Shake vs after effects which one

Hello,
I am at the crossroads of Shake vs After effects. I would like to spice up my productions a lot more than I have been doing. Can I do that with use of Motion 2 and Shake 4.1 and have that equal what After Effects offers?
Thanks,
Jordan

We've discussed this before...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=583255&tstart=45
Answer is maybe, but no - unless yes.
CaptM

Similar Messages

Removing shake in after effects

After deciding to take the jump to CC I discovered all that looks good has its own set of problems. I'm hoping in this discussion a skilled AE user might save me time and money. I'm a proficient Vegas Pro user. The jump from a mix of Adobe programs and apps from other vendors has left me floundering somewhat in needing to get up to speed on some Adobe products.
My ask for help here is that I've used Mercalli to clean up shaky footage (such as taken in a moving 4WD on a rough track) with great success but now that I'm moving to 100% Adobe products, I'd like to hear from users of AE who have a prefered workflow when handling work like this. I'd greatly apreciate some help here.
Sure... I could read up or school up on the topic, even buy a product I've used in the past that has an Adobe version but I'm hoping as working professionals who have done this themselves or know more than me about removing shake with after effects, suggesting their worklow might avoid the very expensive and time consuming tasks of trial and error that gets suggested so often. RTFM is not going to help me either.
My belief is that having signed up for the full house of Adobe CC, I should be using it instead of dealing wiht the update and upgrade mess I'll eventually face if I don't get on the program. Hopefull this makes sense and someone will help?
Ryadia.

I'd like to thank all who replied to my question. After a few days of experimentation I've found that Warp Stabilizer can certainly be used for correcting many hand help situations but like many components provided by Adobe in their graphic software, it has limitations that third party products do a much better job at.
Warp Stabilizer is certainly able to level out the effects of a hand held camera phone or pocket camera but to a videographer needing to produce broadcast quality promos, the fact that it works but nowhere near as well as a specialist product developed for the specific purpose is quite clear to me after using some of the information provided in replies.
I may be biased after using Mercalli for most of my stabalisation needs but installing their trial and working the same footage with firstly Warp and then Mercalli, I have decided this will remain my prefered stabaliser. I am still not entirely comfortable with AE after several years of Vegas but the learning curve for AE is not as bad as I'd expected. I'm sure I'll become familiar with it in a short time.
The comment regarding the need for a stable component when shooting a vast areas of water is overcome quite easiely if you include some of the mast spreaders in the corner of the frame or as in a 4WD mounted camera, a small part of the vehicle the camera is attached to will provide the constant needed. It does take a little practice to avoid over Stabilization but isn't that so with everything?.
Thanks all, I apreciate your help
Ryadia

What software to buy- Shake? After Effects? VisionLab Pro?

I am looking for an effects/compositing application for effects like muzzle flashes, flames, chroma keying, electricity/lightning etc. I have FCS2 but Motion doesn't seem to do all of these things well. Therefore, what works best? What is easy to learn and use well? How does quality compare? I have downloaded the demo for VisionLab Pro and it seems great, but what else does Shake or anything else have to offer? For reference, I am an experienced high school student editor, not a full-time fx pro, so ease of use plays a role too.

Visionlab Pro seems interesting for what you seek. But the all-in-one compositing and effect tool box I would go for is After Effects. It's pricey but it has so much in it. I love Shake but you have to feed Shake with things, you don't have an build in particles system for example. Shake is more film compositing than anything else, great for keying, chromas, color correction, wire removal etc. After Effects can do all these things. And it's layer based so you get the hand of it quicker.
On Shakes upside: it's cheaper and node based. and if you learn node based compositing you can work in the industry, Shake is still very much alive out there @ the vfx houses.

After Effects duration one frame?

I imported a PSD to After Effects as a composition recently, but it gave the composition a duration of one frame. Now I can stretch it, but not actually change the duration. I can only stretch it to a maximum of like 6 seconds because that gives it a 9900% stretch factor. How can I actually change the duration?

Actually, I imported it as a composition. I guess that's not the issue. But I did still have the sequence box checked. Would that be the issue alone?

Trial version of After Effects - which do I choose?

