence look-alike). The CD-ROM also includes all the projects and source files cited in each chapter, plus tech tips covering 12 difficult and common technical areas--including alpha channels, the aspect ratio, and the After Effects rendering pipeline.

An artisan at the top of his or her craft often takes on the task of teaching others. Those working in the fields of animation, effects, motion graphics, and digital media are lucky that authors Trish and Chris Meyer are living by this rule. --Mike Caputo

Review
"A 'must have' for aspiring or established motion graphic designers. Based on years of experience, Trish and Chris provide a wealth of information that integrates After Effect's powerful tools with creative and professional solutions." -- Steve Tiborcz, After Effects Quality Engineering

"I cant think of anyone more qualified to show you how to get the most out of After Effects than Trish and Chris Meyer." -- Steve Kilisky, Senior Product Manager, After Effects, Adobe Systems Inc.

Customer Reviews

Must Have for All Motion Graphics and VFX Artists
No matter if you are a very experienced Motion Graphics or VFX artist, or trying to break into the Industry, this book is a great tool to have in your arsenal.

I bought this book the second it was released, and it's been one of the best purchases I've made. I already own 2 other After Effects books, and this one is head and shoulders above the other two by providing complete, informative tips and suggestions for tools, including real world examples.

Also the writing style and layout is visually and interesting to read. So many of these books, are very dry, making you want to quit immediately, but not with Trish & Chris, they engage, the ready, and make it visually appealing too. In fact so much of the book is in Full Color (read every page) that I'm surprised it isn't more expensive, the printing costs alone must be very high.

There are lots and lots of projects that come with it. I haven't been through all of them yet, but those I have, were all top notch.

My advice to everybody, this is it, this is the one, go out buy it, and you'll be happy. I'm giddy over it;)

Barry Berman

Outstanding - an instant masterpiece!
This is a beautiful and amazing book in both content and style. If you have ANY interest in After Effects you simply must get this book.

The tutorials are numerous, thorough, and well thought out. Besides just teaching you the mechanics of how to use After Effects effectively, there is a lot of good information on how After Effects works internally which helps immensely in understanding how to get the most out of the program.

The companion CD ROM is a treasure in itself. It contains enough additional chapters and tech notes to fill another book as well as lots of source material to practice with and some fully functional 3rd party plug-ins to play with.

In addition to having a great teaching style, Chris and Trish obviously have a lot of real-world experience actually using After Effects to create motion graphics for paying clients. So, as an extra bonus, you get the educational benefit of seeing their design aesthetic, which is pervasive throughout the book.

You can't go wrong with this one!

"THE" book for After Effects
If you are only going to buy one book about AE, then get this one. Is not only the best book on the subject - that I have read - but the best book about about any program I have worked with... And I have quite a collection. This two know the program like if they made it themselves. They are never patronising, they have a wonderful sense of humour at the right times, and best of all they manage to really teach you the program in such a way that you feel really really competent with it. A lot of extras includedin the cd, they went to the trouble of creating lots of versions of everything they talk about so you understand exactly. You also learned a lot about general stuff. Like video and film standards, vector and pixel art import methods and handling, etc... Nothing was overlooked. A really great book