https://ebookmass.com/product/adobe-after-effects-classroom-
Instant digital products (PDF, ePub, MOBI) ready for you
Download now and discover formats that fit your needs...
Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book (2020 release)
https://ebookmass.com/product/adobe-photoshop-classroom-in-abook-2020-release/
ebookmass.com
Adobe Illustrator Classroom in a Book (2022 Release) Brian Wood
https://ebookmass.com/product/adobe-illustrator-classroom-in-abook-2022-release-brian-wood/
ebookmass.com
Adobe Animate Classroom in a Book (2022 Release) Russell Chun
https://ebookmass.com/product/adobe-animate-classroom-in-abook-2022-release-russell-chun/
ebookmass.com
Neuroexistentialism: Meaning, Morals, and Purpose in the Age of Neuroscience Gregg Caruso
https://ebookmass.com/product/neuroexistentialism-meaning-morals-andpurpose-in-the-age-of-neuroscience-gregg-caruso/
ebookmass.com
Cornea, https://ebookmass.com/product/cornea-2-volume-set-5th-edition-mark-jmannis-md-facs/
ebookmass.com
The Economics Of Brexit: Revisited 1st Edition Edition
Philip B. Whyman
https://ebookmass.com/product/the-economics-of-brexit-revisited-1stedition-edition-philip-b-whyman/
ebookmass.com
Mosbyu2019s Textbook for Long-Term Care Nursing Assistants
8th Edition
https://ebookmass.com/product/mosbys-textbook-for-long-term-carenursing-assistants-8th-edition/
ebookmass.com
Christology and Metaphysics in the Seventeenth Century
Richard Cross
https://ebookmass.com/product/christology-and-metaphysics-in-theseventeenth-century-richard-cross/
ebookmass.com
Multimaterial 3D Printing Technology Jiquan Yang
https://ebookmass.com/product/multimaterial-3d-printing-technologyjiquan-yang/
ebookmass.com
PDF)
https://ebookmass.com/product/alters-and-schiff-essential-conceptsfor-healthy-living-ebook-pdf/
ebookmass.com
Contents WHEREARETHELESSONFILES? GETTINGSTARTED AboutClassroominaBook
Prerequisites
InstallingAfterEffects,Bridge,andMediaEncoder
Activatingfonts
Optimizingperformance
Restoringdefaultpreferences
Onlinecontent
Howtousetheselessons
Additionalresources
AdobeAuthorizedTrainingCenters
1 GETTINGTOKNOWTHEWORKFLOW Gettingstarted
Creatingaprojectandimportingfootage
Creatingacompositionandarranginglayers
Addingeffectsandmodifyinglayerproperties
Animatingthecomposition
Previewingyourwork
OptimizingperformanceinAfterEffects
Renderingandexportingyourcomposition
Customizingworkspaces
Controllingthebrightnessoftheuserinterface
FindingresourcesforusingAfterEffects
Reviewquestionsandanswers
2 CREATINGABASICANIMATIONUSINGEFFECTSAND PRESETS Gettingstarted
ImportingfootageusingAdobeBridge
Creatinganewcomposition
WorkingwithimportedIllustratorlayers
Applyingeffectstoalayer
Applyingananimationpreset
Precomposinglayersforanewanimation
Previewingtheeffects
Addingtransparency
Renderingthecomposition
Reviewquestionsandanswers
3 ANIMATINGTEXT Gettingstarted
Abouttextlayers
InstallingafontusingAdobeFonts
Creatingandformattingpointtext
Animatingwithscalekeyframes
Usingatextanimationpreset
AnimatingimportedPhotoshoptext
Animatingtypetracking
Animatingtextopacity
Animatinganimagetoreplacetext
Usingatextanimatorgroup
Animatingalayer’sposition
Addingmotionblur
Reviewquestionsandanswers
4 WORKINGWITHSHAPELAYERS Gettingstarted
Creatingthecomposition
Addingashapelayer
Creatingaself-animatingshape
Duplicatingashape
Creatingcustomshapes
