This is the only book in the After Effects market to focus exclusively on the creation of visual effects, and is a one-stop resource for anyone who wants in-depth explanations that demystify the realm of visual effects and how they were created, thanks to veteran author Mark Christiansen's friendly and accessible style. A thoroughly packed, informative read, this masterful guide focuses on explaining the essential concepts, features, and techniques that are key to creating seamless movie-quality visual effects. Users who are comfortable with After Effects will find a helpful review of After Effects fundamentals-managing footage, viewing and editing layers, animating type, and more-so they can learn how to work smarter and more efficiently. Readers of all levels will learn core techniques for effects compositing including color matching, keying, rotoscoping, motion tracking, emulating the camera, and concluding with using expressions in After Effects, written by contributor and expert Dan Ebberts. The final section of the book delves into creative explorations, demonstrating professional effects that readers might want to re-create.

Readers will also find comprehensive coverage of all that's new and makes this version of Adobe's effects program such a boon to video pros of all stripes: searchable timelines and projects, Photoshop 3D layers import, the Cartoon effect, Imagineer Systems' Mocha for Adobe After Effects, improved workflow for mobile devices, and more.

Throughout the book, beautiful full-color examples demonstrate what's possible, while the companion DVD offers demos of After Effects CS4, sample footage, and software plug-ins.

Ruskeepaa gives a general introduction to the most recent versions of Mathematica, the symbolic computation software from Wolfram. The book emphasizes graphics, methods of applied mathematics and statistics, and programming.

Mathematica Navigator can be used both as a tutorial and as a handbook. While no previous experience with Mathematica is required, most chapters also include advanced material, so that the book will be a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced users.

- Covers both Mathematica 6 and Mathematica 7
- The book, fully revised and updated, is based on Mathematica 6
- The CD-ROM contains material about the new properties of Mathematica 7
- With the CD-ROM, the entire book and the material about Mathematica 7 can be installed into the help system of Mathematica
- Comprehensive coverage from basic, introductory information through to more advanced topics
- Studies several real data sets (included in the CD-ROM) and many classical mathematical models

Peer-to-peer computing has gained significant attention from both industry and research communities in the past decade as the number of users worldwide continues to grow along with demand for mobile computing. Mobile Peer-to-Peer Computing for Next Generation Distributed Environments: Advancing Conceptual and Algorithmic Applications focuses on current research and innovation in mobile and wireless technologies that address challenges from both a theoretical and applied perspective. This advanced publication provides researchers, practitioners, and academicians with an authoritative reference source to the latest state-of-the-art developments in this growing technology field.

The MCTS is Windows Server Virtualization Configuring exam, and is Microsoft?s newest addition to their exam repertoire and tests candidates? ability to use Hyper-V and server virtualization as part of their network infrastructure solution. The exam targets IT professionals who are looking to enhance their skills and distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. This guide reviews the tasks that are mandatory for candidates to know: installing Hyper-V, configuring and optimizing Hyper-V, deploying virtual machines, and managing and monitoring virtual machines. The CD-ROM contains coverage of the exam objectives, real-world scenarios, hands-on exercises, and challenging review questions.

Developing Facebook Platform Applications with Rails leads you through the steps necessary to build your first application. You'll get hands-on experience with Facebook technologies such as FBML and FQL, and master messaging and news feeds.

You'll do more than just study the Facebook API-you'll get practical tips from an experienced Facebook developer. We'll cover advanced techniques such as AJAX and asynchronous messaging, and you'll see how to slash development time with facebooker, the leading Ruby library for Facebook Platform development.

Together, we'll build Karate Poke, a real Facebook Platform application, from configuration to deployment. You'll get deep into Facebook requests right off the bat. From there, you'll build the core of Karate Poke and then get a detailed look at the Facebook canvas and social features. We'll finish by looking at advanced features and tips for handling millions of users.

Developing for the Facebook Platform can seem like a different world at first. Developing Facebook Platform Applications with Rails is your tour guide.

The definitive guide to automating SQL Server admnistration with Powershell scripts

For the engineering and scientific professional, A Physicist's Guide to Mathematica, 2/e provides an updated reference guide based on the 2007 new 6.0 release, providing an organized and integrated desk reference with step by step instructions for the most often used features of the software as it applies to research in physics.

For Professors teaching physics and other science courses using the Mathematica software, A Physicist's Guide to Mathematica, 2/e is the only fully compatible (new software release) Mathematica text that engages students by providing complete topic coverage, new applications, exercises and examples that enable the user to solve a wide range of physics problems.

. Does not require prior knowledge of Mathematica or computer programming
. Can be used as either a primary or supplemental text for upper-division physics majors and an Instructor's Solutions Manual is available
. Provides over 450 end-of-section exercises and end-of-chapter problems
. Serves as a reference suitable for chemists, physical scientists, and engineers
. Compatible with Mathematica Version 6, a recent major release
. Compact disk contains all of the Mathematica input and output in this book

A one-stop Desk Reference, for R&D engineers involved in communications engineering; this is a book that will not gather dust on the shelf. It brings together the essential professional reference content from leading international contributors in the field. Material covers a wide scope of topics including voice, computer, facsimile, video, and multimedia data technologies

* A hard-working desk reference, providing all the essential material needed by communications engineers on a day-to-day basis
* Fundamentals, key techniques, engineering best practice and rules-of-thumb together in one quick-reference sourcebook
* Definitive content by the leading authors in the field, including Erik Dahlman, Steven Parkvall, Claude Oestges, Alan Bovik, Bruce Fette and Keith Jack

SQL Server 2008 is the latest update to Microsoft's flagship database management system. This is the largest update since SQL Server 2005. SQL Server 2008 is a much more significant update than SQL Server 2005, because it brings increased ability to deliver data across more platforms, and thus many different types of devices. New functionality also allows for easy storage and retrieval of digitized images and video. These attributes address the recent explosion in the popularity of web-based video and server and desktop virtualization.

The Real MCTS SQL Server 2008 Exam 70-432 Prep Kit prepares readers for the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist exam: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance.
• This is The 'Real' Microsoft Exam Prep Kit, and provides the reader with independent and unbiased exam tips and warnings everything they need to know to ensure certification success.
• Authored by Mark Horninger, a nationally recognized leader in SQL Server with over 50 Microsoft certifications to his credit; Mark knows what it takes to successfully navigate Microsoft exams.
• Complete study package offers Syngress proven pedagogy including practice exams via the book's companion site