Others say...

"Simply Great"
Starting from the very basics this amazing book will teach you every great stuff you need to know in order to make better graphics. I just loved it ! :-)

"detailed and helpful."
this is a helpful and very specific book that after learning the basics and intermediate tutorials that are found everywhere on the net, should provide the basis for using after effects for compositing and a plethora of other detailed tasks. it seems there is very little after effects cannot do, though not necessarily conveniently so. The author lays out his case with examples and opinions and has a patient steady hand in doing so.

It's not the authors fault that theres just no 'bullet point' way to do this - its all details, and this book does a great job in trying to 'boil it down' for you.

bottom line - if you want to composite with after effects and go beyond motion graphics - this book will show you how.

A great book for an incredible software tool. I was going to rate 4 out of 5 due to some sections that could be more simple/concise and convey the same message - but realized that would be nit-packing an overall great workbook.

Thanks Mark! Very helpful book indeed, I'll take a long time to digest it. And thanks for being inclusive of PC users in a mac-heavy industry (I'm not cool enough for a fruit-themed workflow).

Cheers.

"THE book on After Effects"
In spite of the fact that Mark grew up in an orphanage and his Evil Twin looks like a wild man, I like his work a lot! :) This book is a full-on treasure. I buy and read a great many books of this type on several topics, and I tell you, you cannot find a book this good, anywhere. Each chapter is absolutely loaded with exactly the kind of info you need, and the kind that Adobe does not provide. Mark approaches the material from the standpoint of best practices, and that is what you need. In some ways this book might even be better than if you could apprentice under Mark. If you want to be a professional compositor, this is THE book.

Mark's understanding encompasses a full range of possible tools, so if the best way to accomplish a particular task involves a 3rd party plugin, he will tell you. Basically, if you have learned the basics of AE, and you want to learn how professional compositing is done by people who know their trade, this is the book for you. Mark hits nearly all of the important points and addresses numerous issues that actually occur in real effects work. His use of screenshots to illustrate is excellent, but mostly it's his coaching that stands out. He knows what you will run into, he knows what will likely cause you to stumble, and he knows AE better than most professional compositors. Each chapter is precious. I have never read a technical book that I would rank above this one. I don't have a higher rating than what this book earns. I only wish more authors of technical books would come somewhere near this level of quality.

"Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional Studio Techniques is a MUST HAVE!"
After Effects CS3 Professional Studio Techniques came in the post today from Amazon.com. I've already read it. It's incredible and is blowing my mind. It's for a somewhat more advanced level of After Effects user, but someone who is just getting started should be able to understand it easily. The first couple of chapters explain the interface in great detail. If you're moving from something like Apple Shake, or another compositing program over to AE, this book will certainly help.

The gentleman who wrote it was a compositor on "Pirates of the Carribean" and "The Day After Tomorrow" (God, I love that film) and works for The Orphanage (the same company that developed the Magic Bullet plug-in sold by RedGiant Software [I recommended that plug-in highly]). It has a wealth of info on just about every required standard plug-in in the After Effects interface, and a few that aren't standard. If you've ever wanted to know everything "Levels" does or how to read it's Histogram properly, or if you wanted to know how to draw color curves accurately and properly (something that I've never had the hang of before and I'm sure many of you realize can go devastatingly array), then this is your book!

Probably one of the neatest things is that it explains (in detail) the nature of the transfer modes and exactly what they do, something I'd never really seen done before.

The most important thing in the book is that it explains the 32 Bit HDR and Color Management for CS3. In fact, chapter 11 is completely dedicated to it. It also has a detailed chapter on just motion tracking techniques that is mind numbing! Some of the biggest topics it covers are Color Correction, Color Keying, and (the infamous) Rotoscoping/Paint. It also gives tips on how to speed up AE and how to properly use proxies, pre-renders, nest comps, etc.

I've never read anything that breaks down AE in this great of detail.

Also, it comes with a DVD with a ton of demo plug-ins, project files, and HD footage that covers the topics in the text.

Whether you're new to After Effects or a seasoned pro, you will certainly find something in this book that will make your compositing life a little easier. Highly recommended.

"Everything you ever wanted to know that Adobe would not tell you"
I have read 1/2 of this book straight through and referred to the rest as needed. I was a novice when I began. Now I can make a two-sided Euro fall down, hide blemishes, combine simple footage with gradients to create beautiful animated backgrounds and much more. The pages of this book are lush glossy and full color. Trish and Chris write succinctly and clearly about some very advanced concepts. The extensive sample projects on the DVD are well annotated and bring the concepts to life. A must buy for anyone using After Effects. Just when you are asking yourself...can I do this? They read you mind, and tell you in the next sentence.