I used to think plug-ins were for people who could afford to buy creativity. Then I realized it
was for those who had creativity, but were burdened and held back by the process, or lack
of tools, for their creativity. After Effects plug-ins are not someone’s project files or templates
for you to copy, but rather tools for accentuating your existing talents. After Effects users are
artists, the host application being their scaffolding, and plug-ins being their palette of paints.
The artist, in the end, is the one that creates the masterpiece.
The world of video creation over all mediums has been a fast-evolving industry, especially
in the last decade, and After Effects has been at the cutting edge of it all. From movie
trailers, to music videos, commercials, and even my own wedding video, visual effects have
defined the modern “look” in video. This all stems from artists expressing themselves, and
never being satisfied with the current standard. This came clear to me the first time I met
Michele Yamazaki. Michele was running an After Effects portal called AEFreemart, which subsequently
became an affiliate partner of Toolfarm. I was just taking over Toolfarm after serving
several years in the industry working on video compression for plug-in companies. She called
me initially to inquire about some paperwork. Before I was able to find it, she quickly jumped
into exchanges such as, “Hey, didn’t you hear Trapcode came out with Starglow! How come it’s
not on your site?!” or, “You really need more video introductions to show off Boris Continuum
Complete, you really aren’t doing it justice with just text.” Each time she would call, she excitedly
taught me more about my own business, and the real reason After Effects users became
customers of plug-ins. It was, of course, not a hard decision to ask her to join Toolfarm.
Take your After Effects projects to the next level by mastering its third-party plug-ins. Whether it's keying and compositing, adding particles of swirling smoke to a composition, or importing XML files from Final Cut Pro, third-party plug-ins can greatly enhance your After Effects capabilities. From sexy effects and graphics enhancements to workflow automation and file conversion, it's all covered in this lavishly illustrated, full-color book. Coverage of hundreds of essential third-party plug-ins is provided, showing you when, why, and how to use each plug-in. Plug-ins for color, style, effects, distortions, warps, transitions, lens flares, text and graphical elements, and more are all covered in depth.
* Examples of how certain plug-ins have been used in popular TV shows and movies, giving you inspiration for using plug-ins in your own work
* DVD features project files and bonus tutorials. The companion website, PlugInz.com, has updates plug-in updates, links to sample movies on Vimeo, and more
* Overviews of different plug-in packages, interviews with plug-in developers, examples of user experiences, and plug-in FAQs
