AN I MATION

TH E ART OF INDEX

AN I MATION

04 Chapter 00.
The Prequel

05 Chapter 01.
My Philosophy on Animation & How to Apply It

09 Chapter 02.
Organization, Textures, & Resources

13 Chapter 03.
Developing a Look

17 Chapter 04.
Rigging & Animating Maps

20 Chapter 05.
Bringing It All Together (Animating a Real Nathaniel Drew Video)

24 The Vault
Extra Contents

INDEX
O2
The Course
INTRO

Welcome to the Animation side of the Frame

x Frame Master Course! It's a pleasure to have
you here. Below is some useful information about
the course and this PDF.

Sky here — To start, I want to say thank for you on the corresponding chapter
you! If you are reading this, it likely means page. This includes references, websites,
you're a student of the course, and that downloads, expressions, and more.
means the world to me.
Finally, the order of the PDF is the main
Diving right in, this PDF should act curriculum first, with The Vault content at
as a guide for you as you navigate the the end. Each Vault lesson is separated, just
course chapters. Included below is every like the main curriculum chapters, for easier
chapter and subchapter, as well as in- navigation. Note that The Vault episodes
lesson markers for important sections. can be watched in any order.
Each chapter label has the total duration You don't need to follow the PDF
of the lesson, and each marker has a sequence for those lessons!
timestamp for where to find that section
in the video. This way, if you want to skip I hope this helps, and if you have any
to a certain section, you can do so easily questions about this PDF or any other
without having to dig around in the video. content, don't hesitate to reach out and ask
me directly. I'll see you in the course!
Additionally, links and/or resources
mentioned in any lesson are all indexed

INTRO
O3
A Course about
Animation
Created by
Skymography
What You’ll Find in this Chapter
A Few Words Before We Begin CH00
CH

The
Prequel

A Few Words Before We Begin

(Duration: 4:01)
A Course about
Animation
Created by
Skymography
What You’ll Find in this Chapter
The 4 Questions to Ask Yourself
Analyzing the World Through the Lens of Animation
CH01
CH
Animation Toolbelts & Finding Your Strengths
(Et Cetera)

My Philosophy
on Animation & How to Apply It
Timestamps
CH01
CH

1.0 Introduction to the Chapter (Duration: 1:06)

1.1 The 4 Questions to Ask Yourself (Duration: 8:42)

• Does this Help the Story Being Told? (1:30)
• What is the Importance of this Section? (3:20)
• What is the Emotion I Want the Viewer to Feel? (4:50)
• How Much Time Do I Have? (8:40)

1.2 Analyzing the World

Through the Lens of Animation (Duration: 3:26)
• Why You Shouldn’t Start With Technical “How Questions” (1:00)
• Thought Exercise: “Advertisement Motion Graphics” (1:27)
• Thought Exercise: “Drawing From Your Real Life” (2:40)

1.3 Animation Toolbelts

& Finding Your Strengths (Duration: 3:57)
• What is an Animation Tool Belt? (0:00)
• The Purpose of Understanding An Animator’s Tool Belt (1:22)
• Critical Thinking & Asking WHY (2:12)

1.4 Getting Started Animating: Ideas & Inspiration (Duration: 6:20)

• Passive Inspiration Through Social Media (0:20)
• How to Properly Use Your Resources (Google, Pinterest, YouTube,
Vimeo, TV, Movies) (1:20)
• Collect Your Inspiration in One Place (3:34)
• Plotting/Sketching Your Layouts (4:05)
• Inspiration vs. Plagiarism (4:40)

1.5 Best Ways to Start a Project (Duration: 3:45)

• Method 1: A Clear Vision for the Project/Do The Most Important
Parts First (0:52)
• Method 2: No Clear Vision for the Project (2:36)

CHAPTER 01. MY PHILOSOPY ON ANIMATION & HOW TO APPLY IT O6

Timestamps
CH01
CH

1.6 How to Properly Practice Animating (Duration: 3:18)

• Personal Projects & Where To Start (0:20)
• Post Your Work (1:38)

