Learn Adobe After Effects CC for Visual Effects and Motion Graphics, First Edition

Learn Adobe After Effects CC for Visual Effects and Motion Graphics, First Edition

by Conrad Chavez, Joe Dockery
Released April 2019
Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
ISBN: 9780135447260

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Book description

Motion graphics are no longer just for movie and television screens. You now see motion graphics anywhere there’s a moving image, including your desktop web browser, your smartphone, and on digital signage when you shop or travel. Creating motion graphics with Adobe After Effects can enhance your value as a creative professional. Learn Adobe After Effects CC by building cool creative projects that teach you how to:

 

  • Apply and customize effects and layer styles, and use animation presets to apply pre-built animations and effect combinations
  • Achieve advanced effects quickly using techniques such as green screen background removal, masking, speed changes, motion tracking, and animation in 3D space
  • Animate individual layers of still graphics imported from Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator
  • Animate text, including changing type size, letter spacing, rotation, and color over time, and flowing text along a path
  • Create a set of visually consistent intro videos for a social media platform, while practicing efficient production techniques
  • Export a motion graphics composition once and render multiple versions for different delivery media (such as television, web sites, and smartphones)
  • This study guide uses over 7 hours of video integrated with text to help you gain real-world skills that will get you started in your career in motion graphics. It lays the foundation for taking the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) certification exam and helps prepare you for an entry-level position in a competitive job market.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication Page
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. About the Authors
  7. Contents
  8. Getting Started
    1. About This Product
    2. Conventions Used in This Book
    3. Operating System Differences
    4. Installing the Software
    5. Accessing the Free Web Edition and Lesson Files
    6. Project Fonts
    7. Additional Resources
    8. Adobe Certification
    9. Resetting Preferences to Their Default Settings
  9. Chapter 1. Introduction to Adobe After Effects CC
    1. About Adobe Learn Books
    2. Downloading, Unpacking, and Organizing
    3. Managing Files for Video Production
    4. Using After Effects on a PC or Mac
    5. Identifying Job Requirements
    6. Starting After Effects
    7. Locating a Project and Editing Its Settings
    8. Exploring Panels
    9. Exploring the Composition Panel
    10. Editing Composition Settings
    11. Exploring the Timeline Panel
    12. Animating a Layer
    13. Adding a Gradient to a Shape
    14. Exploring the Preview and Timeline Panels
    15. Exporting a Composition
    16. Exploring Key After Effects Preferences
    17. Comparing After Effects and Premiere Pro
    18. Challenge
    19. Conclusion
  10. Chapter 2. Basic Transformations
    1. Identifying Job Requirements
    2. Starting a New Project
    3. Exploring the Project Panel
    4. Creating a New Composition
    5. Adding Footage to a Composition
    6. Resizing a Layer
    7. Creating a Solid
    8. Applying an Effect to a Layer
    9. Applying a Blending Mode
    10. Drawing a Mask with a Shape Tool
    11. Animating Flashing Lights
    12. Adding Text
    13. Using Motion Blur
    14. Using a Text Animator
    15. Customizing Transformations
    16. Nesting One Composition in Another
    17. Using Illustrator Graphics in a Composition
    18. Applying Advanced Rotation
    19. Using Markers
    20. Parenting to Coordinate Two Layers
    21. Adding Audio to a Composition
    22. Reviewing Symbols in the Project and Composition Panels
    23. Proofing and Exporting a Composition
    24. Challenge
  11. Chapter 3. Using Animation Presets
    1. Starting the Project
    2. Previewing and Applying an Effects Preset
    3. Animating Text
    4. Trimming Footage
    5. Practicing with Effects Presets
    6. Animating Text Along a Path
    7. Using Shape Presets
    8. Using Lumetri Color
    9. Applying a Lightning Animation Preset
    10. Exporting the Composition
    11. Diving Deeper into Workspaces
    12. Challenge
  12. Chapter 4. Time Remapping and Tracking
    1. Starting the Action Sports Logo Project
    2. Relinking to Missing Files
    3. Working Faster Using Proxies
    4. Importing an Image Sequence
    5. Copyright and Permissions
    6. Setting Up a Composition for Social Media
    7. Creating an Animated Shape for a Logo
    8. Adding Text to the Action Sports Logo
    9. Editing a Pre-Comp and Animating More Text
    10. Creating the Rally Car Intro Composition
    11. Time Remapping the Rally Car Layer
    12. Applying Multiple Effects to a Layer
    13. Finishing the Rally Car Video
    14. Creating the Snowboard Intro Composition
    15. Applying Automatic Effects
    16. Playing a Layer Backward and Forward
    17. Finishing the Snowboard Logo
    18. Creating the Paddleboard Intro Composition
    19. Motion Tracking a Layer
    20. Setting Up Text as a Track Matte
    21. Archiving a Project
    22. Exporting Multiple Items at Once
    23. Challenge
  13. Chapter 5. Compositing
    1. Starting the Compositing Project
    2. Creating the Green Screen Composition
    3. Drawing a Layer Mask
    4. Using the Keylight Effect
    5. Applying an Effect to the Background
    6. Applying Luma Key to the Foreground
    7. Duplicating Layers
    8. Exporting a Photoshop Document
    9. Reviewing Photographic Composition Terms
    10. Starting the Talking Dog Composition
    11. Creating and Animating an Elliptical Mask
    12. Practicing Basic Mask Creation
    13. Starting the Track Matte Composition
    14. Creating a Track Matte
    15. Applying a Layer Style and Animation
    16. Starting the Drive-In Composition
    17. Revealing a Video in Parts by Using Masks
    18. Adding a Gradient Overlay to Text
    19. Copying and Pasting Masks to a Text Layer
    20. Using Adjustment Layers and Splitting a Layer
    21. Connecting Premiere Pro and After Effects with Dynamic Link
    22. Challenge
  14. Chapter 6. Animating Characters and 3D Layers
    1. Starting the Ad Project
    2. Adding the Ad Elements
    3. Animating the Dog with Puppet Animation
    4. Creating a Custom Shape to Animate
    5. Rotating a Layer in 3D Space
    6. Using 3D Camera Views
    7. Reviewing Timeline Panel Switches
    8. Animating Text Along a Path from Illustrator
    9. Challenge
  15. Chapter 7. Working in the Industry
    1. Studying the Principles of Design and Animation
    2. Refining Animation with Interpolation
    3. Tuning Animation with the Graph Editor
    4. Respecting Intellectual Property Rights
    5. Top 10 Tips for Taking the ACA Exam
    6. Challenge
  16. ACA Objectives Covered
  17. Index
  18. Glossary

Product information

  • Title: Learn Adobe After Effects CC for Visual Effects and Motion Graphics, First Edition
  • Author(s): Conrad Chavez, Joe Dockery
  • Release date: April 2019
  • Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
  • ISBN: 9780135447260