Re: COW Articles: Apple ProRes 422: part one

[Steve Roberts]

After Effects Classroom in a Book.

After that, get the books by Chris and Trish Meyer.

And read the manual. It’s actually not that bad.

[Jon Agnew]

The incredible Andrew Kramer has a very nice series of free video tutorials that will serve as an excellent supplement to any other training resources you may choose. It won’t teach you everything, but at the very least it can help get you up and running a lot quicker. I would have loved to have something like this when I first picked up AE.

https://www.videocopilot.net/basic/index.html

[R. Bruce perry]

Thanks VERY much to your suggestion! The Andrew Kramer is exactly what I was looking for. Excellent series. Free is very cool too! Thanks again for your help!
Bruce

R. Bruce Perry
INTERMIX DESIGN

[R. Bruce perry]

AfterEffects Classroom in a Book has been suggested to me before. I haven’t followed up on it but I will on your advice. I’m familiar with the Chris and Trish Meyer articles. Always excellent. I will get their books too. The manuals always strike fear and loathing in my non-technical heart but I will gird my loins and dive in. I greatly appreciate your suggestions! “School” for me is now in session. Thanks VERY much!

R. Bruce Perry
INTERMIX DESIGN

[Ray Apokal]

Hi R. Bruce,

The Meyer’s and Andrew Kramer are excellent resources.

I’d recommend lynda dot com’s After Effects 7 Essential Training by Jeff Foster (there’s probably an AE cs3 version now too). Jeff’s teaching style is awesome and I felt like I was finding out the ‘why’. A lot of times tutorials are developed to address only the ‘how’.

[Darby Edelen]

The only problem I have with Andrew Kramer’s tutorials is that they’re sometimes TOO good…

What I mean by this is that he sometimes presents the technique without explaining the process behind it. He has enabled a myriad of graphic artists with awesome techniques, but the tutorials don’t always give you the “why” along with the “how.”

I would recommend continuing to follow his tutorials, but to develop your own eye for how to accomplish a given task. This requires understanding when to use what, and how the tools at your disposal work.

The best book I have on AE for my money is Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional Studio Techniques by Mark Christiansen. He does an awesome job of breaking most aspects of the compositing process down: from color correction, lens correction, to HDR, linear profiles. And he starts close to the foundations of AE… I never thought there was so much to learn about Levels or Curves =)

Darby Edelen
Designer
Left Coast Digital
Santa Cruz, CA

[R. Bruce perry]

Thanks very much. I’m picking up the Meyers and Kramer today. I’ll also get the Foster version. The “why” has always been pretty crucial to me. Seems to make the “how” much easier. Probably the reason I didn’t do well in the military, ie. ‘here’s how we need you to walk into that mine field.’ ‘before we get to the ‘how’, I’d kinda like to know the WHY?!!?’…
Bruce

R. Bruce Perry
INTERMIX DESIGN

[Derek Shin]

I second Studio Techniques by Mark Christiansen, it’s a standard for using AE in Visual Effects work.

I was nearly a noob myself just 2 months ago. Honestly, I ran through all of Andrew Kramer’s stuff on Video Copilot, paid for Lynda’s online training and read Studio Techniques. That, with the enormous help of fellow Cow addicts, and you’ll be up and running in no time…

d