Training
Review:Total Training for Adobe
After Effects 7 Pro: Professional Features,
Pg. 2
Despite
all the great info on compositing and 3D work, I would
have liked to have seen a bit more depth on advanced titling,
as that segment was a little bit abbreviated. Additionally,
a bit more info on color matching non-composited shots
for film would have been useful, as the color correction
is limited mainly to compositing. All in all though, there
is a huge amount of info you will glean from this series.
Attention
Captivation
Due to the complexity of the information in this DVD,
the attention captivation was a real mixed bag. To begin
with, Steve Holmes has a very soothing British voice,
which can, at times, tend to make you drowsy during some
of his lecture segments. To show where these lulls pop
up, let's look at an overview of the training itself.
The
training opens up with some interesting ways to do a few
titles that also demonstrates some nice advanced features
in AE7 Pro. Soon after that, Steve plunges headlong
into 3D and 3D compositing within the program. Unfortunately,
he ends up going into rather lengthy explanations of 3D
theory and the mechanics of After Effects in dealing
with them. All of this information is necessary, but it
would have helped a lot if there was more show and less
tell in this segment, especially due to the aforementioned
soothing resonance to his voice. Because of the number
of more lecture-based segments in this area, it actually
took me about three times as long to get through things
here because I couldn't watch the training for as long
a period of time per session without getting bogged down.
When
you get to the second disc, which deals with keying, compositing,
color correcting, and rotoscoping, the interest level
ramps back up, as Steve's excitement level seems to increase
and there is a lot more show to go along with the tell.
(This does not mean there aren't a few lecture segments
here, but this side is much more lively.) I would probably
recommend that you start with the second disc and then
go to the first disc at the end, especially if you haven't
watched the Total Training After Effects Essentials
set prior to this.
Reusability
This set is very reusable, which is helpful if you need
to bring other editors up to speed on After Effects
7 Pro. Additionally, there's so much information that
you'll want to refresh yourself on, you'll probably find
yourself flashing back to helpful segments during future
projects. To make refreshing simple, Total Training has
their standard training interface, which includes easy
chapter surfing, memory of where you left off last, and
handy bookmark features.
Value
vs. Cost
Although $230 is a decent chunk of change, the amount
of information you will gain out of this is absolutely
huge! If you are planning on using 3D, green-screening
actors or sets, or rotoscoping new backgrounds and/or
fonts into your films, then this will be a very solid
investment for you to make!
Overall
Comment
While there are a few dry patches in this training, the
amount of information you can glean from it is intense
and will serve you and your future films well. If you
plan on using After Effects 7 Pro for complex effects,
this series is highly recommended.
Comprehension
8.0
Depth
of Information
9.0
Interest
Level
6.5
Reusability
9.0
Value
vs. Cost
8.0
Overall
Score
8.1
The
director of two feature length films and half a dozen short films,
Jeremy Hanke
founded Microfilmmaker Magazine to help all no-budget filmmakers make
better films. His first book on low-budget special effects techniques, GreenScreen Made Easy, (which he co-wrote with Michele Yamazaki) was released by MWP to very favorable reviews. He's curently working on the sci-fi film franchise, World of Depleted through Depleted: Day 419 and the feature film, Depleted.
