Do You Need To Upgrade To Adobe After Effects CS 5.5?

but using your own computer then the best option is Adobe After Effects CS 5.5. The latest version was released on June 30th 2011 and now is a good time to try it out, not only because Adobe has a free 30 day trial on their website, but also because the release cycle of this product is very recent so you are getting the absolutely latest iteration of the software without having to fear that it is about to be updated again.

After Effects is actually a much older product then you may realise, because version one was released as far back as January 1993. Since then there have been no less than 23 versions and partial versions of After Effects, and so the codebase is now extremely refined and streamlined which makes it a pleasure to use.

The latest CS 5.5 version has added in a whole slew of new features that videographers who use the software will love, including:

Camera Lens Blur Warp Stabilizer Effect Source Timecode Support Expanded R3D Features Timecode Effect Enhancements

And many more.

Which new features you hone in on will largely depend on how you use the software. As for example being able to import SWF files is a massive boon if you are an expert Adobe Flash user, as it opens up a whole new world of opportunities to change Flash files that a web developer has already sweated over into compelling visual effects for much wider mediums such as television or cinema.

There is also the fact that the software is now available in 64Bit mode, which is a massive boost for productivity over the 32BIT version. The difference in terms of processing speeds between older versions of After Effects and the new 5.5 version is quite striking.

In terms of individual features that make the software worthy of an upgrade from version 5, the most striking is the Warp Stabilizer feature.

The way that this works is to stabilize video footage that is out of focus or shaky, either through the unsteady hand of the cameraman, or because footage was filmed without stabilization options being active on the video camera during filming.

After Effects then takes this footage and through the magic of its digital wizardry stabilizes the footage.

It really is rather incredible to behold how quickly you can change an unusable piece of footage and turn it into something that looks like it was shot by a professional videographer.

The software also offers some very neat new postproduction features that speed up some of the more mundane, but necessary parts of the creative process and has a great new scaling option that is integrated into Warp Stabilizer.

The new After Effects CS 5.5 is a worthy upgrade to the old version, and with the addition of some compelling new features, and a lot of polishing of old features, it is an upgrade that is well worth checking out.

Sign up for one of our workshops to learn how to use the special features in Adobe After Effects CS5 to create award winning video effects from an experienced professional. Learn more about the Adobe video editing software through our Adobe After Effects CS5 Classes in Denver, Colorado.

Cool Applications Within 3D Printing

and it gives a lot of people the opportunity to do some pretty interesting stuff. There are people using this manufacturing technology to create some pretty interesting pieces, and there are people using 3D printing to do some pretty powerful stuff. However, there are also some scary applications that may come about through the use of this manufacturing process.

3D printing can be scary in some aspects, but it is also a truly phenomenal technology. What can this stuff do? What is so interesting and useful about 3D printing? Well, to answer that question - let's cover some of the current applications. 3D printing has been there to serve for quite a few of the engineering firms across the world. The process of testing product ideas, prototyping, and creating new products - 3D printing has become an almost crucial aspect. Being able to quickly, as in within 1 day, produce a test part is a powerful feat. It is also noteworthy that this form of technology can manufacture things that other types of manufacturing simply cannot. Machining processes have some powerful applications as well, but they simply can't create the kinds of products that 3D printing can. Mold manufacturing is also having a difficult time to compete.

Outside of engineering fields (well, sort of) there are other applications that come into play through 3D printing. One of these powerful applications would be the use of 3D printing within the medical field. What does this manufacturing world do in the medical field? Why is it important there, if at all? Well, there are quite a few applications that are taking place through 3D printing - which machining, mold manufacturing, and other manufacturing processes can't compete with. For example, customized implants such as spinal implants, skull implants, and various prosthetic devices need to be manufactured somehow, right? Well, some methods such as machining are already existing to do that right now. Well, at the same time not all kinds of implants and prosthetic pieces can be made through machining methods. This technology is fantastic for creating pretty much whatever you need. When it comes down to it, 3D printing has the power to create almost any design (with size & price limitations) out of one of a variety of material options. There are materials for certain plastics, ceramics, metals,and other parts. Metal printing, or DMLS is great for the medical field.

There are also other applications for the 3D printing industry to participate in. There are several marketing programs that benefit through 3D printing. By giving a sales representative a comprehensive 3D printed piece that offers everything that a product does, but is scaled down - is great for visuals. Instead of bringing a 150 pound valve to a sales meeting, a sales representative will be able to bring up a piece that is maybe half a pound, or 1-3 pounds. There are quite a few possibilities as to where this technology could go, and it is definitely helping the manufacturing facility.

