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Tag: tips

  • After Effects Twitter Tips

    Here’s my latest collection of After Effects Twitter Tips from my archive. Learn all sorts of useful tips and tricks in bite sized portions. Make sure to Follow me on Twitter to get these tips regularly as well as other goodies I like to share.

    Twitter Tips

    After Effects tip – To make a one node camera point at a layer, select the layer, then with the unified camera tool selected, hit the F key
    AFTER EFFECTS TIP | Copy & Paste any mask shape into a position property to make layer move along the path. Click on property name to select
    AFTER EFFECTS TIP | Give Adobe your feedback | Report Feature Requests & bugs here; http://t.co/s7f1NOPs @AdobeAE #AfterEffects
    AFTER EFFECTS TIP | To stretch or squash an animation – select all keyframes – hold Alt key & drag first or last Keyframe in selected group
    After Effects Tip | Video tutorial – Use the Stroke effect on Illustrator paths to make handwriting animate on screen http://t.co/0E6UHcKOsr
    After Effects Tip of the day! How to make a layer follow a path copied from Adobe Illustrator artwork. http://fb.me/CEapjgCw
    After Effects tip; add new Refine Matte effect to ANY matte in AE to refine edges or add motion blur. Not just for Rotobrush! Fabulous tool!
    After Effects tip; Animating characters, use expression pickwhip 2 link body parts 2 cntrl layer. Expression control effect 4 each movement.
    After Effects Tip; How to make a layer follow a path copied from Adobe Illustrator artwork; http://bit.ly/f8tP4w
    After Effects tip; Lay down markers in time with audio by previewing the audio and hitting * on number pad when you want markers to appear.
    After Effects tip; to edit the path of an effect’s positional property (e.g. Particles) got to Layer panel & choose effect in target menu.
    After Effects tip; To use more than one layer as matte without precomping. Add multiple copies of Sett Matte effect to layer needing matted.
    After Effects Tip: @butlerm_com Try combining transfer modes, use more than one layer with a different mode and opacity value on each! 🙂
    After Effects tip: Add keyframes for hidden Transform properties by selecting layers & hitting alt & property letter (eg alt-p for position)
    After Effects tip: Applied a preset & wanna find out how it’s made? Select layers then double-hit the U key to expose adjusted properties.
    After Effects tip: Make 3D layers turn to face camera as it moves. Select layers, go to Layer>Transform>Auto Orient. choose Towards Camera
    AFTER EFFECTS TIP: Right-click on a property value to open Edit Value dialog. Here u can access different measurement units & adjust ranges.
    AFTER EFFECTS TIP: Rotate , scale, skew or move all layers by adding the Transform effect to Adjustment layer – keyframe to animate them
    After Effects tip: Scaled a layer down, nested the comp, then scaled it up? Click Collapse Transformations switch to fix resolution issues.
    AFTER EFFECTS TIP: Travis Wade presents his After Effects: Copy and Paste Shortcuts on Motionworks; http://t.co/nP2yA1nJ
    After Effects tip! Make layer automatically turn to follow direction of path – select layer, go to Layer > Auto Orient. Choose ‘Along Path’

    AfterEffects Tip | Isolate a property group from the Effect Control Panel in Timeline by double-clicking Property Group name in ECW

