After Effects Session 4

OUIL504

You can have more than one composition projects open on AE

HD 1080 25 for final animation 

Select transform to work with any of the layer properties

At the bottom of the selection there is the auto orient button

Orient along the path

Select this and the rocket layer, the rocket will travel in the direction of the path by its nose

When setting up a motion path, you are focusing on the layer moving along the key frames at different path

To achieve a consistent speed between keyframes 

Spacing between key frames determines the speed

Select all keyframes in between the first and the last

Right click on key frame for options

Select rove across time

The keyframes will turn circular and will have been spaced equally between 

The Dot represent a moment in time/ frame within the motion path

RAIN SCENE

Right side panel within Project selection

Shy Switch 

Allows you to simplify timeline 

Layers part of the timeline might become too long, and the shy switch will condense the selection 

Click on the icon and then click on the main Shy switch and the layers will be hidden so you can work with the only layer you need to work on

Star Icon

 Tool is for illustrator files, will retain the smooth vector edges

Quality Switch

Allows you to change the resolution of the single layer you are working on, so you dont have to change the resolution of the whole animation

FX

Photoshop for After Effects files, adjusting brightness contrast per layer

Knowing what you are looking for, you can search in the Effects and Presets, find the file, drag into the composition 

Controls will appear on the left hand of your project

Enable Key framing button will appear, which means any effect to have keyframes applied. 

Which means hue and saturation effects can appear in any space and time in your animation. 

Select change range button, adjust time bar where desired

Select key frames and in between add the variation of hue and saturation between

To Undo effect, select to effect controls and click backspace

The layer switch will allow yo to turn on and off effects on the layer

Film Frame 

  This tool is the motion blur option

You have to activate Master Control

  Select Blur and then Master Blur

Adjustment Layer Option 

Creates a new layer, free of content, only contains an effect of adjustment so you can apply it on all layers

Select the top layer, layer should be created at top because it has priority

Add new Solid layer, make the solid layer Composition size

Our composition is back once we select the Icon 

  Our composition no longer be solid and any effect applied will be applied to all layers 

If you you would like any layers to not be affected by this effect, move the layer created underneath any layers you don't want to change

Last layer allows you to work with layers in 3D

 This wont be covered in our AE sessions 

PHTOOSHOP

Create new file\pick film and video preset

For brief select top option

Import photoshop image, with blank background

Create New composition in AE 

Photoshop file on top of other layers

Toggle switches, select normal tab you should see the following menu

Four options to do with the above layer 

Alpha Matte, first selection in the drop down menu

Within this circle you can still apply key frames. It will retain all of its transform properties 

If you swap keyframes, the acton will happen in reverse and the circle will appear at the end of the animation.

NESTED COMPOSITION

Drag rocket composition onto the following icon

this will create a compositiion

Untick lock ratio, and increase width

Change anchor point to be behind the rocket

Change the scale over a timeline and change scale of flame 

You can add one composition to another by dragging it into the other composition 

You can also break down your animation into scenes, by making 2 or more compositions, and nesting them

You can keep track of your layers within this tab, collect files 

This will create a separate folder in Finder with all layers and compositions.