Path to enlightenment: learning After Effects

Skrasis · Post by **Skrasis** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 8:58 pm

hello all,

There are many ways to create an AMV, from Windows Movie Maker, to Priemere. I make all my AMVs with Priemere 6.5 The program has done what I have wanted it to do for the most part, but I am coming to realize that the effects and style that I want my AMVs to take in the future will require me to expand to After Effects.

I am ready and willing to learn After Effects! I ask the community, if they can recommend or direct me to a resource or book that could really teach me how to use after effects. I realize that there is no single source that can completely teach me every aspect of AE but is there something that would give the basics to creating those great effects I see on AMVs. I would take a class at my college but I dont have the time or money.

I consider my self to have a solid grip on Premiere, I know my way around and how to do some effects with it. I dont how ever know much at all about Photoshop, which i have heard helps to know if you want to learn after effects.

Can anyone help me, and recomend a source or book that would help me along the path of enlightenment?

Thanks for reading!

Skrasis

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:04 pm

Get the program,
read the manual,
experiment with it.

doughboy · Post by **doughboy** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:06 pm

I recommend -link- whole-heartedly.

It's got some great explanations/examples of how to understand how the software works, not just how to use the software. I read that prior to taking college courses in AE, and it put me ahead of the game considerably.

[MOD: Link edited to not stretch page]

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:17 pm

trythil wrote: read the manual

Can we as a community please just quit lying to ourselves and STOP saying this? If you bought even one Adobe program you are in the very bottom of 1/10th of a percent.

On a constructive note, doughboy knows his AE and I assume anything he recomends is great.

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:29 pm

Beowulf wrote:
trythil wrote: read the manual
Can we as a community please just quit lying to ourselves and STOP saying this? If you bought even one Adobe program you are in the very bottom of 1/10th of a percent.

On a constructive note, doughboy knows his AE and I assume anything he recomends is great.

Even if you don't buy it, you can still access the manual by pressing F1. But that's beside the point. I highly recommend the video series Total Training for Adobe After Effects. Its totally expensive though so I can't really suggest buying it though. They have it in the library here at my school, so check if your school has it as well. Its very enlightening.

doughboy · Post by **doughboy** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:34 pm

Beowulf wrote:On a constructive note, doughboy knows his AE and I assume anything he recomends is great.

Did you (as in Wonka) buy that damn book yet?

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:40 pm

Beowulf wrote:
trythil wrote: read the manual
Can we as a community please just quit lying to ourselves and STOP saying this? If you bought even one Adobe program you are in the very bottom of 1/10th of a percent.

On a constructive note, doughboy knows his AE and I assume anything he recomends is great.

Gee, I bought an Adobe product. I guess that makes me special.

Anyway, even if you don't have the manual, there's this magic thing called the help file.

doughboy · Post by **doughboy** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:57 pm

trythil wrote:Anyway, even if you don't have the manual, there's this magic thing called the help file.

You can't use a help file if you don't know what to search for. No one in their right mind is gonna know how to learn the render order, power of nesting compostions, and fine tuning animated keyframes by blindly opening a help file.

The only thing the help file taught me was how to mask. It's best to have a "certified instructor" of sorts walk you through the program so it actually makes sense.

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:58 pm

I actually learned quite a lot when I sat down and just spent about 1-2 hours actually reading through the help file.

Tab. · Post by **Tab.** » Mon Mar 15, 2004 10:13 pm

Zarxrax wrote:I actually learned quite a lot when I sat down and just spent about 1-2 hours actually reading through the help file.

omfg u dork.