After Effects in Production (Paperback)

by Trish Meyer (Author), Chris Meyer (Author) "In this tutorial, you will create a fun video intro that draws on retro themes from the 50's and 60's such as atomic power and..." (more)
Key Phrases: After Effects, Best Quality, Production Bundle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The most experienced professionals in any field are the first ones to say there is always more to learn. Often, the best way to learn is to be a fly on the wall while watching a peer. Chris and Trish Meyer have given After Effects users a unique and wonderful opportunity in After Effects in Production, allowing us to look over the shoulders of some of the best motion-graphics designers in the business and watch and learn as they go through the creative process. Unlike the fly on the wall, though, we have the chance to occasionally put down the book and practice what's been learned.

In the tutorials section, the authors break down the process of creating broadcast-quality motion graphics into a dozen step-by-step tutorials. Each tutorial focuses on or introduces a particular feature, and often builds on features that were introduced in a previous tutorial. The enclosed CD-ROM includes all 12 project and media files (and the final rendered movies), giving the reader the chance to build the project from scratch or carefully dissect a project that's already built.

Case Studies, a far smaller section of the book (but equal in value to the rest), explores, breaks down, and dissects After Effects projects that are on the air or on the Web, including work from such studios as Belief, ATTIK, and Curious Pictures. While less step-by-step oriented, one gets the chance to learn why each project was handled the way it was, rather than how.

As an added bonus, the CD-ROM includes numerous free plug-ins from such vendors as Pinnacle, Media 100, Boris, Trapcode, and the Foundry for both Mac and Windows versions of After Effects. There's also plenty of bonus material to read and sift through in the form of PDF files--additional tutorials, tips and tricks, and project templates.

After Effects in Production is a must-have book for any user who intends to grow into a serious designer, or for the serious designer who simply intends to keep on growing. --Mike Caputo

Review
"If you want to have a career in motion graphics, these books are the best investment you can make." -- S.D. Katz, millimeter magazine, February 2003

Overall, these books are fantastic and as far as I’m concerned they should come in the box with After Effects. -- Adrian Thompson, CGFocus.com, on the Meyers' three After Effects titles

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Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: CMP Books; Bk&CD-Rom edition (November 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578200776
• ISBN-13: 978-1578200771
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #753,224 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Differences between First and Second editions, December 18, 2004

By	Trish Meyer (Sandia Park, NM, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great follow up to their first book, December 18, 2001

By	ss (USA) - See all my reviews

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!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chris and Trish Meyer have done it again!, December 12, 2001

By	Dan Ebberts (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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...