Adobe After Effects Tutorial Video

Introduction

• Welcome
• What is After Effects?
• Should I Learn After Effects or Something Else?
• Why You Should Learn After Effects
• The Best Way to Learn After Effects
• Assumptions I have Made About You
• How This Course Works
• Get Your After Effects Notebook
• What You'll Learn
• What's New in AE 5.0
• Lets Get on with It!

Basics

• Basic Level What You'll Learn in the Basic Level
• Example of What You'll Learn
• Get Ready to Conquer
• Quick Overview of Creating a Clip in AE

Details

• Project Window & Importing in Detail
• Organizing: Saving / Deleting / Renaming

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Extra Tips: Essential De-Interlacing

• Interlacing and Fields
• Example Bad (Upper)
• How to Fix
• Example Properly De-Interlaced (Lower)

Compositions

• New Comp Settings
• Common Comp Sizes and Frame Rates to Memorize
• The Comp Window
• Time Line
• How it All Works Together Review

Effects

• The Coolest Part of AE
• Applying Hue / Saturation and Fast Blur
• Changing the Values
• Deleting or Hiding Effects and RAM Preview
• Assignment #1!
• Adding Effects to Solid Layer Text and Glows
• Quality Switches
• Adding the Glow
• Adding Effects to Adjustment Layers
• Assignment Two!

Animation

• Basics Learning to Keyframe Scale and Position
• Opacity
• Easy Ease
• Fade Out
• Adjusting Keyframes Proportionately
• Reversing Keyframes and Copy / Paste
• Animation Keyboard Shortcuts
• Using Exponential Scale
• Animating Opacity
• Animating the Anchor Point and Setting Work Area Moving Layers
• Animating a Blur Effect
• Using Motion Blur
• Lets Preview!
• Rendered End Result
• Assignment #3 Create Something Personal

RAM Previews and Time Controls

• RAM Preview
• Shift RAM Preview
• Preview Keyboard Shortcuts
• Ctrl (CMD) RAM Preview Saves the Preview
• Region of Interest Tool
• Dynamic Resolution
• Audio Preview Preferences
• Setting the Work Area B and N keys
• Frame By Frame Shortcuts
• Overview Shortcuts

Rendering Basics

• RAM Preview
• Changing Render Settings
• Saving Render Settings
• Output Module
• Saving
• Render Twirl-downs

Timeline and Layers

• Customizing the Timeline
• Area View
• Adding Comp Markers
• Layer Management
• Reordering Layers
• Using Numbers
• Layer Markers
• Nesting Compositions Grouping Layers
• Centering and Aligning Layers
• Copying and Pasting Attributes
• AV Features
• Solid Layers

Switches

• Shy Layers
• Continuous Rasterization
• Quality Settings
• Effects Switch
• Frame Blending
• Motion Blur
• Adjustment Layer Switch
• 3D Layer Switch

Editing Layers

• Editing Layers
• Sequencing Layers
• Straight Cuts
• Sequencing and Dissolves
• True Cross-dissolve
• Trimming Clips and Slip Edits
• Ripple Edit Inserts
• Handy IBON keyboard Shortcut
• Trimming on the Timeline Slip Edits
• Playing a Clip Backwards
• Time Remapping

Work Area Extras

• How Footage Affects the Initial Work Area
• B & N Keys / IBON / Shift Snap
• Trimming Comp to the Work Area

Fades and Transitions

• Cross Fade
• True Cross Fade
• Fade to Black

Text

• Basic Text
• Animating Size and Tracking
• Adding Glow
• Gotcha...Don't Animate the Scale
• Using Title Safe Guides
• Adding the Kickback
• Adding Horizontal Blur
• Using Path Text for Normal Text
• Advance Options in Path Text
• Animating Individual Characters
• Final Touches
• Normal Path Text
• Number Generator

Typography

• Basic Typography Intro / Serif Vs. Sans-Serif Fonts
• Categories: Handwritten / Brush Scripts
• Categories: Techno Type Fonts
• Where to Find Fonts
• General Design Guidelines
• Further Resources: Books
• Further Resources: Websites

Importing From Photoshop

• Examining a Layered PS File
• Importing Into AE as Composition
• Modifying Layers
• Importing with Alpha Channels
• Creating an Alpha in Photoshop
• Working with Pre-Multiplied Alpha Channels
• Creating a Straight Alpha the Best Kind!
• Multi-colored Straight Alpha Channels
• Working with B&W Scans
• Play Around with These
• How to View the Alpha Channel in AE
• Saving Out to a Layered PS Document

Illustrator

• Difference Between a Raster Item and a Vector Item
• The Vector Language
• Working in Illustrator / Problems when Importing
• Using Crops to Define Your Final Output in AE
• Viewing Alpha Channel of Illustrator Files
• Applying Effects - Continuously Rasterize Solution

