Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects by Meyer, Chris, Meyer, Trish -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Halftitle Title Copyright Contents Introduction: When the Going Gets Tough… Getting Started: How to Use This Book 1. After Effects 101: Moving in and getting comfortable

Welcome to After Effects The After Effects Project Compositions The Application Window The Tools Panel The Project Panel Importing Footage The Footage Panel Adobe Bridge Rearranging the Furniture Resizing Frames Tabs Re-docking Panels Opening New Panels Workspaces

2. Creating a Composition: Procedures and shortcuts for setting up a blank canvas

The New Composition The Composition Panel The Timeline Panel Adding Footage to a Comp More on Layers Keeping Tabs on Multiple Comps Closing Comps Side-by-Side View Navigating in Space Mouse Wheel Scrolling Resolution Quality Navigating in Time Zooming in Time The Work Area Visual Aids Safe Areas Grids Rulers and Guides Show Channel The Background Color Black versus Black

3. Basic Animation: Animating a layer’s transformations along with mastering motion paths

Position in Time and Space Animating Position Editing the Motion Path Keyframe Navigation Editing Keyframes Numerically T is for Opacity Crossed-up Dissolves Fading Layers as a Group S is for Scale Animating Scale R is for Rotation Animating Rotation An Orientation in 3D Rotation Auto-keyframe Mode A is for Anchor Point Moving Anchor and Position Together Anchor Point Examples Orbiting Objects Motion Control Moves Smooth Operator Keyframe Tips and Gotchas

4. Keyframe Velocity: The secrets to creating sophisticated animations

Easy Ease Auto Bezier The Graph Editor Value Graphs Editing Handles Velocity Graphs Multiple Values Position Graphs Position Value Graphs Position Speed Graphs Separate X, Y, and Z Graph Gotchas Hold Interpolation Continuing from Hold Roving Keyframes

5. Animation Assistance: A series of tips, tricks, and Keyframe Assistants to make your life easier

Things to Do with Keyframes Copying and Pasting Keyframes Moving and Nudging Motion Paths Scaling a Motion Path Sketching and Smoothing Motion Sketch Applying Sketch to Others Smoother Auto-Orient Rotation A Wiggly World Wiggly Practice Customizing Wiggles Exponential Scale

6. The Layer Essentials: Tips for managing multiple layers efficiently, including hot keying, markers, and the layer switches

Selecting Layers Moving Layers in Time Moving Layers in the Stack Duplicating Layers and Comps Soloing Layers Renaming Layers Replace Source Replace Footage Taking Snapshots Align Panel Color-Coding What Does That Switch Do?

7. Trimming Layers: Learning how to edit layers through trimming, splitting, and sequencing

The Ins and Outs of In and Out Trimming Layers Method A: Trimming in the Timeline Panel Method B: Trimming in the Layer Panel Comparing Methods Slip Sliding Away Slipping Keyframes Sequence Layers Splitting Layers Overlay and Ripple Insert Edits

8. Motion Blur and More: Life’s a blur – at least, to a camera it is

Applying Motion Blur Shutter Angle and Phase Blur and Masks Blur and Nested Comps Render Settings Faux Motion Blur Echoed Effects An Original Echo Echoed Animation Cycore Time Effects CC Force Motion Blur & Wide Time CC Time Blend & Time Blend FX

9. Blending Modes: One of the most creative tools After Effects offers is mixing images together using blending modes

Modus Operandi Mode Swings Experimenting Darkening Modes Darken/Darker Color Multiply Linear Burn Color Burn/Classic Color Burn Lightening Modes Add Lighten/Lighter Color Screen Linear Dodge Color Dodge/Classic Color Dodge Lighting Modes Overlay Soft Light Hard Light Linear Light Vivid Light Pin Light Hard Mix Subtraction and Division Modes Difference/Classic Difference Exclusion Subtract Divide Property-Replacing Modes Hue Saturation Color Luminosity Summarizing H, S, L, and Color modes

10. All About Masking: Masking tools create transparency using standard or freeform Bezier shapes

Masking Basics Masking in the Comp Panel Masking in the Layer Panel Shape Shortcuts The Free Transform Tour Masks of a Feather Mask Expansion Mask Opacity Freeform Bezier Masking Editing with the Selection Tool Editing with the Pen Tool RotoBezier Masks Converting between Bezier and RotoBezier Animating a Mask Masks and Velocity More Mask-Animating Advice Inverting a Mask Fixing Seams with Inverted Masks Multiple Masks Mask Modes Problem-Solving Modes: Lighten and Darken Management Advice Rotoscoping Figures Panning a Layer Inside a Mask Interchangeable Paths Working with Illustrator Paths Wiping on Curved Shapes More on Pasting Paths Mask Paths to Motion Paths Mask Interpolation The Smart Approach Along the Curve Straight and Narrow Inside-Out Interpolation Smart Practice

