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Note: If you are working on a project in Photoshop and it has multiple layers, you
can export the layers as files by doing the following:
File --> Scripts --> Export Layers to Files (this is in Photoshop)
Right click on name of file in the project window
Interpret Footage --> Main
Gives you info about and allows you to change the properties of that piece of
media (e.g. frame rate).
Replace Footage
If you were to edit and update the footage outside of AE (NOTE that it would have
to be exactly the same length as the original), click on this to browse for the
updated version.
Reloading footage
In cases where you updated a image sequence in another application, this is way
of reloading new version.
2. Creating a New composition
In AE you have one project at a time, but that project can have any number of
compositions.
Composition menu --> New composition
Brings up composition settings.
Unlike a video editing app, where you can keep adding things and the duration
expands to accommodate it, AE you have set limit in duration. You can always go back
and change the duration by right clicking on the name of the composition in the project
window, and choosing composition settings.
Or to make the duration of your composition shorter/longer;
Composition --> Composition Settings --> Duration
Choose OK, and a new comp is created.
3. Adding Media to Timeline
To add media to the composition you can select it and drag it into the timeline.
4. RAM Preview
AE does not playback in realtime.
In order to play things back in real time in AE, need to use RAM preview. Basically what
After effects does is load as much information as it can into memory, and plays it back
out of RAM.
CONTROL + 0 (zero) is the shortcut for RAM preview.
5. Compositing
b. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compositing
Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single
images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same
scene.
Compositing was what aftereffects was originally created to do-- wanted to have the
ability to work with multiple layers of video, animation, stills etc. and combine them in
different ways.
Different ways to composite footage:
Keylight 1.2
This is a plugin for green and blue screens, so if you have footage thats bee
shot with a green-screen, we use a technique called keying to separate the
foreground from the background.
Effects--> Keying --> keylight 1.2
Screen Color: use the eyedropper tool to select the green (or blue-screen
color)
adjust by playing around with other values.
Luma Key
A technique for separating an image from a background: set a threshold and
this threshold tells AE to remove everything that is above or below a certain
brightness level (or luminance) and leave everything else behind. This works
best with high contrast images.
make sure that the layer is selected.
Effects--> Keying --> Luma Key
select key out lighter if your background is lighter than the foreground
image. This basically means it will key out the lighter elements and leave the
darker elements behind. Adjust threshold to get the right balance.
Color Keying:
Makes pixels that are of a certain color (or colors close to that color)
transparent.
Effects --> Keying --> Color Key
Select eyedropper, and click over color you want to remove. As soon as do,
can see that it is starting to knock out some of those pixels. Adjust
Threshold to go less or more.
1. Masking
Masking: Draw a shape around the image in order to remove it from its
background.
Double click the image. This brings up a layer window. Note: To get back to
the composition window, you can click the composition tab.
Use the pen tool to create an outline around the image to separate it from its
background.
The pen tool draws a continuous line with points that you place along the
way. so start drawing by placing points along the edge of the foreground.
These do not have to be precise at the beginning. Just outline the shape.
When you get to end, click in the circle that pops up to complete the
shape.
If you go back to the composition window, you will see that what has been
created is an alpha channel. An alpha channel is an additional channel of
information that creates a level of transparency. In RGB, have diff. degrees
of red blue and green values. An alpha channel is an additional channel that
conveys transparency.
6. Keyframes and Animation
To animate something in AE, you specify a characteristic (position, opacity, color) at
particular points (called Keyframes) and the computer fills in the in betweens.
An Example: