Introducing after effects:After effects are industry standard visually animation software.You use after effects to create motion graphs, visual effects, and 3D animations. You can Composite(Combine) layer, animate layer properties, create transparency apply and animate effects, create and animate text and shapes.
Step By step
Open after effects
-Start a new project and save it
Import and organize assets(footage)
Create one or more compositions
Add assets and layer to comp
-Assets:Videos, images, graphics, audio
-Layers: text, shapes, solids
Composite(Combine) layers in a comp
-Using existing transparency
Adjust and animate layer properties
-scale, position, rotation, opacity
Add effects and adjust/animate effect properties
Edit-Preference-General-Uncheck at start-up show home
Keyframes mark the beginning and the end of some kind of animation.(Beginning and end of focus distance, position, and etc)
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Control-I to import files or click the empty spot on the middle left of the screen and that will open the import dialog box where you can access your files
When importing a file you make sure photoshop sequence is off(Which it normally is)
When importing the file you would want to bring it in as composition retain layer sizes
Make sure to organize your files by putting them in folders
Setting up New comps-
Go to composition at the top left or do control-N. You can also open the composition menu by the mid left in the box with little shapes in it. That’ll open up the composition settings
When you’re making a composition, scaling and transforming the composition you open up a disclosure triangle which is the greyed out Square and then transform. When you open it up the scrubby will appear when you hover over a value. When clicking then dragging left or right you can change the values of the composition.
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You can right click assets(Coastline) and open New comp from selection and it opens the file from that menu onto the space to the right
Dragging an asset(Woman 2) into the box where comps are expanded you can drag the file into the comp panel and they will appear in the panel. You can adjust their size if its too big with the scrubby menu below it.
Order counts on which assets are whereas the assets on the top will be overlapping everything under it. Make sure backgrounds are to the back so it won’t overlap any of your people.
Drag assets to show up at a certain time buy bringing it to the bottom and right to the timeline and drag it to where you want it to show up.
New Comp Icon(Mid-Bottom left)=Use any preset(He used HDTV)=Make however many seconds you want(He made 10)
Top Icon where it shows the layer on there you go to new and you can customize how you want it to look with text, solid, shape layer, and Adjustment layer.
Null Object allows you to control more than one layer
A solid layer is a rectangle in a certain color(Going up to layer and solid settings you can change your already selected color of the rectangle)
The text Layer just adds a text box(You move text with the selection tool)
For adding shapes use to shape button at the top(It looks like a square) and is called the rectangle tool.It open up 5 different menus for 5 different base shape types(He clicked Star)
Once you’ve figured out what shape your going to use you go on the canvas where your assets are then you left click and drag out to expand the shape.
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There are 5 transform properties
Position-Position of the anchor point within the frame
Scale-Changing the width or height of the asset
Rotation-Rotating the asset in degrees
Opacity-How visible the asset it(Opaque means it most visible and transparent is less visible(See through))
Anchor point-Value is its location in or outside the layer(You can reset it by right clicking then choosing reset.)
Skew-Stretching the object horizontally
(For transform properties he wants you to add a resolution of 1080p 29.97 HDTV)
(Then he wants you to add a solid layer comp)
(After he wants you to open the Disclosure triangle for the layer then open the transform menu)
The tool to remove anchor points is called the Pan behind tool which you can click Y to use.
Marquee select is selecting multiple assets. You do that by clicking and dragging your mouse in the asset box, and it’ll make a square from your start to finish and highlight the assets. Once highlighted they will all be selected and once you do something with one of them the effect will be to all.
You can solo select a layer by clicking on the box by the eye in the assets layer. It’ll only make the layer you solo’d appear in the visible box of your assets.
Text layers have a text disclosure box and transform disclosure box(The text disclosure box you can change how your text is formatted)
Shape layers has a transform property box and a content property box
The diamond at the bottom left adds a keyframe equal to your current value.
Bezier curves-The flow of which an object will move in an animation
Easy Ease- Makes your animation look more realistic
Easy Ease in-Starts slowly then speeds up
Easy Ease out-Starts quickly then slows down
You can zoom in and out of the screen size by clicking the disclosure button next to the percentage on your animated screen which allows you to zoom in and out of the animation
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