Adobe After Effects is a program with almost limitless animation possibilities. Fans of traditional 2D animations can create new ones of their own, and fans of 3D animations can create full CG worlds or mix both animations together to create a hybrid animation. The program can also be used to create animated presentations and advertisements like those used at arenas or in digital billboards. To learn how to create all these things, After Effects users first need to know the basics and controls featured in Adobe After Effects CS3.
- The start of any project occurs in the Project Window. The program accepts picture, movie and audio files, all of which can be imported by right-clicking and selecting the “Import” option. Use other Adobe files like Premiere Pro and Photoshop to make projects more functional. Organize the different elements in the project window by right-clicking and selecting “Make New Folder.” Label the folder as “Video” or a more specific example, and drag and drop the different files to each folder to keep it organized.
- Create a new composition by right-clicking in the “Project” window and selecting “New Composition.” The default size is “DV-NTSC,” but video sizes can be changed to almost any size along with other presets like “Widescreen” and “Web Video.” A preview of the composition will appear in the “Composition” window as a black box. Every element and change within the project will appear in realtime on the Composition window. Users can also click in the window to manipulate objects in the window.
- No elements are on the active project until they are dragged to the Timeline window. The Timeline window is broken into two elements. The left side features a list of active files and effect controls. The right side of the window is the actual time code of the project with specific times listed at the top of the window. A Timeline navigator is located on this side as well, and can be dragged from side to side to reach a different time on the time code.
- Key frames are how animations are created in the program. Basically, users set a starting point and finishing point for an object, and the program automatically creates the animation that goes in between. Each different effect on an object can have its own set of key frames. For example, a picture will have four standard animation options that include “Scale,” “Rotation,” “Opacity” and “Position.” To create an animation of the picture moving, they would first click on “Timeline Navigator” and set it to the beginning of the video. Click on the “Stopwatch” icon to activate the key frames and drag the Timeline Navigator to the end of the project. Move the object in the “Composition window” to its final spot. The second key frame is automatically made and the animation can be previewed by pressing “Enter.”