Adobe After Affects Tutorial

Animation lovers who have always wanted to create movies and shorts are in luck because now the medium is more accessible with advanced computer programs. Adobe After Effects is a professional animation program that is used for everything from LCD display ads to television shows like "Little Bill." New animators can use the program to eventually launch a career with their animation talents. The entire program will take a long time to master, but understanding the basic functions will help you get started on your projects.

Getting Started

The software is set up much like other Adobe applications. The project window is located in the top left corner. This window is the source of files used for the project. The files can be organized in the project window for easy access and a small thumbnail shows a file preview. The "Timeline" window is where the project is actually created. Files are dragged down to create animations. A preview and real-time editor is available in the "Composition" window. Items can be dragged around and manipulated through this menu.

Composition

Every project starts with a new composition. Create a new composition by right-clicking in the project window and selecting "New Composition." Choose a video preset. The default is option is "NTSC DV," but a high-definition project can also be created by clicking on the "HD Video choice." Name the composition at the top of the box and press "OK" when all the settings are complete.

Key Frames

The main way to animate in Adobe After Effects is by using key frames. Key frames basically set a starting and ending point for an object and let the program fill in the animation in between. Knowing when to set key frames is essential to creating animations. For example, say you had a picture of an apple. Click the arrow next to the apple to load the "Transform" options. Drag the timeline navigator over to the start of the project and click on the small stop watch next to the "Rotate" option. This turns the key frames on. Drag the navigator to the end of the project and change the "Rotate" setting to "3 x 0.0 degrees." Now the apple will spin 3 times from the start to the finish of the animation.

Animations

The program comes with a collection of pre-set animations to help save time. Access these by going to "Window," then "Effects and Presets." Click on the drop-down menu for the "Animation Presets." Choose an animation preset like "Fade Out," "Zoom Out," or "Scramble." See the real-time previews of the animations by going to "Window" and clicking on "Time Controls." Click the "Play" button to see a looping of the animation.

Effects

Apply different effects to your animations by going back to the "Effects and Presets" menu. Effects alter objects within the project to suit animation needs. For example, add the "Lightning" effect to a cloud object to create a thunder storm. Keying effects help remove certain portions of pictures like a background color or similar colors. "Perspective Effects" can add more to animations like 3D views and drop shadows.

References

• CreativeCow.net - After Effects Tutorials

[MyJB]

on 10/14/2009 Good tutorial on Adobe.