After Effects CS4 for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide (Paperback)

Here to get filmmakers, Web designers, broadcasters, and digital artists of all kinds up to speed on After Effects CS4—and in time to meet their next deadline—is everyone's favorite task-based guide. Through step-by-step instructions, enhanced by tips, sidebars, and plenty of visual aids, veteran video editor Antony Bolante shows readers how to effectively and efficiently import and manage footage, view and edit layers, apply effects, animate type, and more. They'll learn about key features with real world examples of how and when features should be used, including what's new in After Effects CS4: the addition of Imagineer System’s Mocha for Adobe After Effects, which allows users to do motion tracking for difficult shots; the ability to export rich media compositions from After Effects to Adobe Flash; searchable timelines and projects, plus easier composition navigation; the ability to import Photoshop 3D layers; independent keyframing of X, Y, and Z axis positions; the new Cartoon effect for creating an animated look to live footage; and many more enhancements.