If you enjoyed this article, you might want to learn about 3D Printing, or possibly you'd like to join a 3D Printing Community.

The Benefits of Using a Dedicated PCB Design Consultancy

Many companies will struggle through the design phase of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and incur extra costs and time delays along the way. In business it is best to focus on what it is you do best, and by concentrating on your core activities and using an outsourced service provided by specialists, you could gain an all important competitive advantage.

One of the main benefits of using the services of a PCB consultancy is their ability to manage the process from the initial concept through to the finished product, leaving your business free to concentrate on those activities it is you excel at.

Typically the services provided by PCB design consultancies are used by companies operating in the aerospace, automotive, communication, defence, medical, security and rail industries, and can shape the success such companies can expect when their products hit the market.

An experienced consultancy will be quick to grasp exactly what it is you are looking for, enabling them to improve your process by:

• Reducing the time to market
• Removing the need for numerous prototypes
• Improving the PCB design
• Reducing manufacturing costs

Simple design is just one of the services a dedicated consultancy will be able to offer. A far more diverse range of services will also exist, including but not exclusive to:

• Pre-design efficiency studies
• Signal integrity
• Data management
• Reverse engineering
• EMC pre-compliance testing
• PCB fabrication and assembly
• Consultancy and training

There are plenty of other benefits of outsourcing to a dedicated PCB design consultancy, with flexibility and expertise high on the list. There is also the certainty of a fixed cost for the work. Rather than redesign after redesign and escalating costs, a PCB design consultancy will work on a single price for the job, which will help companies when costing their project.

Such expertise will also help to ensure that the design of printed circuit boards is performed using the very latest software applications. This access to technology will improve the performance of your product and guarantee a bespoke solution to your requirements, rather than an adapted one size fits all approach, which would reduce the performance and relevance of your product when it finally hits the shelves.

Deadlines are particularly important when developing and designing new products. The rewards of being the first to market can be lucrative. When working with a specialist PCB design consultancy you can rest assured that deadlines will be met and your product will be swiftly available to your customers.

Quantum CAD is a leading PCB design consultancy offering a range of services. They harness the experience and skills of their team to produce cutting-edge products.

Optimize Windows 7 Startup Performance

suffering from Windows performance problems recently to the point that it is adversely impacting your productivity, then you may want to seriously consider taking the steps necessary in order to optimize Windows 7 startup performance. You would think that after seven releases of the most popular, best selling operating system of all time, that it would be an operating system that would require very little in the way of optimization and tuning. But alas, such is not the case.

As a matter of fact, when you think about it, today's modern cars still need to be optimized, tuned, and maintained, in order to run in tip top shape, don't they? If today's modern cars still need to undergo the rigors of routine preventative maintenance from time to time, then today's modern computers are by no means an exception to this rule.

Think about it for a moment. With all of the software that you install or download onto your computer or with all of the hardware that you connect to your computer from time to time, each and every little thing is bound to take its toll on your operating system, slowly bogging it down to the point where your computer begins to exhibit signs of performance degradation.

And nowhere is this performance degradation more pronounced than during the boot up of your computer. If your computer is taking an unacceptably long time to load, then you will want to take the measures necessary in order to optimize Windows 7 startup performance.

Do you have any programs configured to automatically launch as soon as you power up your computer, or as soon as you log onto your Windows account?

Do you have any services configured to run in the background which would launch automatically upon startup of your computer?

Even if the answer to the above two questions is no and you have ruled these out, one thing you will want to check for is for the presence of viruses and / or spyware. Believe it or not, spyware can remain hidden in your operating system by means of stealth, and you would have no way of ever knowing that it is running. This spyware can tax your system performance without your knowledge.

The good news is that in order to optimize Windows 7 startup performance, we can rely on software programs that are designed for that purpose: automating the process of streamlining the startup experience. A typical Windows optimization software utility will collect all of the information it can find from your system about the programs that are configured to start, and it will present this to you, for you to decide what to disable and what to allow, at start up.

Also, as alluded to above, it is important that you run antispyware and antivirus software on your computer at all times. This will keep any unauthorized, rogue processes from running on your machine at boot time that could be not only slowing down your startup experience but also spying on and collecting data from your machine unawares.