1.7 Dealing With Failure

& Moving Past Creative Block (Duration: 2:25)

1.8 Final Thoughts & A Quick Recap (Duration: 4:23)

CHAPTER 01. MY PHILOSOPY ON ANIMATION & HOW TO APPLY IT O7

Links
CH01
CH

& Resources
1.1 The Netherlands Happiness video:
https://youtu.be/_ryvl_EfRXY

1.4 PureRef:
https://www.pureref.com/

CHAPTER 01. MY PHILOSOPY ON ANIMATION & HOW TO APPLY IT O8

A Course about
Animation
Created by
Skymography
What You’ll Find in this Chapter
The Importance of Organization
How I Organize My Files
CH02
CH
All About Textures
(Et Cetera)

Organization,
Textures, & Resources
Timestamps
CH02
CH

2.0 Introduction to the Chapter (Duration: 1:14)

2.1 The Importance of Organization (Duration: 1:54)

2.2 How I Organize My Files (Duration: 10:39)

• The Wrong Way to Organize Files (1:05)
• How to Structure Folders (2:43)
• How to Layout Project Files (7:42)

2.3 All About Textures (Duration: 28:09)

• Example: Map Animation (2:03)
• Texture Types (8:51)
• Luminance Value (9:10)
• How-to: Applying Luminance and Blend Modes
to Texture Layers (9:56)
• Mistakes to Avoid (24:56)
• How To Know If You Need Textures? (26:16)
• Making Your Own Textures (27:19)

2.4 Resources: How to Find Them (Duration: 4:22)

2.5 Resources: My Favorite Places To Find Them (Duration: 4:46)

• Asset Libraries
• Textures, Overlays, & Effects (0:30)
• Colors (2:29)
• Maps (2:55)

2.6 Resources: Learning From Youtube (Duration: 5:03)

• Motion Design, Animation, & AfterEffects (0:15)
• Photoshop (1:50)
• Visual Effects (2:55)

CHAPTER 02. ORGANIZATION, TEXTURES, & RESOURCES O10

Links
CH02
CH

& Resources
2.3 How To Make Animated Textures From Anything
https://youtu.be/Y_sgKsGOB1I

2.5 Texture Labs

https://texturelabs.org/

Texture Labs Youtube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@Texturelabs

Production Crate
https://www.productioncrate.com/

Envato Elements
https://elements.envato.com/

Motion Array
https://motionarray.com/

Creative Market
https://creativemarket.com/

Design Cuts
https://www.designcuts.com/

Coolors
https://coolors.co/

Old Maps Online

https://www.oldmapsonline.org/

David Rumsey Map Collection

https://www.davidrumsey.com/

CHAPTER 02. ORGANIZATION, TEXTURES, & RESOURCES O11

Links
CH02
CH

& Resources
Jake In Motion
https://www.youtube.com/@JakeInMotion

Ben Marriott
https://www.youtube.com/@BenMarriott

ECAbrams
https://www.youtube.com/@ECAbrams

School of Motion
https://www.youtube.com/@schoolofmotion

PiXimperfect
https://www.youtube.com/@PiXimperfect

Corridor Crew
https://www.youtube.com/@CorridorCrew

CHAPTER 02. ORGANIZATION, TEXTURES, & RESOURCES O12

A Course about
Animation
Created by
Skymography
What You’ll Find in this Chapter
What a “Look” Is & How To Choose One
Building a Look: The 4 Main Elements
CH03
CH
Clichés (Get Them Out of Your System)
(Et Cetera)

Developing
a Look
Timestamps
CH03
CH

3.0 Introduction to the Chapter (Duration: 1:03)

3.1 What a “Look” Is & How To Choose One (Duration: 4:54)

• Defining a “Look” (0:00)
• Knowing Your Content On An Emotional Level (1:28)
• How to Develop A Look (3:42)
• Choosing A Look (4:00)