I currently own the Design and Web Premium pacakge, but wanted a trial version of After Effects to complete a motion graphic I am creating.
The trial offer includes the choice of; a free trial download or to join the Creative Cloud and download now (Recommended - it's free).
I am a little confused as to what it means, to my knowledge the Creative Cloud is through subscription only and isn't offered for free. So I just wondered what it meant?
If I choose to join and download that trial will I then have to pay an annual subscription? - When I clicked this option no card details were requested and I do not have any linked to my Adobe ID.
Somebody help please?

I currently own the Design and Web Premium pacakge, but wanted a trial version of After Effects to complete a motion graphic I am creating... If I choose to join and download that trial will I then have to pay an annual subscription?
First things first: you say you want AE to complete a motion graphic. This would lead people to believe that you've used AE before. Have you? It's a yes/no question, and a "How tough can it be to learn?" response counts as a no.
Second question: if you DO download the 30-day trial, do you intend to continue using AE, assuming you already know how to use it?
The reasons for the questions:
AE contains many, many hidden pitfalls for the uninitiated that obliterate the tight deadlines of those who think, "How tough can it be to learn?", and those same pitfalls easily can extend a reasonable learning period beyond 30 days for busy individuals.

Really my question is about after effects, which then renders to a quick time movie. I have imported music into after effects many times, and all of a sudden after import and playing it under ram preview, it stops about 4/5 through the work.

when I import a song into after effects it only plays 4/5 and then stops. I'm viewing it in RAM preview.
the composition time is fine.
can you help me???
Roxanne

See this:
"FAQ: Why does RAM preview only play part of my composition?"

Shake or After Effects?

I'm wondering what the major differences are between the two. I'll be editing some short movies, focusing on color correction, adjusting lighting, image stabilizing, and titles/text... no motion graphics, cg, or green/bluescreening involved.
Another quick question- For those who have seen the series Spaced, is there a way to achieve the fast "swing" transition (between the characters thoughts) in one of these programs?
Thanks
Message was edited by: ejdge

the swing effect is made in camera i think.
you could probably fake it by using some directional blur and pushsliding the shot in behind it but would be hard to gt the same effect.
if you are asking about software i guess you have nt shot yet.
youd have to storyboard really well, figure out your transitions and which way one shot wuld swing into another then do it on set.
then just bump them together in FCP or avid and add a little dissolve transition and 'whisk' sound effect between the two.

Apple Shake vs Adobe After Effects?

I am currently deciding whether to buy shake or after effects. By looking at some of the demo reels on youtube after fx seems to have more movie like effects going on. Is this because shake is still relatively new? Anyone here able to give a comparison of the two?
Thanks
Kruz

kruzmode08 wrote:
What do you mean by shake no longer supported?
It means that Apple doesn't plan to release updates or fix bugs.
It's frozen in time.
Here's an interesting special effects book that includes examples from both apps:
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pro-Training-Encyclopedia-Effects/dp/0321303342
Although Amazon has the better price, Peachpit shows the table of contents:
http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0321303342
The book includes trial versions of both apps, so you can make an informed decision.

