by Jeff Sengstack | Publisher: Infinite Skills | Release Date: June 2013 | ISBN: 9781771371032

In this Adobe After Effects CC training course, expert author Jeff Sengstack teaches you how to get the most out your post-production effects and compositing with this powerful software from Adobe. Designed for the beginner, you will learn how to use After Effects CC from the ground up, no previous experience is necessary!You will start this video based tutorial with an overview of the After Effects workflow, and a tour of the interface to become familiar with the location of the tools you will use. Jeff then immediately gets you working hands-on with projects; importing video, importing assets, creating and arranging your layers and working with text. You will learn how to work with shapes, and techniques for using the paint tools. Jeff introduces you to masks, matts and stencils, and distorting and animation using Puppet Tools. As you continue through the After Effects CC training you will learn how to apply effects and transitions, track motion, stabilize video, and work within 3D space. An amazing new feature to After Effects CC is the ability to bring in Cinema 4D scenes as layers using the Live 3D Pipeline, and Jeff will show you how!Once you have completed this Adobe After Effects CC video tutorial, you will have a solid grasp on how to apply the tools in this visual effects software to your own video projects. Working files are included, allowing you to follow along with the author throughout the lessons.

1. Introduction
   • What Is Covered In This Course 00:03:38
   • How We Combine After Effects CS6 And CC Lessons 00:02:24
   • An Overview Of Adobe After Effects - Part 1 00:09:27
   • An Overview Of Adobe After Effects - Part 2 00:08:39
   • Setting Up The Exercise Files 00:02:11
   • Re-Linking Assets 00:04:53
2. Explaining The After Effects Workflow And Workspace
   • Explaining The Workflow 00:04:46
   • Walking Through A Mini-Project 00:11:29
   • Touring The Workspace 00:07:39
   • Customizing The Workspace 00:09:06
   • Examining Features On The Timeline Panel 00:10:44
3. Creating A Project And Importing Footage
   • Starting A New Project 00:03:44
   • Importing Video, Audio, Graphics And Still Images 00:09:09
   • Importing Layered Photoshop And Illustrator Files 00:09:38
   • Organizing Assets In The Project Panel 00:08:58
   • Finding Missing Footage, Fonts And Effects 00:07:44
4. Creating, Arranging And Compositing Layers In A Composition
   • Creating A New Composition 00:07:22
   • Adding Assets To A Composition 00:06:30
   • Adding Layers To A Composition 00:05:12
   • Adjusting Composition Panel Settings 00:08:29
   • Viewing And Previewing A Composition 00:11:36
   • Selecting, Moving, Trimming And Splitting Layers 00:13:23
   • Working With Image Sequences 00:06:02
5. Modifying And Animating Layer Transform Properties
   • Setting Layer Transform Property Values 00:12:13
   • Animating Transform Properties With Keyframes 00:12:11
   • Creating And Changing Motion Paths 00:15:16
   • Using Easy Ease And Hold Keyframes 00:19:24
   • Using Anchor Points And Motion Blur To Create Whip Pans 00:12:32
   • Setting Scaling Quality Using Bicubic Or Bilinear Sampling 00:05:14
6. Working With Text
   • Creating And Editing Text 00:10:38
   • Using Layer Styles With Text 00:13:47
   • Importing, Converting And Editing Text From Photoshop 00:09:27
   • Moving Text Along A Path 00:10:33
   • Using Source Text Property - Changing Text Characteristics 00:04:34
7. Animating Text
   • Text Animation Basics 00:06:59
   • Using Animation Presets 00:10:23
   • Creating Custom Animations 00:17:02
8. Working With Shapes
   • Introducing Shapes 00:06:25
   • Using Shape Tools 00:11:40
   • Drawing Shapes Freehand 00:06:48
   • Using Photoshop And Illustrator Paths 00:10:44
   • Creating Shapes From Vector Graphics And Text 00:10:42
   • Using Shape Presets 00:14:22
   • Applying And Animating Shape Effects 00:11:02
   • Creating Advanced Animations Using Brainstorm 00:07:11
