Aftereffects - you can arrange things in a TEMPERAL way - arrange things in time
It works in a similar way to indeisgn - you dont create anything - you just create an arrangement.
You have 25 still images per second - this produces the animation.
The units are divided up into frames
When you playback you always use the RAM PREVIEW. This is better for when you use audio - the PLAY button will not play back audio and also if you dont use it then you may not hear the audio in the right places.
PHOTOSHOP
72 DPI (screen is 300)
Colour mode is RGB
Measurement = PIXELS (1500 by 576)
The blue lines specify the SAFE ZONES in which to work
Action safe zone - the rectangle in between
Depending on how important what you want to show - keep it in the safe zone
Old TV - the edges of the tube / glass of the screen is rounded / curved - there are cut off points with the tube because of the casing of the TV so you still have to design within this zone because the outside area may be cropped off. If you are watching it on a widescreen TV or projector then it is not so bad.
The central area is called the TITLE SAFE ZONE - there is a little bit of distortion around the edge so keep all text away form the edges otherwise it may not be able to be seen.
Dont put a line of text along the bottom of the composition as you wont be sure if it is going to be 100% visible.
You needed to use photoshop because you had to make it an appropriate size. You don't have to work at the composition size because you can crop it down at the end before you save it then use it in Aftereffects.
Text placed on a transparent background - it will work with transparencies when you transfer it across
Files that you can use;
PDS
JPEG
TIFF
TNG
IMPORTING A FILE
Default import setting - FOOTAGE - means it will only occupy one layer in the composition (audio, video etx) It is the simpliest format to import a file in
This will establish a LINK between the file location and Aftereffects - it always needs to know where it is
Once it is in the project box then you can just add it to your composition -
Click and drag into your composition window
Or you can drop it straight into the timeline
If you add a file to the timeline - it will automatically be centred in the composition window.
You now have all the transform requirements to edit the text
IMPORT A FILE WITH LAYERS
It is now imported slightly differently - you have all the different layers - but you will rarely have to use each of the seperate layers
To open the composition - you just double click it - this will open up in a new tab in your timeline - each of the layers in photoshop will now appear as a layer in your timelines
Any bit of animation that you will need to edit NEEDS to be on a NEW LAYER - when you import this to the composition you can now animate using any of the layer properties.
KEYFRAMING - changing the position of the layers
For each of the layers you need AT LEASTE 2 KEY FRAMES
We need to add a keyframe to fix the start point
Select all the layers then place the time line thing then press the clock then it will establish the starting point for all of the layers
Then all you have to do is move along the time line (chose the time when you want the anination to finish - then work with individual layers - add a different position to each of the layers all at the same moment in time
SCALE -PIECE
S - scale
Highlight all of the layers then drag the mouse forward / backward and it will change them all
always have this button checked so that you can see all the changes being made
RETAIN LAYER OPTION
You can see that each character is individual
So when you scale them all at the same time each characher will scale around its own anchor point
ROLL Exercise - ILLUSTRATOR
SETTING UP AN ILLUSTRATOR DOCUMENT
Layer switches
Shy switch - will hide any layer for which layer is selected
The layers will only become SHY when you click the main shy button
QUALITY - to do with the resolution
It allows you to alter individual layers - by default that quality is on full but if you click the layers it will become a backslash icon - this will help when you are RAM previewing - you know all the layers are good but you dont need to preview them in full quality otherwise it will talk longer to view
MOTION BLUR SWITCH
The applies if your working with roatation / poisition
It applies a motion blur to any layer that is changing position
This is on default (check it then check the main icon)
This will make ram previewing much longer if you have applied this to many layers
To change the level of the blur go to COMPOSITION SETTINGS - ADVANCED - SHUTTER ANGLE / SHUTTER PHASE
The larger you make the shutter angle = the more exaggerated the motion blur becomes
ADJUSTMENT LAYER
Same as photoshop - you can make a solid layer, apply an effect to it - check the adjustment layer to all the layers below (easier to delete / undo)
3D
horizontal, vertical and come into the plane in a forward movement
RASTERISING
Only available for illustrator files
If you check the box - the program will rasterise the artwork in every single frame - make it higher quality
It retains the vector quality of illustrator files
It is best to create a folder with all your illustrator / photoshop and after effects in - easier to navigate around
Same as indesign
If you lose your assets then your composition wont work
COLLECT FILES - remember do do this before you save if you havent kept all your assets in one file
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