Book description
Here to get filmmakers, Web designers, and broadcast pros up to speed on After Effects CS3 Professional - in time to meet their next deadline, is everyone's favorite task-based guide, but geared toward more advanced users. Through step-by-step instructions, enhanced by tips, sidebars, and plenty of visual aids, veteran video editor Antony Bolante will show you how to effectively and efficiently import and manage footage, view and edit layers, apply effects, animate type, and more. You'll learn about key features with real-world examples of how and when features should be used, including what's new in After Effects CS3: Shape layers, which enables you to easily create and animate shapes; Puppet tool, which you can use to animate a 2D image like a marionette; powerful integration with Photoshop CS3; new support for Flash designers; the new Brainstorm panel, which lets you preview an array of different visual possibilities in one gorgeous panel; complete color management workflow; Adobe Clip Notes, which lets you attach comments directly to a composition; Adobe Device Central CS3, which lets you preview and test animations for mobile devices, and more.
Table of contents
- Copyright
- Acknowledgments
- 1. After Effects: The Big Picture
-
2. Importing Footage into a Project
- Creating and Saving Projects
- Opening and Closing Projects
- Importing Files
- Setting Still-Image Durations
- Importing Still-Image Sequences
- Importing Files with Alpha Channels
- Importing a Layered File as a Single Footage Item
- Importing a Layered File as a Composition
- Importing Premiere Pro and After Effects Projects
- Importing with Adobe Bridge
- Motion Footage
- Setting the Frame Rate
- Interpreting Interlaced Video
- Pixel Aspect Ratios
- Looping Footage
-
3. Managing Footage
- Displaying Information in the Project Panel
- Finding Items in a Project
- Sorting Footage in the Project Panel
- Organizing Footage in Folders
- Renaming and Removing Items
- Proxies
- Viewing Footage
- The Footage Panel
- Cueing Motion Footage
- Magnifying an Image
- Viewing Safe Zones and Grids
- Displaying Rulers and Guides
- Viewing Snapshots
- Viewing Channels
- Viewing Transparency
- Correcting for Pixel Aspect Ratios
- Adjusting Exposure
-
4. Compositions
- Creating Compositions
- Choosing Composition Settings
- Specifying Composition Presets
- Setting a Comp’s Background Color
- The Composition and Timeline Panels
- Setting the Time
- Adding Footage to a Composition
- Adding Layers Using Insert and Overlay
- Creating Solid Layers
- Nesting Compositions
- 5. Layer Basics
-
6. Layer Editing
- Viewing Layers in the Timeline and Layer Panels
- The Time Graph
- Navigating the Time Graph
- The Layer Panel
- Trimming Layers
- Moving Layers in Time
- Showing Numerical Editing Controls
- Changing a Layer’s Speed
- Performing a Slip Edit
- Sequencing and Overlapping Layers
- Duplicating Layers
- Splitting Layers
-
Using Markers
- To add a composition marker by dragging
- To add a composition marker at the current time indicator
- To move a composition marker
- To move the current time indicator to a composition marker
- To remove a composition marker
- To add a layer marker
- To add a layer marker comment
- To move a layer marker
- To remove a layer marker
-
7. Properties and Keyframes
- Layer Property Types
- Viewing Properties
- Setting Global vs. Animated Property Values
- Viewing Spatial Controls in the Comp Panel
- Transform Properties
- Orienting Rotation to a Motion Path Automatically
- Specifying Property Values
- Animating Layer Properties with Keyframes
- Cueing the Current Time to Keyframes
- Selecting and Deleting Keyframes
- Moving Keyframes
- Copying Values and Keyframes
- Generating Property Values with the Brainstorm Feature
-
8. Playback, Previews, and RAM
- Rendering and RAM
- Previewing to a Video Device
- Setting the Region of Interest
- Using the Time Controls
- Using the Live Update Option
- Specifying a Fast Previews Option
- Using Adaptive Resolution
- Using OpenGL
- Suppressing Panel Updates
- Scrubbing Audio
- Previewing the Work Area
- Previewing Audio Only
- Previewing Wireframes
