Importing the footage – Animating Layers

You need to import one source item for this lesson.

  1. Double-click an empty area of the Project panel to open the Import File dialog box.
  2. Navigate to the Lessons/Lesson06/Assets folder on your hard disk, and select the marquee.psd file.
  3. Choose Composition – Retain Layer Sizes from the Import As menu, so the dimensions of each layer will match the layer’s content. (In macOS, you may need to click Options to see the Import As menu.)
  4. Click Import or Open.
  1. In the marquee.psd dialog box, make sure Editable Layer Styles is selected in the Layer Options area, and click OK.
    Before continuing, take a moment to study the layers of the file you just imported.
  2. In the Project panel, expand the marquee Layers folder to see the Photoshop layers. Resize the Name column to make it wider and easier to read, if necessary.

Each of the elements you’ll animate in After Effects—such as the starburst—is on a separate layer. In addition, there is one layer representing the initial marquee with plain light bulbs (Unlit marquee) and a second layer that represents the final marquee with the bulbs brightly lit (Lit marquee).

After Effects preserves the layer order, transparency data, and layer styles from the source Photoshop document. It also preserves other features, such as adjustment layers and type, which you don’t happen to be using in this project.

Preparing layered Photoshop files

Before you import a layered Photoshop file, name its layers carefully to reduce preview and rendering time, and to avoid problems importing and updating the layers:

  • Organize and name layers. If you change a layer name in a Photoshop file after you have imported the file into After Effects, After Effects retains the link to the original layer. However, if you delete a layer in a Photoshop file after you have imported the file into After Effects, After Effects will be unable to find the original layer and will list it as missing in the Project panel.
  • To avoid confusion, make sure that each layer has a unique name.

Getting started – Animating Layers

Lesson overview
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:
• Animate a layered Adobe Photoshop file.
• Create an expression using the pick whip.
• Work with imported Photoshop layer styles.
• Apply a track matte to control the visibility of layers.
• Animate a layer using the Corner Pin effect.
• View layer render times using the Composition Profiler.
• Use time remapping and the Layer panel to dynamically retime footage.
• Edit Time Remap keyframes in the Graph Editor.

This lesson will take about an hour to complete. If you haven’t already done so, download the project files for this lesson from peachpit.com/AfterEffectsCIB2024, following the instructions in the Getting Started section under “Accessing the lesson files and Web Edition.”

PROJECT: THEATER MARQUEE IN A FILM SHORT
Animation is all about making changes over time—changes to an object or image’s position, opacity, scale, and other properties. This lesson provides more practice animating the layers of a Photoshop file, including dynamically remapping time.

Getting started
Adobe After Effects provides several tools and effects that let you simulate motion video using a layered Photoshop file. In this lesson, you will import a layered Photoshop file of a theater marquee, and then animate it to simulate the marquee lighting up and text scrolling across its screen. This is a stylized animation in which the motion is first accelerated, and then reverses and moves forward again.
First, you’ll preview the final movie and set up the project.

  1. Make sure the following files are in the Lessons/Lesson06 folder on your hard disk, or download them from peachpit.com now:
    • In the Assets folder: marquee.psd
    • In the Sample_Movie folder: Lesson06.mp4
  2. Open and play the Lesson06.mp4 in Windows Movies & TV or QuickTime Player to see the final animation you will create in this lesson.
  3. When you’re done, quit Windows Movies & TV or QuickTime Player. You may delete the sample movie from your hard disk if you have limited storage space.
    When you begin the lesson, restore the default application settings for After Effects. See “Restoring default preferences” on page 3.
  4. Start After Effects, and then immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (macOS) to restore default preferences settings. In the Startup Repair Options dialog box, click Reset Preferences.
  5. Click New Project in the Home window.
    After Effects opens to display an empty, untitled project.
  6. Choose File > Save As > Save As.
  7. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the Lessons/Lesson06/Finished_Project folder.
  8. Name the project Lesson06_Finished.aep, and then click Save.

Adding an audio track – Animating a Multimedia Presentation

Give yourself a hand—you’ve done a lot of animating in this project. But you’re not quite done. You’ll add a soundtrack that matches the lighthearted mood of the video, and fade it out. You’ll also shorten the composition, since the last few seconds are static.

  1. Click the Project tab to bring the Project panel forward. Then, double-click an empty area of the Project panel to open the Import File dialog box.
  2. Navigate to the Lessons/Lesson05/Assets folder, and double-click the Soundtrack.wav file.
  3. Drag the Soundtrack.wav item from the Project panel into the Balloon Scene Timeline panel, placing it at the bottom of the layer stack.
  4. Preview the movie. The music changes just as the canvas flies off the balloon.
  5. Go to 18:00, and press N to move the work area end point to the current time.
  6. Choose Composition > Trim Comp to Work Area.
  7. Go to 16:00. Expand the Soundtrack.wav layer and the Audio properties.
  8. Click the stopwatch icon to create an initial keyframe for the Audio Levels value.
  9. Go to 18:00, and change the Audio Levels value to –40 dB.
  10. Preview the animation, and then save it.

