The Differences Between AE CS3 and CS4

The short version:

A free chapter by us outlining in detail the differences between After Effects CS3 and CS4 - with project files - is now available on our publisher Focal Press’ web site.

The long version:

Wiggle Transform Tips

A small but very useful feature slipped into After Effects CS4 was a new Wiggle Transform operator for Shape Layers. When used by itself, it allows the user to automatically animate the anchor point, position, rotation, and scale of a layer without having to use expressions or animation presets; when used in conjunction with the Repeater shape layer operator, it enables the creation of writhing, pulsing, wiggling masses of shapes. However, there are a few tricks involved in getting it to do exactly what you want - so we created a video outlining these tricks as well as other related tips. Click the Play Video link below to watch it.

The content contained in our books, videos, blogs, and articles for other sites are all copyright Crish Design, except where otherwise attributed.

On Artbeats.com: Faux Reflections

There are a few different recipies out there on how to fake reflections in After Effects. We recently wrote up our favorite, using a combination of 3D space, nested compositions, Shape Layers to create more controllable gradients, and the lesser-known Lens Blur effect instead of Compound Blur. We also discuss how to set up a hierarchy of compositions to make it easier to swap out the source footage later, and how to use the technique to reflect an animating object on an imaginary floor.

Click here to download the PDF of “Faux Reflections” from Artbeats.com.

In addition to After Effects-only recopies, we should note that there are a couple of excellent third party plug-ins out there that create reflections. If you’re working in 2D space, check out RG Reflection inside Red Giant Software’s Warp plug-in set, which is available for After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Avid Xpress Pro/Media Composer. If you’re working in 3D space, you should certainly then check out Zaxwerk’s Reflector for After Effects.

(BTW: This reflection trick is put to good use in the final lesson of our latest book, After Effects Apprentice (2nd Edition).)

The content contained in our books, videos, blogs, and articles for other sites are all copyright Crish Design, except where otherwise attributed.

After Effects Apprentice Video Tutorial #1

We’ve just released After Effects Apprentice (2nd Edition). This book was designed for students looking to learn After Effects from scratch, as well as those who do not use AE full time (such as editors or web designers). It starts gently with an introduction to keyframing, and progresses through the important features (such as masks, mattes, effects, text, audio, 3D space, shape layers, expressions, parenting, and building advanced hierarchies of compositions) until you end up keying, stablizing, and compositing a shot in high def. The second edition has been fully revamped for After Effects CS4, and includes integration with Photoshop CS4 Extended and Flash Professional CS4.

The DVD-ROM that comes with the book includes an hour and a half of video tutorials that provide gentle introductions to major features inside After Effects, such as text and expressions. Here is the first video, which provides an overview of the After Effects user interface, including managing and rearranging it to best fit your needs. Included is an introduction to the new Composition Navigator and Mini Flowchart that were added in CS4. Click on the Play Video link below, and enjoy!

(Note: For those who are hearing-impaired, lynda.com has added Closed Captioning to these tutorials. They are available here. We are also in the process of creating video training for all of the After Effects Apprentice lessons; they will also appear on lynda.com. If you do not have a lynda.com subscription, click here for a free 7-day pass.)

After Effects Apprentice was designed for students looking to learn After Effects from scratch, as well as those who do not use AE full time (such as editors or web designers). It starts gently with an introduction to keyframing, and progresses through the important features (such as masks, mattes, effects, text, audio, 3D space, shape layers, expressions, parenting, and building advanced hierarchies of compositions) until you end up keying, stabilizing, and compositing a shot in high def. The second edition has been fully revamped for After Effects CS4, and includes integration with Photoshop CS4 Extended and Flash Professional CS4.

The content contained in After Effects Apprentice - as well as the CMG Blogs and CMG Keyframes posts on ProVideoCoalition - are copyright Crish Design, except where otherwise attributed.

After Effects Tips - Installment 3

There’s a line in the movie “The Wedding Singer” that I often hear when teaching After Effects: “This is information that I could have used yesterday!” This is usually followed by: “How long has that feature been in the program?” (Usual answer: “About a decade…”). For some reason, there are little gems inside After Effects that escape the notice of even experienced After Effects animators.

So to celebrate the New Year, I’ve assembled a list of small but useful features inside After Effects that often go unnoticed. See how many have escaped you:

Page 1 of 1 pages