Rating: 
Summary: Lacks variety in content
Review: Disappointed with this text because of the single project through which this publication teaches After Effects. Compared to previous AE: Classroom in a Book books (earlier versions of After Effects) in which multiple creative projects unfolded as the learner used the tools, After Effects 5.0 teaches the program through one long project. The authors clearly guide the learner through important aspects of After Effects. However, if you are seeking a learn-and-do book that exposes you to a range of creative uses for After Effects, this book may be a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed - It's Not the Fastest or Easiest way to learn
Review: First of all, ignore the "Editorial Reviews from the back cover"- those comments may have applied to the Classroom in a Book for After FX Version 3 & 4, but certainly not Version 5. There is only ONE project in this book - each chapter is just one piece of the overall final project, NOT "each chapter contains a specific project" as the Editorial Review claims. The project itself is a very nice, very hip (a la MTV) 18 second Adobe Ad. 'Belief' (the design studio who came up with the project) did a GREAT job on it. The problem with this book is that it focuses heavily on the "razzle-dazzle" of After FX and not the basics of learning the software. For example, in one of the chapters, you import Motion Control Camera Data (vital to the project), which is nifty allright, but then the book explains in a sidebar that "it should not be attempted by the inexperienced..". Isn't that what this book is supposed to do - TEACH the inexperienced?. Do YOU have access to a Motion Control Camera? Yeah, me neither. For those who are already intermediate/advanced After FX users, this book may help you some. Not enough of the the new features in AE Version 5 were covered. I would have liked to see more instruction and explanation regarding 3D Layer interaction, expressions, motion tracking/stablizing (not just importing from some data file) heck- even some keying would have been welcome. The books method is too often "step one click this, step two click that.." and fails to really explain what is going on within the software and within the project. A few color illustrations wouldn't hurt either. After FX is one of the COOLEST software programs ever written. After FX 5 is a GREAT Upgrade. It needs a better Classroom in a Book for beginners wanting to learn After FX magic from square one, with shorter projects (and more than ONE project) covering the basics. It took me three days to work through the project, which if you follow the instructions is done at D1 quality (720X540 pixels), so expect some pretty serious rendering time, and you'll need LOTS of disk drive space and RAM!
Rating: 
Summary: Careful, complete introduction
Review: Having written training material myself, I know how difficult it is to write for every contingency, considering everything a novice might do wrong. The authors of this book have done a great job at presenting instructions clearly and completely, so that even an absolute newbie at After Effects like myself can follow every lesson. Various checkpoints allow you to verify that you are on the right track. The lessons are very clear and easy to follow, and I appreciate the continuity in presenting an entire project throughout the book, so that I feel I am really accomplishing something. After just a few lessons, I feel that I am grasping what After Effects is all about.In general, these series of books are a great way to get hands-on experience with highly technical products, and I recommend them enthusiastically.
Rating: 
Summary: after effects 5.0
Review: i have read all the other reviews. interesting points made by all who have taken the time to review. this is the 1st book i used to learn A.E. i had NO A.E. experiance and was out to expanding on my adobe premiere knowledge. so basicly i was coming in blind folded. for the first 3 chapters i agree with that one review, "they should have called the book, freaking out in a book!" after the 3rd chapter things started becoming more clear. at first it seems that all your doing is clicking, right clicking and you don't really understand why your doing it? your basicly doing so just because the book said so. i wanted to learn after effects to enhance my DV work. wanted to create motion graphics in my videos. if your absolutely new to after effects i would recomend this book to get you started. at the end of the book i was very comforatable in moving around in the program. i knew where everything was and what they did. i truly beleive those who really want to learn this complex program, "WILL" learn it. again, the beginning was frustrating BUT after about the 3rd chapter i started enjoying it. biggest thing is just to stick with it. read it, if you dont understand something, read it again until it sticks. after your done this book and can move around fairly well in the program. i would THEN recomend trish and chris meyer's after effects book (creating motion graphics). after completing BOTH books you will be well on your way. i ONLY rated this book 3 stars because the purpose of the book is to teach new comers how to use the software. at some points i found the book wondering off in to complex projects. EX: using motion cameras etc........ most beginners do NOT use motion cameras. you have to learn to crawl before you can walk! all in all the book is an EXCELLENT way to get started. i do, however, feel that after completing the book a person must continue with their studies to fully understand after effects. there is just so much to know and do, classroom in a book does NOT cover everything. hope the review helps someone!
