Rating: 
Summary: Don't ask any more questions . . . just buy this book!!
Review: If any book qualifies as the After Effects bible, it most certainly should be this one! Need inspiration for a certain project? Want to know the ins and outs of how to do something? Do you have trouble visualizing how this effect would affect a project? Trish & Chris are the masters of AE and they fully demonstrate that mastery here. The book even comes with a try-out version of AE4.1 and you can follow each example via a project file on the CD - and there are dozens of examples! To be sure, this is not a book for the beginner. Get Adobe's 'Classroom in a Book' for your version and learn your chops that way. But graduate straight to this book after learning the difference between a Bezier curve and a Randy Johnson curve. You won't regret it. This book never leaves my project table - except when I take it to lunch to find another pearl of wisdom over my bagel sandwich.
Rating:
Summary: The Very BEST!
Review: I purchased AE and this book at the same time. I had to create motion graphics for a new television program our company is now producing. We learned from scratch and produced shows that are now airing on satellite TV! I could not have done it without this book. The instructions are very well written and I have succeeded in creating each and every project. The book has helped me create the graphics needed for our shows by giving me great samples and instruction that, as a beginner - I could understand easily. I should also state that my indepth knowledge of Photoshop was a definite advantage. I simply cannot wait for the sequel due in August and have already pre-ordered it. The CD-ROM included has been invaluable as well. I highly recommend this book for anyone new to AE.
Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny. I can't say enough good about this book.
Review: Do not waste any more time with lame rehashes of the tutorials that ship with AE. Get this book. It takes you from beginner to near expert. It has as little or as much info as you want/can handle. It works way better than the Total AE Tapes, too.... It may be cool to see someone actually do the tutorials with you but it's hard to use a VHS tape as a point of reference (that and the authors of this book actually have egos that they seem to be capable of holding in check, unlike the aforementioned tapes). In short this is a great book for learning and reference. And the CD that it comes with is actually useful! It has what amounts to another entire book, as well as several free (NOT demo) plug ins. Not too shaby. They even address the differences in Mac and PC versions! If only all computer instruction books could be this useful. I'm anxiously awaiting their book on AE 5.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best textbooks ever written.
Review: With out a doubt in my mind, this is one of the best textbooks written in any field. The Meyers take the complicated structure of AE and break it down in to clear steps with excellent real world examples. They put everything in to an easy to understand context and they have a knack for explaining things well. And unlike a lot of graphics program books which are written by good technical writers who have no artistic ability (say, Deke McClelland), the Meyers have artistic insight and can give tips not only on how operate AE but on how to use it to make good looking graphics. The tutorials are fabulous. They feature a project pre-set for you to work on and the finished project to compare to, not just a movie of what your work should look like. The cd comes with a great collection of free plug-ins not available elsewhere and a demo of the program its self. Compared to the $600-1400 price of AE, this is one great deal. If only there was a book this good for Lightwave...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent achievement.
Review: A truly an excellent achievement. At long last, a book that does not insult the reader's intelligence by spoonfeeding her step-by-step instructions to completely useless projects. Every single line of text, and every one of the numerous (read: hundreds) of examples comes straight out of real life -- and you better believe it, for the Meyers have been at it for years (check out their excellent work on "The Talented Mr. Rilpey"). And if that is not enough, consider that all this is packed into a full-color, well-bound, highly readable tome written fluently and concisely. The accompanying CD alone -- absolutely packed with goodies -- is worth more than the cover price. I've read some of the other reviews and have to say I disagree with most of the criticism. For one thing, I do not believe this book is too busy. At first glance, I was blown away by the efficient layout, packed to the brim with useful information and cool shortcuts. Browse through the text to get a general idea about what is being said and then go for a second more thorough read to get down the techniques described. Yes, the writing is that intuitive. As for the fact that the projects are only compatible with AE 4.1, the demo version supplied was more than enough. After all, only the save and render options are disabled! I simply follow the book and sample projects with 4.1 demo, and then load up my AE 4.0 (full version) to do some fiddling of my own. After all, computer software guides do have to keep up with the times, and the Meyers do that admirably and honestly, without suckering the readers. In fact, I think word for word, dollar for dollar, this book is fantastic value for money both as a tutorial and and comprehensive reference. This is a must buy. Now, if only there were a similar guide to Premiere. How about it, Trish and Chris?
Rating: 
Summary: Not really my favorite
Review: I bought this book along with Rod Harlan's Studio Techniques. Both use completely different styles of teaching techniques. The thing I didn't like about this book is that all the actual step-by-step tutorials are on the CD, NOT in the book. Also, I found the book pages way to cluttered. It looks like they threw as much material as they could at every chapter, without clearly showing how it all works together. I like WHITE SPACE! It makes it much easier to follow along.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpppppp!
Review: I have purchased this book twice, only to have to return it twice because of a defective CD. What is going on? I would love to dig into this book and start learning but either a portion of the software is inoperable (the image browser) on the first one or the entire disk is not being recognized (my second purchase). It was as if the disk never was burned. My Mac asked me if I wanted to format the CD! All I can say is --GET SOME QUALITY CONTROL measures in place. Regards, Jim Sewell
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Summary: Best single resource on After Effects outside the manuals
Review: I agree with the following points already made: 1 - This is probably the best overall, in-depth treatise on *REAL WORLD* After Effects out there. The authors went to great pains to provide their insight and benefit of their long-time professional experience and intentionally NOT rehash the manuals. Adobe documentation, manuals and online combined, are really very good for the mechanics -- Chris and Trish take you beyond that. 2 - Start with the manuals -- yeh, read at least the basic chapters before moving on. I did the Classroom in a Book second. 3 - If you are interested in the 3D and higher end video/film side of the production world, take a look at Doug Kelly's book. Rather LightWave/Digital Fusion-centric, but plenty to chew on regardless. 4 - If you're really serious about compositing as a career, take a look at Ron Brinkmann's book. All of these provide footage you've gotta have to get the idea. I thought all of these were easily worth their cost.
Rating:
Summary: Took me from novice to advanced user
Review: This is one of the best technical "how-to" books I've ever read. It is a well written and comprehensive study of the program. Trish and Chris left no stone unturned. The color screenshots and diagrams were a big help, as was the CD which came loaded with extras. I went from a complete novice to a fairly advanced user in a matter of a few week
Rating: 
Summary: Not a book for novice!
Review: If you just start to learn AE, don't ever think to buy this book first, this may an excellent book for some one who already know about AE...So buy this book as a "improve".
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