Description:
After Effects 4 was a tremendous leap from the aging previous edition, and version 4.1 again raises the bar. Building on improvements made in 4--a faster render engine, a streamlined interface, real-time RAM preview, and multiple masks per layer--4.1 boasts it's own strong additions. Key features--such as saving RAM previews, composition, project-tree navigation windows, and even effects settings--make this version a solid package and a worthwhile upgrade. If you've watched any major cable network, a recent feature film, or a corporate presentation, you've probably seen After Effects at work. Used for layering, compositing, and animating of elements like video footage, Photoshop files, and Illustrator files, After Effects is the heart of motion graphics for video and multimedia. It can also be used for animation ("Bluue's Clues" is made using it) and special effects, and by mixing and matching the wide variety of effects and filters that are included, one can make an endless variety of backgrounds, visual effects, and animated textures. The biggest drawback to After Effects is the time it takes to render footage. This can vary from just a few minutes to hours and hours--even days--depending on the output resolution and the amount of layering and effects being calculated. In light of this, After Effects 4.1 now has an unlimited-license network render module. You can now have all available computers rendering away on the same job, churning out frames. The performance of this feature is dependent on the speed of the network--but we wouldn't try this on anything less than fast Ethernet (100baseT). After Effects remains a flexible and important tool for any animator or digital video artist, whether the method of delivery is video, film, the Web, or CD-ROM. --Mike Caputo
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