    #AfterEffects TINY TIPS: Do you have trouble with slow render speeds? Here’s a video workshop by Todd Kopriva to help: http://t.co/Y45ucGEl
    #AfterEffects TINY TIPS: Do you have trouble with slow render speeds? Here’s a video workshop by Todd Kopriva to… http://t.co/2fL7wE8l
    #AfterEffects Tip – Scale layers in comp without messing up composition – Select layers – Go to File > Scripts > Scale Selected Layers
    #AfterEffects Tip | @Doguib7 Create a Shape Layer, use Offset Paths & Trim Paths from Shape Layer ‘s “Add” menu to animate paths – lotsofun!
    #AfterEffects Tip | Animate property randomly – Alt-click Stopwatch to add expression. Type Wiggle(10,50) to change value 10 p/sec within 50
    #AfterEffects Tip | Audio file plays at different speed than recorded? Check that RAM preview settings match the frame rate of the audio.
    #AfterEffects TIP | Custom Shape layers – 1 Layer > New Shape Layer 2 Draw path with pen 3 Select path property – paste custom path @Doguib7
    #AfterEffects Tip | Drag comps directly to Adobe Media Encoder to render in background. Allows you to continue working on other comps in AE
    #AfterEffects Tip | Loop Footage – select clip, go to Interpret Footage > Main > Other Options > Choose how many time you want to loop 🙂
    #AfterEffects Tip | Quickly deselect selected items by hitting F2. On Mac make sure to use Fn key to override system shortcuts.
    #AfterEffects Tip | Replace layer in Timeline with footage from Project panel (retaining fx + KFs) – Select both, hit Cmmd+Alt+/ Ctrl+Alt+/
    #AFTEREFFECTS TIP | Rubbish at animating? Don’t worry! Use the Motion Sketch panel to record mouse or pen motion & apply it to your layer 🙂
    #AfterEffects Tip | Video Tutorial – how to make your own “Old Film” effect using Turbulent Noise; http://t.co/IOn0bHVPuU @AdobeAE #Mograph
    #AfterEffects Tip | Video tutorial – Use the Stroke effect on Illustrator paths to make handwriting animate on screen http://t.co/APabrfE9FT
    #AFTEREFFECTS Tip 41: RT @i2cblog: In Project panel, search ‘unused’ or ‘missing’ to see what’s not used in any comp or source is missing
    #AfterEffects tip; Moving project to other machine or archiving? File > Collect Files gathers all source footage & project maintaining links
    #AfterEffects tip; Scale layers or comps without messing up composition. Go to File > Scripts > Demo palette. Use Scale Layers
    #AfterEffects Tip; Use Premiere Pro to cut footage, add simple animation to layers in real time. Dynamic Link portions to AE for finessing
    #AfterEffects Tip: @Franckmax If you want to do that, just Toggle hold the keyframe first, then right-click and choose “Easy Ease Out/In” 🙂
    #AfterEffects tip: @jamesboorman To make the particles stay “alive” for longer, adjust the Lifespan property.
    #AfterEffects Tip: @MarkToddWagon No need for Alt,  Page Up & Down on their own works. Home & End key to move to 1st & last frames of comp.
    #AfterEffects Tip: 3D layers have Material Options to control shadows. Cast Shadows & Accept Shadows can be switched on or off per layer.
    #AFTEREFFECTS tip: Animate Source Text property 2 make words change over time in text layer. Font & character panel attributes also animated
    #AfterEffects tip: Convert Text to Shape layers (Layer > Create shapes from Text) – Add cool Shape properties to get creative! Endless Fun!
    #aftereffects tip: Create a keyframe for a property on selected layers by holding alt key & tapping property shortcut. P for Position etc
    #AfterEffects Tip: Even out animation speed – select Keyframes in timeline (except 1st & last KF). Right-click & choose “Rove Across Time”
    #AfterEffects Tip: Found a camera move or lighting setup you like? Remember you can save them as Animation Presets to use in other comps.
    #AfterEffects Tip: Give footage instant punch & contrast – duplicate layer – make top layer Overlay Blend mode – adjust Opacity to taste 🙂
    #AfterEffects Tip: Have layers in comp that you don’t want to render? Select Layer, go to Layer > Guide Layer to create non-rendering layer.
    #AfterEffects tip: Help with custom shatter maps. Re: Is this done with shatter effect? http://cr8v.co/wCe [Like it? http://bit.ly/lRPIGH ]
    #aftereffects tip: Huge files? Slow render times? Select layer in Project, go 2 File > Create Proxy. Makes linked  low res version of file!
    #AfterEffects tip: Jump back & forth between visible keyframes & layer markers by hitting J & K. Trouble remembering? Think JUMP KEYFRAMES!
    #AfterEffects Tip: Learn Cinema 4D – soon – you won’t regret it! 🙂 @maxon3d @AdobeAE #Mograph @c4dtips
    #AfterEffects Tip: Locate missing footage by typing ‘missing’ in2 search field in Project panel. Relink by double-clicking it & relocating
    #AfterEffects Tip: Metric Kerning looks good on well-designed, classic fonts for broadcast – it includes a little more space than Optical
    #AfterEffects tip: Painting in Layer panel. Go to View > New View. Place comp & layer panels side by side. Lock them for nice ETLAT workflow
    #AfterEffects Tip: Pt 2. Select Camera, double-hit U key to expose adjusted properties, drag select them, drop into Effects & Presets panel
    #aftereffects tip: Remember the shortcuts for properties with the word ‘STRAP’. (S)cale, Opaci(T)y, (R)otation, (A)nchor Point, (P)osition
    #AfterEffects tip: Rendering more than one format? Select Render Item, go to Composition > Add Output Module to render once & format twice
    #AfterEffects Tip: Rendering movie for web? Choose poster frame displayed in thumbnail – Go to Composition > Set Poster Time before render.
    #AFTEREFFECTS Tip: Retime animation – select keyframes – hold Alt key & drag 1st or last keyframe. Keeps relative timing intact.
    #AfterEffects Tip: RT @theangietaylor: Re: After Effects Key Light – Some Spilling Occuring – How Do I Get Rid of it? http://t.co/azVs5mxn
    #AfterEffects Tip: RT @theangietaylor: Re: Moving Layers by n Pixels http://t.co/qtde4cIk
    #AfterEffects Tip: Select a layer, double-hit U key to expose properties adjusted from default state. Great way to understand effect presets
    #aftereffects tip: To auto-animate brush strokes as they’re drawn. Choose Paint tool & select ‘Write On’ in Duration Menu in Paint panel.
    #AfterEffects Tip: To create a template project simply save the project with .aet instead of .aep. Prevents u from accidentally over-writing
    #AfterEffects tip: To reduce the amount of motion blur in a comp go 2 Composition Settings > Advanced Tab & reduce the Shutter Angle value.
    #AfterEffects tip: To use included scripts enable General > Preference to ‘Allow scripts . . .’ and then restart… http://fb.me/BQbXk95K
    #AfterEffects Tip: Use Motion Sketch panel to capture motion from Wacom tablet & apply it to layers. Good way to record gestural animation.
    #AfterEffects Tip: Use the  J & K keys to jump between visible keyframes
    #AfterEffects Tip: Use the “continue” Loop expression 2 continue an existing animation, maintaining speed &… http://t.co/u21TqofD
    #AfterEffects Tip: When overnight rendering, render out an image sequence, at least then if it crashes you can save frames already rendered.
    #AfterEffects tips from @AngieTaylor – Software Tips & Tricks Newsletter – http://t.co/kEF6ry0p [Like it? http://t.co/IzVYju0W ]
  • Mask Interpolation Tips