Positioninglayerswithsnapping
Animatingashape
Animatingusingparenting
Usingnullstoconnectpoints
Previewingthecomposition
Reviewquestionsandanswers
5 ANIMATINGAMULTIMEDIAPRESENTATION Gettingstarted
Adjustinganchorpoints
Parentinglayers
Precomposinglayers
Keyframingamotionpath
Animatingadditionalelements
Applyinganeffect
Animatingprecomposedlayers
Animatingthebackground
Addinganaudiotrack
Reviewquestionsandanswers
6 ANIMATINGLAYERS Gettingstarted
Simulatinglightingchanges
Duplicatingananimationusingthepickwhip
Usingatrackmattetoconfineanimation
AnimatingusingtheCornerPineffect
Simulatingadarkeningsky
Retimingthecomposition
Reviewquestionsandanswers
7 WORKINGWITHMASKS Aboutmasks
Gettingstarted
CreatingamaskwiththePentool
Editingamask
Featheringtheedgesofamask
Replacingthecontentofthemask
Addingareflection
Creatingavignette
Adjustingthetiming
Trimmingtheworkarea
Reviewquestionsandanswers
8 DISTORTINGOBJECTSWITHTHEPUPPETTOOLS
Gettingstarted
AboutthePuppettools
AddingPositionpins
AddingAdvancedandBendpins
Stiffeninganarea
Animatingpinpositions
UsingthePuppettoolstoanimatevideo
Recordinganimation
Reviewquestionsandanswers
9 USINGTHEROTOBRUSHTOOL
Aboutrotoscoping
Gettingstarted
Creatingasegmentationboundary
Fine-tuningthematte
FreezingyourRotoBrushtoolresults
Changingthebackground
Addinganimatedtext
Outputtingyourproject
Reviewquestionsandanswers
10 PERFORMINGCOLORCORRECTION
Gettingstarted
Adjustingcolorbalancewithlevels
AdjustingcolorwiththeLumetriColoreffect
Replacingthebackground
Color-correctingusingAutoLevels
Motiontrackingtheclouds
Replacingtheskyinthesecondclip
Colorgrading
Reviewquestionsandanswers
11 CREATINGMOTIONGRAPHICSTEMPLATES Gettingstarted
Preparingamastercomposition
Settingupatemplate
AddingpropertiestotheEssentialGraphicspanel
Providingimageoptions
Protectingthetimingofasection
Exportingthetemplate
Reviewquestionsandanswers
12 USING3DFEATURES Gettingstarted
Creating3Dtext
Using3Dviews
Importingabackground
Adding3Dlights
Addingacamera
ExtrudingtextinAfterEffects
Animating3Dtext
Finishingtheproject
Reviewquestionsandanswers
13 WORKINGWITHTHE3DCAMERATRACKER Aboutthe3DCameraTrackereffect
Gettingstarted
Trackingthefootage
Creatingagroundplane,acamera,andtheinitialtext
Creatingadditionaltextelements
Lockinganimagetoaplanewithasolidlayer
Tidyingthecomposition
Addingafinalobject
Creatingrealisticshadows
Addingambientlight
Addinganeffect
Previewingthecomposition
Reviewquestionsandanswers
14 ADVANCEDEDITINGTECHNIQUES Gettingstarted
Stabilizingashot
Usingsingle-pointmotiontracking
Removingunwantedobjects
Creatingaparticlesimulation
RetimingplaybackusingtheTimewarpeffect
Reviewquestionsandanswers
15 RENDERINGANDOUTPUTTING Gettingstarted
Aboutrenderingandoutput
ExportingusingtheRenderQueue
CreatingtemplatesfortheRenderQueue
RenderingmovieswithAdobeMediaEncoder
Reviewquestionsandanswers
APPENDIX:GENERALKEYBOARDSHORTCUTS
APPENDIX:CUSTOMIZINGKEYBOARDSHORTCUTS
INDEX
GettingStarted AdobeAfterEffectsprovidesacomprehensivesetof2Dand3Dtoolsfor compositing,animation,andeffectsthatmotiongraphicsprofessionals, visualeffectsartists,webdesigners,andfilmandvideoprofessionalsneed. AfterEffectsiswidelyusedfordigitalpost-productionoffilm,video, DVDs,andtheweb.Youcancompositelayersinvariousways,applyand combinesophisticatedvisualandaudioeffects,andanimatebothobjects andeffects.
