After Effects - Photoshop Files

When opening a document in Photoshop you need to:

And then save as a psd. 

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Importing Type.

Type out your word

Crop it

Delete the background layer

Ensure the layer box is ticked

& Save as a Photoshop file.

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When importing into After Effects:

File

Import

Footage: used for flat images

Composition Retain Layers: used for words & images with multiple layers.

Photoshop:

To split a word into different sections and also put the different sections onto different layers: 

File

Word

Type Rasterise

then..

Layer

Via Cut

then..

Import the type into After Effects as a Composition Retain Layers.

After Effects - the beginning.


When i first opened after effects i was lost!
So many panels, and different sections.

Project - down the left hand side.
This is where all your files are.


The Timeline - along the bottom. 


Composition
This is where your design is shown in the centre.

HDTV 1080 29.97


Theres also the timecode on there to allow you to change the length of your clip. Our frame will have to be 5 seconds.


Key Frames: These are the points at which changes happen such as moving things around or changing form or colour. You can have more than one at a time going for several different things.


Useful keyboard shortcuts:


~ expand active panel (active panel the one highlighted in yellow that you are working on)
P select layer & press 'P' shows position properties
A select layer and shows the anchor property
R select layer - rotation
T select layer - opacity properties
S select layer - scaler properties
O end of layers time frame
I beginning of layers time frame
U shows all modifications on the layer
UU reveals all modified properties
B beginning work area sets them
N end work area sets them


When creating an animation you will want to keep going back and making sure it looks how you want it to. To do this there is a playback menu at the right hand side:

How to export your animation Quicktimee into Vimeo & onto blog:


Composition - Add to Render Queue

Render Settings:


Time span: Length of Comp.

Lossless: Output Module

Format: Quicktime

Video Codec H.264

Output to: Save!

RENDER!