11. All About Track Mattes: Mastering track mattes is a prerequisite for creating complex multilayered compositions

What’s in a Matte? Creating a Luma Matte Effect Creating an Alpha Matte Effect To Luma or To Alpha? Adding a Background Track Matte Inverted Using the Invert Effect Increasing the Contrast of a Matte Soft Mattes Specifying One Channel as a Matte Creating Animated Mattes Animating the Fill Parental Bond Options for Applying Effects Building a Track Matte Hierarchy Precomposing After Track Matte Precomposing Before Track Matte Effects in a Nested Comp Hierarchy Unmultiplying a Separate Matte Fade the Movie or the Matte? Head Burn Fadeout Custom Transition Mattes

12. Stencils and the “T”: Stencils are a great way to add transparency to multiple layers. And then there’s that “T” switch…

Stencil Luma Stencil Alpha Silhouettes and Alpha versus Luma Adding a Background Layer Preserve Underlying Transparency Glints, Backgrounds, and Effects Alpha Add with Stencils

13. 3D Space: Adding depth to your animations by mastering Z space

Enter a New Dimension Postcards in Space The Z Factor Taking a Spin in 3D Anchors and Offsets Working with 3D Compositions 3D Views View Layouts Getting a Grip Twirl versus Spin 3D Motion Paths Auto-Orient Along 3D Path Rendering Orders What a Difference a Dimension Makes Intersections Mixing 2D and 3D Layers Breaking the Render Order Other Layer Interactions Blending Modes Track Mattes Stencils Adjustment Layers Compound Effects

14. Cameras: Get new perspective on your 3D layers by placing cameras around them

Shooting Script Instant Gratification Pointing the Camera One-Node Cameras Animating Cameras Auto-Orientation Camera Rigs Orbit Camera Rig Dolly Camera Rig Animation Advice Editing Between Cameras Camera Settings Angle of View Depth of Field Depth Charges

15. Lighting in 3D: We continue our exploration of 3D by discussing how to illuminate your layers

Lights and Surfaces Lights 101 Rotating a Light A Light Menu Spot Light Point Light Parallel Light Ambient Light Intensity Color The Material World Accepts Lights Ambient Diffuse and Specular Shininess Metal Out of the Shadows Shadows 101 Light Transmission Creating Gels Gobos Fake Reflections Adjustment Lights Light as a Creative Tool

16. Parallel Worlds: Combining 3D layers from different sources

2D versus 3D Layers Different Types of 3D Layers 3D Shadows onto 2D Layers 3D Shadows for 3D Effects 3D Objects from Photoshop Extended Vanishing Point Exchange Live Photoshop 3D Layers Adobe Repoussé Digieffects FreeForm Warping Practice Animating a Curl Displacement Mapping

17. Parenting Skills: The ability to group layers together greatly eases the creation of complex animations

Developing an Attachment Family Tree Breaking the Bonds Basic Parenting Lessons Saving Time Move as a Group Children and Effects Anthropomorphism Parenting with a Null Object Getting a Handle Local Coordinates The Face Inside the Window Jump Parenting

18. Nesting Compositions: Creating complex motion graphics that are easy to edit requires building a hierarchy of compositions

Nesting 101 Nesting a Comp Easy Editing for Effects Editing a Sequence of Clips Size Doesn’t Matter Repetition and Variation Navigating Nested Comps Composition Navigator Composition Mini-Flowchart Edit This, Look At That Locking the Comp Panel Locking the Effect Controls Panel Nesting Options General Nesting Tips The Rendering Order Two Comps Are Better Than One Manipulating the Rendering Order Problem Solving The Best Laid Plans

19. Precomposing: Continuing our tour of After Effects’ rendering order, we prove that precomposing is easy once you know how…

Precompose for Grouping Precompose Options Option #1: Leave All Attributes Option #2: Move All Attributes Fixing Render Order Problems Fixing the Edge Trimming Out Empty Calories Removing Empty Calories by Trimming Removing Empty Calories by Moving Layers

20. Collapsing Transformations: Options for maximizing resolution also rewire the rendering order

Resolution Lost Collapsing 101 Collapsing 102 Under the Hood Problems and Opportunities The Pasteboard Blending Modes Adjustment Layers Opacity and Fade-Outs Stencils and Silhouettes Collapsed Space Discontinuous Space Continuous Rasterization Render Order Trickery Mask Feather Foolery Eccentric Effects

