Starting Up
      About Digital Classroom                      1  (1)
      Prerequisites                                1  (1)
      System requirements                          1  (1)
      Starting Adobe After Effects CS5             2  (1)
      Fonts used in this book                      3  (1)
      Resetting Adobe After Effects CS5            3  (1)
      preferences
      Loading leson files                          4  (2)
      Working with the video tutorials             6  (1)
      Setting up for viewing the video tutorials   6  (1)
      Viewing the video tutorials                  7  (1)
      Additional resources                         8  (1)
    Lesson 1 Understanding Motion Graphics
      Starting up                                  9  (1)
      Defining motion graphics                     10 (1)
      Digital video basics                         11 (1)
      Understanding video formats                  11 (2)
      Understanding frame rate and resolution      13 (1)
      Understanding transparency                   14 (1)
      Self study                                   15 (1)
      Review                                       15 (2)
    Lesson 2 Understanding the After Effects
    Interface
      Starting up                                  17 (1)
      Understanding and working with menus         18 (1)
      Opening an existing After Effects project    18 (2)
      Understanding the After Efects panel         20 (1)
      system
      After Effects panels                         21 (1)
      Primary panels                               21 (11)
      Understanding the workspace                  32 (1)
      Viewing and hiding panels                    32 (1)
      Docking and undocking panels                 33 (2)
      Resizing panels                              35 (2)
      Saving a custom workspace                    37 (1)
      Resetting the workspace                      37 (1)
      Setting After Effects Preferences            38 (1)
      Changing the default undo levels             39 (1)
      Enable Auto-Save                             39 (1)
      Self study                                   40 (1)
      Review                                       40 (1)
    Lesson 3 Media Management---Images, Video,
    and Audio
      Starting up                                  41 (1)
      What is Media Management?                    42 (1)
      Projects, compositions, and layers: an       42 (1)
      overview
      Creating a new project                       43 (1)
      Importing media files                        44 (2)
      Organizing the Project panel                 46 (1)
      Modifying the column displays                46 (1)
      Creating folders and subfolders              47 (2)
      Previewing footage                           49 (1)
      Previewing stills and video                  50 (1)
      Previewing audio                             50 (1)
      Trimming a video clip                        51 (3)
      Importing multiple files                     54 (1)
      Importing Photoshop and Illustrator files    55 (3)
      Importing image sequences                    58 (2)
      Importing After Effects compositions         60 (1)
      Locating missing files                       61 (1)
      Using the Interpret Footage dialog box       62 (1)
      Looping an audio or video file               62 (1)
      Using Remember Interpretation                63 (1)
      Using the Collect Files command to           64 (2)
      consolidate files
      Self study                                   66 (1)
    Lesson 4 Animation Workflow
      Starting up                                  67 (1)
      Understanding the animation workflow         68 (1)
      Creating and working with compositions       68 (1)
      Creating a new composition                   68 (2)
      Understanding composition settings           70 (2)
      Importing compositions from Photoshop and    72 (1)
      Illustrator
      Working with layers                          73 (5)
      Understanding the layer switches             78 (2)
      Understanding layer stacking order           80 (1)
      Changing layer names                         81 (2)
      Creating Kinestasis by animating the         83 (3)
      Anchor Point
      Animating rotation                           86 (2)
      Using layer parenting to ease repetition     88 (2)
      Animating position                           90 (5)
      Understanding motion paths                   95 (2)
      Using layer motion blur                      97 (1)
      Adjusting Motion Blur settings               98 (2)
      Using blending modes                         100(3)
      Applying layer styles                        103(2)
      Understanding nested compositions and        105(1)
      precomposing
      Adding nested styles                         105(3)
      Pre-composing layers                         108(2)
      Creating a fade-in by animating Opacity      110(1)
      and Scale
      Self study                                   111(1)
      Review                                       111(2)
    Lesson 5 Working with Masks, Track Mattes,
    and Keys
      Starting up                                  113(1)
      Working with masks                           114(3)
      Creating masks with the shape tools          117(1)
      Selecting and manipulating masks             118(3)
      Animating the position of masks              121(4)
      Creating freeform masks                      125(7)
      Animating the shape of masks                 132(3)
      Understanding track mattes                   135(1)
      Creating track mattes                        135(2)
      Creating mattes from animated Photoshop      137(3)
      files
      Creating a chroma key                        140(2)
      Creating a garbage matte                     142(2)
      Creating a chroma key                        144(3)
      Refining the matte                           147(3)
      Self study                                   150(1)
      Review                                       150(1)
    Lesson 6 Working with Text
      Starting up                                  151(1)
