After Effects – Lesson 1
Pal – UK Europe NTSC – America
We always use HD/Widescreen (16:9) Dimensions set at: 1920
Width by 1080 Height.
Before starting the project we need to create some set
folders to which our video files will occupy. A main folder names Project followed
by an Assets folder and an APX file, within the assets folder are three folders
named Audio, Images and HD Images.
We will always be using square pixels when using After
Effects.
First we need to convert our images into HD- First drag the
images into a file sized at HD and then once happy with the composition flatten
the image before exporting as a Jpeg.
Sizing settings need to be:
Preset: Film and Video
Size: HDTV 1080p/29.97
Width: 1920
Height:1080
Resolution: 72(as we are working with screen media)
Colour Mode: RGB(again for screen) and 8 bit
Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square Pixels
Colour Profile: HDTV (Rec. 709) (working:- sRGB IEC1966-2.1)
“HDTV (Rec. 709) is a good choice if
you’re making a movie for high-definition television. This color space uses the
same primaries as sRGB, but it has a larger gamut, so it makes a good working
space for many kinds of work.” – Sourced from
http://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/color-management.html
Now we need to open after effects and import the audio into the
project. (File>Import>File) select files then create a new composition.
In new composition settings select:
Preset: HDTV 1080 25, this will automatically set the
correct Width and Height as previously mentioned and also set the frames per
second at 25 which we require. The pixel aspect ratio needs to be set as
“Square pixels” and Resolution at “Full”. Under Timecode it is as follows,
Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames, we need this set at 10 seconds.
The Background colour doesn’t matter, as we will be placing
colour blocks and images on top of this anyway.
Now drag the sound clips into the composition (which here is
named Audio) and edit the clips as required. Once this step is complete we can
create a second composition, which will be named “Video” and we need to drag
the audio composition into this new “Video” composition. The audio files will
appear as we have edited them, meaning If we want to alter the files once more
we simply go back into the “Audio” composition.
While remaining within the video composition, play back the
audio by clicking the RAM Preview button and while doing so create marker
points on the timeframe by hitting ctrl and 8. This will help in working out
where to place the images later.
 |
| The colours which appeared first in the film appear at the bottom of this layer panel and progress upwards as the film plays through. |
Lastly is the task of placing your HD images into the
composition. To do so, go to File>Import>File and select the folder which
the images reside within, this will automatically keep the files within such a
folder making it easier to find these in the project panel. I have
strategically placed the images I feel have lighter connotations towards the
beginning of the video and the heavier images towards the back end of the video
that is accompanied by the more melancholy soundtrack.
I also decided to leave the block colours in the video
before each image as to resonate the emotional connection further. In order for
the blocks to appear on screen long enough to see, I have left 2 frames between
the start of each colour block and the start of each photo.
Shortcuts:
- Press Ctrl and 8 together - creates a marker within the timeline
Outcome:
Having no experience with After Effects previously, I found
this lesson was a good introduction to the basic principles of the software and
I look forward to learning more on the techniques regarding this software.
