After Effects - Advanced Menus

[jacobjef]

Has anyone written a guide on the use of Adobe After Effects? Great software (and complex as he!!) to use when making your own menus.

[TRILIGHT]

I've not seen one anywhere, Jacob. Myself or someone else might write one someday. Right now, I simply don't have the extra time to do so. Besides, when it gets into things of that nature, it has a lot more to do with understanding the software (comes from the manual, other books, and practice), the particular project being done (no one knows about your original project but you), and your own creativity (and no one can help you with that one!). Attempting to write an all inclusive guide as with some of the others here on the site, would be rather difficult to do.

[Arky]

As Trilight said, jacobjef, After Effects is so flexible that it would be difficult to make a comprehensive guide. When MikeAtHome and Myself originally posted our methods with Premiere and Edit DV/Cinestream (see the sticky at the top of the Advanced DVD forum) for basic Picture-In-Picture for animated motion menu backgrounds, I asked at the time if anyone would be interested in me taking the time to write an After Effects version of the guide. NOone - and I mean not one single person, ever took me up on the offer and so I never bothered. I am no After Effects master, but I do tend to use it whenever I need a top-quality PIP background. I don't use Cinestream anymore, and I personally don't like Premire. It's not that I often need anything particularly complex - it's just the pristine animation quality which After Effects will produce that sways my decision towards the software. If you want to create a standard PIP in After Effects then I will happily oblige with a mini-tut, but I'm afraid it won't be exhaustively detailed, because when I offered that tut, all that time ago, I was at uni and had the time to spare. Nowadays, however, I work full time and have other projects outside work to do at the moment as well!

Let me know what you wish to achieve.


Arky ;o)

[Arky]

mini-tut done :)

At the present time, it is simply for a basic multiple PIP, but the render quality is nevertheless superior to Premiere, so it's worth taking the time, if you can find the inclination.

PM me if you need it. (1.8megs, I'm afraid! :( )

Sadly, Yahoo Briefcase no longer allows public file sharing unless you subscribe.


Arky ;o)

[Arky]

Actually, I'm going to copy this thread over to the Advanced DVD Authoring section, since it is more appropriate there. I have now locked this instance of the thread and will delete it in a day or so. Please see the copy in Advanced section if you wish to post further comments! :)


Arky ;o)