book

After Effects Apprentice, 2nd Edition

Name: After Effects Apprentice, 2nd Edition
Author: Chris Trish Meyer
ISBN: 9781136058295

by Chris Trish Meyer

May 2013

Beginner

336 pages

14h 12m

English

Focal Press

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Cover
Title
Copyright
Contents
Introduction
Getting Started
Pre-Roll
project structure The Application Window The Tools Panel The Project Panel Importing Footage The Composition Panel The Timeline Panel The Layer Panel Info, Preview, Audio panels Effects & Presets, Effect Controls Workspaces Adobe Bridge
Lesson 1 – Basic Animation Building your first animation while you learn a typical After Effects workflow.
creating folders in the Project panel creating a new composition importing files and folders interpreting alpha channels adding layers to the Comp panel changing the Background Color scrubbing parameter values interactively transforming layers animating Position; RAM Preview navigating between keyframes adding a background layer dragging footage to the Timeline panel editing a keyframe’s Bezier handles editing spatial keyframes; motion paths animating Opacity, Scale, and Rotation arranging and replacing layers adding solid layers applying, copying and pasting effects rendering understanding the comp’s alpha channel importing layered Photoshop and Illustrator files
Lesson 2 – Advanced Animation Manipulating keyframes to create more refined animations.
keyframe basics the Work Area Anchor Point overview Pan Behind tool motion control moves the Graph Editor Speed versus Value Graphs panning and zooming time editing graph curves easing animations Graph Editor Sets Separate Dimensions Motion Sketch Smoother Auto-Orient Motion Blur Roving Keyframes Time-Reverse Keyframes Hold keyframes time display and timecode
Lesson 3 – Layer Control Learning how to trim layers and enhance them using Blending Modes and effects.
layers and stacking order moving layers in time trimming layers trimming in the Layer and Footage panels slip editing Sequence Layers assistant looping footage image sequences changing the frame rate; Time Stretch Blending Modes effects and solids effect motion path Effects & Presets panel searching for effects Animation Presets Behavior presets Layer Styles Adjustment Layers filmic glow non-square pixels

Lesson 4 – Creating Transparency Using masks, mattes, and stencils to cut out portions of a layer.
masking tools, creating mask shapes Rounded Rectangle tool Free Transform Points masking in the Layer panel Mask Feather animating a mask path creating a vignette; Mask Expansion masking with the Pen tool creating and editing Bezier masks effecting a masked area controlling mask path interpolation using effects with the mask path Mask Modes and multiple masks Mask Opacity creating and editing RotoBezier masks Audio Spectrum effect Alpha Track Matte nesting a track matte composite Luma Track Matte animating matte layers Stencil Alpha and Stencil Luma effects with track mattes and stencils
Lesson 5 – Type and Music Animating text and working with music are essential to motion graphics design.
creating basic text creating Text Animators, Range Selectors animating text transform properties randomizing the order of characters creating cascading text working with selection Shapes setting the text Anchor Point animating by words title safe areas animating text Blur and Tracking text on a path Per-character 3D animators separating fields adding the Wiggly Selector rendering with an alpha channel field rendering adding sound to a comp add comp and layer markers applying Text Animation Presets customizing presets saving text animations as presets editing Photoshop Text layers
Lesson 6 – Parenting and Nesting Grouping layers to make them easier to coordinate.
parenting, nesting, and expressions defined assigning a parent parenting, opacity, and effects parenting with null objects using guides nesting comps editing precomps navigating composition hierarchies nesting a common source sizing precomps locking panels precomposing a group of layers precomposing a single layer render order explained splitting work between comps using precomposing to re-order continuously rasterized layers
Lesson 7 – Expressions and Time Games Using expressions and playing with time.
using the pick whip to create expressions altering expressions stabilizing shadows matching value ranges (the linear expression) looping keyframes expression tips the wiggle expression expression controllers keyframing the wiggle expression creating a master controller converting sound to keyframes frame blending Pixel Motion stop motion tricks Preserve Frame Rate creating freeze frames Time Remapping resources for learning more
Lesson 8 – 3D Space Adding a new dimension to your animations.
moving and animating cameras layer and camera auto-orientation 3D lights vignettes; animating lights casting shadows OpenGL and Fast Previews Vanishing Point Exchange Photoshop 3D Layers adding dimension to stills editing stills for 3D
Lesson 9 – Track and Key Tackling several essential skills for creating special effects.
enabling layers for 3D moving layers in 3D space how layers stack in 3D 3D rotation and orientation multiplaning effects 3D motion paths multiple views camera settings customizing 3D views camera track and orbit tools creating track points important Tracker options applying stabilization compensating for stabilized footage fixing bad tracks tracking interlaced footage motion tracking applying a motion track Radio Waves effect applying tracks to effect points perspective corner pin tracking Bezier Warp effect stabilizing Position, Rotation, and Scale interpolating obscured tracks working with high-definition footage keying using the Keylight effect improving keyed composites creating garbage mattes
Lesson 10 – Paint and Puppet Exploring Paint, the Puppet Tools, and Brainstorm.
basic painting erasing strokes Paint Channels Paint Blending Modes brush duration bar animating strokes revealing a layer creating organic textures tablet settings cloning transforming strokes Vector Paint effect Puppet Pin tool animating Puppet pins Puppet Overlap tool Recording Puppet Animation Puppet Starch tool using Brainstorm Brainstorm with keyframes Brainstorm with the Cartoon effect
Lesson 11 – Shape Layers Creating and animating vector-based shapes.
creating a Shape Layer shape Stroke and Fill settings editing shapes multiple shapes Even-Odd Fill Shape Effects creating buttons Shape Repeater Compound Paths Gradients shape Pen paths creating an abstract texture advanced strokes animating a stroke Brainstormed shapes
Lesson 12 – Final Project Using 3D space plus effects to create a show’s opening title.
creating elements; Grid effect creating a gradient preserve underlying transparency creating the Skater comp Block Dissolve effect setting the layer size in Illustrator copying paths from Illustrator Stroke effect Tint effect rotating in 3D with the wiggle expression creating Main Comp 1; audio waveforms nesting the spinning Radar comp nesting the Grid comp setting the anchor point for the Skater layer creating a reflection; precomposing Lens Blur effect; luma track matte using Collapse Transformations crafting the camera move creating and animating a title in 3D space adding a light; casting shadows final tweaks animating a null object parent in 3D assembling the final composition inevitable client changes
Appendix – Rendering
The Render Queue (movie) rendering: under the hood Render Settings Templates Output Module Templates rendering movies rendering sequences rendering for the web Flash Video Flash project export (XFL) converting between D1 and DV 3:2 Pulldown
back matter
Resources, Production Credits Index
Index

Content preview from After Effects Apprentice, 2nd Edition

Type and Music

Animating text and working with music are essential to motion graphics design

In This Lesson

creating basic text
creating Text Animators, Range Selectors
animating text transform properties
randomizing the order of characters
creating cascading text
working with selection Shapes
setting the text Anchor Point
animating by words
title safe areas
animating text Blur and Tracking
text on a path
Per-character 3D animators
separating fields
adding the Wiggly Selector
rendering with an alpha channel
field rendering
adding sound to a comp
add comp and layer markers
applying Text Animation Presets
customizing presets
saving text animations as presets
editing Photoshop Text layers

Getting Started

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The After Effects Illusionist, 2nd Edition

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9780240811369

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After Effects Apprentice, 2nd Edition

by Chris Trish Meyer

Type and Music

Animating text and working with music are essential to motion graphics design