Introduction to After Effects

After Effects is often called the photoshop of moving images. It is used on broadcast television, from commercials to sport events and the news.

After Effects has a similar interface to Final Cut. Although it does have a few elements that are unique. In what follows, the basics of After Effects are introduced, which will enable you to explore it a bit more in the weeks to come.

Launch After Effects. The default set up should present: A project Window on the top left, a composition window in the middle, a set of tool bins on the right, and a timeline on the bottom of the screen.

If this is not the set up, go to the top menu and select: Window > Workspace > Standard. There are other workspaces you can choose from. Select them if you want to experiment with other set ups. You can also create your own set up, but if you are using After Effects at the school's lab, you should stick to the Standard version.

Still image duration and Frame rate:
You can change the default of still images by accessing on the top menu: After Effects > Preferences > Import. A window will appear which will show a default time, usually 1 minute.

In this same window you can also change the frame rate (default to 30 secs.). This may be important when considering the size of the file for online distribution.

Importing a Single Image from a file with multiple layers:
On the top menu, choose File > Import . A window will appear. Choose the file of your choice with multiple layers. You will be given the option as to which layer you want to make visible after import of file. Choose according to the corresponding layer set up in Photoshop or Illustrator.

Importing a File with multiple Layers:
On the top menu, choose File > Import. A window will appear. Choose the file of your choice with multiple layers. From the drop down menu choose "Composition" The layers will appear inside a folder.

Import Video:
You can import just about any video format into After Effects. To do this, do the same as above: On The top menu, choose File > Import, then look for the video of your choice. The files compatible with After Effects will show up in bold. The incompatible files in a gray transparency. I suggest to use Quicktime in order to have fully compatible files with Final Cut. You can also choose "Multiple Files" and you will be able to bring in folders when you click on "import folder" on the import window.

You can view the footage you bring in by double clicking it. The footage will appear on an independent window.

Once you have footage you can place it on the timeline, as you would in Final Cut. You can edit similarly.

Special Effects:
On the top menu select: Window > Effects and Presets. On the right side set of panels, you will have a window where the available effects appear. Select a layer of your choice (it must have footage). Double click a special effect, and this one will appear below the layer on the timeline. On the top left, you will see a tab available for the effect you choose. Take a look at it and experiment.

If you want to adjust an effect as the video progresses, you will need to create keyframes. To create a keyframe, on the timeline, select a layer and open its effects tab. You will see a time clock icon. Select a time on the timeline, and then click on the clock. This will create a key frame. Make adjustments as desired--experiment.

You will need at least two keyframes if you want your effect to change over time. To select the second key frame, select a different area on the timeline. Then make direct number adjustments on the effect of you choice. A new keyframe will appear. Hit play (space bar).

You may want to do Ram Preview. This will help your computer work better when rendering files. To do a ram preview: go to the top menu and select: Composition > Preview > Ram Preview.