After Effects Takes to the Web
By Clayton Crooks
Adobe After Effects 5.0 is a post-production tool that provides compositing, 2D animation, and visual effects for broadcast-quality output in various media. Like most long-lasting products, After Effects continues to evolve. It's used in various capacities, ranging from special effects work on television programs and motion pictures to creating simple animations. After Effects 5.0 builds on the previous version with new Web features, including JavaScript expressions and additional output options.
As with previous releases, After Effects 5.0 is available in two versions, a standard version and a production bundle. The standard version provides the basic 2D and 3D compositing and effects tools that motion-graphics professionals and Web designers need. The production bundle, marketed towards high-end special effects users, offers all of the standard features plus several modules that enhance or expand existing controls. These additional features provide motion control, distortion tools, audio effects, 3D channel effects, 16-bit-per-channel color, vector paint tools, and support for network rendering.
Integration among the many products it offers is usually a priority for Adobe. Previous versions of After Effects lets users import Photoshop documents, but these basic features have been expanded. For example, when an imported Photoshop image uses 16-bit color, all color information is preserved.
