What this book covers
Chapter 1, Getting to Know the User Interface and Workflow, covers the basics of the interface and explains how to import media files to create compositions following the best practices and optimizing After Effects performance.
Chapter 2, Applying Effects and Presets to Create Animated Graphics, explains how to preview presets and apply built-in After Effects. You will learn the benefits of Precompose and how to adjust preset effects.
Chapter 3, Deep-Dive into Text Animations, discusses the unique properties of After Effects text animations. We will deep dive into the properties of text animators and other text options for animation.
Chapter 4, Animating Shape Layers, explains how to create shape layers and how to animate shape layers, apply animations, and connect shapes with null objects to create impactful animations.
Chapter 5, Adding Motion into Photoshop and Illustrator Graphics, explains how to import Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files into After Effects, and animate the layers of Photoshop and Illustrator using keyframing. This chapter will also cover the usage of the graph editor and expressions and explains how to incorporate audio into a composition.
Chapter 6, Creating Motion Graphic Templates for Premiere Pro, covers creating Motion Graphic Templates with controls that can be edited in Premiere Pro.
Chapter 7, Color Correction and Color Grading, shows you how to color correct and grade video shots in After Effects. After Effects lets you easily correct white balance, adjust contrast/brightness, and change the mode of video clips.
Chapter 8, Rotoscoping and Mask Tracking Techniques, takes you through rotoscoping in After Effects using the Roto brush and Pen tool, which will let you separate the foreground from the background in video clips and create masks. This chapter also covers how to remove unwanted objects using content-aware features in After Effects.
Chapter 9, Chroma Keying, explains how to remove green/blue screens from video clips and composite on a different background.
Chapter 10, Working with Particle Simulations, discusses how to create effects such as rain, fire, and smoke using the particle simulation effects in After Effects.
Chapter 11, Working with 2D and 3D Tracking, covers perspective and single point tracking using the 2D tracking features and tracking 2D footage with the 3D tracker to composite graphics over video footage.
Chapter 12, Exporting and Managing Projects, explains how to export compositions from After Effects and Media Encoder in formats such as .mov, avi, and mp4. This chapter will also cover how to consolidate a project’s media in one folder.