21. Textacy: Mastering this powerful text animation engine is well worth the effort

Creating Text Editing Type Attributes Composing for Paragraphs Text Along a Path Text Animators Creating a Typing On Animation Properties Parade Creating a Cascading Animation Per-character 3D Text Position in Z 3D Text Rotation Per-character Align to Camera 3D Text in a 3D World Animator Shapes The Lowdown on Ease High and Low More Options Animating Amount & Property Values Anchor Point Grouping and Alignment Inter-Character Blending Adding a Wiggly Selector Wiggly Options Multiple Range Selectors The Case for Multiple Animators Adding and Managing Animators Exporting Text to SWF Photoshop Text Integration Create Outlines Closing Characters

22. Applying and Using Effects: After animating layers comes treating their images with special effects

Applying an Effect Effects & Presets Panel The Search Party Effect Controls Sliders Rotary Dials Color Swatches Popups Effect Points Option Dialogs Custom Interface Items Animating Effects Tricks to Click Effect Point Animation Pasting Position and Masks to Effect Point Masks as Paths Render Settings Adjustment Layers Adjustment Logic 101 Edited Sequence Additional Adjusting Tricks Simple Selections Masking Shapes Any Alpha Will Do Animating Adjustments Blending Modes Luma Track Mattes Transforming Adjustments Adjusting in 3D Effects and Solids Dropping Out the Black Divide and Conquer

23. Effects Roundup Overview: Where to find tips on our favorite effects

Getting More from Effects Third-Party Effects

24. Compound Effects: Compound effects may seem nonintuitive at first, but they require learning only a few simple rules

That Other Layer Size Matters Short Circuit Longer (and Better) Circuit Compound Blur Texturize Texturizing by Nesting Texturizing by Precomposing Displacement Map Animating the Map Different Sizes Slice ‘n’ Dice The Mirror Cracked Why Isn’t It Working?

25. Presets and Variations: Alternatives to reinventing the wheel every time you use an effect

Presets in Action Precut Masks Presets and Effects Adobe’s Presets Browsing Presets Quick Tasks Text Presets Behaviors Brainstorm More Brainwaves

26. Color Management: Preserving your colors through your workflow

Color Management Overview Project Working Space Input Profiles Some Examples Output Profiles Display Management Output Simulation Apply Color LUT Scene-Referred Profiles Image States Mixing Profiles Luminance Range Issues Linear Blending and Gamma Linear Blending Examples Linearize Working Space versus Blend Colors 32-Bit Floating Point Altering Exposure Creative Float Cineon Log Color Space Broadcast Safe Colors

27. Keying: Effectively removing a color background requires attention throughout the chain

Keying 101 Approaches A Box Full of Keys Color Key Luma Key Color Range Key Linear Color Key Color Difference Key Extract Inner/Outer Key Difference Matte Keylight Fixing It in the Mix Living on the Edge The Matte Effects Blurring the Lines Seeing the Light

28. Frame Rate Manipulation: Time Stretch, Reverse, and Remap, plus smoothing the result with Frame Blending

Time Stretch Stretching Animations Going in Reverse Backward Logic Slipping into Reverse Time Remapping Getting Started (and Stopped) Freeze Frames Doing Time Repairing Shot Timing Adding Handle Remapping a Comp Remapping Sequenced Layers Remapping Exponential Scale Remapping a Sequence of Frames Stepping Out with Time Remap Frame Blending Applying Frame Blending Rendering with Frame Blending Blending Advice Blending Steps

29. Motion Stabilization: After Effects includes the ability to stabilize wobbly footage. Mastering this is also the key to having one object track another

Stabilizing 101 Essential Options Track and Apply Broken Tracks Practice, Practice Stabilizing 102 Stabilizing 103 Stabilize Position & Rotation

30. Motion Tracking: Motion Tracking allows you to add an object to a scene after it was shot – if you’re both lucky and good…

Tracking 101 Tracking Regions and Attach Point Tracking Scale and Rotation Realworld Examples Multipart Track Corner Pin Choices Tracking with Dots A Challenging Replacement

31. mocha: Advanced motion tracking using mocha for After Effects plus mocha shape

Perspective Tracking with mocha Preparing a Project Performing a Track Perfecting the Track Exporting to After Effects Mattes with mocha shape Creating a Shape Linking a Shape to a Track Exporting Shape Data to After Effects

32. Shape Layers: These new vectorbased layers open a multitude of graphic possibilities

Shape Tool Overview Creating Parametric Shapes Transformations Multiple Shapes Pen Path Shapes Editing Pen Shapes Free Transform Points Open Paths Stroke Over Fill Over Stroke Gradients Corners and Caps Dashed Lines Managing Multiple Shapes Grouping Merge Paths Shape Effects The Repeater Flowers, Pinwheels, and Tick Marks Spirals Lines and Grids Wiggle Transform Repeater + Wiggle Transform Shapes from Other Places Create Outlines Masks into Shapes Illustrator Paths into Shapes Closing Shapes

