Action Essentials 2 is not an effects program, its a collection of stock footage.

Doesn't it come with pre-Keyed effects with it? (explosions, bullets, etc...)

So what program am I getting? lol

I was thinking about that  but I need some animated mussle flashed and blood effects. And I don't really like detonation films because not all their stuff is pre keyed. I think im going to wait a few more days and see what other people think.

Yes, you import the footage, and set the blending mode to multiply to give you explosions and stuff. Then just transform it into shot.

this i a tough one
i just cant decide

After Effects is what you need, dawg!

Seriously, though. The possibilities in AE are endless. You can do soo many awesome things with it.

The pre-keyed effects you can get from somewhere else for free, too. But there's no AE somewhere else because it's UNIQUE and PURE AWESOMENESS. Watch the basic training course from videocopilot and you'll understand. Until recently, I didn't know anything about what you could do with After Effects except for greenscreening. I didn't understand the program at all, and what it does. Then I watched videocopilot and was like: Oh my god. This is so amazing.

I don't know how old you are but the CS5 Production Premium package is seriously great value for students&teachers because it includes about 10 pieces of Adobe software including After Effects, Premiere Pro, Flash Catalyst (don't know what that does) and a lof of other stuff I don't know what it is. Yet what I do know is that there's even software for making a website to present your film creations! The Production Premium package just offers EVERYTHING you need for production (it's made for professional life action production - so you'll still maybe need specialized stop motion stuff) and therefore it's pure, crystal-clear... usability.

The main thing is: you get AE and Premiere, plus loads of (probably) very useful extra software for 350 euros in my country. It really pays off saving up for this.

One thing, though: CS6 is soon to come (that's the next versions of Adobe software) and with any Adobe purchases, I would wait until said update. Unless it's really urgent, of course. But as money doesn't grow on trees......

Hope I could help ya, dawg.

PS: Sorry for the use of "dawg" twice but I sooo wanted to use it, you know. Sounds so funny.

EDIT: Maybe CS6 isn't as soon to come as I though. There's CS5.5 now, but regarding CS6 there isn't any really meaningful information out there. Some say it will be released in the mid of 2011, others think something else and you know... I don't want to give any wrong piece of information.

Last edited by pacific (May 3, 2011 (09:35am))