After Effects 5.5

Adobe After Effects is the popular 2D/3D compositing and effects tool that offers tight integration with other Adobe imaging and video products, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premier. Multiple common tools, such as the Pen tool, rules and guides, and editing tools exist and work similarly in each of the products; and After Effects, like LiveMotion and Premier, utilizes a similar timeline-based interface. Further, After Effects allows for the direct import of files created in Premier, Illustrator, and Photoshop, including the preservation of layers, vector masks, layer effects, etc.

After Effects provides tools for the addition of both 2D and 3D effects and animations to imaging projects, with the ability to animate each layer in 2D or 3D mode independently. When working in 3D mode, multiple lighting, camera, and shadow parameters can be manipulated, and objects can be animated according to z-position or xyz-rotation. Other key editing features include extensive masking capabilities (up to 127 masks can be applied per layer); motion controls allowing for the animation of any layer attribute as well as the ability to apply "motion blur" to moved objects; and RAM Preview allowing the designer to view the work in progress without having to wait for a full rendering.

A key feature introduced with version 5 of After Effects is the ability to output Web supported file formats, including both Macromedia Flash and QuickTime. Additionally, embedded, clickable Web references can be added to animations through After Effects' ability to associate a URL with a layer marker. The latest version, version 5.5, adds a 3rd party plug-in architecture allowing independent developers to offer new tools and capabilities for the platform; support for RealMedia output; and native support for both Mac OS X and Windows XP. The new version is also optimized for Pentium IV processors.

Adobe After Effects is available now in two flavors. The Standard Edition, with the core 2D and 3D toolset, carries an estimated street price of $649, while the Production Bundle version, which adds multiple professional level capabilities such as 16-bit per channel color, vector paint tools, and network movie rendering (among others) runs for $1,499.