After Effects - Working with Layers

Published: 26th May 2011
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Learning layers in After Effects CS5 is a fundamental to 'putting things together'. Part of the magic of animation and computer graphics software applications is being able to coalesce different resources together, often resourcefulnesses you might not think go together such as your computer graphics with live TV. Your sources can cut through media bounds with snaps from your camera , graphic ikons from Illustrator, and video from your camcorder. There are some basic principles on how layers act and how your can learn more to get the most out of your After Personal effects layers.
Layers in After Personal effects are much like layers in other pictorial packages like Photoshop. You simply add any new resources to your composition as a layer by dragging it from your labor window into the composition. Your stratum is typically an image, a video, or a graphic . I use the term ' lifelike ' loosely, something you produced with your graphics software.
A very simple and attractive feature in After Effects is creating a composition with your res.

Learn After Effects online at All Tutorials.
You can do so much with the pen tool and it is one of those tools that can behave quite differently , if you keep your mouth right. So be and sure and hold your mouth right! .
Seriously, there are a few things, a few settings that will make using the pen tool do otherwise , present different controls to you, but once you get a do by on them, (yes that was a bum After Effects wordplay ), you will appreciate the flexibility and control they afford . Like all our shapes and drawing tools, the best way to learn is by doing so hopefully your After Effects is overt and ready to go.
When you make a new opus , all you need to do to begin creating shapes with the pen tool is blue ribbon it and begin drawing. The usual 'right pawl ', ' produce new layer' in the source layer area of your time panel is not necessary. Forcing with the pen tool produces your form layer. The pen tool is the easiest and most difficult drawing tool because the display states, it's doings, the number of clicks it takes.

As you employ your points, straight lines appear between your points. What if you want a little 'curveyness' in your line? What if you want to reap a coil or an 'S' bend? As you use your points, before discharging your mouse, travel it a bit, drag it in the direction you want to go for a curved shape and you will see Bezier deals appear. This lets you apply some curvature to your wrinkle and with the ' cares', when you go back to redact, it will give these same handles that will allow you to set the form utilising curve as you draw in the deals away from your line.
With your line drawn , you will always want to go back and do 'something'. How do you select it and what are you selecting? You 've forced a complete shape , your form is made up of lines, curved shapes, and associating points, and you will want to adjust all of those and any of them severally at times.
At the simplest point degree , you can click and move a previous breaker point. With your flesh drawn , if you double pawl on it, you will see it.
You know a layer has transubstantiate attributes and when you draw these shapes , you can have multiple forms on the same layer. You may overlay a star with an oval or introduce your curved line within a restricting box for a logotype. Once you begin developing your layer the process of opting your forms and exactly what you 're selecting merits some attention.
My favourite trial form is a curving line because of it's easiness and because it has multiple points which makes it easy to illustrate and experiment with these ' picking out rulers'. Clicking on the pointer on the far left of the tool bar takes you out of reaping mode . Participating 'F2' will also deselect any form you 've been drawing. Mouse click once on your curved line. When you do this, you have selected the whole shape layer. If you took it and began moving it around, you would the transmute properties of the shape layer changing.

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