Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques [Paperback]

Richard Harrington (Author), Ian Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0321719697 | ISBN-13: 978-0321719690 | Edition: 1

Almost all motion graphics artists today use After Effects, Photoshop, or Illustrator to some degree in their projects. But how do they decide which tool is best for the job and how can they utilize the various components in the Creative Suite together for the most efficient and effective workflow? This book cuts to the chase and shows readers an in-depth view of the various components in the Creative Suite as best utilized in professional motion graphics projects. With 4-color artwork from real-life productions sprinkled throughout, this inspiring and practical guide will show intermediate to advanced readers what they need to know to incorporate CS5 in their own work. In the first half of the book, readers learn about design essentials as related to motion graphics, including typography, logo animation, repairing and retiming footage, stylizing footage, background design, 3D objects and cameras, audio design, and vector design. The second half of the book focuses on real-world design explorations including chapters on broadcast package design, title sequences, DVD menu design, motion control 3D, character animation techniques, and panoramic images.The accompanying DVD brings it all together by providing source footage and project files, allowing readers to experiment on their own.

Note from the publisher:

FREE Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 updates are available for this title. Simply register your product at www.peachpit.com/register and you will receive the updates when they become available.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Harrington (www.RHEDPixel.com) is a certified instructor for Adobe and Apple and a practiced expert in motion graphic design and digital video. Rich is a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Instructor Dream Team, and a popular speaker on the digital video circuit. He has chaired conferences since 2003 for the National Association of Broadcasters.

Rob Birnholz (www.absolutemotiongraphics.com)  is a motion graphics pro who has worked in features, broadcast, corporate, trade shows, and more. He is a nationally recognized Adobe After Effects expert, skilled Final Cut Pro editor and a popular speaker and demo artist at user groups and industry trade shows. His After Effects tutorials are featured on leading websites including Toolfarm (where he is a Resident Expert) and Red Giant TV.

Ian Robinson (www.softboxmediaphotography.com) is a motion graphics designer, instructor, photographer, and co-owner of SoftBox Media LLC. He has worked with Discovery Communications, National Geographic International, and various production and post-production facilities. He is apopular trainer on Motion at lynda.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Adobe Press; 1 edition (October 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321719697
• ISBN-13: 978-0321719690
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Harrington

A certified instructor for Adobe and Apple, Rich Harrington is an expert in motion graphic design and digital video. His producing skills have been recognized by AV Video Multimedia Producer Magazine who named him as one of the Top Producers of 2004.

Rich is a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Instructor Dream Team, and a popular speaker on the digital video circuit. He has managed conferences since 2003 for the National Association of Broadcasters.

Rich's book, Photoshop for Video, was the first of its kind to focus on Photoshop's use in the world of video. He is also a contributing author for From Still to Motion, Video Made on a Mac, and Producing Video Podcasts. Rich is also the author of Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS5: The Essential Techniques for Imaging Professionals.

A Masters Degree in Project Management fills out Rich's broad spectrum of experience.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Go beyond After Effects to harness the strength of the entire CS5 production premium package November 1, 2010

By Nathan Andersen TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

After Effects is an enormously powerful tool for motion graphics and compositing. Some things, though, that it can do can be done more easily in other Adobe programs, such as Photoshop or Illustrator or Premiere Pro. In a nutshell, this book is about how to take advantage of the entire Creative Suite Production Premium software package, in order to enhance motion graphics projects. The emphasis is on using the unique strengths of Photoshop and Illustrator to enhance projects that will be finalized in After Effects and Premiere Pro. It's a topic that interested me because most of the projects I've done in After Effects have used not only video captured with a camcorder but also images that I've first created or modified in either Photoshop or Illustrator. There's also an extended section on working with Soundbooth, and another on designing dvd and Blu-Ray menus in Encore. It's a valuable addition to my After Effects library - since I've used all of these programs, and sometimes in collaboration, but wanted a better sense of how to use them effectively together. Most importantly, I wanted to have a better sense for what is the best tool for each of the different effects that go into a final project, and that's covered quite well in this book.

There's a great chapter here on using Photoshop Extended to stylize video, that explains how and when and why you might want to do that instead of working directly in After Effects. The authors argue, for example, that you have greater flexibility in Photoshop when converting images to Black and White. One very cool idea they offer is that you can automate effects in Illustrator or Photoshop to apply to video by converting the video to an image sequence and then applying the effect in Adobe Bridge. There's a lot of discussion on animating photos in 3d space, that have been first prepared in Photoshop; and a section on how to animate through panorama shots that have been prepared using the photomerge and content-aware fill features of Photoshop CS5.

The authors write clearly, and each section is well organized, taking you through the steps without simply holding your hand. Like the other "Studio Techniques" books that Adobe puts out, this is more for the intermediate user than for the absolute beginner, and does presuppose a reader who has some familiarity with at least After Effects and Photoshop (to get up to speed before starting with this book, I'd recommend After Effects Apprentice for AE, and Photoshop CS5 Classroom in a Book for Photoshop). Obviously, it also presupposes that you have access to at least After Effects and Photoshop Extended and Illustrator and Encore and Soundbooth and Bridge. Although the book mentions Flash, there's very little here on how to take advantage of its animation tools for motion graphics projects - for an excellent guide to integrating Flash and After Effects see the obviously named Flash + After Effects (the emphasis in that book, however, is on using After Effects to enhance Flash projects, rather than the other way around). The included dvd includes all the assets necessary to follow along with the example projects described in the book, and they are organized by chapter. (There are no additional extras, such as the trial plugins or free presets that sometimes come with this kind of book).

A very useful book about how to use the full range of Adobe tools to enhance motion graphics projects.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! April 26, 2011

By Christina D MacLaughlin

Format:Paperback

I've always been a big fan of Richard Harrington's Photoshop tips for video. I love this book; it gets you up and running across the Suite in no time. As a designer turned videographer, I know CS5 pretty well; what I needed was an explanation of how to do what I wanted to do across the suite. It's almost like the authors knew how to read my mind; all the effects I wanted to do were covered in the book. Simple, concise, and easy-to-read. An excellent choice for designers getting into video.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book November 8, 2011

By Beginner Motion Designer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a graphic design student trying to teach myself motion graphics. This book is very informative, well-written and really teaches you your stuff. The one thing that seemed kind of weird though is that some things were way way to beginner, and some things were stuff that went way over my head. Also, I had hoped the author would have gone more in-depth on some things like logo animations and working in 3d. Overall this is a really really good book, but mostly for beginners.