Masks

• Creating Simple Masks
• Adding Feather
• Modifying Masks
• Editing Mask Points
• Selecting Multiple Points
• Deselecting Points
• Adjusting Bezier Curves
• Mask Interaction Multiple Masks
• Drawing Masks with the Pen Tool
• Learning to Trace with the Pen Tool
• Freeform Drawing with the Pen Tool
• Importing From Illustrator
• Adding Effects
• Animating the Masks

Track Mattes

• Introduction to Track Mattes
• Applying a Moving Luma Matte to a Movie
• Pre-Composing to Add Effects
• How the Mattes Were Created
• Replacing Mattes
• Improving the Bad Design
• Alpha Track Mattes

Transfer Modes

• Introduction to Transfer Modes
• Dropping Out White
• Dropping Out Black
• Inverting Line Art
• Review
• Another Example of Dropping Out White
• Adding Effects
• Creating the Look of Heaven / Film / Instant Sex Photoshop Example
• Some Alternatives
• Using it in After Effects
• Color Boost Defeating JPG Artifacting
• Color to Black and White Fade
• Difference Trick
• Compositing Stock Effects Over Footage with Screen and Add Modes
• Compositing Smoke Using the Screen Mode

Audio

• Introduction to Audio Formats / Sample Rates and Bit Rates
• Importing Audio
• Previewing Audio
• Previewing Shortcuts
• Viewing the Waveform
• The Audio Palette
• Spotting Audio Setting Layer Markers
• Adding a Script layer
• Working with Markers in Pre-comps
• Audio Effects
• Stereo Mixer Effect
• Looping a Music Track
• Audio Fade is Not as Straight Forward as You'd Think

3D Layers

• Introduction to 3D in After Effects
• Turning on 3D layers: Views XYZ Handles
• Rotating Along XYZ.
• Customizing Keyboard Keys for Views
• Difference Between Orientation and Rotation
• Arranging in Space
• Animating a Surreal Sky Photoshop Steps
• Working with 3D Layers
• Adding an Atmosphere
• Final Render of Red Clouds

3D Lighting

• Using Lights to Add Drama
• Working in Draft 3D Mode
• Using Views to Set the Scene
• Adding a New Light Light Types
• Positioning the New Light
• Options: Intensity
• Options: Color / Cone Angle and Cone Feather
• Options: Shadow Controls
• Example: True 3D Shadow Fall-off
• Transform Properties: Point of Interest
• A Note About AE 5.5
• Negative Lighting
• Parenting Lights

3D Cameras

• Introduction to 3D Cameras
• Creating a Fly-through effect
• Adding a Camera
• Using the Orbit: Pan and Track / Dolly Tools
• Animating the Camera Setting Custom Resolution
• Modifying the Motion Path
• Using Roving Keyframes
• Orient Layers Towards Camera
• Using Multiple Cameras
• Adding Depth of Field
• Comparisons with and without Depth of Field
• A Note About Multiple Views in After Effects 5.5

Expressions

• Get Excited! Expressions Are Cool
• Four Basics You Must Learn
• Setting Up an Illustrator Cyber-Screen
• First Option Using Parenting
• Better Option - Using the Pick Whip Tool to Match Properties
• Basics of Java Syntax
• Using Math to Alter Expressions
• Linking Dissimilar Properties - Rotation to Opacity
• Converting Value Ranges 100 to 360
• Linking Lights and Cameras to Layers with Expressions
• Orientating a Camera the Wrong Way
• Orientating a Camera the Right Way with Expressions
• Rendered Example
• Offsetting Time Values
• Efficiently Working with Null Objects

New Features of After Effects 5.5

• Awesome New Features
• Resetting Preferences - Tip of the Day
• Automated Proxy Creation Awesome!
• Details Behind Proxy Creation - Creating a Motion Proxy

New Effects

• The New Effects Palette
• Four Color Gradient
• Grid
• Roughen Edges
• Cell Pattern
• Advanced Lightning

New Transfer Modes

• Linear / Classic /Vivid / Pin Additions and New Keyboard Shortcut

3D Enhancements

• Introduction to Multiple Views
• Colored Shadows Simple Example
• Colored Shadows Example Two
• Colored Shadows Example with Video
• Rendered Example
• Setup Explained - Using Expressions / Changing Lighting Settings
• Creating a Reflection Effect
• Rendered Example
• Final Word About Colored Shadows
• Adjustment Lights
• How Adjustment Lights Differ From Adjustment Layers

SWF Import

• Importing Files From Flash or Livemotion

Demo Tips

• Introduction
• The Most Important Thing to Focus on
• Selecting Work to Include
• Tips for Motion Graphics Designers
• Tips for Visual Effects Artists / Compositors
• Delivery Options VHS / DVD
• Targeting Your Market
• Tips for the Perfectionists

End Notes

• What Now?

Appendix Further Resources

• Keep Moving Forward!
• Some Favorite Learning Websites
• Some Favorite Useful Websites
• Some Favorite After Effects Books