Demystify the process of 3D animation with Adobe After Effects, which not only offers features for working in 3D, but also serves as a stepping-stone to more advanced 3D programs. In this session, MAX Master Colin Smith will help you dip your toes into the water of 3D animation and compositing.You’ll learn how to:• Track 3D elements with complete control over depth of field, shadows, and reflections• Extrude text and shapes into 3D using After Effects and Adobe Illustrator• Work with advanced 3D programs alongside After Effects

Powered by the new Mercury Graphics Engine, the Blur Gallery allows you to apply and combine three kinds of blur. Use it to create depth-of-field effects in post. This highly versatile filter also allows you to customize specific points of blur and focus.

Place and track 3D elements on 2D footage for precise visual effects and motion graphics. The 3D camera tracker automatically analyzes 2D footage in the background and places elements on that footage, with complete control over depth of field, shadows, and reflections.

Photographers often use a narrow depth of field in order to emphasize a subject, and in this lesson you'll see how to use a Guided Edit effect to achieve narrow depth of field for an image that has a wide range of focus.

Photographers often use a narrow depth of field in order to emphasize a subject, find how to use a Guided Edit effect to achieve narrow depth of field for an image that has a wide range of focus.

Video Highlights: Watch how to easily use the new Guided Edits in Photoshop Elements 10, which provides step-by-step assistance to highlight your subject by simulating depth of field, add a diffuse glow to create a dreamlike Orton Effect, or break a photo up into a fun collage of snapshots. Version 10. http://adobe.ly/wwstY5

An oft-overlooked issue in stereoscopic production is how the point of convergence relates to the viewing plane. Chris Meyer demonstrates adding 3D depth of field blur to the equation to create more realistic, easier-to-view scenes.

After Effects CS5.5 sports several new tools that automatically sets a 3D camera's depth of field focal plane to align with chosen objects inside your 3D worlds.

Explore the greatly enhanced 3D Camera Depth of Field options in After Effects CS5.5, including realistic iris simulations as well as the ability to enhance specular highlights.

This new effect gives you the ability to create the optical effect of a real camera lens blur. If you need to add depth to a scene, or obscure something in the frame, Camera Lens Blur will do that and make it look completely realistic. You also have complete control parameters like iris shape, blur maps, super whites, gain and threshold.