After Effects 6.5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide [Paperback]

Antony Bolante (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 032119957X | ISBN-13: 978-0321199577 | Publication Date: October 2, 2004

Tough motion-graphics and effects production challenges require bold solutions, and Adobe's completely overhauled After Effects 6.0 ($699, Standard Edition; $999, Professional Edition) has a bushel of them! Here to get you up to speed on it--perhaps in time to meet your next deadline!--is everyone's favorite task-based guide. Employing the same concise instructions and visual approach as Peachpit's popular Visual QuickStart Guides but geared toward more advanced users, this Visual QuickPro Guide covers all the improvements that make this version of Adobe's motion-graphics and effects program such a boon to video pros of all stripes: a revolutionary text engine, support for OpenGL (which greatly accelerates 2D and 3D graphics rendering), new vector paint tools (which allow painting on layers), a faster and more accurate motion tracker, advanced keying tools, and more. Through step-by-step instructions, enhanced by plenty of tips and sidebars, veteran video editor Antony Bolante will have you effectively and efficiently importing and managing footage, viewing and editing layers, applying effects, animating type, and more in no time.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Tough motion-graphics and effects production challenges require bold solutions, and Adobe's completely overhauled After Effects 6.0 ($699, Standard Edition; $999, Professional Edition) has a bushel of them! Here to get you up to speed on it--perhaps in time to meet your next deadline!--is everyone's favorite task-based guide. Employing the same concise instructions and visual approach as Peachpit's popular Visual QuickStart Guides but geared toward more advanced users, this Visual QuickPro Guide covers all the improvements that make this version of Adobe's motion-graphics and effects program such a boon to video pros of all stripes: a revolutionary text engine, support for OpenGL (which greatly accelerates 2D and 3D graphics rendering), new vector paint tools (which allow painting on layers), a faster and more accurate motion tracker, advanced keying tools, and more. Through step-by-step instructions, enhanced by plenty of tips and sidebars, veteran video editor Antony Bolante will have you effectively and efficiently importing and managing footage, viewing and editing layers, applying effects, animating type, and more in no time.

About the Author

Antony Bolante is a Bay Area video editor and designer who has taught video editing to graduate and undergraduate students using Avid Media Composer, Media 100, and Premiere. He has contributed to Adobe documentation and is also the author of Premiere Pro for Windows XP: Visual QuickPro Guide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (October 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 032119957X
• ISBN-13: 978-0321199577
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,576,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars many special effects, October 17, 2004

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: After Effects 6.5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide (Paperback)

Adobe is striving mightily to make After Effects the dominant tool for editing animated images, much like Photoshop is the pre-eminent program for editing static images. Bolante shows here why AE has a far more challenging task.

Even leaving aside competing tools, AE must handle video editing and audio editing. Here, it needs to synchronise two such tracks, in such ways as the ending of one triggering the start of another.

The audio editing is somewhat rudimentary. Other programs that specialise in this have more sophisticated options. But, unsurprisingly,the video editing forms the major part of AE. Several chapters are devoted to it. Many video special effects come right out of the box. Like texturing surfaces, or applying a gradient wipe.

Of course, many films will need text to be shown in the video. As expected, you get a panoply of font families to choose from. Along with effects like showing text along a contour that you define. Quite familiar to Photoshop users. But now redone in a broader context.

To be sure, this is not a simple book. The complexity of film editing necessitates this. But you should find that most tasks described here are straightforward to do. Though realistically, if you're trying a technique for the first time, many iterations may be needed before you're satisfied.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars typical, October 20, 2005

By 

Sean B. Rochlen - See all my reviews
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This review is from: After Effects 6.5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide (Paperback)

I wasn't expecting anything less and the only reason I got the book was because it was cheaper on amazon then at my college's bookstore. Now what I didn't realize was the fact that Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects volumes 1 and 2 are far superior to any other book out there. So I recommend those instead. This book is just as dull and boring as most informational software books with little explanation about how to do things, little picture representation and only explaining the basics oh in say 700 pages.... if you know how to use adobe illustator or photoshop which u clearly should if you intend on using aftereffects, I suggest whether you are a beginner intermediate or advanced animator to get the creating motion graphics books instead. Ya 10$ more but the learning experience and education you'll get from those books compared to this one is uncomparable.

Overall in 700 pages i really just skimmed through like i do with most books exactly written like this one. not very good at keeping my attention with black and white dull text with boring material.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to use reference for a Novice-Intermediate After Effects Student, March 7, 2006

By 

Andrew Krzeptowski "3D Animation & Film Student" (Redwood City, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: After Effects 6.5 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide (Paperback)

I found this book to be a very easy to navigate reference for my attempt at learning and using After Effects. I recommend it as an excellent cross-reference resource, especially if you are attending an After Effects classroom. I'm not sure, however, whether a nubie or novice would be able to learn easily just from reading this book alone. Nevertheless, I give this book and the way it is structured, two-thumbs up as far as adding it to anyone's Visual Media Library.