After Effects CC Output Modules on Render Only Machines

Hi there, I'm having an issue with custom Output Module Templates and my renderfarm:
After Effects CC 12.0.0.404 (showing as up to date in Creative Cloud)
Mac OS X 10.8.4 (Latest Mountain Lion version)
Mac Pro 2.93 GHz 8-Core, Radeon 5870, 32GB RAM and with Blackmagic Decklink Extreme 3D+
Remote Machines (there are four) are Mac Pros as well (Quad-core, running 10.7.2 with 16GB RAM), using the ae_render_only_node.txt file in their user Documents folder.
The exact error:
aerender ERROR: No output module template was found with the given name.
I am trying to get a renderfarm working with After Effects CC (see exact version above). Unfortunately, I need custom output modules and I can't seem to get the render slaves to recognize them. I found older threads on this exact issue, but no solution was found.
I am using commandline aerender in OS X terminal to start a render with a basic test scene.
To simplify things, I have tried testing this on one render slave machine at a time... Same result everywhere.
Here's what I've tried:
I exported a .aom file from my main machine (where I have my desired custom Output Modules) and attempted to bring it in on the render slaves. However, because the render slaves are render only, (they have ae_render_only_node.txt in their Documents folder), the ability to import Output Modules is disabled in After Effects (it opens as the After Effects Render Engine, and the Edit>Templates menu is greyed out).
Next, I thought I'd try copying the main machine's /Users/(user)/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects/12.0 folder over to the render slaves, thinking that would get whatever preference file to them that's needed to define the output modules. No luck. Launched After Effects (which loads as After Effects Render Engine) and reset my disk cache preferences (so they weren't still the main machine's). Tried aerender again... no luck. Same error:
aerender ERROR: No output module template was found with the given name.
After that, I thought it would be a good idea to sign out of Adobe Creative Cloud on the main machine, and try logging into the render slave machine with my full UserID and Password and temporarily remove the ae_render_only_node.txt file. Then, I'd import the .aom file in the full version of AE... I tried this and success! The renders work... they find the Output Modules no problem. Only issue is, as soon as I sign out, and switch to using the ae_render_only_node.txt file, the Output Modules are not found. Not sure what's going on-- if the Output Modules are being disabled by the ae_render_only_node.txt file? Or maybe signing out of my Adobe ID is removing the preferences that determine Output Modules? Don't know where the Output Module preferences are stored to be able to tell.
Next attempt: I thought I'd try syncing my preferences with Creative Cloud. I made sure to check After Effects Sync Preferences to ensure that Output Modules are set to sync. I did a sync where I uploaded my preferences from the main machine. Then, on the render slaves, I ran Sync Preferences, and chose to download preferences. Works when signed in, but not when used as a render only node. When it's a render only node, it still prompts me to Download the Sync Preferences and Quit the Application, which I do, but nothing seems to happen. I try aerender again, and still the same error:
aerender ERROR: No output module template was found with the given name.
I can't seem to find any info on where Output Modules are actually stored (apparently they're not anywhere in the User/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects/ folder?). Are render only nodes not allowed to have custom Output Modules? Not even for something as simple as the Multi-Machine Sequence with a post-render action of Set Proxy enabled?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thank You.

I've verified this problem and filed a bug. Sorry about the hiccup.
I've trying to pin down why this happens, and while I don't have a full explanation yet I think I've stumbled onto a workaround:
Trash the prefs on the render machine.
Enable the ae_render_only_node.txt file.
Launch AE and then quit. <- This is a critical step. More on this later.
Disable ae_render_only_node.txt file.
Launch AE.
Add your Output Module template.
Quit AE.
Enable the ae_render_only_node.txt file.
After you do this, I highly recommend making a backup copy of the Adobe After Effects 12.0 Prefs-indep-output.txt file. Just in case. I've had the failure reappear.
Now test with aerender and let me know if that works. It has on my machine.
Why does this matter? When you run AE with the ae_render_only_node.txt file enabled, it appears to add a new section to the preferences: "Output Module Preference Section v28-TRIAL". It's the TRIAL part that is important. Without it, AE doesn't seem to be able to keep track of the OM's when in render_only_node mode. And if you disable the ae_render_only_node.txt file, AE has a tendency to destroy the TRIAL section (I'm still tracing why that happens).
Now, should this not work for you, I recommend you work around the problem by adding your comps to the render queue in each project. When you do that, and change your aerender flags appropriately, you can render to your desired settings without specifying OMtemplate parameter.
> I can't seem to find any info on where Output Modules are actually stored (apparently they're not anywhere in the User/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects/ folder?).
You probably already discovered this. In After Effects CC the OM data is stored in the Adobe After Effects 12.0 Prefs-indep-output.txt file. In older versions of AE, a single pref file such as Adobe After Effects 11.0-x64 Prefs.txt holds all of this data.
Let me know if that workaround does the trick for you. If I get more information on the cause of the problem I'll update you.

