In our first book Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects we focused on the details of how to master this incredible program. We tried to do this against a backdrop of how you would employ its features artistically on real jobs.

Response to Creating Motion Graphics has been overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who bought it, and to the many who have written us personally or who publicly recommended it to others. This response has encouraged us to write the book you are now holding: After Effects in Production.

This book is our chance to explore the many ways After Effects can be employed in real-world productions. It contains a dozen in-depth tutorials that demonstrate a number of techniques you can apply to your own work. Several of these tutorials also provide gentle introductions to significant new features and effects that were added to After Effects version 5.0, including 3D Space, Cameras, Lights, Parenting, Expressions, SWF Export, and Vector Paint.

When we create a tutorial, it is always a challenge to balance clarity and conciseness against our desire to share all of the little tweaks and layers of detail that are necessary on real jobs. As a result, several of the tutorials include bonus sections that walk through such enhancements, or present a more complex project that builds on the concepts taught.

We re also proud to include six case studies of broadcast spots created by leading studios such as ATTIK, Belief, Curious Pictures, The Diecks Group, and Fido,...