Rating: 
Summary: a good teaser
Review: I just finished this book's tutorials. I really learned a lot but got confused a few times and I had to keep a very good track of the many steps involved. I didn't know sometimes what I was working on and toward the end of the project I felt like I was putting pieces together blindfolded. This is maybe due to the huge size of the overall project. I had to make sure I didn't miss any step and I spent maybe too much time cheking my work's progress. Except for that I learn a great deal, my knowledge of AE was very basic and I got a peek at a great deal of useful features. This is not a referance book and as they say "refer to the Adobe online help for more informations". It gave me a good grasp of what AE can do, and helped me a right away simplifying production and solving problems with my work.
Rating:
Summary: AE Freakshow
Review: The authors of After Effects Classroom in a book edition 5.5. unfortunately have lost themselves in showing some nice stuff AE5 is capable of. Doing so they have forgotten about the principal goal of the book, teaching peopple how to use AE5. In comparisson to CIB 3.1 the new book is very meager in really explaning what is done every step. They simply tell you the steps, yes, but they don't help in understanding them all. Freaking in a Book would be a good alternative title.
Rating:
Summary: AE Freakshow
Review: The authors of After Effects Classroom in a book edition 5.5. unfortunately have lost themselves in showing some nice stuff AE5 is capable of. Doing so they have forgotten about the principal goal of the book, teaching peopple how to use AE5. In comparisson to CIB 3.1 the new book is very meager in really explaning what is done every step. They simply tell you the steps, yes, but they don't help in understanding them all. Freaking in a Book would be a good alternative title.
Rating:
Summary: Great Starter....
Review: There are some valid observations made by the other reviewers. I am new to After Effects, and started by buying the Visual Quick Pro Guide for 5.0. I soon realized that After Effects is a deep, complicated program, with little in common with Adobe Premiere. I didn't find the Quick Pro book at all helpful in getting started, though I am sure it will be a great reference book later. The Class Room in a book will get you going using After Effects right away. I guess you have to ask yourself how do you learn best? Buy reading a 600 page text cover to cover and then sitting down and hoping you can use the program, or by getting started on a practice project right this instant. I prefer the latter, hands-on method, and that is exactly what Classroom in a Book offers. I disagree with the comment that its only one project. It's many little projects that get combined into one large one, but the individual projects are useful to themselves. Ever wonder how to make a lens flare fade up and then down while moving across the screen? You'll find out in lesson 2, and believe me, its a useful thing to know. I think the book is great for what its purpose is, to get you using the program right away. I WOULD reccomend it as a first book, but you will need something more comprehensive later, like the Quick Pro Guide. Like the author states "Don't learn how to drive from A to Z, learn how to navigate". This book will get you driving right away, and when you're finished, you'll have a much better idea of where you want to go and how you'll get there with After Effects.
Rating:
Summary: Great Starter....
Review: There are some valid observations made by the other reviewers. I am new to After Effects, and started by buying the Visual Quick Pro Guide for 5.0. I soon realized that After Effects is a deep, complicated program, with little in common with Adobe Premiere. I didn't find the Quick Pro book at all helpful in getting started, though I am sure it will be a great reference book later. The Class Room in a book will get you going using After Effects right away. I guess you have to ask yourself how do you learn best? Buy reading a 600 page text cover to cover and then sitting down and hoping you can use the program, or by getting started on a practice project right this instant. I prefer the latter, hands-on method, and that is exactly what Classroom in a Book offers. I disagree with the comment that its only one project. It's many little projects that get combined into one large one, but the individual projects are useful to themselves. Ever wonder how to make a lens flare fade up and then down while moving across the screen? You'll find out in lesson 2, and believe me, its a useful thing to know. I think the book is great for what its purpose is, to get you using the program right away. I WOULD reccomend it as a first book, but you will need something more comprehensive later, like the Quick Pro Guide. Like the author states "Don't learn how to drive from A to Z, learn how to navigate". This book will get you driving right away, and when you're finished, you'll have a much better idea of where you want to go and how you'll get there with After Effects.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is a great ADDITION to the growing library of After Effects books .. but may not be the first book you should buy if you're just learning AE -- ... However, I thought this was a great book. It's a "real-world" type of project .. one that you can take the skills learned here and transfer them to your own projects. It took me a day-and-a-half to get through the book .. so it's a pretty quick read (although undoubtedly longer if you're new to AE). The design firm "Belief" wrote the book and take you step-by-step through one big project, breaking it down into pieces along the way. I for one, loved the way the book was set-up. However (and thus the reason for 4-stars and not 5), this book may not be very beginner friendly. No arguments there. And it does skip a few things (most notably Particle Playground). But it offers some subtle details lacking in other books .. and it's those details that can make a good design a great design. Plus, this is a great opportunity to see how a top-notch design facility works on a project. Very cool. If you're looking to take the next step in you AE skills, this is a definite "must-buy!" If you're only buying one AE book maybe not, but if you're serious about your craft, you need this book.
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