Notes: Week 9 (March 28)

Effects (part 1)

• You can apply effects to a layer by selecting it and:
• choosing Effects > ... from the top menu
• right-clicking on the layer in the timeline and choosing Effects > ...
• right-clicking inside the Effects Controls window and choosing the desired effect
• When trying to apply the same effect to multiple layers, create anAdjustment Layer (Layer > New > Adjustment Layer);  it must be at the top of the layers you want to affect
• Set keyframes to any property of an effect that has the stop-watch symbol
• You can set keyframes in the Effects Controls window or in the Effects properties of the layer on the timeline
• Effects categories covered in class:
• Color Correction
• Blur-Sharpen
• Distort
• Stylize
• Perspective
• Transition

Notes: Week 8 (March 7)

3D LAYERS (part 2)

Lights:

• To create a new light, go to Layer > New > Light
• To adjust light settings, select the light and go to Layer > Light Settings
• Light types:
• Spot (most popular)—has the same controls as 3D cameras
• Parallel—has the Point of Interest control, allowing you to cast it in a certain direction without creating the same light fall-off as with the Spot light
• Point—allows you to change the position of the light source but does not have a particular direction or light fall-off
• Ambient—lights the entire scene evenly, allowing you to create base lighting (so that when you use a Spot light, you never have an entirely black area); Keep this light at very low intensity and always combine with another light-source
• Combine multiple light-sources for a more realistic, dimensional environment

Casting shadows:

• To cast shadows, select the light source(s) you want to cast the shadows and turn on the "CAst Shadows" option (off by default)
• Select the object that you want to cast shadows, go to Material Options and turn "Cast Shadows" on
• Make sure the object that will receive the shadow has "Receive Shadows" turned on in teh Material Options (on by default)

Material Options:

Use Material Options to control the way the object reacts to light sources in the scene (highlights, shadows, surface texture, etc)

Notes: Week 7 (Feb 28)

3D LAYERS (part 1)

• To turn a layer into a 3d layer, turn on the box with the cube symbol (to the right of the layer name)

• 3D layers have an extra dimension added to the transform properties (Z =  depth)

• When changing position: 

• negative numbers move the layer towards the "camera"

• positive numbers move the layer away from the "camera"

When working with 3D layers, use camera options at the bottom of the composition window to view the scene from different angles


Note: Make sure to return the setting to your main camera before rendering


Cameras:

• To create a new camera, go to Layer > New > Camer

• To adjust camera settings (that appear in the intro menu), select the camera and go to Layer > Camera Settings

• Note: Only one camera will be active per scene (if you have more than one camera, the top camera layer will be the active one. You can activate a different camera by choosing it from the camera view options in the composition window or turning it on (eye symbol) while turning off all other cameras.

• Use Point of Interest and Position for most of your camera animations (do not set rotation keys)

• Point of Interest—orients the camera angle (acts like rotation)

• Position—moves the entire camera

• Use "Camera Options" to control Depth of Field and other lens-specific properties

• Note: Never animate Zoom  unless using it to keep the depth of field blurring constant while zooming in.

Notes: Week 6 (Feb 21)

Text animators

• Apply text animators by choosing properties from the Animate drop down menu
• To more than one property to an Animator, use the Add drop-down menu after the initial Animator is created
• To add more Animators, keep using the Animate drop-down menu (make sure no other Animator is selected)
• Most Animator properties are animated using the Range Selector > Offset of each Animator
• 
  
• When using the Offset technique, set the Animator properties to the "ultimate" amount (the largest or smallest scale value, 0 opacity, etc); do not key the actual property
• For smoother, overlapping Offset animation, use the Ramp Up/Ramp Downproperties in Advanced > Shape menu.
• Adjust Ease High and Ease Low in Advanced settings for different animation overlap

 Browse Text Animation Presets

• Open the Effects and Presets window
• Open the menu in the upper-right corner of the window and select Browse Presets
• Go to the Text folder and look at animation previews
• To apply a preset, make sure your text layer is selected and double click on the preset in the Browsing window

Notes: Week 5 (Feb 14)

Animating Type

It is best practice to work with text either created directly in After Effects or imported as part of another file and converted to Editable Text. This saves you the trouble of linking assets and opens a world of text-specific animation controls.

