After effects basics

What is After Effects?Adobe After Effects is a digital motion graphics, visual effects and compositing software used in the post-production process of filmmaking and television production. Its main uses are the origination of 2D and 2.5D (visual views at a ¾ perspective its in-between 2D and 3D – see figure1. for an example) animation, visual effects compositing and finishing image adjustment, colour correction.

Figure 1

Composition window – is where you can preview a composition. Extra information is also shown here such as changes to the timeline motion paths, masks and more.

This is the information panel showing the RGB, the location of your mouse on the comp screen and the time information when playing a clip.

The time control window allows you to preview your clip in the comp window and see specific frames. It also has a loop, mute and changes the frame rate per second to make viewing easier and more isolated

Project window – it stores all available formats that can be used on an After Effects project

This is the timeline for your comp window. This window shows you the fps of the comp the length where your preview is currently paused. You can also isolate an area of the comp so you can focus on the specific part when editing.

How do you import a file

There are two way to import a file the easiest was is by double clicking in the empty space of the project window and select in your file/s from the pop-up window, the second way is by going to the toolbar File – Import – File…

How do you set up a 30 second composition?

When you open a new composition file or when you right click on a file in your project window and select Interpret Footage – Main… a new composition set up window will appear (a screen shot of this is on the left). To change the duration time you need to enter a new time here, that will then change the duration of your composition which can only be changed in the settings, this feature is useful if you’re being strict on the time limit.

How do you place files into a new composition?

To add files to a composition you drag them from the project window and drop them either into the composition window or the right side of the timeline window.

What do the time controls do?

Loop – allows you to loop the preview in the comp window. – This button also has a play it once and a ping pong (the preview plays then it play backwards) option, to change it just click the button.

Mute/ play sound

Ram preview – renders video and then plays in real time.

Last frame

Previous frame

Play / pause

Next frame

Last frame

How do you zoom into individual panels?

To zoom into individual panels you click on this symbol

which is in every window’s top right

corner, a drop down menu similar to this

will appear on here is a selection of

different viewing sizes to view just that

window select the Maximise frame option.

Amazing effects I would like to do

Camera through a car window. To do this effect in basic terms they filmed the shot without the window and then edited their own window into the shot later on. This sort of shot has always been a favourtie of mine espeaslly the camera through the wall or celing as you see for a split second all the little bits inside. This is a very advanced trick so I’ll wait to get some skills at less advanced things then I can be ready.

Particle shadows, although most CGI objects look unrealistic the thing that makes it look more realistic even if it’s a ludicrously strange monster in the middle of the street it would require a shadow that works perfectly as it

should in nature. Which is way this shadow effect is probably the most important thing to learn, as everything you make needs a shadow.