      Creating text                                152(3)
      Setting text properties globally             155(3)
      Formatting individual characters             158(6)
      Animating text properties                    164(5)
      Saving an animator as a preset               169(1)
      Working with text animation presets          170(2)
      Modifying animation presets                  172(3)
      Creating custom text animators               175(1)
      Creating a typewriter effect                 175(3)
      Creating text on a path                      178(2)
      Self study                                   180(1)
      Review                                       180(1)
    Lesson 7 Working with Audio
      Starting up                                  181(1)
      Audio in After Effects                       182(1)
      Previewing audio                             183(1)
      Adding audio files to the Timeline           183(3)
      Viewing audio file metadata                  186(2)
      Looping audio files                          188(2)
      Animating audio levels                       190(1)
      Working with audio effects                   191(2)
      Using composition markers to set the beat    193(3)
      Naming composition markers                   196(2)
      Refining the position of composition         198(1)
      markers
      Syncing animation to composition markers     199(4)
      Creating keyframes from audio files          203(4)
      Self study                                   207(1)
      Review                                       207(2)
    Lesson 8 Working with 3D in After Effects
      Starting up                                  209(1)
      Previewing animation with RAM preview        210(1)
      Working the 3D capabilities of After         211(1)
      Effects
      Creating 3D layers                           211(2)
      Using multiple viewports                     213(2)
      Understanding 3D Transform properties        215(1)
      Understanding Material Options               216(1)
      Animating 3D layers                          217(4)
      Creating and using lights                    221(6)
      Understanding light options                  227(1)
      Animating light properties                   227(4)
      Creating and using cameras                   231(3)
      Understanding camera options                 234(1)
      Animating camera properties                  234(9)
      Creating the depth-of-field effect           243(2)
      Creating a Rack Focus shot                   245(3)
      Working with Live Photoshop 3D               248(1)
      Importing Live Photoshop 3D effects          248(2)
      Animating Photoshop 3D compositions          250(4)
      Adding a Glow and Lens Flare effect          254(3)
      Self study                                   257(1)
      Review                                       258(1)
    Lesson 9 Advanced Animation
      Starting up                                  259(1)
      Animating with effects                       260(1)
      Applying effects to layers                   260(4)
      Animating effect properties                  264(4)
      Saving animation presets                     268(1)
      Applying and modifying effects presets       268(2)
      Time-reversing a layer                       270(2)
      Using the Motion Sketch panel to capture     272(3)
      motion
      Controlling layer orientation                275(1)
      Using the Smoother panel to soften           276(1)
      movement
      Using the Wiggler panel to add frantic       277(4)
      motion
      Create acceleration and deceleration         281(1)
      using Easy Easing
      Changing spatial interpolation               281(2)
      Adding easing to keyframes                   283(2)
      Using squash and stretch to enhance the      285(2)
      animation
      Animating with the Graph Editor              287(4)
      Create a strobing effect using hold          291(1)
      interpolation
      Automating animation with expressions        292(1)
      Finding expressions                          293(1)
      Adding expressions to properties             293(1)
      Using the LoopOut() expression               294(1)
      Using the Random() expression                295(2)
      Using the Time property with expressions     297(1)
      Using the Wiggle() expression                298(2)
      Working with scripts                         300(1)
      Installing and running scripts               300(1)
      Creating scripts                             300(1)
      Finding additional scripts                   301(1)
      Using and applying scripts                   301(4)
      Self study                                   305(1)
      Review                                       305(2)
    Lesson 10 Outputting After Effects Projects
      Starting up                                  307(1)
      Rendering files for output                   308(1)
      Understanding the Render Queue               309(1)
      Adding compositions to the Render Queue      309(2)
      Adjusting render settings                    311(3)
      Duplicating jobs in the Render Queue         314(3)
      Creating render templates                    317(2)
      Exporting a project file                     319(1)
      Trimming and cropping compositions           320(4)
      Rendering an individual frame                324(1)
      Self study                                   325(1)
      Review                                       326(1)
  Appendix A
      After Effects Secondary panels               327(8)
  Appendix B
      Importable media formats                     335(1)
      Still images and image sequences             336(1)
      Project formats                              337(2)
  Appendix C
      Understanding formats and codecs             339(1)
      Understanding bit rate                       340(1)
      Understanding spatial and temporal           340(1)
      compression
  Appendix D
      Understanding Video Displays                 341(1)
      Understanding aspect ratio and pixel         341(2)
      aspect ratio
      Progressive display versus interlacing       343