Adobe After Effects Overview
Adobe After Effects is a software application for creating video compositions, animations and special effects. It is very popular with video makers — almost an industry standard in the mid-professional level. Only productions with extremely high demands or large budgets would need anything more sophisticated. After Effects is perfectly capable of producing high-quality compositions for television programs, commercials and even feature films.
After Effects uses a similar general workflow as most video editing software: Each project includes a collection of media assets that are arranged in layers on a timeline.
Where After Effects differs from normal editors is that it is specifically designed for special effects. Although After Effects does let you perform most common editing tasks, its real purpose is to create advanced effects and composites rather than just cutting shots together. Typically, you would do the bulk of your editing work in an application such as Premiere Pro and use After Effects to work on smaller sections of the video that require advanced tools.
After Effects is a tool that requires imagination. If you are wondering "how to edit in After Effects" you are probably missing the point. After Effects is like a canvas and some paint — you decide what to do make with it.
Of course you do need to know some basics before you can create your masterpiece. See the links below for more information about how After Effects works, then experiment with the various features.
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