I recently discovered Adobe After Effects for the first time, and I am amazed at how powerful and versatile this program is.  After the install and launching the program for the first time, similar to the first time that I took at look at Flash or Photoshop, I’ll admit that the I was a little daunted by the seeming complexity of the program, but as I am becoming more acclimated to it I am, well, getting quite excited.

With the explosion of Web 2.0 and social media sites such as YouTube, Digg, Delicious, Linked In, et. al., Real Estate Professionals are communicating, networking, and connecting with homeowners in ways previously not imagined possible.

One of the latest trends among Real Estate Professionals is using videos, posted on YouTube, Vimeo, and other such sites, to convey information.  From Realtors showcasing properties, to Loan Officers offering video mortgage news, the amount of attention that can be achieved from a successful video is staggering.

A growing number of the population is turning to videos for their source of information when looking for information on a given topic, and, let’s face it; a video is far more engaging than plain text.  When we watch the news, we are watching “live footage” or a news-anchor.  Who would want to sit through a half hour of watching a teleprompter slowly ticking through the latest and greatest on the financial crisis?

Speaking of the credit crisis, here’s the actual video that sparked my original interest in learning After Effects:

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

As you can see, this is one of the most effective ways to present copious amounts of information quickly and comprehensively.  As of yet, I have nothing that I’ve created yet that I’m proud enough of to post on my site, but when I have created a decent video, I’ll be sure to share!

Adobe’s website for After Effects is http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/, and you can download a free, full functioning trial for 30 days.  I suggest you take a look.  My favorite site thus far for tutorials that can get you up and running creating awesome videos is http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/; amazing, easy, and fun.

I look forward to hearing about your experiences with After Effects and motion graphics / videos below and how they help you in real estate below!