Product Reviews

It's been three years since Adobe last upgraded After Effects; a long time considering the many developments in digital video in recent years. The long-awaited version 4.0 addresses many of the developments and adds new levels of functionality to what is one of the most complicated and powerful motion graphics applications available.

The first significant change is that there are two versions, each targeted at different users. The standard, and cheaper, version is aimed at designers who need to produce motion graphics for multimedia and the Web. It includes all of the core compositing, visual effects and 2D animation tools that you'd need for this form of work. The Production bundle version is aimed at motion graphics and visual effects professionals who typically use the program for very precise broadcast-quality work. It includes the core tools found in the Standard version plus a powerful set of tools that allow precise control over audio effects, motion control and keying - which most CD-ROM and Web multimedia-based work doesn't usually require.

One of the most significant changes to After Effects is the streamlined interface that corresponds to the rest of the Adobe range, including multiple undos, tabbed and contextual menus and remapped keyboard commands. The Project window resembles Premiere 5.0 and the Time Layout window is much easier to use. Using After Effects on a single screen was a nightmare, but tabbed windows are now available for all the main windows, making the program more logical to use

ADVERTISEMENT

and easier on a single screen.

After Effects now has better integration with Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere. It supports Illustrator's multiple layers and Photoshop adjustment layers import as independent layers inside After Effects. This opens up huge potential for effects because you can modify and animate adjustment layers, like Hue and Saturation, over time. After Effects will also import Photoshop 5.0 layer effects so drop shadows, embossing and bevels are all preserved, ready to be controlled independently.

Importing Premiere projects has also been improved: clips are imported as individual layers and arranged in sequence within the Time Layout window. Better still, After Effects now fully supports Premiere 5.0's audio-processing plug-ins which will greatly extend its audio capabilities through third-party developers.

After Effects' masking features have been significantly enhanced. Earlier versions of the program limited you to one mask per layer. Now you can create 128 open or closed masks on each layer using an updated Pen tool or Rectangle and Circle tools. You can also import masks from Illustrator or Photoshop. Masks can use layer operations like Add, Combine and Difference, which significantly enhance their creative use.

Falling in line with non-destructive layering control of Photoshop, After Effects includes Adjustment layers that allow you to experiment freely with the many special effects available. Other improvements include better text handling and an extensively rewritten playback engine with a new RAM Preview. New special effects in the Production bundle include complex meshing and warping effects and a very powerful Particle controller.

This upgrade is significant, timely and worth investing in as competitors have already made some of its enhancements and its predecessor was beginning to show its age. While it's still one of the most complex programs to learn, its interface and feature set are very appealing. Looking ahead, having a cheaper version of After Effects may extend its popularity and bring it more into mainstream use where it belongs.