Adobe After Effects 5.5 Book?
 

I need some advice and recommendations on a great book for Adobe After Effects 5.5 Production Bundle. Something that covers from high-beginner to expert level, and has a bunch of tutorials.

I'm basically a beginner with After Effects but I'm a quick learner. I mainly just want something in-depth where I can learn a ton of features. This software seems amazing to me with the things you can do.

Originally I was going to go with "Creating Motion Graphics with after Effects" by Trish Meyer and Chris Meyer. And also their companion book "After Effects in Production". These books look really good and I have heard some good comments about them. But I'm worried because "Creating Motion Graphics with after Effects" book was done with after effects 4.x version. The "After Effects in Production" book seems to cover effects 4.x and 5.0 version...some only from production bundle version.

Can these books still be used with 5.5 production bundle? Or should I go with a book specifically where 5.5 production bundle is used?

I appreciate any comments...thanks fellas!

The Meyers are *the* gurus for AE, but consider any of the Peachpit Press books as well: inexpensive and superb. See

http://www.peachpit.com/books/catalog/75469.html

and do a search for After Effects within this site... many excellent titles to be found.

I have AE 5.5 production bundle. Can I still follow the Meyers' books with this version?

Is there any issue with compatibility. I've never used earlier versions of AE.

Meaning...can the latest version do all the things that the older versions can do...exactly?

I don't think there's a book covering 5.5 specifically but I think the Meyers' book will be useful to you nevertheless.

Adobe after effects classroom in a book
 

Hello folks,
I did the Adobe after effects classroom in a book about 6 months ago and found it quite useful as an introduction to the majority of the basic features in after effects. Depending on how new you are to the program it may prove a useful resource.

I have AE 5 but this book is for 5.5...
 

Hi!
I have AE 5 but really want this book because it sounds great:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books
Do you think it will be OK that I have 5 and the book is 5.5? Or will I run into too many issues? Thanks!

I don't think it will matter. There aren't any significant changes in the way After Effects works between 5.0 and 5.5 for 98% of the material covered in the book. What will drive you much more crazy--if you use a PC--is that all the screenshots and shortcut keys are given for the Mac platform.

I bought this book several years ago and today I rarely ever pick it up. (I remember writing a less-than-stellar review on Amazon.com and author Trish Meyer e-mailed me in a huff, tizzy at me for not raving over her book!) It won't teach you anything the more ubiquitous Classroom in a Book won't teach you.

You will be just fine with this book, Scott. I have this book and can confirm that, as Robert noted, you won't be missing anything in 5.5.

Hi guys,
Thanks for the speedy replies. I have just one more question before I go and buy one of these books: do you think I would be better off buying "Classroom in a Book"? I was considering buying Classroom in a Book but then I switched over to the other one because most of the reviews on Amazon said that Classroom in a Book wasn't very beginner friendly, and I am definately a beginner in AE. Thanks!

Each person learns subjects in different ways, so I couldn't speculate which would be best for you.

Many people swear by the Adobe "Classroom in a Book" series. I've never thought they were that strong, emphasizing dance-steps rather than true understanding.

The Meyers' have become very big fish in the puddle of AE and have produced a 3-book set that's hard to beat in my view. To the (often problemmatic) extent that a book can be effective at providing understanding of a complex application like AE I think that the Meyers' have been successful.

I used to buy books like this until I came to recognize that I was amassing what would in short order become a library of expensive books about obsolete software.

Now when I want to learn some software I request the book from my local library. I have it in a few days, I can keep renewing it for a couple months until I've read it all, I'm not set down $30-$60 if I don't find the book useful, and best of all, I don't have it taunting me from my shelf the following year when "3D Studio Max R3" and "After Effects 4.1" don't sound so hot any more...

An excellent point and tip, Robert. I've actually vowed not to buy software-specific books any longer (except for very rare exceptions) for exactly that reason. Most such books have shelf lives comparable to loaves of bread and are little more than nearly plagiarized restatements of the product manuals featuring large print and thick leading to bloat the book's length.

I would, however, consider the Meyers' current AE books, particularly the 2nd edition of this book, such an exception. The general approach of the book reflects concepts and workflows in AE which have not significantly changed for years. The full-color illustrations alone are certainly worth a view.

Public library, eh? Not a bad idea!

What's new in the 2nd edition?

Since I only have the 1st, I can't really say with completeness. I've browsed the 2nd briefly and it appears that the majority of changes lie in the topics dealing with 3D.

Good book on AE
 

I was wondering which book I should get in terms of learning After Effects 6.0. I'm not very experienced with it at all, but I have access to it, so I might as well learn it. I understand some stuff about keyframes and things like that from Premiere, but thats pretty much the extent to which I understand AE.

I've seen the Classroom in a Book series by Adobe for sale, as well as a few others on AE. I don't know which are the best for what I'm looking for, which is teaching me the basics. Which would you recommend?

Or, should I opt for a DVD Tutorial? I'd imagine those are more expensive.