Congratulations. You’ve just created a complex animation, practicing all kinds of After Effects techniques and capabilities along the way.

Editing audio files in Adobe Audition

You can make some very simple changes to audio in After Effects. For more substantial edits, use Adobe Audition. Audition is available with a full Adobe Creative Cloud membership.

You can use Audition to change the length of an audio file, alter its pitch, or change its tempo. You can apply effects, record new audio, mix multitrack sessions, and more.

To edit an audio clip you’ve used in After Effects, select the file in the Project panel, and choose Edit > Edit In Adobe Audition. Then, make your changes in Audition, and save the file. The changes you made are automatically reflected in your After Effects project.

Review questions

1 How does After Effects display an animation of the Position property?

2 What is a solid-color layer, and what can you do with it?

3 What types of audio can you import into an After Effects project?

Review answers

1 When you animate the Position property, After Effects displays the movement as a motion path. You can create a motion path for the position of the layer or for the anchor point of a layer. A position motion path appears in the Composition panel; an anchor-point motion path appears in the Layer panel. The motion path appears as a sequence of dots, where each dot marks the position of the layer at each frame. A box in the path marks the position of a keyframe.

2 You can create solid images of any color or size (up to 30,000 x 30,000 pixels) in After Effects. After Effects treats solids as it does any other footage item: You can modify the mask, transform properties, and apply effects to the solid layer. If you change settings for a solid that is used by more than one layer, you can apply the changes to all layers that use the solid or to only the single occurrence of the solid. Use solid layers to color a background or create simple graphic images.

3 You can import any of the following types of audio files into After Effects: Advanced Audio Coding (AAC, M4A), Audio Interchange File Format (AIF, AIFF), MP3 (MP3, MPEG, MPG, MPA, MPE), and Waveform (WAV).

Duplicating keyframes to repeat an animation – Animating a Multimedia Presentation

Now that you’ve labeled the initial keyframes, you can easily repeat them at different times in the timeline. You’ll duplicate the tugging arm, and then create corresponding head and eye movements.

  1. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) one of the keyframes in the Forearm layer, and choose Select Keyframe Label Group > On Selected Layers to select all its keyframes.
  2. Press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Command+C (macOS) to copy the keyframes.
  3. Go to 7:10, the point at which the character tugs the cord again.
  4. Press Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (macOS) to paste the keyframes.
  5. Repeat steps 1–4 to copy the Upper arm Rotation property keyframes.
  1. Hide the properties for all layers.
  2. Go to 3:08. Select the Head layer, and click the stopwatch icon for the Rotation property in the Properties panel to create an initial keyframe.
  3. Go to 3:17, and change the Rotation property to –10.3.
  4. Go to 4:23, and click the Add Or Remove Keyframe At Current Time icon to add a keyframe at the current value.
  5. Go to 5:06, and change the Rotation property to 0.
  6. In the Timeline panel, select the Rotation property to select all of its keyframes. Right-click or Control-click a selected keyframe, and choose Label > Blue.
    Now the character tilts his head up when he tugs the cord. You’ll also animate the position of his eyes to create a subtle change when he tilts his head.
  7. Select the Eyes layer.
  8. Go to 3:08, and click the stopwatch icon for the Position property in the Properties panel to create an initial keyframe at the current value (62, 55).

14.Go to 3:17, and change the Position value to 62.4, 53.

  1. Go to 4:23, and create a keyframe at the current value.
  2. Go to 5:06, and change the Position value to 62, 55.
  3. In the Timeline panel, select the Position property to select all its keyframes, and then right-click or Control-click one, and choose Label > Blue.
  4. Right-click or Control-click a Rotation keyframe in the Head layer, choose Select Keyframe Label Group > On Selected Layers, and then press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Command+C (macOS) to copy the keyframes.
  5. Go to 7:10, and paste the keyframes.
  6. Repeat steps 18-19 for the Position property in the Eyes layer.
  7. Hide all layer properties, and then deselect all layers.
  8. Choose Fit from the Magnification Ratio pop-up menu in the Composition window so that you can see the entire scene. Then preview the animation.

23.Save your work.

Customizing a motion path – Animating a Multimedia Presentation

The balloon moves through the scene, but its path isn’t very interesting, and it isn’t onscreen long. You’ll customize the path between its start point and end point. You can use the values we used or create your own path, as long as the balloon stays fully visible on the screen until a little after 11 seconds, and then slowly makes its way offscreen.

  1. Go to 3:00.
  2. Drag the balloon straight up so that the character and the basket are fully visible, and then rotate it slightly to the left. (We used Position 952.5, 402.2; Rotation –11.1 degrees.)
  1. Go to 6:16.
  2. Shift the balloon’s rotation the other direction. (We used 9.9 degrees.)
  3. Move the balloon to the left side of the scene. (We used Position 531.7, 404.)
  4. Go to 7:20.
  5. Change the scale to 39.4%.
  6. Set additional Rotation keyframes to create swirling motions. If you’re using our values, do the following:

Tip

You can change settings in the Properties panel or the Timeline panel; in this exercise, it’s more efficient to set Rotation keyframes in the Timeline panel.
• At 8:23, change the Rotation value to –6.1.
• At 9:16, change the Rotation value to 22.1.
• At 10:16, change the Rotation value to –18.3.
• At 11:24, change the Rotation value to 11.9.
• At 14:19, change the Rotation value to –8.1.