AboutClassroominaBook Adobe After Effects Classroom in a Book (2020 Release) ispartofthe officialtrainingseriesforAdobegraphicsandpublishingsoftware, developedwiththesupportofAdobeproductexperts.Thelessonsare designedtoletyoulearnatyourownpace.Ifyou’renewtoAdobeAfter Effects,you’lllearnthefundamentalconceptsandfeaturesyou’llneedto mastertheprogram.Andifyou’vebeenusingAdobeAfterEffectsfora while,you’llfindthatClassroominaBookteachesmanyadvanced features,includingtipsandtechniquesforusingthelatestversion.
Althougheachlessonprovidesstep-by-stepinstructionsforcreatinga specificproject,there’sroomforexplorationandexperimentation.Youcan followthebookfromstarttofinish,ordoonlythelessonsthatmatchyour interestsandneeds.Eachlessonconcludeswithareviewsection summarizingwhatyou’vecovered.
Prerequisites Beforebeginningtouse Adobe After Effects Classroom in a Book (2020 Release),makesurethatyoursystemissetupcorrectlyandthatyou’ve installedtherequiredsoftwareandhardware.Youshouldhaveaworking knowledgeofyourcomputerandoperatingsystem.Youshouldknowhow tousethemouseandstandardmenusandcommands,andalsohowtoopen, save,andclosefiles.Ifyouneedtoreviewthesetechniques,seetheprinted oronlinedocumentationincludedwithyourMicrosoft® Windows® or Apple® macOS® software.
Tocompletethelessonsinthisbook,you’llneedtohaveAdobeAfter Effects,AdobeBridge,andAdobeMediaEncoderinstalled.Additional optionalexercisesrequireAdobePremierePro,AdobeAudition,andAdobe CharacterAnimator.TheexercisesinthisbookarebasedonAfterEffects (2020release).
InstallingAfterEffects,Bridge,andMedia Encoder AdobeAfterEffectsisnotincludedwiththebook;youmustpurchaseit separatelyaspartofanAdobeCreativeCloudsubscription.Forsystem requirementsandcompleteinstructionsoninstallingthesoftware,visit https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/system-requirements.html.Notethat AfterEffectsrequiresa64-bitoperatingsystem.ToviewQuickTime moviesonmacOS,youmustalsohaveAppleQuickTime7.6.6orlater installedonyoursystem.
SomeofthelessonsinthisbookuseAdobeBridgeorAdobeMedia Encoder.AfterEffects,Bridge,andMediaEncoderuseseparateinstallers. YoumustinstalltheseapplicationsfromAdobeCreativeCloud (adobe.com)ontoyourharddisk.Followtheonscreeninstructions.
Activatingfonts Severallessonsusespecificfontsthatmaynotbeinstalledonyoursystem. YoucanactivatethefontsusingAdobeFontsorchooseadifferentfonton
yoursystemwithsimilarcharacteristics.Ifyouchooseadifferentfont,your projectswon’tlookexactlyliketheonesshowninthebook.
AdobeFontslicensesareincludedinCreativeCloudsubscriptions.
ToactivatefontswithinAfterEffects,chooseFile>FontsFromAdobe,or clicktheCreativeCloudiconnexttoAddAdobeFontsintheFontmenuin theCharacterpanel.Then,findthefontinAdobeFontsinyourbrowser, andactivatethefont.
Optimizingperformance Creatingmoviesismemory-intensiveworkforadesktopcomputer.After Effects(2020release)requiresaminimumof16GBofRAM.Themore RAMthatisavailabletoAfterEffects,thefastertheapplicationwillwork foryou.Forinformationaboutoptimizingmemory,cache,andother settingsforAfterEffects,see“Improveperformance”inAfterEffectsHelp.
Restoringdefaultpreferences ThepreferencesfilescontrolthewaytheAfterEffectsuserinterface appearsonyourscreen.Theinstructionsinthisbookassumethatyousee thedefaultinterfacewhentheydescribetheappearanceoftools,options, windows,panels,andsoforth.Therefore,it’sagoodideatorestorethe defaultpreferences,especiallyifyouarenewtoAfterEffects.
