Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This is a book about THINKING in After Effects. It's one of the best software tutorials I've ever read because it is written from a production point of view. It's not a catalog of features and effects, nor is it a series of technical monographs grouped by functionality and interspersed with a few screencaps (*cough* after effects 5 bible *cough*). It's grouped by things you need to accomplish in production and written simply & clearly with copious full-color screen grabs. Sidebars handle technical detail, workarounds, and asides. What Trish and Chris are doing you is guiding you through work habits they've garnered in 10 years of working with this app in a relaxed, conversational way. Thumbs Up!Hint for reading this book: When you start each chapter, read all the sidebars and callouts first as a warmup, then go back and read everything.
Rating: 
Summary: I must have a different book
Review: This is absolutely the hardest tutorial I've ever followed. Instructions as long as sixteen lines long contains several steps, yet they're not numbered. What were the authors thinking? Have they not used instructional materials before? Obviously, they're new to writing them.
I have also also had the worst time trying to find the examples. I open up the Chapter 14 tutorial and get an After Effects warning: "23 files are missing since you last saved this project". Interesting, since I'd never opened the project. And then the tutorial doesn't work because the graphics are missing.
This book gets two stars for reference, but no stars for execution. The lack of numbered steps is totally unforgiveable (I thought this would be a training manual) and the disk with the missing files is unforgivable. I've yet to find a website for file download.
Buy whatever copy of the book everyone else has because mine (2nd Edition, Version 5.5) is awful.
Rating:
Summary: Very informative, especially for those new to AE.
Review: This is by far the greatest series of books on AE. This particualr book is geared towards the new AE user but there are still some really great tips for those that have been at it awhile. I read it cover to cover and really got a lot out of it.
Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: This is my second book for AE, i have the first edition and second edition now. It was a great book also. At first its a little more oriented for begginers but at least they show you how they have done some promos for some places. Now, if they do some effects to a movie, change its color, or just change anything.. they tell you why they wanted to change it. They give you a CD and the book is like an instruction booklet on how to use the CD, they give you instructions step by step on how to make the animation that they did. I recomend this book! I have been using AE for about a year and some months with this book I still have learned some new tricks. They also give you Free plug ins from various programs like Boris, Continuum etc.
Rating:
Summary: Home Run
Review: Trish and Chris Meyer have done it again. I have found that their books are consistently far superior compared to most AE tutorial books. First of all, for me, the most important thing about tutorial books is the CD and it's content. If the CD's content does not match the tutorial I want to through the book out my window and track down the editors. This book not only has a flawless, well-organized CD, the tutorials themselves are great! I have used AE for about two years now and I am still learning from Trish and Chris. Thanks for the great books keep um commin! Another great author is Angie Taylor check out her book Creative After Effects 5.0
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: When I purchased this book, I knew nothing about AE. I didn't even want to look at the program without a guide to follow. I've heard plenty of great things about the Meyers and bought both the CMG volumes. So far I'm only through the first chapter and I'm amazed at how easy their instructions are to follow. I realize that AE is a complicated software to use. But by slowly going through the tutorials, I'm getting a handle of the capabilities of the software and eventually get good enough to concentrate on the creative aspects of compositing. I haven't read any of the other AE books but these two are definitely MUST HAVES.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: When I purchased this book, I knew nothing about AE. I didn't even want to look at the program without a guide to follow. I've heard plenty of great things about the Meyers and bought both the CMG volumes. So far I'm only through the first chapter and I'm amazed at how easy their instructions are to follow. I realize that AE is a complicated software to use. But by slowly going through the tutorials, I'm getting a handle of the capabilities of the software and eventually get good enough to concentrate on the creative aspects of compositing. I haven't read any of the other AE books but these two are definitely MUST HAVES.
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