After Effects Workshop 2

Notes 

• Playback an Area = Use the little blue time indicator to section off part of the sequence before previewing it.
• Returning to composition, top layer, hold shift, bottom layer, then press U to reveal movements within the sequence.

Shorten or lengthen actions = Select all the blue diamonds (key frames), then hold alt and drag left or right. Changes the speed.

Photoshop 

• New - Film & Video
• For the brief use HDTV 1080p for the brief. 
• Resolution at 72dpi - always for on screen projects. 
• RGB Mode.

Go back to After Effects, then choose Title/Action Safe option - Nothing significant should happen outside of the largest of the guideline rectangles.

After Effects

Photoshop - Create image the size of my composition in After Effects, size things in relation to the frame.

• If you need to work with transparency save as a Photoshop file. If not then save as a JPEG.
• Crop down imagery and delete background layer in Photoshop, make it the largest size you will need it in the composition. Only make it smaller.

Panoramic Imagery - Moving background

• Photoshop - Canvas size - Change width to fit entire image.
• Make a folder solely for keeping AE imagery in, it needs to know where the files are, like InDesign.
• AE - File - Import - File - Select image.
• Import kind - footage. Should then appear in the project box.

• Click and drag into Composition. Make smaller to fit size.
• Should be at the correct sizes.

Start and end point - set the start

Move the blue line

Then set the end point

• If working from multiple layers in Photoshop (PSD). AE - File - Import - File.
• Import kind - Composition.
• Double click the composition in Project panel to open a new project consisting of those layers.

Composition Settings - check size and duration - change these if necessary

• Zoom is the thinner grey bar at the top of the timeline.
• Drag the bars to the end of the timeline if duration is made longer (30 seconds).
• Move the anchor point.

• To rotate everything - select all layers you want to rotate - start.
• Move blue line - Rotation tool (top bar) - End point.
• To save/export
• Render Queue - Quick time option - Render when ready and save to export