3D files in After Effects CC

Isn't that like saying, you didn't meet your own deadline? I'm glad it has worked towards yours and C4$D's advantage.. $$$$
Anyway, I am a whole hearted Blender Freak. On my 4th year now. You can do almost anything in Blender, and since it's such a steep learning curve, the challenges it brings makes it where you can eventually learn any other program after getting it down. Unfortunately, when collaborating with other animators, editors, etc, they're all stuck in the Maya, C4D (both of which are much more user friendly that Blender) . Adobe pool... So in a sense, I'm stuck in that same pool. The reason I'm here is because I too just spent a $$$load of money. I got a refurbished Macbook Pro Maverick op system and a bunch of software only to find out that the Mac has a serious common issue with it's airport card. I gor the Adobe stuff as a packaged deal whn buying the Mac. Now I couldn't help but notice that This AE news reminds me of the issue Mac has. The only difference is that Mac won't address the issue or own up to it, llike Adobe is at least doing. . They'd rather you spend more on another Mac since fixing the issue with a specialist will more than likely advise you just purchase oh,,, uh.... duh... let me think,,,, ANOTHER MAC! It'll cost just as much anyway right?
I don't know what utopian economy a great number of the artists here seem to live in, but the rest of us are struggling our ***** off while pursuing our art. Face it, these shortcomings are like the dangling carrot routine. Look what you can do with our product/ no you can't do that with our product anymore, but here's a great alternative, all you need to do is shell out a few extra hundred dollars more!
So with that said, if you're not rich, or you're just starting out, or barely getting your career off the ground, don't waste a dime on C4D, 3DX, Maya or any of those obscure programs that costs some snotty rich kid's salary, AND DO NOT TRUST THIS NEW CINEMA 4D DEAL WITH AE! JUST DON'T. It's a lead in to get you buy the professional C4D, and if you're not in a position to step into that, then know that you can attain the same quality of effects without them. I strongly believe that most artists should go with a community based support group like Blender, Gimp, Make Human, etc.. and stay plugged in for their upgrades. There are ways of working around some of these, for lack of a better word, crooks. Adobe is awesome, but why are so many people share our frustration with them, right? Blender is even getting way more user friendly than it was just 2 years ago.
For example, What I do is animate my scenes in layers one at a time in my awesome 3d program that is free, use the same camera for all of them (they're all in layers anyway), render them with alpha channels, take the clips, dump them into AE, jiggle AE's knobs (since the clips are all aligned anyway) jiggle some effect knobs (the cc ones work just fine, you don't necessarily need that particular trapwhatever, just use your creativity and imagination), then flush the scene out into a nice QT format.... Fortunately Final Cut Pro X has improved it's dastardly flaws since it's initial release, and it's affordable. I'm happy to say that I'm actually using it more than FCPro 7 now, which is a major statement. I have Adobe Premier Pro, I was going to try it, but I'm discouraged for now, Maybe next year when the current version is obsolete.

Has the trial for After Effects CC expired?
You are allowed to launch After Effects CC one time after the 30-day trial period has expired, but when you do so a a bug exists in this state: MPEG2 files can not be read or written.
The only solution for this bug is to license After Effects CC; ex. purchase a subscription. My apologies for the problems you're having with the payment system. As Rick says, please contact customer support for help with this.

Is it possible to download older versions of After Effects?

I downloaded the adobe master collection CS6 trial, and most of the products were able to download just fine except a few, some of which I didn't really care about, but After Effects was one of them unfortunately and that was one of the reasons I was downloading the collection. I looked at the system requirements and discovered that the only version my laptop could handle was CS4. Is it possible to download the trial version of this without downloading it from shady sites? I just need to try it out, although it would be nice if it was free now.
Thanks in advance.
Brendon.

You can download a 30 day time limited Trial version of After Effects CS4 here. After 30 days it will cease to function without a CS4 serial number, which you cannot purchase now if you don't already have one.
http://prodesigntools.com/download-adobe-cs4-and-cs3-free-trials-here.html
Ensure that you follow the Very Important Instructions on that page first otherwise the links will not work.
You can no longer purchase After Effects CS4 and it definitely is not available for free even though it's a superseded version. So you'll only get 30 days out of it.
I take it you're trying it because you have a 32 bit system?