EachtimeyouquitAfterEffects,thepanelpositionsandcertaincommand settingsarerecordedinthepreferencesfiles.Torestoretheoriginaldefault settings,pressCtrl+Alt+Shift(Windows)orCommand+Option+Shift (macOS)whilestartingAfterEffects.(AfterEffectscreatesnew preferencesfilesiftheydon’talreadyexistthenexttimeyoustartthe program.)
Restoringthedefaultpreferencescanbeespeciallyhelpfulifsomeonehas alreadycustomizedAfterEffectsonyourcomputer.IfyourcopyofAfter Effectshasn’tbeenusedyet,thesefileswon’texist,sothisprocedureis unnecessary.
Important:Ifyouwanttosavethecurrentsettings,youcanrenamea preferencesfileinsteadofdeletingit.Whenyouarereadytorestorethose settings,changethenameback,andmakesurethatthefileislocatedinthe correctpreferencesfolder.
1.LocatetheAfterEffectspreferencesfolderonyourcomputer:
ForWindows:.../Users/<user name>/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/AfterEffects/17.0.
FormacOS:.../Users/<user name>/Library/Preferences/Adobe/After Effects/17.0
2.Renameanypreferencesfilesyouwanttopreserve,andthenrestart AfterEffects.
Onlinecontent YourpurchaseofthisClassroominaBookincludesthefollowingonline materials:
Lessonfiles Toworkthroughtheprojectsinthisbook,youwillneedtodownloadthe lessonfilesfromadobepress.com.Youcandownloadthefilesforindividual lessonsoritmaybepossibletodownloadthemallinasinglefile.
WebEdition TheWebEditionisanonlineinteractiveversionofthebookprovidingan enhancedlearningexperience.YourWebEditioncanbeaccessedfromany devicewithaconnectiontotheInternet,anditcontains:
Thecompletetextofthebook
Hoursofinstructionalvideokeyedtothetext
Interactivequizzes
AccessingthelessonfilesandWebEdition Youmustregisteryourproductonadobepress.cominordertoaccessthe onlinecontent:
Note
Ifyouencounterproblemsregisteringyourproductoraccessingthe lessonfilesorWebEdition,gotowww.adobepress.com/supportfor assistance.
1.Gotowww.adobepress.com/AfterEffectsCIB2020.
2.Signinorcreateanewaccount.
3.ClickSubmit.
4.Answerthequestionsasproofofpurchase.
5.YoucanaccessthelessonfilesfromtheRegisteredProductstabonyour Accountpage:ClicktheAccessBonusContentlinkbelowthetitleof yourproducttoproceedtothedownloadpage.Clickthelessonfilelinks todownloadthemtoyourcomputer.
YoucanaccesstheWebEditionfromtheDigitalPurchasestabonyour Accountpage.ClicktheLaunchlinktoaccesstheproduct.
Note
Ifyoupurchasedadigitalproductdirectlyfromwww.adobepress.comor www.peachpit.com,yourproductwillalreadyberegistered.However, youstillneedtofollowtheregistrationstepsandanswertheproofof purchasequestionsbeforetheAccessBonusContentlinkwillappear undertheproductonyourRegisteredProductstab.
Note
Ifforanyreasonyouneedtodownloadfreshcopiesofthelessonfiles, youcandownloadthemfromyouraccountagainatanytime.
Organizingthelessonfiles ThefilesarecompressedintoZIParchivestospeeddownloadtimeand protectthecontentsfromdamageduringtransfer.Youmustuncompress(or “unzip”)thefilestorestorethemtotheiroriginalsizeandformatbefore youusethemwiththebook.ModernmacOSandWindowssystemsareset uptoopenZIParchivesbysimplydouble-clicking.
1.Onyourharddrive,createanewfolderinaconvenientlocation,and nameitLessons,followingthestandardprocedureforyouroperating system:
InWindows,right-click,andchooseNew>Folder.Thenenterthenew nameforyourfolder.
InmacOS,intheFinder,chooseFile>NewFolder.Typethenew name,anddragthefoldertothelocationyouwanttouse.
