After Effects for Designers teaches design students, artists, and web, graphic, and interactive designers how to design, develop, and deploy motion design projects using Adobe After Effects. Author Chris Jackson balances fundamental aspects of time-based design with related techniques, and explores the principles of animation; composition and layout; visual hierarchy; typography; cinematic storytelling; 3D modelling; compositing, and more. Each chapter contains unique, step-by-step project exercises that offer timesaving practical tips and hands-on design techniques, teaching readers how to effectively use the tools at their disposal in order to conceptualize and visualize creative solutions to their own motion design work. Readers will build professional-world examples in every chapter and, as a result, learn how to both design effectively using After Effects and practically apply these skills in client-based work. An accompanying companion website includes complete project files for the book's chapter exercises, and additional video tutorials.

Plumb the depths of core motion design fundamentals and harness the essential techniques of this diverse and innovative medium. Combine basic art and design principles with creative storytelling to create compelling style frames, design boards, and motion design projects. Here, in one volume, Austin Shaw covers all the principles any serious motion designer needs to know in order to make their artistic visions a reality and confidently produce compositions for clients, including: Illustration techniques Typography Compositing Cinematography Incorporating 3D elements Matte painting Concept development, and much more Lessons are augmented by illustrious full color imagery and practical exercises, allowing you to put the techniques covered into immediate practical context. Industry leaders and pioneers, including Karin Fong, Bradley G Munkowitz (GMUNK), Will Hyde, Erin Sarofsky, Danny Yount, and many more, contribute their professional perspectives, share personal stories, and provide visual examples of their work. Additionally, a robust companion website (www.focalpress.com/cw/shaw) features project files, video tutorials, bonus PDFs, and rolling updates to keep you informed on the latest developments in the field.

This ideal quick reference to Adobe's motion graphics and visual effects software package, After Effects, includes an easy-to-understand collection of instructive examples that are simple to understand and put into practice. Readers learn how to open and install After Effects and be up-and-running "out of the box" immediately.

Covers the basics of Adobe After Effects, from color correction and keying to selection methods and motion tracking and provides tips and techniques to help readers become more productive with the program.

"The official training workbook from Adobe Systems"--Cover.

WHAT IS AFTER EFFECTS? One of the most used software Adobe Creative Cloud is probably the most popular collection of softwares amongst creatives around the world. With millions and millions of users, Adobe After Effects might be one of their top programs, mostly used in the Media / Entertainment industry for Motion Graphics, Animation and Visual Effects, and with the ever expanding digital media demands, Adobe After Effects seems unbeatable and the number one go-to program for professionals and enthusiasts. WHO AM I? Everyone I am a motion graphics artist based in New York City, I have over a decade of experience working for major companies and brands such as Google, Amazon, Nike, Marvel, Paypal and WWE among them. My spectrum of expertise spans a wide range of digital/social media, broadcast, and studio design. But above all I'm a regular daily user of After Effects, which knows the concerns of the After Effects community and wants to help to add to the expansion of this huge, generous and super creative community. WHAT IS EXPRESSION? A simple language Expression is the language that allows to program or link the properties in Adobe After Effects. This coding language is written in ExtendScript, developed by Adobe, and based on the JavaScript coding language. Trying to learn Expression can proved to be a laborious journey for a regular user, not because of the difficulty of the language but because all of the materials to learn it are spread everywhere or just outdated, it can be even more frustrating when the After Effects user has to leave the community to learn coding for After Effects through other coding sources such as JavasScript websites. I experienced this firsthand and when it came to learning Expression, you just can't find a precise answer where to start or a global approach, this book is exactly what I wish I had found. WHY A BOOK? A missing piece Expression is known, even to the experienced users, as the dark and mysterious place within the After Effects world, animators mainly understand keyframes. When you don't know anything about coding in general, it can look scary and not accessible but believe me Expression is very logical and you just need to know a few terms to be able to write, read or decipher an expression; my goal is to lighten things up and what can seem complex, at the end is a very beautiful and simple tool that will bring harmony in creativity and boost the productivity, definitely a must for any After Effects user. Expression is still a written language so it's still easier to focus by learning it through reading rather than watching a video tutorial. The purpose of this book is to have a reference where to quickly search, learn, and review the terms necessary to use Expression in After Effects: Finally a real guide of how to learn Expression fast and easy, presented in a modern and minimalist way.

Take your After Effects skills to a new level! Twelve step-by-step tutorials, designed by industry professionals, explore a variety of creative approaches as they teach useful design concepts and production techniques. Updated for After Effects 6.5, this new edition covers the most significant Version 5 and 6 features including 3D space, cameras, lights, parenting, text, animation presets, paint, and expressions. Each carefully structured project presents the "why" behind the steps, so you can adapt these techniques to your own designs and motion graphics work. All contain timeless concepts that will be of use for many years to come. After Effects in Production also contains six case studies of commercial projects created by award-winning studios such as ATTIK, Belief, Curious Pictures, The Diecks Group, Fido, and the authors' own studio, CyberMotion. These detail the integration of After Effects, 3D programs, live action, and a variety of animation techniques, revealing the artistic concepts behind the spots as well as the inventive techniques used to execute them. The enclosed DVD contains QuickTime movies of each of the final animations, allowing you to step through them frame-by-frame so you can examine them in detail.

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.

Master the fundamental concepts and techniques of motion media design so you can apply--and occasionally break--the rules to achieve your communication goals. This authoritative guide presents all of the design essentials in an engaging and inspiring way. Each principle is explained with text, illustration and photography where necessary. An accompanying website will contain any necessary digital files for download, updates and links to other resources.

Put the power of Expressions to work in your animations with controls and efficiencies impossible to achieve with traditional keyframing techniques. No programming skills are required. Foundation concepts and skills orient the new designer and serve as a handy reference to the experienced one. Basics of creating expressions, variables, commands, and expression helpers precede the leap into javascript and math essentials for more advanced expressions that include randomness, physical simularions and 3D. Full color illustrations display the scripts and the resulting effects, pickwhip techniques, and sequential animations. Downloadable companion files include Quicktime movies of the demo animations, and AE project files that permit you to examine the Expressions. Extensive notes are provided to aid you in implementing the extensive library of Expressions available for your use on Adobe LiveDocs.