    Mask Interpolation Tips

    Masking is one of the features of After Effects that I get asked about the most during my After Effects training courses. People seem to have lots of problems animating masks in After Effects and I’ve noticed a few forum questions about it recently so I thought I’d provide some quick mask interpolation tips and links here for you today.

    In one of my previous newsletter (you can subscribe here) we looked at how you can adjust the first vertex of a mask to help control the animation.

    Here’s an excerpt from my Creative After Effects book that shows how to use Auto- Trace and Smart Mask Interpolation to help animate complicated Mask shapes.

    I also have a brand new course in my video store from the amazing Jeff Foster. Advanced Compositing, Tracking, and Roto Techniques with After Effects has amazing tips, here are some free excerpts;

    Roto-Painting Mattes

    Basics of Match-Moving

    Multiple Moving Elements/Layers

    Check out our subscription offers for free access to all Jeff’s courses plus mine and all the other trainers at video2brain.

    And here are additional tips that can help you when animating masks.

    • Remember that you can apply motion blur to a masked layer, at a low setting this will also add a little more smoothness to the interpolation.
    • When animating anything in After Effects, but particularly mask shapes, it pays to always start by setting the extreme points of the animation. For example, if your animation is 10-second long, set a keyframe at the very beginning and another at 10 seconds. Then go in between to 5 seconds and make any necessary changes. Once this is done, go to 2.5 seconds, set a keyframe there, then to 7.5 seconds and set another there. Continue positioning the Timemarker half-way in between the pairs of keyframes to set new ones until no other changes are necessary. Using this method will ensure that you add the least amount of keyframes necessary for the animation, the fewer keyframes, the less work it is to edit!
    • Here’s a link to the Masking section of the After Effects Online Help.
  • Animating a line drawn on a map – Indiana Jones Style

    Animating a line drawn on a map – Indiana Jones Style

    My recommended workspace setup for this kind of 'Rostrum-style' work. You need to have the Layer panel and Comp panel visible.

    I contribute to the Creative Cow Basic After Effects forum (amongst others) where this question was posted recently;

    “Hi I am newish to after effects and I have created a old map effect that pans from the UK to africa now I want to add a red line that reveals like in the Indiana Jones graphic.”

    There’s definitely a trick to getting this right but once you know the trick, it’s easy, so, here are the rough steps for getting it right.

    BTW, a movie demonstrating this technique is available in my After Effects CS5 Learn by Video DVD if you are interested in that here’s a link to it.

    1. Place the map in a new comp, it’s best if the Map is bigger than the comp if you want to pan around it. In the Timeline, set a keyframe for the Anchor Point property as it’s this property you will animate to pan around the map. NB: Don’t animate the Position property as you’ll just run into problems.

    2. Alt-double-click the layer to open up the Layer panel, this is where you’ll do the animation. It’s great as you’ll be able to see an overview of the whole image without having to faff around in the Comp panel. Make sure that the Target menu is set to Anchor Point Path.

    3. In the timeline, move to where you want the next change in direction of the path to happen, and in the Layer panel, click and drag the anchor point to the landmark that you want to be central in the comp panel at that time. You’ll notice that, in the Comp panel, the point that the anchor point is on (in the Layer panel) is always central in the Comp panel, which is what you want exactly!

    4. Keep repeating this till you have completed the journey you want the ‘camera’ to follow and so have completed the positional aspect of the animation.

    5. If you want to smooth out the timing of the animation so that it maintains an even speed throughout, select all the keyframes except the first and last one, right-click on them and choose Rove Across Time. Once you’ve done that you can pull or push the first or last keyframes to speed up, or slow down the whole animation.

    6. Now apply the Write On effect to the layer. Choose a color and style by adjusting the settings.

    7. To make the Write on effect follow the path you can either use and expression to link the Brush Position property to the Anchor Point property of the layer (my preferred option) or, if you’re not keen on using expressions you can simply select all the keyframes from the Anchor Point property, copy them, then paste them into the Brush Position property.

    8. In the Write On effect, make sure that the Paint Style property is set to On Original Image.

    The nice thing about this technique is that it’s now easy to make it into a 3D map pan. All you need to do is add a camera and some lights, adjust the camera angle and animate the zoom property and that’s it! The camera and lights will automatically follow the anchor point so no further animation will be necessary unless you want to animate the angle, zoom, or depth of field.

    To find out more details of this technique and others, check out my After Effects CS5 Learn by Video DVD that I created alongside the wonderful Todd Kopriva from Adobe.