After Effects 7.0 cs2

Hi I'm having a problem with After Effects 7.0, when i go to use it , a window pops up and asks me to personalize it and asks for the serial #, when i enter the serial # , I get a invalid serial # message, I've used After Effects before, Its been a few months since the last time i used it.
I went to the registry and checked the serial # that is listed there, its the same one i tried to re-enter,
I even tried to repair the program from the installation disk,
can anyone shed some light on what is wrong and how to get it to work,
Thanks
RD

Hi im running on PC with XP pro, 32bit and am using the Adobe Creative suite, production studio premium CS2, products installed and working fine are, Photoshop CS2, Premiere 2.0, Image ready cs2, audition 2.0, Illustrator cs2, adobe bridge, adobe reader, and then After effects which dont work.
I'am the administrator , I'm the only one listed on my computer,
i added an other program recently and had no serial # problems.
Everything else from adobe is working fine, just the problem with After effects, when going into the Registry Hkey_Local_Machine to adobe -after effects-7.0-registration folder , my serial # string is listed there , the same one thats on the product case,
Thanks for getting back hope this helps;

Mpeg-2 files in after effects cc

before i could have imported mpeg-2 files in after effects cc did a update about four days ago and now i cannot import any mpeg-2 files. am only getting error " file is either corrupt or unsupported. i uninstall and reinstall wipe it clean and the full works and it wasn't working still. tried to purchase online but adobe says they feature is not supported on my region. i am in trinidad in the caribbean and have a international visa card which always works fine with other purchases. please help this is so frustrating. now i can't finish my music video that am working on. HELP HELP HELP

Has the trial for After Effects CC expired?
You are allowed to launch After Effects CC one time after the 30-day trial period has expired, but when you do so a a bug exists in this state: MPEG2 files can not be read or written.
The only solution for this bug is to license After Effects CC; ex. purchase a subscription. My apologies for the problems you're having with the payment system. As Rick says, please contact customer support for help with this.

After Effects CS6 BSOD

I have a problem with After Effects which causes my computer to BSOD. When I use certain effects, or combination of certain effects it causes my computer to BSOD.
The CC Slant combined with CC Cross Blur causes my computer to BSOD. The moment when I apply to the CC slant to the footage and starting messing around with the keyframes my computer instantly BSOD's.
The CC Burn also causes the same problem. and also the Ramp effect
I think that this is a GPU related problem.
My Computer specs.
M4A87TD/USB3
AMD 1090T 3.2 GHz
Kingston 16 GB 1333MHz RAM
XFX 6950 2 GB.
I have latest drivers on my GPU. Everything is running at the stock speeds.
I found few other people who have the similar/same problem. In fact one guy has the exact same problem as me. Both people have AMD gpus.
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/875355
http://windows7forums.com/blue-screen-death-bsod/76877-bsod-during-after-effects.html
This person has the exact same problem as me. ^
It is a GPU problem I believe.
I believe I had this problem with CS5.5 also.

Kernel Power:
Can you understand this?
BugcheckCode
292
BugcheckParameter1
0x0
BugcheckParameter2
0xfffffa800e61c028
BugcheckParameter3
0xb6652000
BugcheckParameter4
0x1c000135
SleepInProgress
false
PowerButtonTimestamp
0
I'm certain that this is OpenGL issue.

Help with After Effects

I just upgraded to PP CS4 to CS5 Premium with After Effects and Photoshop. I'm trying hard to figure things out but I'm unfamiliar with these programs and have no idea where to begin to learn. I've tried watching various tutorials, but they skip over basics, and unfortunately, that's what I need. I
Can anyone recommend a really good book or video or something to get me started? I know there's so much to learn and I'm so eager to learn it all. However, I don't even know how to get the footage from CS5 to After Effects.
One more question - I'm working on a video right now in CS5. The girl in the video has rosacea and I want to take the red out of her face. Is this possible in After Effects? If so, can someone please tell me how to go about doing it - or suggest a tutorial that deals with such an issue?
Thank you so much,
Jules

> Do you have any idea which tool in after effects I would use, and how,
to remove color from an area on a video and blend it with the
surrounding area. Or if anyone knows of a tutorial explaining that
process I would so appreciate it.
You should ask your After Effects questions on the After Effects forum:
http://forums.adobe.com/community/aftereffects_general_discussion
Here are two video tutorials that show different ways to selectively apply an effect to a specific area:
https://www.video2brain.com/en/videos-1501.htm
http://www.peachpit.com/podcasts/episode.aspx?e=8822f9a1-93c5-4a00-8697-a54b653c7aaf
But you should really begin at the beginning and learnt he basics of After Effects first.

Shake vs after effects which one

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