33. Paint and Clone: A painting workout in After Effects using the Brush, Erase, and Clone tools

Getting Started with Paint Editing Existing Strokes Managing Your Strokes Paint on Transparent Transforming Brush Strokes Choosing Channels Painting with Modes Eraser Logic Erasing the Paint Only Erase Last Stroke Animating Strokes Start Here, End There Using Write On Mode Rotoscoping Frame by Frame Interpolating Brush Strokes Using the Clone Stamp Tool Clone Source Overlay Shifting the Source Time Tracking the Clone Creating the Dummy Clone Stroke Tracking the Boat Expressing the Clone Stroke Random Paint Splatters

34. Roto Brush: A new tool for separating foregrounds from backgrounds

Roto Brush Workflow Creating a Base Frame Propagation Tracking the Rest of the Shot Refining the Matte

35. The Puppet Tools: A fun way to organically warp and animate layers

Puppet Pins Keyframing Puppets Motion Sketching Pins The Overlap Tool The Starch Tool Deforming Text

36. Working with Audio: An overview of handling audio in After Effects, including how to “read” audio as clues for editing and animation

Seeing Sound Good Vibrations Spotting Audio On the Level You’ve Got the Power Mixing Audio Stereo Mixer More Natural Fades Trimming Layers with Audio

37. Expressions: Expressions hold the key to animating repetitive tasks or complex relationships

Introductory Expressions Enabling and Disabling Breaking Expressions Pick Whipping for Pleasure Crossing Signals Linking Effects and Transformations Moving Between Dimensions Array Math Basics Controlling Expressions Other Controller Ideas Variables and Multiline Expressions The Wiggle Expression

38. Import and Interpret: Getting files in, deciding how After Effects should interpret them…and changing your mind later

Footage Pointers Importing with Alphas Straight versus Premultiplied Alphas Import Specifics Movie Issues Audio Issues Still Issues Sequences Issues Photoshop Issues Illustrator, PDF, SWF, and EPS Issues The Illustrator Artboard Importing Projects Interpret Footage Alpha Frame Rate Fields and Pulldown Pixel Aspect Ratio Looping More Options Interpretation Rules

39. Integration 101: Going beyond the simple exchange of rendered movies and images

Web Integration GIF and PNG SWF FLV and F4V Flash Professional Non-Linear Editing Systems Adobe Premiere Pro Apple and Avid Dynamic Link Mobile Media 3D Integration

40. Integrating with 3D Applications: Techniques to get more information from your 3D program into After Effects

3D Advice The Camera Move When Worlds Align Mattes Case Studies Study #1: Videowall Study #2: Shadow Trickery

41. Video Issues: An overview of all those pesky technical issues you need to keep straight when you’re working with video

Fields and Interlaced Frames Field Flicker Frame Rates and Timecode Film Rates and Pulldown Frame Sizes Non-square Pixels Anamorphic Widescreen Working Square Clean versus Production Aperture Safe Areas Moving Between Aspect Ratios From 16:9 to 4:3 From 4:3 to 16:9 Safe Colors and Video Composite Dot Crawl Monitoring Your Work Creating Good Web Video

42. Render Queue: The Render Queue is where you set up and manage the creation of your final work

Movies Stills RAM Preview Names and Paths Render Settings Quality Resolution Disk Cache Use OpenGL Renderer Proxy Use Effects Solo Switches Guide Layers Color Depth Frame Blending Field Render 3:2 Pulldown Motion Blur Time Span Frame Rate Skip Existing Files Output Module Settings Format Include Project Link Include Source XMP Metadata Post-Render Action Video Output Format Options Starting # Channels Depth Color Resize Crop Audio Output The Render Queue Panel Render Progress Creating and Editing Templates Using Templates

43. Advanced Rendering: Network rendering and project management features

Streamlining Projects Collect Files Network Rendering Cloning Setting Up a Distributed Render Recovering from Failure Converting Sequences to Movies Merging Projects for Render

44. Prerendering and Proxies: Planning ahead can save time later

Prerendering Proxies Applying Proxies Proxy Behavior Working with Proxies Rendering with Proxies

45. What’s Your Preference?: Setting preferences to optimize your workflow

General Previews Display Import Output Grids & Guides Labels Media & Disk Cache Appearance Auto-Save Memory & Multiprocessing Audio Hardware

Audio Output Mapping Media Credits Index Resources

← Prev
Back
Next →

← Prev
Back
Next →