9. Working With Paint Tools - Brush, Eraser, Clone Stamp And Roto-Brush
   • Introducing Paint Tools 00:08:17
   • Working With The Brush And Eraser Tools 00:16:18
   • Using The Clone Stamp Tool 00:13:35
   • Selecting Moving Objects With The Roto-Brush Tool 00:15:04
   • Using The Refine Edge Tool 00:09:15
10. Working With Masks
    • Using Shape Tools To Make Masks 00:10:18
    • Using The Pen Tool To Make Masks 00:15:03
    • Creating Vignettes With Masks 00:11:55
    • Animating And Morphing Masks 00:11:17
11. Making Track Mattes And Stencils
    • Understanding Track Mattes - Luma And Alpha 00:08:15
    • Animating Track Mattes 00:07:53
    • Making Stencils From Text 00:07:40
    • Using Effects And Layer Styles With Track Mattes And Stencils 00:10:06
12. Distorting And Animating Objects With Puppet Tools
    • Introducing Puppet Tools 00:05:57
    • Using The Puppet Pin Tool 00:10:07
    • Recording A Puppet Pin Tool Motion 00:07:19
    • Checking Out Overlap And Starch Tools 00:08:11
13. Parenting, Nesting, Pre-Composing And Null Object Layers
    • Intro To Parent-Child Relationship 00:10:28
    • Using Null Object Layers For Parenting 00:07:27
    • Explaining Nesting And Pre-Composing 00:12:00
14. Using Expressions
    • Using The Pick Whip To Create Expressions 00:13:45
    • Trying Expressions Templates 00:09:24
    • Using The Wiggle Expression 00:04:57
    • Working With Expression Control Effects 00:10:09
15. Applying Effects And Transitions
    • Applying Effects 00:07:45
    • Sampling Effects 00:08:17
    • Checking Out The Cycore Effects 00:08:55
    • Applying Transitions 00:10:33
    • Performing Color Correction - Featuring Color Finesse 3 00:10:53
    • Stopping, Stretching, Reversing And Re-Mapping Time 00:11:56
16. Tracking Motion And Stabilizing Shaky Footage
    • Tracking Motion With The Tracker 00:10:43
    • Applying Motion Keyframes To Layers, Objects And Effects 00:10:08
    • Working With The Corner Pin Features 00:08:52
    • Stabilizing Shaky Video With The Tracker 00:09:32
    • Using Warp Stabilizer VFX To Stabilize And Composite Shaky Video 00:10:49
    • Using The Clone Stamp Tool With The Tracker 00:07:19
17. Working In 3D Space
    • Working In Three Dimensions 00:09:22
    • Basic 3D Animation And Multi-Planing 00:12:50
    • Animating 2D Text In 3D Space 00:07:02
    • Using The Layer Snapping Feature 00:10:53
18. Using Cameras In 3D Space
    • Setting Up A One- And Two-Node Cameras 00:12:39
    • Animating A Camera Using The Selection Tool 00:09:46
    • Animating A Camera Using The Unified Camera Tool 00:06:03
    • Using Null Object Layers As Animation Aides 00:06:29
    • Using The Camera To Animate Still Image Layers 00:08:28
19. Using Lights In 3D Space
    • Introducing Light Types, Properties And Settings 00:08:09
    • Adjusting Light Properties 00:08:58
    • Working With Layer Material Options And Shadows 00:09:19
20. Tracking Camera Moves In Simulated 3D Space
    • Analyzing 2D Footage With The 3D Camera Tracker 00:08:51
    • Attaching Content To 3D Camera Track Points 00:14:03
    • Adding A Shadow Catcher And A Light 00:06:32
21. Using The Ray-Traced 3D Renderer
    • Creating Beveled And Extruded Text And Shapes 00:09:33
    • Working With Transparency And Refraction 00:06:48
    • Adding Reflections And An Environment Layer 00:11:07
22. Using Cinema 4D Lite To Create And Animate 3D Objects
    • Introducing Cinema 4D Lite 00:07:56
    • Creating Cinema 4D Files 00:11:45
    • Importing And Editing Cinema 4D Files 00:09:11
    • Explaining The Cineware Effect And Render Engine 00:09:43
    • Using Solid Layers, Cameras And Lights In Cinema 4D Lite 00:10:37
23. Completing Your Project
    • Saving And Exporting Your Project 00:03:21
    • Rendering Your Project - The Render Queue 00:05:13
    • Rendering Your Project - The Adobe Media Encoder 00:03:58
24. Wrap-Up
    • Closing Comments And Additional Resources 00:03:13
25. About The Author
    • About Jeff Sengstack 00:01:21