Adobe After Effects CC Classroom in a Book (2017 release) 1st Edition

You can't beat Classroom in a book for learning a new program and the Adobe After Effects CC installment is no exception. This book will have you up and running with the basics of After Effects in no time. The book is not just a great learning tool but a valuable reference because as we all know these programs are extremely deep and many functions if not used regularly are hard to commit to memory so having the book to fall back is priceless. I definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn the basics of After Effects CC.

My fiance & myself are freelance designers currently working for several companies & organizations. I cannot overstate how important understanding & performing in the motion graphics department is. So we got this book and neither of us can put it down so far lol. We are already pretty good with After Effects so we went ahead and read through the first couple of chapters pretty quickly. However, nothing beats learning the formality of how it all works and really understanding your tools and exactly how capable this software actually is. This book is great for a beginner and an awesome reference for the experienced.

Learning the ropes with After Effects and Pro Premiere, I'm having to do a lot of Googling and YouTube video watching to find the different menu screens and effects drop down lists as sometimes the instructions aren't clear enough but I'm getting a handle on this program. I have the book for Pro Premiere coming as well; I've pretty much done what I can in MovieMaker and Power Point so it's time to take my video creation to the next level. Power Point is an office presentation tool I use for effects and animations; it wasn't intended for what I want to use it for. I get good enough with Pro Premiere, After Effects and Audition I'll be able to do all my video work in the Adobe Suite. Thank you Adobe for such a wonderful set of tools!Make sure you review how to completely and competently use the interface before moving onto more difficult material. Trying to Google what you are looking for in the heat of the battle is not an effective solution, and posting on the forums only invites aspersions.

Great resource, well written and the downloadable files makes it easy to find footage and assets to practice on. More assets would be great, but what is included is enough. You can always find footage to download from other places. Speaking of downloads, be aware, this does not include a copy of After Effects CC 2017, you will have to go to Adobe.com and purchase it there. There are educational discounts as long as you are a student or teacher.

The problem with this product is the terrible quality of the projects. The sample footage provided is all shot on smart phone, seemingly in the author's suburban property (a dog swimming in the pool; a kid standing in the driveway, the same kid standing in the front yard -- are you serious!!!). The final projects, which you spend each full chapter working on, have absolutely zero graphic merit whatsoever. They actually would have looked dated already in the early 2000's. You'll be wondering if you ever want to reuse the skills you're learning since they looks so bad. The effect is that it's engage with the projects. I really hope that Peach Pit reads this review and implements sleek, contemporary projects in the future; one's that readers will be inspired to emulate moving on. This is a lot of money to spend for such low quality projects.

Is this a bad book? No. But is it good? Is it complete? Is it comprehensive? Can you easily find specific information? Well... that's where the problems come in.First of all, let me say this, so that anybody reading the review has some idea of where the reviewer is coming from. I used to use AE quite a bit several years ago, but I basically haven't touched it since at least 2014. So there's a LOT I don't remember too clearly about exactly how everything works, and it's a complex program, obviously. And just as obviously, there have been a lot of updates (even though the basics are the same.) I always used the Trish and Chris Meyer books in the past, but the last published edition was in 2010. So, as far as books... there aren't a lot of choices. There are a lot of random videos out there, and there's also lynda.com (more about that later), but there are just not many selections at all for the old school analog book.First, the good: This book is well-written, and the examples are clear. The tutorials are fun and well-paced, also well-explained. The basics are... well, KIND OF basically covered (shape, text, animation, layers, masks, puppet tools, rotobrush, color correction, 3D features included the camera tracker, advanced editing, rendering.) The problem came in when I started thinking about how well this would all work for someone who was a REAL beginner rather than a past user who just hadn't picked up the new edition for a few years. Because the truth is, the basics aren't really covered, and here's the proof.Look at an old copy of the last Trish and Chris Meyer 2010 book, *Creating Motion Graphics With After Effects.* I have a copy on the desk right now. It's 752 pages. The Classroom in a Book is 399 pages. Yep-- 752 pages to cover the OLDER version, and 388 pages to cover the NEWER version, with all the added features. Lots and lots and lots of the essentials have been cut out. Look for a list of keyboard shortcuts-- it's not there. Look for the older, much longer chapters going into detail about fundamental concepts like layers and keyframes and editing-- not there. Look for xyzabc etc etc etc... not there. In 388 pages, it CAN'T be there.So why not just go to a source like lynda . com, you ask? I've had that membership for a long time, and I think I might even renew it again. THAT is where Trish and Chris Meyer went, and their instructional videos are there. But here's the problem with a video lesson format: you're tied to the pace and teaching methods decided on by the people who *made* the videos. There is no reference manual. And that's what the Classroom in a Book desperately needed to be. I do not have a lot of patience for going through videos and spending literally ten or twenty times the amount of time I would spend to look up something in a true reference book. Sometimes, we need specific pieces of information easily and quickly accessible and put together in an understandable way rather than having to sit through several twenty minute videos to try to figure out something very specific that we want to do. (The Adobe help and user forums are absolutely not a solution either, which is too bad.) What really needed to happen is for Trish and Chris Meyer to keep coming out with books, whether in print or online format. That's really what they should do-- online editions of updated AE books-- instead of 100% sticking to videos That is the strongest aspect of the Classroom book, btw-- when you buy it, you can go online to peachpit press and use the online version. But I don't think it's enough. I haven't decided yet if I'll be returning this book, but that might happen, even though it isn't exactly bad... it's just not good enough.PROS:Does have some good infoTutorials are well writtenDoes cover some of what you need to knowOnline version included with the purchase is very nice.CONSDoes not cover the basics very wellDoes not contain comprehensive information about the nuts and bolts of AE in the way that the Trish and Chris Meyer books didNot a reference book, which it needed to beNot long enoughEmphasis on tutorials rather than constructing the "building blocks" of the basic knowledge you need to use AE as a tool.WAY too expensive for what it is.Overall, this isn't a bad book to have in your library... but I would seriously also buy Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects, 5th Edition. Even though it doesn't have info on the most recent updates, it comprehensively covers the basics, and the new CiaB does not. For $56.50, the new book needs to offer more than it does.

Awesome book I used it to help me get an A in my graphic effects class good tips and tricks. I am totally going to use this for the future

Buen manual,

Ottimo libro ma uguale esattamente alla release 2015. Stessi esercizi uguali identici.

Really nice book, if u can sit with the Book and workout then this Book would be wonderful for u.

I am an absolute beginner in photoshop, and in motion graphics. I can say after a few days I could do things with this software i could not imagine possible and I see this indistry has evolved a lot. It is easy to understand, just follow step by step.

Great product for the first time user of Adobe After Effects.I am about half-way through the book. I can say this book has definitely been an essential tool in learning this at-first super intimidating program. With-out this book, I'd be lost, scared, and confused with all the intricacies of After Effects, but fortunately that is not the case. The lessons are great progressions from one lesson to the next. My understanding of the working flow is ever improving -- can't wait to finish the book and start developing my post-production skills.Definitely recommended for the beginner.