Adobe After Effects CS4/CS5:
Advanced Production Techniques

Our Advanced Adobe After Effects CS5 training provides you with the right solution to help you understand Adobe After Effects CS5. Check our schedule for class dates and prices for Adobe After Effects training in Dallas, Texas or call us for private After Effects training at your site.

In this class students continue more advanced topics in Adobe After Effects through the completion of several projects. This course assumes the student is already using After Effects and is familiar with video and digital video concepts and has used digital editing software such as Adobe Premiere, an Avid Media Composer or MCXpress, a Media 100 or some similar type of system. Additionally, some previous experience with Adobe Photoshop is also helpful.

Topics covered in this two-day class include:

Creating the ‘Ken Burns’ effect

  • Using the anchor point to position images
  • Using a two-viewer setup to animate the anchor point
  • Modifying motion curves and keyframes to create natural motion
  • Using an expression to create camera wiggle

Using the Graph Editor

  • Choosing which properties are displayed for editing
  • Keyframe interpolation types
  • Understanding roving keyframes
  • Moving keyframes in time
  • Scaling keyframes over time

Layer Blend Modes

  • Understanding what a blend mode is
  • Using Screen and Multiply modes
  • Creative effects with modes

Track Mattes

  • Understanding the function of a track matte
  • Alpha and luma mattes
  • Animating mattes and fill
  • Understanding render order of effects
  • Precomposing when using track mattes
  • Using a matte to create a transition
  • Layering using track mattes

3D Space

  • Understanding Z-Space
  • New 3D features in After Effects CS4
  • Using the universal camera tool
  • Using Orientation vs. Rotation in 3D space
  • Understanding local, view, and camera axis modes
  • Moving in 3D space using multiple views
  • Understanding camera settings
  • Modifying camera view options

Lighting in 3D

  • Understanding light types
  • Using surface options
  • Enabling shadows
  • Modifying shadow settings
  • Creating Gels and Gobos

Parenting

  • Understanding parenting
  • Using parenting to create complex animations

Nested Compositions (Precomposing)

  • Understanding nested compositions
  • Precomposing an existing layer
  • Understanding rendering order
  • Using collapse transformations
  • Using effects with nested layers

Text

  • Understanding how text is created in After Effects
  • Creating paragraph text
  • Text along a path
  • Using text animators

Tracking and Stabilization

  • Understanding tracking and stabilization
  • Setting up a tracker
  • Tracking an area over time
  • Tracking techniques
  • Using a tracker to blur part of an image
  • Using a tracker to replace part of an image
  • Stabilizing footage

Using the Mocha Tracker

  • Understanding the Mocha Tracker
  • Creating a Mocha project
  • Using the tracker
  • Exporting data
  • Applying tracked data in After Effects