 

Importing text from Photoshop

• Import your photoshop file as "Composition" (both layer size and document size are acceptable)
• Enter the imported photoshop composition or pull the imported text layer into an independent comp
• Right-click on the text layer and select "Convert to Editable Text"

Importing text from Illustrator

• Text layers imported from an Illustrator file can't be converted to Editable Text
• To use type from an Illustrator file, export the .ai file as a Photoshop format

Creating text in After Effects

• Use the T tool to create text directly in After Effects

Character Window Tools

• Window > Character
• Select fonts
• Leading/Kerning
• Access lower bar of the window for Caps, Small Caps, Superscript, Subscript controls

Paragraph Window Tools

• Left/Right/Center align
• Paragraph spacing and indenting
• Note: Always be aware of your alignment—it will impact text-specific animation controls

Animating Text Manually—back to front

• Though AE has very sophisticated and flexible text animation tools, it is sometimes worthwhile to select a small portion of your animation for a manual treatment (to achieve a more organic, unique feel).
• This approach would require to break up your word/line of text into "animatable" layers.
• Start by creating your main layout as one layer (this will be your "guide" layer)
• Make it a different color from the actual text (for better visibility)
• Duplicate the "guide" layer and lock the original
• Use the duplicated layer to create as many pieces as you want to animate manually
• Position the resulting layers in original order using the guide layer as reference
• Set keyframes on all layers for every property you plan to animate: these keyframes will be your "final" state
• Go to another part of your timeline and start animating with your layers

Notes: Week 4 (Feb 7)

Pre-composing (precomping) & nesting:

• Nesting—putting a composition inside another composition

• Precomping—selecting a layer or multiple layers inside an existing composition that you want to contain in another composition (for organizational or complex animation use)

• To Precomp, go to Layer > Precompose (Command+Shift+c)

• When precomping a single layer, you will have two options

• "Leave all Attributes in current comp": if the layer has any keyframes/effects, they will remain attached to the newly created composition and not be encompassed inside this composition as part of the precomped layer

• "Move all attributes into the new composition": all keyframes and effects will move into the newly created comp and remain attached to the precomped layer

Collapse transformations:Use the "continuously rasterize" symbol (*) to insure that After Effects continues to display vector layers inside nested comps as continuously rasterized when scaled beyond 100% (if you don't turn this option on, AE will treat a precomped vector layer as a bitmap and pixelate the edges)

Keeping comps organized:Always name your comps and put them in appropriate folders inside your project window! ALWAYS

Masks:

• To create a mask, make sure you have a layer selected

• Use the geometric tools or your pen tool to apply the mask shape. Note: When using the pen tool, you must make sure to close the path in order for the mask to work.

• Keep your masks organized by naming them (select mask, hit Return and type) and changing the mask color (click in the color box and choose from the color wheel)

• Use mask modes to hide/reveal different areas of the mask (add, subtract, intersect, etc)

• Use the "Inverted" option when combining multiple masks and mask modes

• To change the shape of your mask, you can:

• Use the selection tool to click on individual vector points. Once the vector point is selected, you can click and drag.

• Shift-click on vector points for a multiple-point selection

• Double-click on any vector point to create a transform box around the entire shape

• Select multiple vector points and press Command+t to create a bounding box around your selection

• Note: When adjusting your mask shape, make sure you have at least one point  selected before dragging. If you simply click and drag,  you might be moving the layer itself, not the mask. 

• Keyable mask properties (click on the "stop watch" symbol next to each property to begin setting keys):

• Mask Path: adjusts the shape of your mask

• Mask Feather: adjusts the feathering (blurring) of the mask edges

• Mask Opacity: control the opacity of an individual mask area (rather than the opacity of the entire layer)

• Mask Expansion: expand/contract the borders of your mask without changing the Mask Path

• Shape layers are great for creating ambient, background animations

• To create a Shape layer, use the geometry or pen tool without having a layer selected.

• Note: The ancor point of a Shape layer is in the center of the comp, not in the center of the shape you create. 