- Rendering RAM Previews
-
9. Keyframe Interpolation
- Understanding Interpolation
- Interpolation Types
- Specifying the Default Spatial Interpolation
- Specifying Spatial Interpolation in the Motion Path
- Using the Graph Editor: An Overview
- Understanding Value and Speed Graphs
- Viewing Property Graphs
- Specifying the Graph Type
- Viewing Optional Information in the Graph Editor
- Moving Keyframes in the Graph Editor
- Adding and Removing Keyframes in the Graph Editor
- Setting a Keyframe’s Temporal Interpolation Type
- Adjusting Temporal Interpolation Manually
- Applying Keyframe Assistants
- Smoothing Motion with Roving Keyframes
-
10. Mask Essentials
- Understanding Masks
- Viewing Masks in the Layer and Comp Panels
- Viewing Masks in the Layer Outline
- Hiding and Showing Mask Paths
- Targeting Masks
- Creating Masks Using Shape Tools
- Building a Standard Mask with the Pen
- Creating a RotoBezier Mask
- Changing the Shape of a Mask
- Selecting Masks and Points
- Opening and Closing Paths
- Scaling and Rotating Masks
- Converting Mask Paths into Motion Paths
- Moving Masks Relative to the Layer Image
- Inverting a Mask
- Mask Modes
- Adjusting Other Mask Properties
-
11. Effects Fundamentals
- Using the Effects & Presets Panel
- Applying Effects
- Viewing Effect Property Controls
- Removing and Resetting Effects
- Disabling Effects Temporarily
- Adjusting Effects in the Effect Controls Panel
- Setting an Effect Point
- Saving and Applying Effect Presets
- Copying and Pasting Effects
- Applying Multiple Effects
- Applying Effects to an Adjustment Layer
- Understanding Compound Effects
- Using Compound Effects
- Animating Effects
-
12. Creating and Animating Text
- Setting the Workspace for Text
- Creating Type
- Editing and Formatting Type
- Formatting Paragraph Text
- Animating Text
- Animating Source Text
- Making Text Follow a Path
- Using Text Animation Presets
- Understanding Animator Groups
- Animating Type with Animator Groups
- Creating Animator Groups
- Specifying a Range
-
13. Painting on a Layer
- Using the Paint and Brush Tips Panels
- Specifying Paint Stroke Options
- Painting with the Brush Tool
- Erasing Strokes
- Using Brush Tips
- Customizing Brush Tips
- Using Brush Dynamics
- Adjusting Strokes
- Animating Strokes
- Cloning
- Using the Clone Stamp Tool
- Overlaying the Clone Source
- Saving Clone Stamp Settings
-
14. More Layer Techniques
- Using Frame Blending
- Using Motion Blur
- Understanding Time Remapping
- Controlling Time Remap Values in the Layer Panel
- Using Time Remapping
- Using Blending Modes
- Preserving Underlying Transparency
- Track Mattes
- Using Shape Layers
- Creating Shape Layers
- Using the Puppet Effect
- Refining Puppet Animations
- Using Puppet Starch
- Using Puppet Overlap
- Animating Puppets by Sketching with the Mouse
-
15. 3D Layers
- Using 3D
- Viewing 3D Layers in the Comp Panel
- Adjusting Views with Camera Tools
- Using Comp Panel Layouts
- Using Axis Modes
- Using 3D Position
- Using 3D Orientation and Rotation
- Auto-Orienting 3D Layers
- Using 3D Material Options
- Using Cameras
- Choosing Camera Settings
- Using Lights
- Choosing Light Settings
- Using the Point of Interest
- Moving Cameras with Camera Tools
- Previewing 3D
- Understanding 3D Layer Order
- 16. Complex Projects
- 17. Output
Product information
- Title: After Effects CS3 Professional for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide
- Author(s):
- Release date: December 2007
- Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
- ISBN: 9780321550217
You might also like
audiobook
Difficult Conversations
You have to talk with a colleague about a fraught situation, but you're worried that they'll …
audiobook
Intentional Mindset
Some people seem to be born with a mental makeup that predestines them for success. But …
audiobook
How to Make Things Faster
Slow systems are frustrating. They waste time and money. But making consistently great decisions about performance …
audiobook
Generative AI in the Real World: Andrew Ng on where AI is headed. It’s about agents.
Andrew Ng is one of the pioneers of modern AI. He was Google Brain’s founding technical …