Adobe® After Effects® CS4
Course Specifications
Course number: 084688
Course length: 2.0 day(s)
Certification: Adobe® Certified Expert (ACE) program
Course Description
Course Objective: You will use Adobe® After Effects® to create 2D and 3D compositions.

Target Student: This course is intended for computer professionals interested in learning to work with video and graphics using Adobe After Effects CS4. The course is also for Adobe CS4 application suite users looking to expand their design skills.

Prerequisites: Before taking this course, students should be familiar with graphics applications, such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Students should also have experience in a video editing application, such as Adobe Premiere and other video editing applications. 
Hardware Requirements
•	Computer with 1.5 GHz or faster processor. 
•	2 GB of RAM installed. 
•	1.5 GB of available hard-disk space for installation, plus 8 GB free space for course data. 
•	CD-ROM drive. 
•	DVD-ROM drive. 
•	24-bit color display adapter. 
•	Sound card and speakers. 
•	OpenGL 2.0 compatible graphics card. 
Software Requirements
Each computer requires the following software:
•	Adobe® After Effects® CS4 
•	QuickTime 7.4.5 or latest 
•	Microsoft® Windows® XP 
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 
•	familiarize themselves with the Adobe After Effects environment and set up a project. 
•	work with a composition. 
•	create animations. 
•	use advanced animation techniques. 
•	create transparency. 
•	integrate Adobe After Effects with other applications. 
•	output video files. 
Course Content
Lesson 1: Getting Started with Adobe® After Effects® CS4 
Topic 1A: Customize the Interface 
Topic 1B: Initiate a Project 
Lesson 2: Working with a Composition
Topic 2A: Build a Basic Composition 
Topic 2B: Create a Nested Composition 
Topic 2C: Preview a Composition 
Topic 2D: Manipulate Layers 
Lesson 3: Creating Animations
Topic 3A: Create Shapes and Text 
Topic 3B: Animate Layers 
Topic 3C: Apply Effects 
Topic 3D: Apply Blending Modes 
Lesson 4: Using Advanced Animation Techniques
Topic 4A: Pre-Compose Layers 
Topic 4B: Use Expressions 
Topic 4C: Create Camera Views 
Topic 4D: Animate with Puppet Tools 
Lesson 5: Creating Transparency
Topic 5A: Track Transparency and Motion in Compositions 
Topic 5B: Create Masks 
Lesson 6: Integrating After Effects with Other Applications
Topic 6A: Use Adobe Bridge 
Topic 6B: Integrate After Effects with Photoshop 
Topic 6C: Integrate After Effects with Premiere Pro 
Lesson 7: Outputting Video Files
Topic 7A: Create Markers and Metadata 
Topic 7B: Render a Composition 
Topic 7C: Export an After Effects Project 
Appendix A: Effect Categories 
Appendix B: The Adobe® Certified Expert (ACE) Program