Adobe® After Effects® 4.0 Classroom in a Book - Softcover

Adobe Creative Team, .

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0201658917 ISBN 13: 9780201658910

Publisher: Adobe, 1999

Synopsis

Adobe After Effects is the tool multimedia professionals turn to for creating animated graphics and visual effects for film, video, and the Web. Adobe After Effects 4.0 Classroom in a Book is the fastest, most comprehensive way to master the program, including Version 4.0's new built-in file format, cross-platform plug-ins, and powerful video and audio special effects such as Wave Warp and Timecode.

Like the other books in the bestselling Classroom in a Book series, Adobe After Effects 4.0 Classroom in a Book teaches the program's tools and techniques in short, focused lessons that you can take at your own pace. For hands-on experience, follow along with the included cross-platform CD and put the techniques to work immediately. Both the book and CD feature material were created and tested by Adobe's software training experts, with illustrations that show you exactly what you should see on-screen.

About this title

Review

Adobe After Effects 4.0 Classroom In A Book is an excellent resource for new users of this digital video animation and compositing program. The new edition has been updated with coverage of enhanced and new features in the latest version of After Effects.

The early chapters clearly explain the interface and the basics of usingthe software, while the later chapters describe complex effects use for television and film, such as syncing animation to a soundtrack and proper blue-screen keying techniques.

In tutorial fashion, each chapter builds upon the information and instruction presented earlier. The project in Chapter 4 uses multi-layered Photoshop files imported as After Effects compositions--but it is in Chapters 2 and 3 where you learn what a composition is and how to use nested compositions.

There is also a 20-page technical appendix which discusses critical production issues such as the differences between a computer's RGB colour space and video's NTSC colour space, video aspect ratios (not all pixels are square) and field interlacing.

Although an excellent book, it is not without a few flaws. None of the screenshots in the appendix has been updated to version 4 of the application. This doesn't affect the content and all the information is technically accurate, but it does make one wonder if the book was rushed to print. And though After Effects is widely used for creating animated GIFs for Web sites and Quicktime movies for both the Web and CD-ROMs, none of the chapters discuss the use of the animated GIF exporter, or the best way to make the smallest (most compressed) Quicktime movie for the Web.

In spite of these shortcomings, this book is a great update to what is afine series from Adobe Press. --Mike Caputo, Amazon.com

From the Back Cover

Adobe After Effects is the ultimate tool for creating motion graphics and visual effects for film, video, or the Web. The latest version boasts exciting new features, such as a built-in file format, cross-platform plug-ins, and powerful new video and audio effects.

Adobe After Effects 4.0 Classroom in a Book teaches users to master After Effects in short, focused lessons that explore all of its tools and techniques. Readers can follow along with the cross-platform CD and the book's lessons to get hands-on experience mastering the most powerful graphics application available. Illustrations and text guide readers through results they can see on the screen, teaching techniques that can be put to use immediately.

Adobe Press Classroom in a Book series is one of the best-selling series in the industry

Fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to master Adobe After Effects 4.0

Includes training material from Adobe's software training experts and tested in Adobe's own classroom.

Teaches in short, accessible lessons at a pace the reader can control.

Edition details

• Publisher: Adobe
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0201658917
• ISBN 13: 9780201658910
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384