• Adobe After Effects

  New to AE

  Posted by Mike Doggett on December 7, 2016 at 2:37 pm

  Hi, I’m new to the forum and design work in general. My boss has bought an electronic billboard, and has asked me to handle it. I’m currently using Photoshop Elements, but I’m wanting to add motion to make it pop a little more. My question is, do you guys recommend any books starting with the basics of AE? Right now YouTube videos are my go to, but that tends to jump all over the place.

  Michael Szalapski replied 9 years, 5 months ago 3 Members · 5 Replies
• 5 Replies

• 

  John Hudson

  December 7, 2016 at 5:22 pm

  As far a books go I would suggest “Creating Motion Graphics for After Effects”. When I taught After Effects a couple of years ago I would use this book for the students.
  https://www.crishdesign.com/books/Creating-Motion-Graphics/index.html

  You can also learn a lot from Lynda.com. Not just After Effects but a ton of other programs and topics. They have a free 10 day trial. For the last couple of years I gladly subscribed to this site at my work. Recently my local Library added this to their list of services and I can log in with my library card and get access to the entire Lynda.com site. Maybe they have this in your area.

  John
• 

  Mike Doggett

  December 7, 2016 at 7:03 pm

  Thanks!! Also this will be 99% motion text of some sort. The sign doesn’t have the resolution, not to mention people are driving past this thing at 65MPH.
• 

  Michael Szalapski

  December 7, 2016 at 9:17 pm

  Andrew Devis’ Getting Started series here on the COW is pretty good too: It starts somewhere on this page, I think: https://library.creativecow.net/tutorials/adobeaftereffectsbasics/3

  – The Great Szalam
  (The \’Great\’ stands for \’Not So Great, in fact, Extremely Humble\’)

  No trees were harmed in the creation of this message, but several thousand electrons were mildly inconvenienced.
• 

  Mike Doggett

  December 8, 2016 at 12:39 am

  Thanks man!! I thought I looked in the tutorials, but I missed the section that said “After Effects Beginners”. Looking like a dummy on my first post.
• 

  Michael Szalapski

  December 8, 2016 at 4:13 pm

  It’s okay. The COW can look a bit cluttered sometimes and it can be hard to find some things. I wish there was one page where all of the Andrew Devis beginning AE stuff was listed instead of having it a bit scattered like it is.

  – The Great Szalam
  (The \’Great\’ stands for \’Not So Great, in fact, Extremely Humble\’)

  No trees were harmed in the creation of this message, but several thousand electrons were mildly inconvenienced.

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