Adobe After Effects 7.0 Classroom in a Book

I recently made the financial plunge & bought Adobe's Production Studio Premium which includes After Effects 7.0 - a motion graphics & compositing program I feel necessary 4 any serious production company. Though quite good at Premiere Pro, & decent at Photoshop & 3ds Max, I did not know how 2 use After Effects at all so I bought a couple books 2 try 2 learn - this being one of them.

At first glance the lesson projects appear un-impressive, particularly if only looking at the pictures in the book. However, as you work through them & watch the finished videos you realize that you are learning valuable techniques & skills that you can apply 2 your own work. They have you import & work with photoshop, illustrator, & video files (included on DVD) so you get used 2 working with a variety of media just like in a production environment. The book really helps you step by step learn 2 work with this program in a variety of ways & is exactly what a new AE user needs.
It covers quite a bit of stuff including things new 2 version 7.
It's well worth the money & I recommend it 2 anyone who needs help getting started with this program.

I guess my only complaint was that it didn't do a lesson on some of the motion graphics like I see on national network commercials (loopy, ribbon, bubbly graphics) they always fling onto the screen, but 2 be fair this program can do so very much there's probably no way 2 have a book so inclusive that it goes from the very beginning 2 that level all in a single book. Also, the .mp3 file that you are supposed 2 use with the lesson 1 project will not import into my After Effects without crashing it.

In all fairness, I've only gone through the first lesson & already I'm enraged at Adobe. You're given several files 2 import from the accompanying DVD, & one of them is 3 seconds long. The book refers 2 it as 3 seconds long. Strugle struggle struggle & you can't make it work like the sample movie. Now I open up the adobe finished example & lo & behold, the file is supposed 2 be THIRTY seconds long. I have a little experience & was able 2 create a new file of approriate length but real beginners will tear their hair out over something like this. Problem 2- a supplied mp3 file won't load (though all my other mp3 files will). Had 2 convert it 2 wav 2 import it. These kinds of defects just shouldn't happen in a teach your-self environment.

Bottom line is at least the first lesson is not a lesson in how 2 use After Effects 7 but how 2 get totally frustrated. Can't wait 2 see lesson 2. If you are looking 4 a smooth, easy way 2 learn After Effects 7, look elsewhere.

good, basic intro 2 a professional tool. while it might not "be 4 beginners" as some have said, neither is after effects. the one problem i have with the book is that several of the lessons require effects that only come bundled with the Pro edition of AE7. given that the title of the book does not mention Pro, the authors should probably have taken more care 2 avoid using features limited 2 the Pro edition.

Actually this is about what I expected from Adobe. It's a basic instruction book 4 After Effects 7 that shows a beginner some of the mechanics of the program. The lessons pull the reader through the steps needed 2 produce the required results without much explanation.

As another reviewer noted, the examples aren't that good. Watching the sample movies before doing the lessons, you find yourself saying "And why would I want 2 produce something like that?" Or maybe "It takes over an hour just 4 that 10 second cheezy cartoon?"

After Effects is an extremely powerful program that's used by many professionals in countless video applications. Watch any TV program & you'll surely see the results of what After Effects can do. Much additional instruction beyond this official training book from Adobe, that you have 2 pay extra for, is obviously required 2 get the most out of After Effects.

I just got 2 more books,"After Effects" by Fahs & Weinman & "Creative After Effects" by Taylor. I'll see how they compare with Adobe's book.

Update: After reading "Creative After Effects" by Angie Taylor, this Adobe Classroom in a Book looks like a Pulitzer prize winner in comparison. Don't even think about wasting your time on Taylor's so-called "book".

I sat 4 a solid week trying 2 make sense out of the confusing owner's manual 4 After Effects, & never got anywhere. After just the first "lesson" in this book, I already knew my way around in AE smoothly, & then with each lesson, I was accelerating rapidly with knowledge. The official AE owner's manual will definitely be tossed into a dark corner 4 a long time.... this Classroom In A Book should be listed as a manditory requirement 4 learning how 2 use AE. It is very easy 2 understand & takes you through some very cool steps 2 help you create videos like the pros. Without this book, I would still have no clue as 2 how 2 function inside AE.....If you want 2 learn how 2 use AE in a flash, then you HAVE 2 buy this book!!!!! I recommend it 100%!!!!!

The fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way 2 learn Adobe After Effects 7!

Classroom in a Book, the best-selling series of hands-on software training workbooks, helps you learn the features of Adobe software quickly & easily. Classroom in a Book offers what no other book or training program does--an official training series from Adobe Systems Incorporated, developed with the support of Adobe product experts.

Adobe After Effects 7.0 Classroom in a Book contains eleven lessons & a bonus DVD with lesson files. The book covers the basics of learning Adobe After Effects, & countless tips & techniques 2 help you quickly become an After Effects artist. You'll get thorough training in digital video effects & production as well as learn about After Effects 7.0's new features, including motion tracking, powerful animation & keyframing controls, HDR color support, network rendering, & more. You can follow the book from start 2 finish or choose only those lessons that interest you.