3.2 Building a Look: The 4 Main Elements (Duration: 5:57)

• Four Main Elements (0:36)
• Example 1: Analyzing Nathaniel’s “Is Paris Overrated?” video
• Texture (1:00)
• Color Pallet (1:18)
• Type of Motion (1:38)
• Font (2:05)
• Example 2: Nathaniel’s “I Tried Psychedelics…” Video (3:07)
• Texture (4:44)
• Color Pallet (4:30)
• Type of Motion (4:10)
• Font (5:10)

3.3 Clichés (Get Them Out of Your System) (Duration: 3:32)

• How to Know When to Include Clichés (1:11)
• Example: The American Dollar (2:19)

3.4 Stop, Drop, & Keep Rolling (Duration: 5:06)

• Ranking The 4 Elements (1:00)
• Example 1: Nathaniel’s “Why I’ll Never Coming Back to the United States”
• Video (1:34)
• Example 2: Nathaniel’s Iceland Video (2:56)

CHAPTER 03. DEVELOPING A LOOK O14

Timestamps
CH03
CH

3.5 Breaking Down The Picasso Routine Look (Duration: 33:48)

• Defining the Look (0:44)
• Developing The Look of the Video (Breaking Down the Book Composition)
(2:10)
• The Texture Layers Used (3:53)
• The Effects Used (4:34)
• Dots Pre-rendered (10:00)
• How to Make the Dots (13:15)
• Breaking Down the Picasso Paintings Composition (14:00)
• Applying The Defined Look of the Video (15:00)
• The Paintings Cycle (16:09)
• Animating the Paintings (18:20)
• Breaking Down the Footstep Quote Composition (19:47)
• The Quote (12:07)
• The Footsteps (22:49)
• Building out the Scene (24:00)
• The Final Composition (25:26)
• Ranking the Four Elements (31:31)

3.6 Your (Optional) Homework (Duration: 1:28)

CHAPTER 03. DEVELOPING A LOOK O15

Links
CH03
CH

& Resources
3.2 Is Paris Overrated?
https://youtu.be/rRgwis2kt9Y

Psychedelics video
https://youtu.be/_ZMNw32dOqo From Anything

3.4 Why I Will Never Come Back to the United States video
https://youtu.be/2Zr7j41a8X0

The Real Reason You Aren’t Happier (Iceland video)

https://youtu.be/ObP4Epfrw_wDavid Rumsey Map Collection

3.5 Picasso Daily Routine video

https://youtu.be/gJ7CyM1Zrqc

3.6 Link to download the (optional) homework files

https://skymography.com/FxFCh3Homework/

CHAPTER 03. DEVELOPING A LOOK O16

A Course about
Animation
Created by
Skymography
What You’ll Find in this Chapter
Introduction to the Map
Overview the Layers
CH04
CH
Starting the Project
(Et Cetera)

Rigging and
Animating Maps
Timestamps
CH04
CH

• Introduction to the Map (1:17)

• Overview the Layers (2:14)
• Starting the Project (5:36)
• The Camera (6:00)
• Setting up the Camera (6:00)
• Camera Nodes, Rotation, and Null (8:11)
• Camera Point of Interest (10:55)
• Linking the Camera to the Point of Interest & Rotation (11:49)
• Creating An Expression Workaround (14:14)
• Camera Position (21:31)
• Depth of Field Link Setup (23:26)
• The Map (25:40)
• Overview of the Map Animation (25:44)
• Setting Up The Map (31:15)
• Processing The Map (32:16)
• Adding Effects (33:20)
• Adding Animations (36:11)
• Why I Used Two Maps

CHAPTER 04. RIGGING AND ANIMATING MAPS O18

Links
CH04
CH

& Resources
Portuguese Citizenship video
https://youtu.be/viG9Tmy2w0o

David Rumsey Map Collection

https://www.davidrumsey.com/

FX Console
https://www.videocopilot.net/blog/2018/05/fx-console-updated-to-v1-0-3/

