How to Cheat in After Effects

Get the most from the most widely used application in the postproduction field! Gain the insider tips you need to compose eye-catching, imaginative Adobe After Effects projects quickly and effectively. In How to Cheat in After Effects, Second Edition seasoned AE expert Chad Perkins provides dozens of concise, step-by-step tutorials and lavish 4-color illustrations to get you on the fast track to producing amazing motion graphics and visual effects. Updated for CS6, this new edition has been revised to include:A brand new chapter on the most popular 3rd party effects including Trapcode Particular and Video Copilot's Element 3DNew cheats on professional compositing, expressions, and high end visual effectsTons of cool light tricks and lessons on how to use Video Copilot's Optical FlaresA thorough explanation of the Ray-trace 3D engine introduced in After Effects CS6Downloadable resources with project files allowing you to work alongside the exercises in the book, as well as QuickTime movies displaying techniquesThere’s no time to waste! Whether you are an intermediate After Effects user in need of its more advanced tools or a novice looking for techniques to up your game, this book will bring your motion graphics, visual effects, and graphic compositions to the next level.Downloadable resources project files are available at www.focalpress.com/9780415661065

More Thrilling 3D; Creating Better Composites; Animating with Realism; Let There Be Light Tricks!; Mastering Masks and Shapes; Becoming a Speed Demon; Perfecting Particles; Killer Color Correction; Creating Animated Backgrounds; Motion Tracking; Using Expressions and the Demo Palette; Controlling Effects with Maps; Working with Other Apps; AE- Your Backup NLE; Helpers You Might Have Missed; Understanding Technical Issues;

Chad Perkins is an Adobe Certified Instructor and Expert in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, After Effects, Premiere, and was one of the first in the world to be a Certified Expert in Adobe Encore DVD. Chad also owns Aveconta, an architectural rendering studio that creates photo-realistic renders from AutoCAD drawings and blueprints. Chad served for over two years as the Digital 3D and Animation Specialist at a leading lenticular art creation facility in Southern California, where he produced finished art for Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Disney, among others. True to his passion for movies and animation, Chad is currently directing and producing an all-CGI short film.