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AfterEffects Tutorial 0001 - Setting up a Project

This tutorial will give you an introduction to the way that AfterEffects works, namely, setting up a composition, dealing with a simple mask, using the Time Layout, and setting keyframes for layer attributes. I’ve created a few files for you to use in this tutorial. You will need to download these two archives:

ae0001archive1.sit - 1.3MB

ae0001archive2.sit - 1.4MB

Create a new folder on your hard drive titled ae0001. Move the expanded files to this folder. You should have 3 files - water.mov, text.ai, and audio.aiff.

1. Open AfterEffects and create a new composition. Set the frame size to 320 x 240, the frame rate to 15 fps and the duration to 0:00:10:00 (ten seconds). Click the OK button to accept the settings.

2. We need to import the files we will use in this project. Go to the FILE menu and choose IMPORT > Footage Files. This will allow us to pick several files at a time. Locate the ae0001 folder on your hard drive. Import "water.mov" and "audio.aiff". These files will show up in the Project List. Select water.mov and move it to the center of the composition window. It should snap to the center. Save the project as ae0001.aep.

3. Open Illustrator. Open text.ai. Notice that the text has been converted to outlines. Select the item and copy it. Close Illustrator.

4. In AfterEffects, you will need to create a new solid. Go to the Layer Menu and choose New Solid. A dialog box will pop up asking you to specify the size and color. Set the size to 640 x 480 pixels and the color to black. Click the OK button. The solid will appear over the water layer in the comp window.

5. Click the title bar of the comp window to bring it to the front. Select PASTE from the EDIT menu. This will paste our text object from Illustrator onto the solid as a mask object. In the Time Layout, click the triangle to the left of the Solid 1 Layer. This will expand to show the attributes of the layer. Open the Mask attribute to see the masks for this object (there should be several). Make sure that the Invert box to the right of the top mask is checked.

6. Next, double-click the Solid 1 Layer to open it in the editing window. You can see and manipulate items on this layer, including the mask we just pasted. Select the text object (drag around the item). Move it to the upper left quarter of the layer. Close the window.

7. In the composition window, move the word "water" until it is centered in the window.

8. Move the Time Marker to 3 seconds. Collapse the Mask attribute and open the Transform one for the Solid 1 layer. Find the Position item. Click the stopwatch icon to the left of the item. A keyframe will be inserted at the 3-second mark.

9. Move the Time Marker to 0. Drag the layer in the Comp window so that the text is just off to the upper left of the visible area. This will set another keyframe at 0. Save again.

You can see a preview of this animation by opening the Time Controls palette and clicking the Play button. Your preview will not be in real-time, but you should get an idea of how things will look.

10. Now, we want to add audio to the animation. Make sure that the Time Marker is still at 0. Select the audio.aiff (very groovy…) file and drag it to the composition window. The audio will appear as a layer in the Time Layout. (Warning, this audio is like something out of really old Sesame Street or Reading Rainbow episodes. This is what happens when I leave my sound effects CDs at home:).

After adding the audio, you are ready to render your movie!

11. Go to the COMPOSITION menu and choose Make Movie. You will be prompted to give the movie a name. T then, the Render Queue will open. You should see items marked Render Settings and Output Module. You can access these items for change by clicking the underlined item to the right.

12. Click the Current Settings item to open the Render Settings window. Leave the resolution to 320 x 240. We do need to change the Time Span to be rendered. Change the pull-down menu from Work Area Only" to "Custom…". Leave the Start time at 0 seconds and change the end time to 0:00:08:00. The duration will be changed accordingly. Click the OK button in the Time Span window, then okay again in the Render Settings window.

13. Click the item named "Lossless", next to Output Module, to set the CODEC and audio settings. This opens the Output Module Settings. Leave the format set to QuickTime Movie. Click the format options button in the Video Output area. Set the CODEC to Video. Make sure that the Audio Output box is checked. Leave the audio settings at the defaults. Click OK to accept.

14. Click the Render button and sit back for a bit. You will be able to see approximately how much time is left. It shouldn't take too long.

When the file is done rendering, open it in your QuickTime player. Very funky, huh?

Well, so you now know the basics of setting up a composition in AfterEffects! This is just the beginning of what AfterEffects can do. You can change attributes over time, add special effects, and layer video up video. Lots of fun!