What book to buy first.

[Lessevolvedman]

BOTH!!
But if you wanna start on one start with creating motion graphics…cant go wrong dude

//lessevolvedman
http://www.lessevolvedman.com.au

[Steve Roberts]

If you can only buy one at a time, start with volume 1, then buy volume 2, then buy AE in Production.

[Chris Smith]

I would say the AE manual first. Then volume 1 then 2 😉

Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com

[Erik Pontius]

Go with Vol 1. AE in Production assumes that you already have knowledge of AE and it is broken up into case studies rather than a tutorial that builds on itself.
There are sections in both Motion Graphics vols that suggest exploring certain topics more in depth with the Production book, so it’s a good companion book to have.

e.

[David Bogie]

The manual and the tutorials that come with AE7.0 are far more valuable than anything you can buy since they’re already on your system.

For beginners, I’d go with the Adobe CIB for AE7 but you can find the CIBs for AE5, 5.5, 6.0 and 6.5 at discount if you shop carefully. Also look for Adobe AE Studio Secrets volumes at deep discount. The interfaces have changed but the basic functions are constant.

They Meyer’s series of books is the Gold Standard for AE, for sure, but they’re intense. I don’t think most people get much out of them unless they already know the application fairly well.

Look for Angie Taylor’s AE5.5 book on deep discount. Try eBay for Total Training’s VHS and/or DVD packages for AE3 through 6.5. Fabulous stuff, timeless expertise.

bogiesan

This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”

[Cal Johnson]

Couldn’t disagree with bogiesan more. I’d say just the opposite, that while most people get little out of the on-line manual, the “Creating Motion Graphics” series provide an excellent training resouce for how to really get into the inner workings of After Effects. If this weren’t true, then why are the Meyer’s books so popular? The on-line reference manual tends to tell you what specific features of After Effects do. It doesn’t necessarily put those features into a context that helps you understand how it works, when and why you should use it.
Another thing to avoid when you’re learning After Effects is “cookbook” instruction where you’re being told to enter in values to parameters without a clue as to why, just so you get a cool looking result in the end. If you really want to get good at the program, you’ll want instruction that explains how features work, and what the variables are. I started with the CMG series, and update as the new ones come out. They are excellent. If you find the first chapter in Vol 1. really tough going, remember its a “dive in” chapter, and you can just skip ahead to chapter two, and then come back to chapter one later. Good luck!

[Steve Roberts]

We’ve all jumped in here (mea culpa) without knowing what the student brings to the table. EVideoM apparently knows NLEs, but we don’t know a) how much AE is known by EVideoM, and b) what EVideoM’s learning objectives are, and c) what EVideoM’s learning style is: guided-tutorial, or cherry-picking?

For the beginner, I recommend a study of the manual to determine basics such as masking and keyframing. For the beginner who likes guided-tutorial learning, then the CIBs are an excellent resource.
However, when the student has gained a basic working knowledge of AE and wants to learn how to accomplish certain tasks using a combination of AE’s features, then the CMG books will come into play. As stated, they also are an excellent way to get under the AE hood … but if the student is not ready for that, the books may appear daunting.
For cherry-picking, I found the manual very useful (back in ’97) but if the search terms aren’t known, the student has to go section-by-section sometimes. If I could improve the manual or help, I’d add extra search term synonyms linking ramp & gradient, speed ramp & time-remapping, based on terms used in NLEs, for example. Also, maybe I’d highlight the most likely used terms such as reverse, when applied to reversing the playback of a layer. Just a thought.

I think that EVideoM should re-read the responses with his/her current knowledge and learning objectives in mind, then if necessary, ask more questions to refine the search.

With my 2 cents,
Steve

[Jim Kanter]

The latest CIB for AE7 is a good start. The ones from 5 through 6.5 were not.

Chris and Trish’s books are much more useful to people with a certain level of experience with AE already but can be overwhelming for someone brand new trying to teach themselves.

Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com

[Craig Sommerer]

i’ll echo bogiesan’s sentiments. 18 months ago i was brand new to after effects. upon great recommendations i bought the meyer’s books and procured total training for AE 6 (i have 6.5 pro). i also bought “AE On the Spot” in order to teach myself.

AE manual, Total Training, On The Spot, deconstructing online reels; the main method i’ve been learning from. as a beginner, i got nothing out of the meyer’s books. i’m still a beginner but now i can create camera and light moves on animations and to be honest, those meyer’s books didn’t help with my self-education. talented folks and authors to be sure but as a beginner to a beginner, i would not recommend them…yet.

[Erik Pontius]

I was a bit turned off by the AE 5.5 CIB. Long ago I went throught the CIB for AE 5.5, and found that I got to theend of the book and really hadn’t learned anything. It had a habit of telling you to do things and not telling you why to do them. The structure of the book was bad in that it attempted to teach you AE by building one project.
The Meyer’s books were better since they were structured to teach you individual parts of AE by text discussion (the why) and step-by-step instructions (the how).

I’m glad to hear that the AE 7 CIB has changed.

e.