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Adobe’s After Effects 4.1
by Reviewed by Lloyd Mizer NOCCC , lmizer@juno.com - December 28, 1999 at 23:56:44:
Adobe’s After Effects 4.1 is an excellent tool for motion graphics and visual effects. It gives you the freedom and control you need for designing motion graphics and visual effects for film, video, multimedia, and the Web. It will make you productive faster than other similar products. The open architecture enables third-party developers, such as Atomic Power, Cycore, Ultimatte, and DigiEffects, to produce plug-ins that are closely integrated with the tools and environment of After Effects. This means you get a wide range of affordable design options that aren’t available with other products.Version 4.1 features not included in version 4.0 include 3D file support. Support for higher image resolutions. Work with image resolutions up to 30,000 pixels by 30,000 pixels. Visualize the relationships between compositions, layers, and effects by viewing compositions or projects in Flowchart View. Copy a composition or project and all of the associated source files to a single location for rendering or archiving. It includes real-time RAM preview, new caching capabilities for improved interactivity, faster rendering, built-in file format and cross-platform plug-ins, and an expanded API. Greater creative control, with powerful new video and audio effects, superior new masking capabilities, and efficient adjustment layers.
There are two different After Effects programs because they are designed for two different groups with different needs, motion-graphics designers and visual-effects artists. The standard version provides the core compositing, 2D animation, and visual-effects tools that the motion-graphics professional needs. The Production Bundle version includes everything in the standard version, and advanced motion control and keying capabilities. It also contains 3D channel, audio, and visual effects, Effects Pack, Keying Pack, Motion Pack, Audio Pack, 3D Channel Pack, Render Engine, FAQ, Press Releases, and workflow.
It includes free three fully functional plug-in effects, Cycore Computers’ Cult Effects(tm) collection: CE ColorsQuad, CE Radial Shadow, and CE Turbulent Noise. With “CE ColorsQuad” you can blend four colors together, colors, positions, and amount of blending can be animated. It is used for creating backgrounds and gradients. With “CE Radial Shadow” you can create cast-perspective shadows from a nearby point light source as opposed to an infinite light source. The shadows are projected from the alpha channel of the source layer, which can cast colored shadows through transparent areas. With “CE Turbulent Noise” you can create animated fractal noise. Various types of fractal noise are included, and controls can be used to generate endless variations of each type. The plug-ins are included with the Standard and Production Bundle of the Macintosh® and Windows® versions.
After Effects is highly integrated with Adobe Photoshop®, Illustrator®, and Adobe Premiere®, so you can perform dynamic media production tasks more efficiently.
Now you can transform layered Adobe Photoshop® images into artful animations with ease. Import Photoshop files as compositions one at a time or in batches. Adobe After Effects® 4.1 preserves layers, layer effects, adjustment layers, alpha channels, and transfer modes. You can then apply visual effects to color-correct, stylize, or manipulate each layer, and animate these layers over time. Move easily between Photoshop and After Effects to complete your work.
To add first rate typography and eye-catching graphics to your motion graphics and visual effects. Import layered Adobe Illustrator® files as compositions one at a time or in batches. You can choose whether After Effects preserves the layers or merges them upon import. Then resize the layers to any resolution without losing detail, and animate them with complete control. After Effects will play back your animations much quicker than Illustrator images, since it offers faster and smoother rasterization.
You can import Adobe Premiere® projects as compositions. Each video, audio, and still—image clip appears on its own layer, arranged in the correct time-based sequence in the Time Layout window. You can then manipulate these clips to create the sophisticated effects and animations best produced in After Effects. You can also drop After Effects movies into projects you’re editing in Premiere.
The new masking tools, allows you to create up to 128 named masks on one layer and to import masks from Photoshop or Illustrator. Then you can edit them just as you would in those programs. The Reshape plug-in (in the Production Bundle) demonstrates this ability, reshape allows you to apply complex transforms defined by the mask shape directly to an image.
The Production Bundle version of After Effects includes a Render Engine that users can install on an unlimited number of CPUs to enable network rendering. The Render Engine works with the new Watch Folder feature in version 4.1 to allow multiple computers to render multiple projects unattended and remotely monitor the status of the renders. When you’re ready to render, the render queue allows you to output several versions of the project in one step. You can render a D-1 version for broadcast video, a 320 by 240 version for CD-ROM, and a 120 by 90 version for the Web. You can specify output in NTSC, PAL, or SECAM, and use 3:2 pulldown/removal to convert the 29.97 fps rate of NTSC video to the 24 fps rate of motion-picture film.
In video production you need more than just the ability to edit pictures. Without great audio the impact of the video is diminished. After Effects 4.1 doesn’t totally eliminate audio editors, but it offers significantly enhanced audio processing. There are new equalization and tone controls in both editions of the program. You will be delighted with the real-time audio scrubbing. To play audio tracks, hold down the 1 key while dragging the cursor in the timeline. It is easy to place keyframes so they synchronize with the audio. The best audio-filter enhancements are in the Production bundle. There are new filters for adding echo, flanging, modulation, and equalization effects.
Like their other products Adobe has added a book to the Classroom in a Book series for After Effects. The book was developed by the Adobe Development Team so it is complete and through. It is an excellent resource for new users of the program. The new edition has been updated with coverage of enhanced and new features in the latest version of After Effects.
There are versions of After Effects for both the Macintosh and Windows Platforms.
REQUIREMENTS: PowerPC, System 7.6.1 or later, 32Mb of application RAM, 80Mb of free hard disk space, QuickTime 3.0, CD-ROM drive, 16-bit color display (Recommended: G3, 64Mb or more of application RAM, video capture and output hardware, 500Mb or larger hard disk for ongoing work, 24-bit color display)
Adobe Systems Inc. Mountain View, CA 800-833-6687 415-961-4400 http://www.adobe.com/
$ 995 standard version $2,195 Production Bundle
$ 299 upgrade from standard version 3.x
$1,295 upgrade from version 3.x to Production Bundle
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