Get the most from the most widely used application in the postproduction field! Gain the insider tips you need to compose eye-catching, imaginative Adobe After Effects projects quickly and effectively. In How to Cheat in After Effects, Second Edition seasoned AE expert Chad Perkins provides dozens of concise, step-by-step tutorials and lavish 4-color illustrations to get you on the fast track to producing amazing motion graphics and visual effects. Updated for CS6, this new edition has been revised to include: A brand new chapter on the most popular 3rd party effects including Trapcode Particular and Video Copilot's Element 3D New cheats on professional compositing, expressions, and high end visual effects Tons of cool light tricks and lessons on how to use Video Copilot's Optical Flares A thorough explanation of the Ray-trace 3D engine introduced in After Effects CS6 Downloadable resources with project files allowing you to work alongside the exercises in the book, as well as QuickTime movies displaying techniques There’s no time to waste! Whether you are an intermediate After Effects user in need of its more advanced tools or a novice looking for techniques to up your game, this book will bring your motion graphics, visual effects, and graphic compositions to the next level. Downloadable resources project files are available at www.focalpress.com/9780415661065

"How to Cheat in After Effects is an easy-to-follow book that lets you in on all of the little secrets to create those commonly needed effects with ease and speed. With clear pictures illustrating the step-by-step procedures, this is the perfect tool for the arsenal of any After Effects user, from novice to advanced." - Michele Yamazaki, Vice President Marketing and Web Development Czarina, Toolfarm.com Compose eye-popping After Effects projects quickly and creatively with dozens of concise, step-by-step tutorials accompanied by vivid 4-color illustration. Covering features new to CS5 such as Freeform AE, Refine Matte, Roto Brush, and more, this book clearly explains how to perform advanced, typically time-consuming tasks in simplified, quick steps. * Create an entire 3D planet scene from scratch * Create true 3D text * Make smoke, snow, rain, chocolate, molten gold, and more from scratch with particles * Create animated growing vines * Fake a tilt shift effect, and so much more The companion DVD includes project files allowing you to work alongside the exercises in the book, as well as QuickTime movies displaying the techniques shown in the book. Chad Perkins is an award winning software trainer, as well as a filmmaker, musician, and visual effects artist. He is also the creator/owner of Movies and Computers (moviesandcomputers.com), which provides training in independent filmmaking. He is an Adobe Certified Instructor in After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere. Chad is also the author of the book The After Effects Illusionist (Focal Press, 2009).

Get the most from the most widely used application in the postproduction field! Gain the insider tips you need to compose eye-catching, imaginative Adobe After Effects projects quickly and effectively. In How to Cheat in After Effects, Second Edition seasoned AE expert Chad Perkins provides dozens of concise, step-by-step tutorials and lavish 4-color illustrations to get you on the fast track to producing amazing motion graphics and visual effects. Updated for CS6, this new edition has been revised to include: A brand new chapter on the most popular 3rd party effects including Trapcode Particular and Video Copilot's Element 3D New cheats on professional compositing, expressions, and high end visual effects Tons of cool light tricks and lessons on how to use Video Copilot's Optical Flares A thorough explanation of the Ray-trace 3D engine introduced in After Effects CS6 An all new companion DVD with project files allowing you to work alongside the exercises in the book, as well as QuickTime movies displaying techniques There's no time to waste! Whether you are an intermediate After Effects user in need of its more advanced tools or a novice looking for techniques to up your game, this book will bring your motion graphics, visual effects, and graphic compositions to the next level. For customers who buy an electronic version of the book, all the DVD project files are available for download at www.focalpress.com/9780415661065.

This is the only book in the After Effects market to focus exclusively on the creation of visual effects, 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 After Effects 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. The final section of the book delves into creative explorations, demonstrating professional effects that readers might want to re-create. Readers will also find comprehensive coverage of all that's new and makes this version of Adobe’s effects program such a boon to video pros of all stripes: searchable timelines and projects, Photoshop 3D layers import, the Cartoon effect, Imagineer Systems’ Mocha for Adobe After Effects, improved workflow for mobile devices, and more. All of Peachpit's eBooks contain the same content as the print edition. You will find a link in the last few pages of your eBook that directs you to the media files. Helpful tips: · If you are able to search the book, search for "Where are the lesson files?" · Go to the very last page of the book and scroll backwards. · You will need a web-enabled device or computer in order to access the media files that accompany this ebook. Entering the URL supplied into a computer with web access will allow you to get to the files. · Depending on your device, it is possible that your display settings will cut off part of the URL. To make sure this is not the case, try reducing your font size and turning your device to a landscape view. This should cause the full URL to appear. Throughout the book, beautiful full-color examples demonstrate what's possible, while the companion DVD offers demos of After Effects CS4, sample footage, and software plug-ins.

This is the only book in the After Effects market to focus exclusively on the creation of visual effects, 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. Readers will learn how to put After Effects to work to create the shots they need. Users who are comfortable with After Effects will find a helpful review of After Effects 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: color matching, keying, rotoscoping, motion tracking, and emulating the camera. The final section of the book delves into creative explorations, demonstrating actual effects that readers might want to re-create. Readers will also find comprehensive coverage of all that's new in this upgrade. Throughout the book, beautiful full-color examples demonstrate what's possible, while the companion DVD offers plenty of sample footage and dozens of demos of the most useful After Effects plug-ins. .

Adobe After Effects is the ultimate tool for creating motion graphics and visual effects for film, video, CD/DVD, or the Web. The step-by-step approach of this new guide shows how to create stunning visual effects as it takes readers to the next level of expertise. The CD-ROM features sample files that illustrate many of the examples in the book.

Covers the basics of Adobe After Effects, from color correction and keying to selection methods and motion tracking and provides tips and techniques to help readers become more productive with the program.