In After Effects CS5 Essential Training, author Chad Perkins discusses the basic tools, effects, and need-to-know techniques in Adobe After Effects CS5, the professional standard for motion graphics, compositing, and visual effects for video. The course provides an overview of the entire workflow, from import to export, as well as detailed coverage of each stage, including animating text and artwork, adding effects to compositions, working in 3D, and rendering and compressing footage. Exercise files are included with the course.
Topics include:
- Understanding the After Effects workflow
- Precomposing footage
- Explaining the basics and beyond of animating
- Creating glows, patterns, textures, and more with effects
- Color correcting footage
- Working with text
- Manipulating video playback speed
- Masking objects and shape layers
- Removing backgrounds with keying
- Compositing multiple pieces of footage
- Integrating After Effects with the rest of the Creative Suite
Learn more about lynda.com
Ready to join?
get started
Members who watched this also viewed
show more
Frequently asked questions
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about After Effects CS5 Essential Training.
- Q: In the "Creating a fireball" movie in Chapter 6, the author showed how to make a fireball. Unfortunately, it all centered around a blob layer that he made without showing how to make a blob layer. How does one go about creating a blob layer like the one used in the video?
- A: To create a blob layer, make a shape layer using the Pen tool. Animate the anchor points over time to make it move. These concepts are reviewed in depth in Chapter 4, "Learning to Animate."
- Q: In the Chapter 5 video "Understanding precomposing," the exercise file provided does not seem to match up with the file the instructor uses. My file does not include a "Biker Body" layer. Is there an error in the exercise file?
- A: Unfortunately, the exercise file originally distributed for this chapter was incorrect. A new file was issued in February 2011. If you downloaded the exercise files prior to then, you can download the corrected file on the Exercise Files tab of the course page.
- Q: How do I transition from one piece of animated type to another in After Effects?
- A: There isn't an effect that can create these types of transitions. It's really a matter of animating the type and camera, using basic keyframing and positioning.If you understand the basics of moving the anchor point of a type layer, animating the parameters of that layer (Scale, Rotation, Position, etc.) and then separately animating the camera around the type layers, you can achieve different types of transitions. Check out the following videos for more information:
Can’t find an answer?
If you still have a question about After Effects CS5 Essential Training, let us know.
