1. Projection Content Creation
USITT 2016
PDW

2. After Effects

3. “Photoshop on Steroids”
Composition = Canvas
⌘N = Create new Comp
⌘K = Modify Comp
⌘R = Rulers
Masking = Layer Mask
Many of the same Tools
Many of the same Effects

4. Workspace Import Files Import Premiere Pro Project Images/Video/Audio
Photoshop Files – as footage (flattens layers)
Photoshop Files – as comp (preserves layers)
Import Premiere Pro Project
Can import FCP files as well (export as XML and use Import/Pro Importer)

5. Playback in After Effects
Space bar = Video only
. = audio only
(ctrl . on a laptop)
0 = audio and video
(ctrl 0 on a laptop)
* = make marker
(ctrl * on a laptop)

6. Effects Choose an effect from the effects/presets window
Drag it onto a layer in the timeline
Adjust the effect properties in the Effect Control Window.

7. Example Effects from Photoshop
Hue/Saturation
Levels
Liquify
Smart Blur
Edit and animate Hue/Saturation and then liquify

8. Effects in Photoshop vs. After Effects
After Effects is NON-destructive in applying effects.
All effects can be animated.
Effects can be applied to video (rather than to just one frame)

9. Particle Effects Create a new solid (⌘Y)
Select CC Particle Systems II and drag on to the solid.
Adjust the effect properties in the Effect Control Window
Birth rate – higher numbers, the more particles. Animate this to start and end the particles.
Longevity – how long the particles “live”
Physics
Particle Type
Producer – animate this to move the particles around the screen.
Physics – get started and it goes.

10. Particle Effects: Flames
CC Particle Systems II
Effect Settings:
Birth rate – high (~10)
Longevity – low (less than 1)
Physics - Fire
Particle Type – Motion Polygon
Color – Orange and Red
Vector Blur
Add this effect after CC Particle World
Blur amount medium (~10)
Create fire.

11. Explosion Effects CC Scatterize Shatter Effect Settings: Grow Bounds
Animate the scatterize amount
Animate the twist
Shatter Effect Settings:
View – Rendered
Shape – Glass, Brick, Custom
Force 1 Radius
Radius = 0, no shatter
Radius > 0, shatter starts
Grow Bounds
Increase the bounds of the original layer
Place as the effect before shatter.
Shatter building.

12. Animating Time Time Remapping (⌘ ALT T) Animate each frame of time
Can animate physics effect but must pre-compose the layer first.
⌘ SHIFT C = Pre-compose a layer.
Choose Move all Attributes
Time remap shatter.

13. Texture Effects Fractal Noise Effects/Animation Presets/Backgrounds
The basis of many pre-made backgrounds in After Effects
Effects/Animation Presets/Backgrounds
Swirly. Use preset backgrounds. Adjust and animate.

14. Fractal Noise Create a new solid (⌘ Y) Fractal Noise Settings:
Fractal Type
Contrast
Transform – set the scale and rotation of the noise.
Turbulence
Evolution – the main method of animating fractal noise.
Tint or Tritone
Use this to add color to your noise.

15. Chroma Effects Colorama Change to Color Keylight Snazzy
Use to change a single color or a range of colors in an image (ala Pleasantville)
Keylight
Use to key out a color and leave it transparent.
Does NOT work on white or black (use a luma keyer or extract for white or black).

16. Keylight
Screen color – pick the eyedropper and select the background color
Screen Gain/Screen Balance – adjust to try to remove more of the background
Screen Matte
Clip Black/Clip White – adjust to remove the rest of the background.
Screen Shrink/Grow – Adjust to trim edge
Screen Softness– Adjust to soften the edge
Keyout Mike

17. Masking Select a layer Draw a mask Animate the Mask Path Expansion
Feather
Draw a mask on a layer

18. Effects using Masking Stroke Lens Flare Apply to a layer with a mask
Choose to animate Start or End Percent
Lens Flare
Masks can be used as position animation for effects.
Select the mask path
Copy (⌘C)
Click on Flare Center and paste (⌘V)
Animate on cursive or some drawing – demonstrate.

19. Drawing Shapes Deselect all layers
Draw a shape (using the same tools as masking)
Animate the Shapes
Create shapes.

20. Shapes Click on the shape
In the Timeline click “add” and choose the shape property to animate.

21. Puppet Animate pick-points on a layer
Edges are determined by transparency of layer
Refine in graph editor or with The Smoother

22. Text & Masking Create Text Draw a path on the text layer
Toggle open the text layer in the timeline
Choose the Path
Animate First Margin
Animate text

23. Text Presets Animate per-character Effects/Animation Presets/Text
Drag preset to text layer
Animation will start at the play head.
⌘Z to undo

24. Animating Text Toggle open text Click “Add”
Choose a property to animate
Adjust the property
Animate the range selector or offset
Animate text preset.

25. Matte Matte Cookie Analogy
A layer that dictates transparency for the layer underneath
Cookie Analogy
Matte – Cookie Cutter
Image – Cookie Dough
Use Keyed footage as a matte for a preset background.

26. Matte Mattes in After Effects
Matte layer must be directly above matted layer.
In the TrkMatte column for the matted layer choose the type of matte you want to use.

27. Types of Mattes Luma Matte Alpha Matte
Luminance determines transparency
Black = Transparent
White = Opaque
Gray = somewhat transparent
Alpha Matte
Alpha channel determines transparency

28. Luma Matte Use images or video with high contrast for luma mattes
Use levels or curves on the matte layer to improve the contrast.

29. Alpha Matte
Use an image with an alpha channel (such as PNGs, ProRes 4:4:4, PSD layers, AI files, etc.)
Create an alpha channel (masking, keying, rotoscoping, etc.)

30. Rendering
CTRL ⌘ M
Click on “file location” to change where to save to.
Click on “lossless” to change the render settings

31. Render Settings Format: The file format of the finished render.
Codec: The compressor/decoder algorithm used to compress the file.

32. Rendering Efficiency
Templates – change the default setting of the movie or image render.
Edit/Templates/Output Module
Click “Create New”
Edit the settings and give your template a name
In the Movie Default drop down, pick your new template.