  1. Set additional Position keyframes to move the balloon. If you’re using our values, do the following:
    • At 9:04, change the Position to 726.5, 356.2.
    • At 10:12, change the Position to 1396.7, 537.1.
  2. Press the spacebar to preview the balloon’s current path, and then press the spacebar again to stop the preview. Save your work so far.

Using Bezier handles to smooth a motion path

The basic path is in place, but you can smooth it out a bit. Each keyframe includes Bezier handles that you can adjust to change the angle of the curve. You’ll learn more about Bezier curves in Lesson 7.

  1. Choose 50% from the Magnification Ratio pop-up menu in the Composition panel.
  2. Make sure the Balloon/Balloon.ai layer is selected in the Timeline panel. Then move the current-time indicator to a position where you can clearly see the motion path in the Composition panel. (Between 4 and 6 seconds is probably good.)
  3. Click a keyframe point in the Composition panel to reveal its Bezier handles, if they aren’t already shown.

Note

If Bezier handles don’t appear when you click with the Selection tool, use the Convert Vertex tool (hidden behind the Pen tool) to display them.

4.Drag a Bezier handle to change the curve for that keyframe.

5.Continue to drag Bezier handles for the keyframe points until you achieve the path you want. Our final path is shown below in the image on the right.

6.Preview the balloon on the path by moving the current-time indicator across the time ruler. Make any adjustments you want. You can also make adjustments later, after you’ve animated the canvas and sky.

7.Hide the properties for the Balloon layer in the Timeline panel, and save your work so far.

Adjusting anchor points – Animating a Multimedia Presentation

The anchor point is the point around which transformations, such as scaling or rotation, are performed. By default, a layer’s anchor point is at the center of the layer.

You’ll change the anchor points for the character’s arm and head so that you can better control the character’s movements as he tugs on the cord to ignite the fire and as he looks up and down.

  1. Double-click the Balloon composition in the Project panel to open it in the Composition panel and the Timeline panel.

The Balloon composition includes layers for the canvas colors, the balloon itself, and the character’s eyes, head, forearm, and upper arm.

2.Zoom in using the Magnification Ratio pop-up menu at the bottom of the Composition panel so you can see the balloon’s detail more clearly.

3.Select the Hand tool (Hand tool icon) in the Tools panel, and then pan so that the character is centered in the Composition panel.

4.Select the Selection tool (Selection tool icon) in the Tools panel.

5.Select the Upper arm layer in the Timeline panel.

6.Select the Pan Behind tool (Pan Behind tool icon) in the Tools panel (or press Y to activate it).

With the Pan Behind tool, you can move the anchor point without moving the entire layer in the Composition window.

7.Move the anchor point to the character’s shoulder.

8.Select the Forearm layer in the Timeline panel, and then move its anchor point to the elbow.

9.Select the Head layer in the Timeline panel, and move its anchor point to the character’s neck.

10.Select the Selection tool in the Tools panel.

11.Choose File > Save to save your work so far.

    Parenting layers

    This composition includes several layers that need to move together. For example, as the balloon floats, the character’s arm and head should move along with it. As you’ve seen in previous lessons, a parenting relationship synchronizes changes in the parent layer with corresponding changes in the child layer. You’ll establish parenting relationships among the layers in this composition, and you’ll add the fire video as well.

    1. Deselect all layers in the Timeline panel, and then press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) as you select the Head and Upper arm layers.
    2. In the Parent column for either of the selected layers, choose 7. Balloon from the pop-up menu.

    This establishes both the Head and Upper arm layers as child layers of the Balloon layer. When the Balloon layer moves, the other two layers will move with it.

    The eyes not only need to move with the balloon, they need to move with the head, so you’ll create that parenting relationship next.

    3.In the Parent column for the Eyes layer, choose 6. Head from the pop-up menu.

    The forearm should move with the upper arm as well.

    4.In the Parent column for the Forearm layer, choose 9. Upper arm from the pop-up menu.

    Now you need to ensure that the fire video travels with the balloon.

    5.Drag the Fire.mov file from the Project panel to the Timeline panel, positioning it directly below the canvas layers so that the fire will appear to go inside the balloon, rather than outside it. (The Fire layer should be between the Yellow Canvas layer and the Eyes layer.)

    The fire video is positioned in the center of the composition, so you’ll need to zoom out a bit to see it.

    1. Choose 25% from the Magnification Ratio pop-up menu so that you can see the outline of the selected video.
    2. In the Composition window, drag the fire video over the burner. To see the flame in action so you can position it correctly, drag the current-time marker across the first second of the time ruler.
    3. When you’re satisfied with the Fire layer’s position, choose 8. Balloon from the pop-up menu in the Fire layer’s Parent column.

    9.Choose File > Save to save your work so far.