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After Effects CS4 ACE 3 Days

This course covers the requirements necessary to successfully become an Adobe Certified Expert in After Effects CS4. The exam is sat as part of the course and can be taken at the end of the course tuition or at a later date. The official workbook from Adobe systems is included.

Full Course Outline

1 Getting to know the workflow

Getting started
Creating a project and importing footage
Creating a composition and arranging layers     
Adding eff ects and modifying layer properties                             
Animating the composition                                                                 
Previewing your work                                                                            
Optimizing performance in After Effects                                         
Rendering and exporting your composition                                
Customizing the workspace                                                                
Controlling the brightness of the user interface                           
Finding resources for using After Eff ects                                         
Checking for updates                                                                             
Review questions and answers                                                          

2 CREATING A BASiC ANIMATION USING AFTER EFFECTS AND PRESETS
Lesson overview                                                                                   
Getting started                                                                                     
Importing footage using Adobe Bridge                                        
Creating the composition                                                                   
Working with imported Illustrator layers                                     
Applying eff ects to a layer                                                                     
Applying an animation preset                                                           
Previewing the eff ects                                                                           
Adding transparency                                                                            
Rendering the composition                                                                 
Review questions and answers 
                                                        
3 ANIMATING TEXT
Lesson overview                                                                      
Getting started                                                                                     
About text layers                                                                                      
Creating and formatting point text                                                   
Using a text animation preset                                                        
Animating with scale keyframes                                                      
Animating using parenting                                                                   
Animating imported Photoshop text                                            
Animating text using a path animation preset                             
Animating type tracking                                                                 
Animating text opacity                                                                     
Using a text animator group                                                             
Cleaning up the path animation                                                       
Animating a nontext layer along a motion path                         
Adding motion blur                                                                                 
Exporting to Adobe Flash CS4 Professional                                   
Review questions and answers 
                                                        
4 WORKING WITH SHAPE LAYERS
Lesson overview                                                                                       
Getting started                                                                                         
Adding a shape layer                                                                               
Creating custom shapes                                                                     
Creating stars                                                                                          
Incorporating video and audio layers                                          
Applying a Cartoon eff ect                                                                 
Adding a title bar                                                                                  
Using Brainstorm to experiment                                                      
Review questions and answers   
                                                   
5 ANIMATING A MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION
Lesson overview                                                                                   
Getting started                                                                                      
Animating the scenery using parenting                                         
Adjusting an anchor point                                                                 
Masking video using vector shapes                                                
Keyframing a motion path                                                                
Animating additional elements                                                        
Applying an eff ect                                                                                
Creating an animated slide show                                                     
Adding an audio track                                                                        
Zooming in for a fi nal close-up                                                       
Sending the project to reviewers                                                    
Review questions and answers 
                                                     
6 ANIMATING LAYERS
Lesson overview                                                                                    
Getting started                                                                                     
Simulating lighting changes                                                            
Duplicating an animation using the pick whip                          
Animating movement in the scenery                                            
Adjusting the layers and creating a track matte                        
Animating the shadows                                                                       
Adding a lens fl are eff ect                                                                    
Animating the clock                                                                             
Retiming the composition                                                                
Review questions and answers 
                                                     
7 WORKING WITH MASKS
Lesson overview                                                                                  
About masks                                                                                          
Getting started                                                                                      
Creating a mask with the Pen tool                                                  
Editing a mask                                                                                        
Feathering the edges of a mask                                                      
Replacing the content of the mask                                                
Adding a refl ection                                                                              
Creating a vignette                                                                               
Adjusting the color                                                                              
Review questions and answers
                                                        
8 DiSTORTinG OBJECTS WITH THE PUPPET TOOLS
Lesson overview                                                                                    
Getting started                                                                                      
About the Puppet tools                                                                       
Adding Deform pins                                                                            
Defi ning areas of overlap                                                                 
Stiff ening an area                                                                                  
Animating pin positions                                                                      
Recording animation                                                                          
Review questions and answers 
                                                     
9 KEYING
Lesson overview                                                                                
About keying                                                                                          
Getting started                                                                                     
Creating compositions in Device Central                                       
Changing the background color                                                      
Adding the foreground subject                                                       
Using garbage masks                                                                          
Applying the Color Diff erence Key eff ect                                      
Choking the matte                                                                               
Removing spill                                                                                        
Adjusting contrast                                                                               
Adding the background animation                                              
Adding text                                                                                               
Preparing the composition for mobile devices                           
Review questions and answers    
                                                  
10 PERFORMING COLOR CORRECTION
Lesson overview                                                                                    
Getting started                                                                                     
Adjusting color balance                                                                       
Replacing the background                                                                
Removing unwanted elements                                                         
Correcting a range of colors                                                              
Warming colors with the Photo Filter eff ect                                
Review questions and answers      
                                               
11 BUILDING 3D OBJECTS
Lesson overview                                                                                    
Getting started                                                                                      
Building a 3D object                                                                            
Working with a null object                                                                
Working with 3D text                                                                          
Creating a backdrop for 3D animation                                          
Nesting a 3D composition                                                                  
Adding a camera                                                                                    
Completing the scene                                                                         
Review questions and answers 
                                                      
12 USING 3D FEATURES
Lesson overview                                                                                    
Getting started                                                                                     
Animating 3D objects                                                                       
Adding refl ections to 3D objects                                                   
Animating a camera                                                                            
Adjusting layer timing                                                                        
Using 3D lights                                                                                   
Adding eff ects                                                                                      
Adding motion blur                                                                              
Previewing the entire animation                                                   
Review questions and answers
                                                     
13 ADVANCED EDITING TECHNIQUES
Lesson overview                                                                               
Getting started                                                                                   
Using motion stabilization                                                              
Using single-point motion tracking                                          
Using multipoint tracking                                                            
Creating a particle system                                                                
Retiming playback using the Timewarp eff ect                            
Review questions and answers 
                                                     
14 RENDERING AND OUTPUTTING
Lesson overview                                                                                  
Getting started                                                                                      
Creating templates for the rendering process                             
Creating templates for output modules                                       
Exporting to different output media                                              
Review questions and answers 

Sample Exam                                                     

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