Visual effects and motion graphics pros of all stripes - from broadcast professionals to VFX supervisors to Web designers who need to produce occasional video segments - will welcome the dramatically accelerated features provided in the brand-new After Effects CS4. This best-selling book has been revised to cover all that's new in this upgrade: the ability to import 3D layers from Photoshop; the Cartoon effect that converts live-action footage into stylized imagery; Adobe Device Central CS4, which lets you preview and test animations for mobile devices, and more. Designed around a single complex project that’s broken down into manageable lessons, this book-and-DVD package mimics a real-world workflow - but one that readers tackle at their own pace. The DVD contains all the lesson files and footage readers need to complete the lessons.
Author(s): Adobe Creative Team
Edition: 1
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 400
Contents......Page 5
Prerequisites......Page 12
Optimizing performance......Page 13
Copying the lesson files......Page 14
Additional resources......Page 16
Adobe certification......Page 17
Lesson overview......Page 19
Creating a project and importing footage......Page 21
Creating a composition and arranging layers......Page 26
Adding effects and modifying layer properties......Page 29
Animating the composition......Page 37
Previewing your work......Page 44
Customizing the workspace......Page 47
Controlling the brightness of the user interface......Page 49
Finding resources for using After Effects......Page 50
Checking for updates......Page 51
Review questions and answers......Page 52
Lesson overview......Page 53
Importing footage using Adobe Bridge......Page 55
Creating the composition......Page 58
Working with imported Illustrator layers......Page 61
Applying effects to a layer......Page 62
Applying an animation preset......Page 65
Adding transparency......Page 68
Rendering the composition......Page 69
Review questions and answers......Page 74
Lesson overview......Page 75
Getting started......Page 77
About text layers......Page 79
Creating and formatting point text......Page 80
Using a text animation preset......Page 82
Animating with scale keyframes......Page 85
Animating using parenting......Page 87
Animating imported Photoshop text......Page 88
Animating text using a path animation preset......Page 92
Animating type tracking......Page 94
Animating text opacity......Page 96
Using a text animator group......Page 97
Cleaning up the path animation......Page 100
Animating a nontext layer along a motion path......Page 101
Adding motion blur......Page 103
Exporting to Adobe Flash CS4 Professional......Page 104
Review questions and answers......Page 105
Lesson overview......Page 107
Getting started......Page 109
Adding a shape layer......Page 110
Creating custom shapes......Page 114
Creating stars......Page 119
Incorporating video and audio layers......Page 123
Applying a Cartoon effect......Page 124
Adding a title bar......Page 127
Using Brainstorm to experiment......Page 130
Review questions and answers......Page 133
Lesson overview......Page 135
Getting started......Page 137
Animating the scenery using parenting......Page 138
Adjusting an anchor point......Page 142
Masking video using vector shapes......Page 143
Keyframing a motion path......Page 147
Animating additional elements......Page 150
Applying an effect......Page 154
Creating an animated slide show......Page 158
Adding an audio track......Page 164
Zooming in for a final close-up......Page 166
Sending the project to reviewers......Page 167
Review questions and answers......Page 169
Lesson overview......Page 171
Getting started......Page 173
Simulating lighting changes......Page 177
Duplicating an animation using the pick whip......Page 179
Animating movement in the scenery......Page 181
Adjusting the layers and creating a track matte......Page 184
Animating the shadows......Page 188
Adding a lens flare effect......Page 190
Animating the clock......Page 192
Retiming the composition......Page 194
Review questions and answers......Page 200
Lesson overview......Page 201
Getting started......Page 203
Editing a mask......Page 206
Replacing the content of the mask......Page 211
Adding a reflection......Page 214
Creating a vignette......Page 218
Adjusting the color......Page 220
Review questions and answers......Page 222
Lesson overview......Page 223
Getting started......Page 225
About the Puppet tools......Page 228
Adding Deform pins......Page 229
Defining areas of overlap......Page 230
Animating pin positions......Page 231
Recording animation......Page 236
Review questions and answers......Page 238
Lesson overview......Page 239
Getting started......Page 241
Creating compositions in Device Central......Page 242
Adding the foreground subject......Page 246
Using garbage masks......Page 247
Applying the Color Difference Key effect......Page 250
Choking the matte......Page 253
Removing spill......Page 254
Adjusting contrast......Page 256
Adding the background animation......Page 257
Adding text......Page 258
Preparing the composition for mobile devices......Page 262
Review questions and answers......Page 265
Lesson overview......Page 267
Getting started......Page 269
Adjusting color balance......Page 272
Replacing the background......Page 274
Removing unwanted elements......Page 278
Correcting a range of colors......Page 280
Warming colors with the Photo Filter effect......Page 283
Review questions and answers......Page 284
Lesson overview......Page 285
Getting started......Page 287
Building a 3D object......Page 289
Working with a null object......Page 299
Working with 3D text......Page 300
Creating a backdrop for 3D animation......Page 304
Nesting a 3D composition......Page 306
Adding a camera......Page 307
Completing the scene......Page 310
Review questions and answers......Page 312
Lesson overview......Page 313
Getting started......Page 315
Animating 3D objects......Page 316
Adding reflections to 3D objects......Page 317
Animating a camera......Page 319
Adjusting layer timing......Page 320
Using 3D lights......Page 321
Adding effects......Page 325
Adding motion blur......Page 329
Previewing the entire animation......Page 330
Review questions and answers......Page 331
Lesson overview......Page 333
Using motion stabilization......Page 335
Using single-point motion tracking......Page 343
Using multipoint tracking......Page 348
Creating a particle system......Page 353
Retiming playback using the Timewarp effect......Page 363
Review questions and answers......Page 368
Lesson overview......Page 369
Getting started......Page 371
Creating templates for the rendering process......Page 372
Creating templates for output modules......Page 376
Exporting to different output media......Page 381
Review questions and answers......Page 391
Appendix: Color Management in After Effects CS4......Page 392
A......Page 393
C......Page 394
I......Page 395
N......Page 396
R......Page 397
T......Page 398
Z......Page 399
