Most video editors will be more than satisfied with what the Standard version of the software has to offer. HD editors, however, might find the Professional edition's ability to work with 32-bit, HDR (high dynamic range) footage worth the added price. Others might have need of the new, improved slow-motion effects, dubbed Timewarp by Adobe. Other Professional-edition perks include a wider range of effects, enhanced keying and matte tools, motion tracking and stabilization tools, the Wiggler for randomizing motion, and network rendering support.

One minor negative note: the Adobe Bridge, an ambitious attempt to provide advanced file-handling capabilities to a range of Adobe products, is hard to get used to, and of dubious usefulness, at least at this stage of the game.

Taken as a whole, the latest version of After Effects is a giant step forward for this already-impressive behemoth of the video effects industry. It's everything it's cracked up to be, and more.

Windows
Processor: Pentium 4 (multiprocessor recommended)
OS: Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Minimum RAM: 512 MB (1GB recommended)
Minimum Hard Disk Space:
Install: 500MB
Disk caching space: 10GB
Functional content: 1GB
Drive: DVD-ROM
Recommended Video Display Card: After Effects supported OpenGL 2.0 card

Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC (multiprocessor G5 recommended)
OS: Mac OS X v10.3.9 (10.4 for best OpenGL performance)
Minimum RAM: 512MB (1GB recommended)
Minimum Hard Disk Space - Install: 500MB
Disk caching space: 10GB
Functional content: 1GB
Drive: DVD-ROM
Recommended Video Display Card: After Effects supported OpenGL 2.0 card

• Impressive, ergonomic new UI
• Graph Editor
• Dozens of new Animation Presets
• Integration with other Production Studio titles

• Adobe Bridge doesn't add enough to the mix
• Steep hardware requirements

A huge step forward for an industry giant.

Harold Johnson is a video producer and history buff.

Adobe Systems, Inc.
345 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95110
(888) 724-4508
www.adobe.com
Standard $699, Pro $999