• You can apply multiple shapes to one shape layer (once you create a shape layer, make sure you have it selected before using the geometry/pen tool to create a new shape)

• Note: Having multiple shapes on one shape layer will allow you to apply one set of property keyframes to both shapes, saving you time and creating better layer organization

• Keep your individual shapes organized by renaming (select the shape name, hit "Return" and type)

• Shape layers (similar to Illustrator) have an independently adjustable fill and stroke

• The most powerful way to use a shape layer is to animate "Contents"(not "Transform Properties"):

• You can explore the basic Contents properties and apply animation to any that have the "stop watch" symbol

• Shape layers allow you to apply a wide range of deform effects using the "Add" menu to the right of "Contents"

• You can apply these deform animations to all shapes on the shape layer or to individual shapes

• All shapes: have "Contents" selected when using the "Add" menu

• Individual shapes: have the desired shape selected when using the "Add" menu

Shape layers:

Notes: Weed 3 (Jan 31)

 Reconnecting media

• Missing media will appear with a “color bars” symbol in the Project window. 
• To find all missing media, type “Missing” in the search bar of the Project window. 
• To reconnect media
• right-click on it in the Project window
• Replace Footage > File 

Rendering

• To export your animation, select the animation timeline and go to Composition > Make Movie 
• Make sure the work area of your timeline is set correctly (to adjust the work area, pull on the front or back handles of the “work area” bar at the top of the right side of the timeline) 
• Render Settings: 
• Output To: 
• make sure to set the correct output location and name your file 
• Render Settings: 
• set the appropriate Quality, Resolution and Time Span 
• Output Module: 
• Format: Quick Time Movie 
• Format Options > Compression Type: H264 
• Audio Output: make sure to turn it on!

Setting Keyframes

• Transform properties (and shortcuts): 
• anchor point (a)
• position (p)
• scale (s)
• rotation (r)
• opacity (t) 
• Keyframes are set at the position of the time-slider on the timeline. 
• Turn on the “stop watch” symbol (to the left of the transform property) to set the initial keyframe. Turning it off will remove all keyframes from a layer. 
• Subsequent keyframes can be set by positioning the time-slider over an empty/un-keyed area on the timeline and: 
• changing the value of the keyed transform property (left side of the timeline) 
• using the mouse/keyboard to manipulate the layer in the Composition window 
• New keyframes can also be added by clicking inside the “diamond” symbol to the left of the “stop watch” symbol. You will have to change the value of the transform property in order to see any results. 

Navigating keyframes

To navigate between keyframes:

• Use the left/right arrow to the left of the “stop watch” symbol, or 
• Position the time-slider over the desired keyframe (shift+drag the time slider to snap). 
• Use the shorcut keys “k” (forward) and “j” (backward) 

Moving keyframes on the timeline

• To move a keyframe, click and drag it across the timeline (shift+drag to snap to time-slider position) 
• To select/move multiple keyframes: 
• click near (not on) a keyframe and drag to expand the bounding box around the desired keyframes, or 
• shift-select multiple keyframes 
• To “squeeze” or “expand” a group of keyframes (in order to speed up/slow down the animation), select all keyframes of one or more transform properties, click and drag the first or last keyframe. Note: when selecting keyframes of multiple transform properties (or layers), make sure to click/drag the absolute first or last keyframe of the group

Changing Keyframe Values

• A value of a keyframe can be changed only when the time-slider is positioned directly over the keyframe. Otherwise, a new keyframe will be created. 
• Position the time-slider over the keyframe and enter a new value to the transform property, or use your mouse/keyboard to manipulate the layer in the Composition window. 
• To proportionally increase/decrease the value of multiple keyframes on the same transform property, select all keyframes, snap the time-slider to any of the selected keyframes, use the transform property values or the Composition window to enter changes

Useful keyframe shortcuts 

• “u” = reveal/close all keyframes 
• “j” and “k” = navigate between keyframes 
• “Shift + drag” = snap keyframe to time-slider or time-slider to keyframe 
• “Opt + a” = set keyframe to Anchor Point 
• “Opt + p” = set keyframe to Position 
• “Opt + s” = set keyframe to Scale 
• “Opt + r” = set keyframe to Rotation 
• “Opt + t” = set keyframe to Opacity 

