BERKELEY, CA. Nov. 14, 2006 - Today Peachpit announced Apple Pro Training Series: Encyclopedia of Visual Effects (ISBN 0-321-30334-2; www.peachpit.com/title/0321303342)-the definitive recipe book for visual effects artists working in AppleŽ ShakeŽ, Motion, and AdobeŽ After Effects.

An impressive lineup of Hollywood and independent effects pros have pulled together this compendium of the coolest and most useful effects from A to Z (Ambient Occlusion Pass to z-Depth Effects). The book includes everything from practical, commercial techniques to breakdowns of shots from blockbuster films. Readers learn from the artists who created the light sabers for Star Wars: Episode III, the 3D environments in The Matrix, the matte paintings for The Lord of the Rings, and many more. Coverage includes 3D and 2D CG integration, modeling, animation, rendering, compositing, rotoscoping, tracking, lighting, and advanced blue screen keying techniques.

Other key highlights include:

About the Authors
Damian Allen is a commercial artist and president of Pixerati LLC, a Los Angeles-based visual effects design and consultancy corporation. He has designed and directed projects for British Airways, Coca-Cola, Amatil, Toshiba, Epson, Pfizer, and several multinational financial and telecommunications companies. Damian consults and lectures around the world on compositing theory and visual effects design.

Brian Connor is a Senior Compositor at Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic. His credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, War of the Worlds, Terminator 3, and Star Wars: Episode III. Brian also teaches visual effects and compositing at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

About Peachpit
Berkeley-based Peachpit has been publishing the industry's best-selling books on the latest in graphic design, desktop publishing, multimedia, Web publishing, digital video and general Macintosh computing since 1986. Its award-winning books feature step-by-step explanations, time-saving techniques, savvy insider tips, and expert advice for computer users of all sorts. It is the home of the internationally recognized Visual QuickStart Guide series, the design imprint New Riders and its highly popular Voices That Matter series, and is the publishing partner for Adobe Press, lynda.com, NAPP, Apple Certified, AIGA Design Press and others. Peachpit is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. Pearson's primary operations also include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. Learn more at www.peachpit.com and www.pearson.com.

CONTACT:

Sara Jane Todd
Publicist
Peachpit
510-558-4114
press@peachpit.com