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For editors and animators who must deliver a project in a short amount of time, with very little money, and it must be spectacular, stock animated backgrounds are a blessing. However, these motion backs can become easily identifiable when everyone uses them to impress their client. What we really need is a stock animated background collection that we can customize. Broadcast GEMs have such an offering with their AE Pro Series.
The animated backgrounds in this collection are top notch. These After Effects projects are on par with some of the best stock footage libraries out there. I was really amazed the artists of this DVD collection would actually include the project files.
But that is the best part about this collection; the ease in which you can customize the backgrounds for your specific project. Because these are After Effects projects, you have the ability to make subtle tweaks, or dramatic element changes instantly. Included in this collection are numerous Effects Favorites and Animation Presets that you can apply not only to this collection, but to your own compositions as well.
If anything, you can spend hours reverse engineering the projects to get a better understanding of how After Effects works.
This collection contains many of the same animated backgrounds as the Broadcast GEMs DV Series. The big difference between the two is the DV Series is aimed at editors who need to quickly create a motion back for their project, while the AE Pro series is targeted to compositors who will want to add (or replace) other elements into their project.
In addition to the animated backgrounds, the collection contains numerous elements (3D rings, planets, etc.), wipes, seamless image maps, and transitions that can be quickly added to any project for instant pizzazz.
The only complaint I have for this first collection is in its size. While I like having a lot of backgrounds to choose from, the file size is almost too much. The collection comes on a DVD (two actually, one for NTSC and one for PAL formats), and much of the content is zipped. When unzipped, the files top out at around 9Gig in size. Unfortunately, if you want the ability to customize these projects, you?re going to have to get used to all of the elements. I suggest you spend the time and transfer the information to a portable drive so you can more easily access the content as needed.
The AE Pro Series is a very good collection to have around despite the enormous file sizes. High quality, ease of use, and ability to adapt to your project earn this collection a Strong Buy Recommendation. For $229, you can easily justify the expense by the smile on your clients face.
For more information on this collection visit http://www.broadcastGEMs.com.
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