Useful layer shortcuts 

• Select a layer and:
• “[“ or “]” = snap the beginning or the end of a layer to the time-slider 
• “Opt + [“ or “Opt + ]” = trim the beginning or end of the layer to the time-slider 
• “i” = time-slider snaps to the beginning of a selected layer 
• “o” = time slider snaps to the end of a selected layer 

Motion path

• A motion path’s controls are similar to a vector path 
• Use the pen tool to adjust motion path curves/bezier handles
• Good motion rule: fewer keyframes make better animation

NOTES: Week 1-2 (Jan 17-Jan24)

Project organization 

• When media is imported into After Effects, it does not become part of the AE file but rather “links” to the AE file from its location on the hard-drive. It is very important to maintain a consistent folder structure for every project, or you will lose the links to your imported assets. 
• Create an organized folder structure for each project you work on. 
• Never re-name or move your folders and imported assets. 

Basic Interface: Project, Compositions, Timeline, Preview and Tools 

• To close a window, highlight it by clicking inside it (make sure you see a yellow outline around the window you selected) and click the “x” symbol in the upper right corner. 
• To open a window, select it from “Windows” in the main AE menu bar (top of screen).

Composition settings 

• When beginning a new project, be aware of your final output requirements (web, broadcast, projection, etc). 
• Some important specs to be aware of are: resolution, pixel aspect ratio, frame rate, duration 
• In this class, your composition settings will be: 
• HDV/HDTV 1080 29.97 fps Progressive 
• resolution: 1920 x 1080 
• pixel aspect ration: square pixels 
• frame rate: 29.97 frames per second 
• Progressive (non-interlaced) 
• Zoom in/out of Composition Window: Cmnd & + or -

Importing media: still images, video, audio 

• option 1: File > Import > File 
• option 2: Right-click in the Project window; Import > File 
• option 3: Select Project window; Cmnd & i

Working with layers on a timeline 

• To bring images, videos and audio files from the project window into the composition:
• click-drag an asset from the project window and drop it into the composition window (this will give you the option of positioning the asset using the mouse) 
• click-drag an asset from the project window and drop it into theleft side of the timeline (the asset will appear in the center of the composition and at the beginning of the timeline) 
• click-drag an asset from the project window and drop it into theright side of the timeline (the asset will appear at the center of the composition but will give you an option of choosing the desired place on the timeline using the mouse) 
• duplicating a layer: select layer; Cmnd & D 
• copying a layer: select layer; Cmnd & C 
• pasting a layer: select layer; Cmnd & V 
• zoom in/out of the timeline: + or -

Preview

• To preview your animation, always use RAM Preview: first button on the right side that looks like an arrow with three lines behind it or 0 on the numeric pad. Only RAM Preview allows you to view your animation in real-time.
• Never use the simple Play button: third button from the left or spacebar. Your playback will not be in real-time and you will not hear sound.
• Be aware of your sound settings in the preview window: if you can't hear audio during playback, check to see if your sound icon is turned off.
• Make sure you are using the desired playback mode: second button from the right. There are three different options for playback: beginning to end once; beginning to end loop; beginning to end then end to beginning (playing backwards).

Transform properties 

• anchor point (a) 
• position (p) 
• scale (s) 
• rotation (r) 
• opacity (t) 

Using audio waveforms as a rhythm guide 

• Use the waveform of an audio file to help you find rhythm cues for animation timing 
• Thinner parts of the waveform represent a lull in the sound while high peaks usually indicate a beat 
• To access the waveform open the sound layer (by clicking on the arrow symbol to the left of the layer name); open Audio; open Waveform; roll over the thin grey line below the waveform and pull down to expand the waveform size. 

Solid layers:

• Solid layers are a powerful tool. They are vector based, and can be scaled beyond 100% without pixelation issues. Using AE native elements saves you from having to deal with file-linking issues.
• To create a solid layer in After Effects, go to Layer > New > Solid
• To modify the solid layer you created, select it and go to Layer > Solid Settings