Perkins - How to Cheat in After Effects

HOW TO

cheat

IN

After Effects

SECOND EDITION

Chad Perkins

First published 2013
by Focal Press
70 Blanchard Rd Suite 402
Burlington, MA 01803

Simultaneously published in the UK
by Focal Press
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2013 Taylor and Francis

The right of Chad Perkins to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by [him/her] in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Application submitted

ISBN: 9780415661065 (pbk)
ISBN: 9780203589045 (ebk)

Cover model: Kelcy Tiger. Cover design and photography: Chad Perkins

This whole cheat thing was created by Steve Caplin for the epic book, How to Cheat in Photoshop, which I think is in its zillionth edition (give or take). So, I'm proudly and unashamedly ripping off of Steve's brilliance in creating what I consider to be the ultimate software training book format.

Instead of going through and describing stuff as most computer software books do (including my previous book, The After Effects Illusionist), this book tackles one trick (aka cheat) at a time in a very visual way. There are a few steps to follow, and pictures guiding you the whole way. It's a very visual process, and in my opinion, it's a fun way to make a computer book.

Because this book is more focused on little mini recipes of sorts (usually 2 pages, and occasionally up to 4 pages), we're going to be focusing more on what to do than how to do it. Against every tendency in my body, I'm just going to be barking out orders (such as set this property to this value, etc.) without much explanation. Although, I admit that I do fight convention and try to explain things as much as possible. But that's not really the point of this book.

I mentioned the recipe metaphor, and that's precisely what this book is like. On a cooking show, the veggies are all pre-cut, the spices are already measured out and in their own separate bowls, and the chef/host doesn't always explain why they are baking at a certain temperature or what the heck cardamom is doing in the dish. They just make the dish in a very visual way, so that it is clear how to create the final product. This book is like that cooking show, but for wicked cool After Effects tricks instead of food.

Now, where possible, I've tried to just stuff this book full of extra tidbits of information. In the right column of most of the right hand pages, I've included extra bonus tips with optional methods to achieve a result, additional insight or information on related concepts, or ways that you could expand the current cheat and make it even better.

At the end of most chapters, you'll also find a little break from the hot, non-stop cheat action of the rest of the book. We call this break an interlude. And the interludes are filled with tons of extra information to help you get more out of the After Effects experience. These interludes cover topics from how to shoot better green screen video so that it's easier to key, to the story behind HDR (High Dynamic Range) color and bit depth, and much, much more.

As far as difficulty goes, the book is pretty simple and easy to follow, but it's meant for people with a little bit of After Effects knowledge already. There just isn't time enough to explain basics like how to apply an effect, or what a solid layer is, or how to create a new composition, or the difference between importing and opening, and so on. These are basics that After Effects users in all disciplines should be familiar with. But I realize that if you've spent your time as a compositor and now want to perfect the craft of animation, there may be some new terms there. So, I try to explain core concepts where possible. Don't let your pride be offended. This is still an intermediate book. But not everyone is intermediate in everything. Still, I won't be able to explain all concepts from scratch as much you'd like, or might need. To that end, I've created an interlude at the end of to help you find your own solutions if I refer a feature that you're unfamiliar with and would like to learn more about.

Because users are often slow to upgrade, I should also point out that this book was made with After Effects CS6. You're welcome to use the book with any version of After Effects, but know that After Effects will not open up future projects. So if you're using CS5.5 or before, you won't be able to open most of the projects from the book. You'll still be able to import the assets (e.g. video, audio, images, etc.), just not the projects. This is the way Adobe made their software, and there's not much I can do about it. But for those of you that do have CS6, you'll be happy to know that many CS6 features are covered in cheats here, including the new Ray-trace 3D engine and its ability to create extruded shapes, feathered vertices, 3D camera tracking, as well as the great CS5.5 addition Warp Stabilizer. There are also tons of new cheats in this edition that use old tricks in new ways, as well as an entirely new that covers 3rd party effects, including Element from Video Copilot and Trapcode Particular from Red Giant Software. This edition is significantly more cutting edge and completely overhauled from the previous version.

The moral of the story is that this cheat format is ridiculously fun. You can jump around where you'd like to, and only in a few instances are cheats predicated upon knowledge from previous cheats (and those instances are clearly noted in the text). For the most part, these are little bite-sized tidbits of sweet tips and tricks that will enhance your workflow, get you out of sticky situations, and spark your creativity. You're gonna love this.

This book is dedicated to Heather, Mikey, Natty, and Lizzie, who have been so infinitely patient as I've been laboring away at this book. I love you all so much.

I'm also really grateful to the following peeps:

Dennis McGonagle and the entire crew at Focal Press. The experience of writing with Focal Press has been incredible. I feel like I've missed every deadline, and they're always very professional when telling me how much I suck. I've written books with other publishers, but Focal is my favorite. They also make most of the filmmaking, software, and visual effects books I like to read as well. Way to go, team.