Adobe After Effects CS4 Visual Effects and Compositing Studio Techniques

An under-the-hood, in-depth guide to Adobes updated visual effects and motion graphics powerhouse: After Effects CS4. -Complete coverage of the new features in After Effects CS4 and a solid guide to visual effects compositing. -Goes beyond conventional step-by-step instruction, teaching visual effects that you can adapt and combine for countless projects. -Author Mark Christiansen shares his hard-won expertise to help demystify the magic of creating movie-quality visual effects. This is the only book in the After Effects market to focus exclusively on the creation of visual effects, and is a one-stop resource for anyone who wants indepth explanations that demystify the realm of visual effects and how they were created, thanks to veteran author Mark Christiansens friendly and accessible style. A thoroughly packed, informative read, this masterful guide focuses on explaining the essential concepts, features, and techniques that are key to creating seamless movie-quality visual effects. Users who are comfortable with After Effects will find a helpful review of After Effects fundamentals - managing footage, viewing and editing layers, animating type, and more - so they can learn how to work smarter and more efficiently. Readers of all levels will learn core techniques for effects compositing including color matching, keying, rotoscoping, motion tracking, emulating the camera, and concluding with using expressions in After Effects, written by contributor and expert Dan Ebberts. The final section of the book delves into creative explorations, demonstrating professional effects that readers might want to re-create. Readers will also find comprehensive coverage of all thats new and makes this version of Adobes effects program such a boon to video pros of all stripes: searchable timelines and projects, Photoshop 3D layers import, the Cartoon effect, Imagineer Systems Mocha for Adobe After Effects, improved workflow for mobile devices, and more.