2.DragtheunzippedLessonsfolder(whichcontainsfoldersnamed Lesson01,Lesson02,andsoon)thatyoudownloadedontoyourhard drivetoyournewLessonsfolder.Whenyoubegineachlesson,navigate tothefolderwiththatlessonnumbertoaccessalltheassetsyouneedto completethelesson.
Aboutcopyingthesamplemoviesandprojects Youwillcreateandrenderoneormoremoviesinsomelessonsinthisbook. ThefilesintheSample_Moviesfoldersareexamplesthatyoucanuseto seetheendresultsofeachlessonandtocomparethemwithyourown results.
ThefilesintheEnd_Project_Filefoldersaresamplesofthecompleted projectforeachlesson.Usethesefilesforreferenceifyouwanttocompare yourworkinprogresswiththeprojectfilesusedtogeneratethesample movies.
Thesesamplemoviesandend-projectfilesvaryinsizefromrelatively smalltoseveralmegabytes,soyoucaneitherdownloadthemallnowifyou haveamplestoragespace,ordownloadjustthefilesforeachlessonas needed,andthendeletethemwhenyoufinishthatlesson.
Howtousetheselessons Eachlessoninthisbookprovidesstep-by-stepinstructionsforcreatingone ormorespecificelementsofareal-worldproject.Thelessonsbuildoneach otherintermsofconceptsandskills,sothebestwaytolearnfromthisbook istoproceedthroughthelessonsinsequentialorder.Inthisbook,some techniquesandprocessesareexplainedanddescribedindetailonlythefirst fewtimesyouperformthem.
ManyaspectsoftheAfterEffectsapplicationcanbecontrolledbymultiple techniques,suchasamenucommand,abutton,dragging,andakeyboard shortcut.Onlyoneortwoofthemethodsaredescribedinanygiven procedure,sothatyoucanlearndifferentwaysofworkingevenwhenthe taskisoneyou’vedonebefore.
Theorganizationofthelessonsisalsodesign-orientedratherthanfeatureoriented.Thatmeans,forexample,thatyou’llworkwithlayersandeffects onreal-worlddesignprojectsoverseverallessons,ratherthaninjustone lesson.
Additionalresources Adobe After Effects Classroom in a Book (2020 Release) isnotmeantto replacedocumentationthatcomeswiththeprogramortobea comprehensivereferenceforeveryfeature.Onlythecommandsandoptions usedinthelessonsareexplainedinthisbook.
TutorialswithinAfterEffectscanhelpyougetstarted:InAfterEffects, chooseWindow>Learn.TheLearnpanelopenswithaseriesoftutorials.
Forcomprehensiveinformationaboutprogramfeaturesandtutorials,refer totheseresources:
AdobeAfterEffectsLearn&Support:helpx.adobe.com/support/aftereffects.htmliswhereyoucanfindandbrowsetutorials,help,andsupport onwww.adobe.com.
AfterEffectstutorials:helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/tutorials.htmllists onlinetutorialsforbeginnerandexperiencedusers.Youcangothere
directlyfromAfterEffectsbychoosingHelp>AfterEffectsOnline Tutorials.
AfterEffectsForums:community.adobe.comletsyoutapintopeer-topeerdiscussions,andquestionsaswellasanswersaboutAfterEffects.
Adobe Create Magazine:create.adobe.comoffersthoughtfularticleson designanddesignissues,agalleryshowcasingtheworkoftop-notch designers,tutorials,andmore.
Resourcesforeducators:www.adobe.com/educationand edex.adobe.comofferatreasuretroveofinformationforinstructorswho teachclassesonAdobesoftware.Findsolutionsforeducationatalllevels, includingfreecurriculathatuseanintegratedapproachtoteachingAdobe softwareandcanbeusedtopreparefortheAdobeCertifiedAssociate exams.
Alsocheckouttheseusefullinks:
AdobeAdd-ons:exchange.adobe.com/addonsisacentralresourcefor findingtools,services,extensions,codesamples,andmoretosupplement andextendyourAdobeproducts.
