What is Adobe After Effects About?

[zharlene]

I've read the Adobe After Effects page on Adobe and I still don't get what it's all about. Is it like Flash at all? I think you can make videos with it right? But what's the difference between After Effects and Flash?

I'm so confused about this software, can someone please tell me what it's about?

Thank you so much in advance!

[djr33]

Flash is a format of its own. It's based on vector graphics. This means that what you see in flash isn't based in pixels, but math. If you see a triangle, that's a combination of some math representing its size, angles, etc. (Flash can also include pixel/"bitmap" graphics, but it uses them like objects.)
It can be embedded in webpages, and used for a few other things. It's also interactive. Though it can make "movies" it's really more like a DVD, where it can have a menu, buttons, etc., and some playable movies too.

After Effects is an actual pixel-based filmmaking application. It is the industry standard for motion graphics (like titles and some more graphics-based commercials, etc.), and it is also used for special effects in movies.
It lets you use layers like in Flash, but it then outputs just a series of frames as a video-- no math involved now, and it's all in pixels.
(I think there may be some ways to integrate them, but that's not the main use of either.)

Basically, it's like the Photoshop of video, in a very basic sense.

Hope this helps. I can explain more about anything in particular if you want.

[digitaldesperad]

After Effects is used for high-end motion graphics, primarily for video and film, and you can composite video images and create numerous motion effects. Much more can be done in AE. Broadcast quality final projects are generally rendered at the highest quality possible (low or no compression).
Flash is meant primarily for the web and as such has a different feature set. It is primarily vector-based and utilizes high-compression motion graphics to keep file sizes down.i hope it helped