Is AE CS2 the same as AE 7.0?
 

Hi Folks

Title says it all - is After FX CS2 the same product as v7.0?

thanks!

/ben

There is no AE CS2 - so, yes, essentially, since AE CS3 is effectively version 8, version 7 would, in a sense be "CS2." However, if you're seeing some company marketing "AE CS2," well, they probably meant to say "AE 7."

making it official: There is no After Effects CS2.
 

I thought that it might help for someone from Adobe (me) to confirm that Eric is right.

After Effects 7.0 came out at approximately the same time as Adobe Creative Suite 2, and After Effects 8.0 got rebranded as After Effects CS3, so it's easy to understand why people get confused.

too good to miss
 

A man from Adobe, named after my favourite Bulgarian town Koprivishtitsa where Golden and Imperial Eagles fly overhead (& I try to film them).

Never mind, as an ancient student of Adobe I must not get excited ... firstly I'm a PC user.

My query is: What software (and training) like Adobe After Effects (very expensive) .... Will enable me to animate one still (of a raptor about to land, selected) on top of another still of a deep landscape with mountains in background and rocks in foreground. My purpose is to place the (selected) raptor at a distance and zoom it forward to the rocks in front (using the landscape as an unanimated background)?

If I thought you offered a course including the software with training, Todd, I would buy it fast. I have a lot of good raptor stills and raptor video clips with potential for simple (?) superimposed animation as described above. I use XM2 + Digital Rebel + Canon 100-400mm + Premiere Elements 4.0 + Photoshop Elements 2.0. I have little use for cartoon graphics, film techniques or audio. My raptor stills and clips mix OK on Elements 4.0 timeline but my Total Training DVDs for PPro 1.0 and 1.5 don't seem to address how to superimpose an animated still on top of another still. Where am I missing the boat or do I have to go for After Effects, even though I may use only 5% of it?

Animating and compositing still images: After Effects is good at this.
 

If I understand what you're trying to do, then this tutorial from Bob Donlon will be good to get you started:

http://blogs.adobe.com/bobddv/2006/0...ben_kurns.html

After Effects alone is adequate for cutting out pieces of still images and animating them relative to one another, but Photoshop makes that first step somewhat easier.

Also, if you wanted to move your raptor's wings a little, you might try the After Effects Puppet tools. Here's another tutorial from Bob that shows what I mean:

http://blogs.adobe.com/bobddv/2007/06/photo_2_life.html

The After Effects CS3 Help document on the Web is a good place to start for learning about After Effects. What isn't covered in the Help document itself is covered in documents and video tutorials linked to from it. Among the video tutorials are many from Adobe's Video Workshop and many from Aharon Rabinowitz and Andrew Kramer (videocopilot.net).

Regarding my name: It's Czech. It means "nettle".

This is a thoughtful contribution Todd, especially ""After Effects alone is adequate for cutting out pieces of still images and animating them relative to one another, but Photoshop makes that first step somewhat easier.""

There are some apparently conflicting claims on DVInfo ... I am confused when someone says he has Photoshop and After Effects and is looking forward to getting Cinema 4D for animation purposes. Thank you for nailing down the facts and identifying some possibilities of AE.

I have always felt that "the facts and the possibilities" are what we customers need to hear ... these are the advantages and benefits ... when Adobe concentrates its manuals and tutorials (even introductory tutorials) on technical data, this leaves the door wide open for other software developers to dress up their products and Adobe is left with a firm grip on the technical lingo while the customer goes where the language makes sense.

Anyway you have put me right, thank you sincerely. I have listened to a few videocopilot.net tutorials. I have a lot to learn and I do feel a little more confident knowing that there's an Adobe man in the house.

Kopriva, like other very old and almost universal words, is claimed by several countries with nettles. In India, a common word for eggs is pronounced "afaca", in Greek it's "avga", in the Irish language it's "ifaca". "Mil" for honey, is another multinational word. It's Ok; my compositing is so bad I'm just pretending to be a competent linguist; please ignore.

But don't go too far away. I suspect you have a wealth of guidance to offer DVInfo members and me for certain.

And just as you promised Todd, Bob Donlon is spot on to get me started.

Well done the editor and scriptwriter and narrator of that video.

I don't mind repeating myself when I think the service deserves more praise (in a commercial world where sub-standard is common) ...

... that link from Todd, has kept me focusing in on and learning exactly those aspects of AE that I know I will be using when I get it. 2 days I'm working that link despite a heavy dose of coughing and I swear my imagination is getting clearer. The writing is SO sharp and easy to follow. What a happy change from the language of the manuals. Well done Adobe. I trust the product AE will be as user-friendly as the mini-tutorials.

Shame on you Todd!
 

I'm suprised that an Adobe man would not instruct us to start at Adobe Bridge Home. Ha Ha, Just kidding, just glad to have a real Adobe man in the forum to explain the tough stuff. Great products!