Old AE vs. New AE

[Todd Kopriva]

First of all, here’s a very incomplete list of big things added since version 4.0, with links to the high-level Help pages on the Web:

– 3D layers
– text layers and text animators
– expressions, which are pieces of JavaScript that you can use to animate things and link properties together
– a scripting interface
– color management
– painting and cloning tools
– parenting and null layers, both of which features help to animate many things by connecting them to one
– animation presets, which allow for saving, reuse, and exchange of combinations of effects and animations
– improved render automation and network rendering
– Clip Notes review features
– lots of new output and input formats
– new customizable docking workspaces
– lots of integration with other Adobe applications
– motion tracking and stabilization
– Puppet tools
– Brainstorm
– shape layers, for creating and animating vector graphics within After Effects
– lots of new effects

I’m sure that I missed a lot, but—yowza!—that’s a big list.

I recommend reading After Effects Help on the Web, not the Help document installed on your computer or the printed User Guide. Even if the Help content itself isn’t what you need, the Help pages on the Web contain hundreds of links out to video tutorials, blog posts, forum threads, and other useful resources. Here’s a link: After Effects CS3 Help

If you’re not finding the information that you need in Help, you can leave a comment at the bottom of any Help page by clicking the Add Comment button and ask for additional information. The same applies if you find errors.

One good resource for free video tutorials is “Adobe Creative Suite 3 Video Workshop”. The Video Workshop leans a bit toward the newer features.

I also really like Aharon Rabinowitz’s video podcast and Andrew Kramer’s stuff at https://www.videocopilot.net/.

John Vondracek has a series of introductory video tutorials on motion graphics in After Effects.

If you prefer printed books, I recommend _After Effects Apprentice_ from Trish and Chris Meyer. (See the CyberMotion website.) The Meyers have a few more advanced books, too. These books are considered by many to be indispensable tools for learning After Effects. I have all of them on my desk. Also useful is the _After Effects CS3 Professional Classroom in a Book_, which walks you step by step through many features and workflows.

See the “After Effects resources” thread in the Adobe user-to-user forum for recommendations and discussions of many other resources.

Of course, as you’ve already determined, this forum is a good place to ask questions. If you can’t find some information, ask here. We’ll try to point you to what you need.

[Christopher Wright]

And don’t forget Lynda.com for training. A very good resource for a great many programs and workflows!!

[Lisastef]

WOW!

Do I have some WORK ahead of me! I believe you have given me a good place to begin and some good tutorial/help resources as well. I knew the old software well so i am hoping that i can get a good hold of the new features.

Any other input will be well received. Thanks!

Lisa

[Darren Edwards]

There’s also a remarkable difference in terms of render times
from 6.5 to 7.0. Ostensibly to optimise screen-space real
estate, AE7 is the first version to introduce attachable windows
which all shrink and grown proportionately if just one window
is resized…The idea permissibly looked great on paper, but
I thought, and still think, that it’s a daft idea. And is
absolutely anathema to Premiere Pro. Thankfully it’s possible
to disable it.

AE7 also behaves real well with mixed definitions and frame
rates in the same project. During some of my lazier moments,
if I need some motion graphics for, say, a SD 25p PAL project,
I’ll grab a 720p NTSC something from the Riot Act DVD and
then sort out the timing issues via the Time Remapper tools.
Speaking of which, the new graphs (editable with bezier curves)
are a joy with something like the Time Remapper; checkout
the tutorials at http://www.videocopilot.net which Andrew Kramer
has produced, featuring (for the most) the newest tools in
AE7. (To download the videos screen-capture them with some-
thing like Fraps or Camtasia).

Darren.

x-gf.com

[Kevin Camp]

don’t get too intimidated by all the changes… the bulk of the application works the same, you add keyframes the same way and most of the effects are the same. for the most part, what you remember from 4.0 will still apply to cs3. you’ll probably be happy to know that ae now comes with the old final effects (now designated by cc effectname, rather than fe).

the new stuff that you’ll probably find useful and use frequently as you get back into cs3 are things like 3d, the new text tool and text animation presets, and expressions (don’t be afraid, they can be very easy and very useful).

also the interface looks different, but it is basicly the same, just now the panels are all ‘docked’ within a main window. i actually really like it that way, it’s a lot easier to keep track of all those panels… but if you can’t stand it, you can ‘undock’ them.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

in addition, if you did much keying in 4.0 you should be very happy with the addition of keylight to the standard effects bundle.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW