Customer Reviews

After Effects in Production: A Companion for Creating Motion Graphics

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Note from the authors: The first edition of After Effects in Production (2001, ISBN 1578200776) is now out of print. It was written for AE4.1/5.0, and the CD shipped with free plug-ins for OS9 and Windows.

The second edition is being printed now (December 2004) and has been updated for AE6.5, with free plug-ins for OS X and Windows. The 12 tutorials are essentially the same but where applicable they have been updated to use the latest working practices and keyboard shortcuts. For instance, we use the new Brush tool instead of the Vector Paint effect and the new Text tool instead of the Path Text effect. Also, the motion tracker was redesigned by Adobe for AE 6 so the motion tracking chapter was also overhauled. The 6 Case Studies are essentially unchanged.

The 2nd edition includes a DVD with a Tryout version of After Effects 6.5, along with additional free full-resolution footage from Artbeats and 12 Inch Design that was not included on the original CD.

To quickly locate the 2nd edition on Amazon, search for its ISBN number - "1578202647".

Hope that helps clarify the differences between the two editions.

Trish & Chris Meyer

As someone who teaches media, I have many of the books on AE out there and this is by far the most useful because it goes beyond the basics of the "how to use the program" while being detailed enought that those fairly new to the program, and the new features, can easily follow along. The case studies are especially useful as they detail the production process from concept to completion with suggestions on how to use these ideas in your own work. The tutorials and case studies are also for the most part very practical, make you realize just how powerful AE really is and the creative ways that others have used it (and helps me get out of some of my own creative stiffling ruts). Some books and videos show you how something works and what a slider does but you have no idea how you would ever actually use it in a real world production. Also, the book and CD are well laid out and the CD has some extra plugins, templates and additional articles.
Got me excited about AE all over again!

This book is absolutely wonderful. The tutorials are beautifully crafted and the case studies are extremely enlightening. There is a lot of good stuff in this book! The tutorials are somewhat complex (which is a good thing) but very easy to follow. Beginners might want to start with their previous book - Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects - because the new one assumes you at least know your way around the program. It would be impossible for even an intemediate/advanced user to go through this book without learning a LOT of new stuff.

There is a lot to be impressed with here. Not only do you get to dive into some complex animations but the authors constantly point out little details to improve the look of the piece and its synchronization with audio. You come away with a feeling that you have not only learned a lot about the mechanics of creating a complicated piece but also something about the artistic side of motion graphics design as well.

In addition, the CD (as with their previous book) is a treasure trove of goodies, including bonus tutorials and free plugins.

One can only hope that this is the begining of a series of books like this...

When a new upgrade for a program comes out, most computer graphic authors just update their old book. Not these guys. This is a completely new book, that is everything that their old book wasn't. 'Creating Motion Graphics' was a thorough textbook for all the main features of the program. This book takes a different approach, offering 12 varied tutorials that help the reader master managing and problem-solving a project as well as learning version 5's new features.

Version 5 features are covered very well. The examples of parenting and 3D and expressions are good pratical real world examples, not just -this how you can warp someones face digitally- like some authors do. There's also a case studies section at the back that focuses on projects from other graphic companies, which is great also. I particularly enjoyed the lesson on using After Effects to export a Flash Animation.

If you don't have 'Creating Motion Graphics', I'd recommend that first, as all of its teachings are still valid (just no v5 features are covered). This book assumes a certain amount of experience, so if you're a beginner, classroom in a book would be more suitable.

There are plenty of reviews so I just wanted to comment on the "suggested progression" of preceding this book with "Creating Motion Graphics" by the same authors. There is no need to have gone through "Creating Motion Graphics" before using this book. At most,I'd recommend this book IMMEDIATELY after Chapter ONE of "Creating Motion Graphics" since this book is VERY step-by-step, and when one is just starting out, it is MUCH more helpful to go through several complete and broad projects to get ones feet wet(such as this book) than learning, in depth, a few concepts at a time, which is what you get in the first book if you go through chapters 2 and further. (You might be able to skip the first book altogether if you're already familiar with the adobe interface -- which I was NOT). After completing this book, THEN I'd suggest continuing in the first book at chapter 2 -- so that learning the concepts they teach in depth in that book have more meaning.

I have been studying computer Graphics and editing for years with books, CD's, tapes and professional classes and within minutes of working with The Myers' "After Effects In Production" I knew I had stumbled upon a true find! I have not even completed the book and felt compelled to write this. The organization of their tutorials both logically and graphically are without peer. I have spent literally hundreds of dollars on video tapes and there is a method to their teaching style that is so much more powerful and intuitive that I found myself not only picking up important tips, but more importantly retaining them through repitition. The included CD comes with terrific extras and great articles that will truly advance your overall understanding of Motion Graphics. I am confidant that my expertise as an After Effects Artist will be beyond my wildest dreams by the time I finish their book. You must buy this book if you want to let your creative juices really go wild.

I love this book. It is hard to believe that a book can give that much about every aspect of motion graphics design. The book is written in a very detailed and clean style, thus you do not miss anything that the book gives.
Infact be an after effects user or not, anyone into motion graphics should read the book. Because it teaches mainly, how a motion graphics project can be developed both creatively and productively. Also the book teaches how you should manage-organize your motion graphics project, and I think that is the most important characteristic of this book.

I recently started using aAfter Effects 5.5 and needed a quick intro to using the program. I bought 2 books to get me started. This book and the After Effects Bible. I think I learned more from the first three chapters from After Effects in Production than all of the other book combined.
While the Bible book was not bad, it just didn't inspire me as this book had. I am a new user to After Effects, but I've had some experience with Photoshop and Premiere. Since these are all Adobe products, maybe some of the concepts were familiar to me.
The examples and projects used in this book were great. Not just some dopey idea to show how to use one of the effects, but examples that really are interesting and fun. This book would benefit ANYONE using After Effects. Highly recommended.

Nothing to say except you must have in your library. Full of real works examples in the Cd. Better than go to an expensive academic to improve your level in after effects. Excellent.

This is an excellent book, and a great compliment to Creating Motion Graphics with AE. This is a jam-pack book of tutorials. The content is excellent, and it covers everything from basic to advance. I only wish there is more them :)