Professional video artists rely on Adobe After Effects to generate complex overlays, 2D keyframed animations, and special effects that combine live footage with computer-generated imagery. The enhancements in Version 4.0 ($3295, Production Bundle) make the program exponentially more powerful.
Integration with other Adobe products is a prime objective for After Effects 4.0. Users of Illustrator or Photoshop will find the new tabbed palettes familiar. And After Effects has a better understanding of its siblings' file formats, allowing you to import multilayer compositions from Illustrator, Photoshop, or Premiere.
After Effects will even maintain adjustment and effects layers in a Photoshop file. A Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, for example, can be modified and animated by changing the associated values or adding masks. We were very impressed with the new adjustment layers that can becreatedinternally, because they aren't limited to image-enhancement functions.
As a high-end compositing program, After Effects has always offered masking. But in Version 4.0, each layer in a composition can contain up to 128 vector-based masks. Paths can be imported from either Illustrator or Photoshop or can be created using the enhanced Bezier tool (which functions identically to the one in Photoshop). You can achieve some spectacular effects with masks, thanks to the abilities to animate their shapes and to determine how multiple masks interact.
Like earlier versions of After Effects, Version 4.0 clearly distinguishes between two target markets: motion graphics designers and special effects artists. With the addition of guides, grids, and an align/distribute plug-in, the Standard Version provides tools that graphics designers need for precise 2D placement.
The Production Bundle adds several powerful transformation effects, such as Bezier Warp, Mesh, and Reshape, which distort images using vector control objects. We were blown away by the new Particle Playground (found only in the Production Bundle), where parameters such as frequency, velocity, and gravity let designers generate complex natural phenomenon like rain or explosions.
After Effects puts a unique spin on particle generation by allowing you to substitute type or source footage for a computer-generated particle. For example, instead of a series of dots travelling across the screen, you can quickly animate a herd of elephants, where the placement and foot position of each animal appears to be random.
After Effects 4.0 delivers what professional artists wantââ,¬"tools that make them more productive, leaving them free to be more creative.
Adobe After Effects 4.0, Production Bundle.
Price: $3295 upgrade, $495 (standard version $1495; upgrade $495).
Requires: 32MB RAM for Windows 98, 64MB RAM for NT; 80MB hard disk space,Windows 98 or NT 4.0 or later.
Adobe Systems;
Ph: 1800 065 628;
Fax: 02 9418 8489;
www.pacific.adobe.com.