AdobeAfterEffectsproducthomepage: www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects
AdobeAuthorizedTrainingCenters AdobeAuthorizedTrainingCentersofferinstructor-ledcoursesandtraining onAdobeproducts.AdirectoryofAATCsisavailableat https://training.adobe.com/training/partner-finder.html
1GettingtoknowtheWorkflow Lessonoverview Inthislesson,you’lllearnhowtodothefollowing:
Createaprojectandimportfootage.
Createcompositionsandarrangelayers.
NavigatetheAdobeAfterEffectsinterface.
UsetheProject,Composition,andTimelinepanels. Transformlayerproperties. Applybasiceffects.
Createkeyframes.
Previewyourwork.
Customizetheworkspace.
Adjustpreferencesrelatedtotheuserinterface. FindadditionalresourcesforusingAfterEffects.
Thislessonwilltakeaboutanhourtocomplete.Ifyouhaven’talready doneso,downloadtheprojectfilesforthislessonfrom www.adobepress.com/AfterEffectsCIB2020,followingtheinstructions intheGettingStartedsectionunder“Accessingthelessonfilesand WebEdition.”
PROJECT:TITLESEQUENCE WhetheryouuseAfterEffectstoanimateasimplevideotitle sequenceortocreatecomplexspecialeffects,yougenerallyfollowthe samebasicworkflow.TheAfterEffectsinterfacefacilitatesyourwork andadaptstoeachstageofproduction.
AbouttheAfterEffectsworkarea AfterEffectsoffersaflexible,customizableworkarea.Themain windowoftheprogramiscalledthe application window.Panels areorganizedinthiswindowinanarrangementcalleda workspace.Thedefaultworkspacecontainsstackedpanelsas wellaspanelsthatstandalone,asshownbelow.
A. Application window B. Composition panel C. Workspace bar D. Stacked panels E. Tools panel F. Project panel G. Timeline panel
Youcustomizeaworkspacebydraggingthepanelsintothe configurationthatbestsuitsyourworkingstyle.Youcandrag panelstonewlocations,changetheorderofstackedpanels,move panelsintooroutofagroup,placepanelsalongsideeachother, stackpanels,andundockapanelsothatitfloatsinanewwindow abovetheapplicationwindow.Asyourearrangepanels,theother panelsresizeautomaticallytofitthewindow.
Whenyoudragapanelbyitstabtorelocateit,theareawhereyou candropit—calleda drop zone—becomeshighlighted.Thedrop zonedetermineswhereandhowthepanelisinsertedintothe workspace.Draggingapaneltoadropzoneeitherdocksit, groupsit,orstacksit.
Ifyoudropapanelalongtheedgeofanotherpanel,group,or window,itwilldocknexttotheexistinggroup,resizingall groupstoaccommodatethenewpanel.
Ifyoudropapanelinthemiddleofanotherpanelorgroup,or alongthetabareaofapanel,itwillbeaddedtotheexistinggroup andbeplacedatthetopofthestack.Groupingapaneldoesnot resizeothergroups.
Youcanalsoopenapanelinafloatingwindow.Todoso,select thepanel,andthenchooseUndockPanelorUndockFramefrom thepanelmenu.Or,dragthepanelorgroupoutsidethe applicationwindow.
Gettingstarted AbasicAfterEffectsworkflowfollowssixsteps:importingandorganizing footage,creatingcompositionsandarranginglayers,addingeffects, animatingelements,previewingyourwork,andrenderingandoutputting thefinalcompositionsothatitcanbeviewedbyothers.Inthislesson,you willcreateasimpleanimatedvideousingthisworkflow,andalongtheway, you’lllearnyourwayaroundtheAfterEffectsinterface.
First,you’llpreviewthefinalmovietoseewhatyou’llcreateinthislesson.
1.MakesurethefollowingfilesareintheLessons/Lesson01folderon yourharddisk,ordownloadthemfromwww.adobepress.comnow:
IntheAssetsfolder:movement.mp3,swimming_dog.mp4,title.psd
IntheSample_Moviesfolder:Lesson01.avi,Lesson01.mov
2.OpenandplaytheLesson01.avisamplemovieinWindowsMovies& TVortheLesson01.movsamplemovieinQuickTimePlayertoseewhat
youwillcreateinthislesson.Whenyouaredone,closeWindows Movies&TVorQuickTimePlayer.Youmaydeletethesamplemovies fromyourharddiskifyouhavelimitedstoragespace.
