Previous session recap
file > import file
or double click in empty area of project panel - import file
if you have a series of still images - each one an be imported individually.
Any thing that is going to operate a as single layer - "Import as - footage" drop down
each file with then be uploaded as an individual layer in After Effects.
Shortcuts:
select layer property that we need to work with
select layers area P = position
a = anchor etc
don't over complicate layers
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Layers
In photoshop - work with layers as normal with every element we want to animate on an individual layer in photoshop.
got to After Effects - file > import
AE has chosen to import file as ""footage"
this gives you the option to import a "flattened" layer file from photoshop.
you have the option to merge the files together - or can choose an individual layer from the split up photoshop file
"Import as" drop down on import file dialogue box. - composition> open
leave layer style on in the dialogue box that comes up
now this has been added to the projects panel
that is the difference between importing at "composition" and "footage"
initially ignore the folders in the projects panel with the individual layers in.
double click on the "composition" file in the projects panel and this now opens into our composition panel with access to all the layers. - the individual files are there for us but this is an already made version.
when you have imported a photoshop file as a composition. (ones comp has been double clicked
go composition> composition settings to check that everything is working at the same size etc)
check presets and check duration!
now we can access layer properties and use our key frames.
a background layer in photoshop might have been made bigger in photoshop to use "pan" and track for instance. when the files are imported to AE - the background will be cropped to the frame size so the ability to "pan and track" will no longer be possible. In this case you could just import the individual back ground "cloud" file in this case. file>import> import file as footage". so just see our composition as a starting point - can import as many extra files as you want and build up image this way.
file>import>import file as composition retain layers (the other drop drown settings):
ignore the layers folder that now appears in the "project" panel. This layers folder is the just the reference files for your composition. rarely need it.
double click on the composition and this now opens our project in the composition panel.
when each layer is selected down below - different elements of the composting are selected in composition panel.
select all layers and use R for rotation. it will apply this property for all the layers.
so when all the layers are selected, choose one layer property drop down and adjust the properties.
rotate/pan etc
if i was to have just gone file>import>import file as composition only (as we did before). the whole image and layers would have been adjustable together - working together. one rotation point etc when transforming the layers.
this way (retaining the layers in the compositon) means each layer is independent of each other - with their own anchor point and adjustablity using the "transform" option in the layers panel. each layer is more adaptable in terms of the individual elements you are working on.
working with externally paired files
similar to in - design we need to save and keep the files together with the photoshop files so AE knows where they are. so to make this easy - keep all the files and AE project in the same folder so that AE can refer to them. If a file has been lost or moved - you can see what file is missing by opening your after effects project and in the project panel - you can see the missing layer/file as it is the one with colour bars only. Everything about this layer that we have adjusted is still the same and editable - its just the actual file is missing.
Right click on the missing file with the colour bar, and "replace footage." You can also replace "footage file" with other footage files. So even if you loose the original source file -you can get anything back without any of the layer settings and adjustments being affected.
The key to AE is keeping organised.
Keeping files in different locations
How to gather everything together that you are using
file> dependencies>collect files
Copies any of the working assets/projects into a new workable folder.
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composition > new
layer>new>solid
next to our layer in the bottom layers palette are little square check boxes.
the first box to the right of the layer name is the "shy" switch. this allows us to hide layers that we don't need to see. for instance if you have loads of layers and you are editing all the layer properties in the layers part of the time line/layers panel. Any layers that we have "transformed" and are exactly how we want - we don't need to see them anymore so this enables us to hide them.
there is a master button/switch that looks very similar in the line above this shy switch that will hide all the layers that we have hidden by pressing the shy button previously. this basically allows you to see only the layers that you are still working on.
the next switch to the right of our layer name in the time line/layers panel looks like a star. This switch is useful if yo are working with illustrator files. It is called "continuously rasterize".
file>import>import illustrator vector file.
checking this switch means your Illustrator file will retain smooth edges no matter what scale like vectors normally do.
you could use text in this way.
when working with photoshop files - this option is not available to use this star switch.