Creatingaprojectandimportingfootage Whenyoubegineachlessonofthisbook,it’sagoodideatorestorethe defaultpreferencesforAfterEffects.(Formoreinformation,see“Restoring defaultpreferences”onpage3.)Youcandothiswithasimplekeyboard shortcut.
Tip RestoringdefaultpreferencescanbetrickyinWindows,especiallyif you’reworkingonafastsystem.Pressthekeysafteryoudouble-click theapplicationiconbutbeforeAfterEffectsbeginstolistthefilesit’s activating.Alternatively,youcanchooseEdit>[yourCreativeCloud accountusername]>ClearSettings,andthenrestarttheapplication.
1.StartAfterEffects,andthenimmediatelyholddownCtrl+Alt+Shift (Windows)orCommand+Option+Shift(macOS)torestoredefault preferencessettings.Whenprompted,clickOKtodeleteyour preferences.
TheHomewindowopens.ItprovideseasyaccesstoyourrecentAfter Effectsprojects,aswellastotutorialsandmoreinformationaboutAfter Effects.
2.ClickNewProjectintheHomewindow.
AfterEffectsdisplaysanempty,untitledproject.
AnAfterEffectsprojectisasinglefilethatstoresreferencestoallthe footageyouuseinthatproject.Italsocontains compositions,whicharethe individualcontainersusedtocombinefootage,applyeffects,and, ultimately,drivetheoutput.
Tip
Toquicklymaximizeapanel,double-clickthepaneltab.Toreturnitto itsoriginalsize,double-clickthetabagain.
Whenyoubeginaproject,oftenthefirstthingyou’lldoisaddfootagetoit.
3.ChooseFile>Import>File.
4.NavigatetotheAssetsfolderinyourLessons/Lesson01folder.Shiftclicktoselectthemovement.mp3andswimming_dog.mp4files.Then clickImportorOpen.
A footage item isthebasicunitinanAfterEffectsproject.Youcanimport manytypesoffootageitems,includingmoving-imagefiles,still-image files,still-imagesequences,audiofiles,layeredfilesfromAdobePhotoshop andAdobeIllustrator,otherAfterEffectsprojects,andprojectscreatedin AdobePremiere® Pro.Youcanimportfootageitemsatanytime.
Tip YoucanalsochooseFile>Import>MultipleFilestoselectfileslocated indifferentfoldersordraganddropfilesfromExplorerortheFinder. YoucanuseAdobeBridgetosearchfor,manage,preview,andimport footage.
Asyouimportassets,AfterEffectsreportsitsprogressintheInfopanel.
BecauseoneofthefootageitemsforthisprojectisamultilayerPhotoshop file,you’llimportitseparatelyasacomposition.
5.Double-clickinthelowerareaoftheProjectpaneltoopentheImport Filedialogbox.
6.NavigatetotheLesson01/Assetsfolderagain,andselectthetitle.psd file.ChooseCompositionfromtheImportAsmenu.(InmacOS,you mayneedtoclickOptionstoseetheImportAsmenu.)Thenclick ImportorOpen.
AfterEffectsopensanadditionaldialogboxthatdisplaysoptionsforthe fileyouareimporting.
7.Inthetitle.psddialogbox,chooseCompositionfromtheImportKind menutoimportthelayeredPhotoshopfileasacomposition.Select EditableLayerStylesintheLayerOptionsarea,andthenclickOK.
ThefootageitemsappearintheProjectpanel.
8.IntheProjectpanel,clicktoselectdifferentfootageitems.Noticethata thumbnailpreviewappearsatthetopoftheProjectpanel.Youcanalso seethefiletypeandsize,aswellasotherinformationabouteachitem, intheProjectpanelcolumns.
Whenyouimportfiles,AfterEffectsdoesn’tcopythevideoandaudiodata itselfintoyourproject.Instead,eachfootageitemintheProjectpanel containsareferencelinktothesourcefiles.WhenAfterEffectsneedsto retrieveimageoraudiodata,itreadsitfromthesourcefile.Thiskeepsthe