***note: if you want something to appear on the same composition: file>import new footage file. this new file now appears in our projects panel. with the composition page we are working on selected in the project panel - then drag and drop the newly opened file onto this composition window and now both files appear in the same composition.
The next switch to the right of the layers name in the time line/layers palette has a diagonal dash . This switch is the quality switch. diagonal line is full quality and if you carry on clicking it will temporally decrease the quality of that individual layer - this is helpful for "ram preview" see previous session notes.
next switch fx - touch on later but its hue and opacity etc
the next is a film reel switch for working with video.
The next switch a circle repeated 3 times. this is the motion blur switch. this allows you to simulate motion blur. This can help to simulate position and create an effect that looks realistic. if you add motion blue to layers- this will increase your ram preview time. the motion blue master switch above this initial button will turn this off - to help with the preview play back when doing the rest of the animation.
the half black half white circle switch - the "adjustment layer". this is all to do with the effects. this is the same with what you can work with in photoshop. (contrast, brightness etc)
this is looking at how to apply a certain effect to an individual layer. this is so that you can apply changes to a layer - eventhough it is the finished version imported from photoshop.
select individual layer > underneath preview panel on the right is the "effects and preset" panel. this is where all our effect options are. it also has a helpful search panel meaning you don't have to search through all the options. when you have found the effect you want - drag it (the actual words) out from this panel into either our composition panel or the actual individual layer in our time line/layers panel.
now in the same area as our projects panel - there is now a new tab for our effects.
you can now adjust your individually selected layer - use drop down arrows to adjust and edit the layer. These option are always live to come back and make changes too.
once an effect has been added the "Fx" switch( to the right of the layer name in the time line/layer panel) you can click this "Fx" switch to temporarily turn off these adjustments to speed up your ram preview. This area can also be used for key frames. you can animate any of these effects using key frames and you can set different value to appear/disappear over different periods of time. once an effect has been added to a layer - the effects adjustments can also be edited and used for key frames - down in our time line/layer panels. we can now use these effects at certain moments in time. (the little stop watch clicker in the "transform" drop down enables key frames.
An easy way to get rid of the effects is select the "effects" area in our time line panel and hit back space.
if you want the whole animation to have just one effect (instead of each layer having different ones) the half black/half white circle switch means you can create a layer which contains the whole. this works well with solid layers.
whole adjustment layers
layer>new>solid> "make comp size" makes a layer the size of the whole composition. this new layer is now on top and at the front of all our layers. so on this new layer we have created for effects, click the little black and white circle switch which now means this layer has now become transparency for us to add our effects too.
search for an effect in the effects panel (e.g hue and saturation. then drag this onto the composition panel (with our new layer still selected) we can now adjust the hue and saturation in the projects panel. because this layer is ahead of all the other layers beneath it - what ever adjustments we make to this layer - makes the same adjustments to all of the other layers beneath all at once.
each effect has its own drop down which stay live throughout. something to think about at the end of the animation - to apply to all layers for finishing and consistency.
This layer again can be used with key frames in the same way as everything else. not only can this layer be adjusted so that effects can be edited - but the time these effects show/hide and how long they last etc can also be edited with key frames.
the last layer switch (the ones to the right of the layer name in the time line/layers panel) is the cube switch - working with 3D.
At the bottom of the "layers" side of the bottom time line panel:toggle switches and modes changes switches to reveal additional options. under the mode area is a drop down (currently selected on "normal". this is helpful for making other adjustments to your layer.
next to the mode column is the TrikMat.
composition> new composition.
import > file > import file which is a simple shape in photoshop on a transparent back ground. could be text.
going to use this layer to adjust how much of the layers beneath it we can see. often this is called a mask. have to have 2 layers.
select the layer in our time line panel and under the Trikmat column click the drop down. select "alpha matte" and this creates a mask and uses the shape to do this. selecting the shape layer in the time line panel and adjusting its layer "transformations" via key frames allows this mask to be animated.
see exported video.
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