CHAPTER 04. RIGGING AND ANIMATING MAPS O19

A Course about
Animation
Created by
Skymography
What You’ll Find in this Chapter
Animating the Title Sequence
Animating the Room Names
CH05
CH
Animating Key Dialogue
(Et Cetera)

Bringing It
All Together Animating a Real
Nathaniel Drew Video
Timestamps
CH05
CH

5.0 Introduction to the Chapter (Duration: 2:25)

5.1 Animating the Title Sequence (Duration: 34:27)

• Developing The Feeling (Reference) (1:30)
• Laying out the Elements (2:25)
• Adding the Text Layer (2:56)
• Adding the Background (5:30)
• Adding a Shape Layer (Framing the Text) (7:00)
• Adding the Logo Animation (9:00)
• Adding an Effect: Roughen Edges (9:52)
• Laying out the Animation (13:16)
• Animating the Main Text (13:24)
• Drawing Out Effect (15:00)
• The Dojo Shift Text Exploder Combo (20:00)
• Adjusting the Timing (22:46)
• Text Reveal Effect (on Infinity Sign) (23:59)
• Stylizing (27:07)
• Adding Grain (27:10)
• Adding Speckles (28:15)
• Adding a Wiggle Transform Effect (30:00)
• Adding an Optical Glow (31:07)
• Adding in a Hand Drawn Effect (32:35)
• Adding in the Warp Chroma Effect (33:06)

5.2 Animating the Room Names (Duration: 11:20)

• 3D Tracking (0:32)
• Animating the Text Composition (4:00)
• Effect: Stretching the Text (4:29)
• Animation Pacing (8:04)
• Adding a Shadow with a Shape Layer (8:51)
• Adding a Fast Box Blur (10:10)
• Adding Glow (10:44)

CHAPTER 05. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER O 21

Timestamps
CH05
CH

5.3 Animating Key Dialogue (Duration: 5:25)

• Adding the Text Layer (0:40)
• Transforming the Text (1:55)
• Adding Wiggle (1:55)
• Adding Glow (3:45)
• Adding Shadow (Improving Readability) (4:07)

5.4 Stylizing the Footage (Duration: 7:12)

• Adding Film Burns (0:50)
• Adding Grain (4:28)
• Adding Speckles (5:18)

5.5 My Final Thoughts: What’s Next? (Duration: 1.36)

CHAPTER 05. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER O 22

Links
CH05
CH

& Resources
5.0 Apartment Tour video
https://youtu.be/eS1R17ZmP-o

5.1 ACIDBITE assets

https://www.acidbite.com/

5.2 Normalize Track script

https://elementsupply.co/products/scripts/normalizeTrack

Text Exploder
https://aescripts.com/textexploder/

CHAPTER 05. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER O 23

 EXTRA

TH E
VAULT

ADDITIONAL
CONTE NT
TH E VAULT EXTRA

01
Intro to 3D Camera Tracking
(& more) (Duration: 23:56)
• Starting Out With the Built-in 3D Camera Tracker (0:45)
• Setting A Ground Plane and Origin & Solid and Camera (3:34)
• Using the Normalize Track Plug-In (4:50)
• Setting the 3D Track (using the blue solid) (6:21)
• Workflow for Creating a New Composition to Track
(Elements for Tracking) (7:05)
• Customizing the Comp (8:26)
• Example Comp: Basic Bar Chart (9:11)
• How-To: Connecting the Car to the Graph (10:34)
• Tracking the Car (11:03)
• Setting a Tracking Point (12:07)
• Turning Track Points Into Position Data (14:24)
• Connecting the Line (15:25)
• Creating the Line (Shape Layer) (15:35)
• Creating Nulls from Paths (15:56)
• Attaching the Line to the Graph (17:41)
• Utilizing the “Attaching a 2D layer to 3D layer”
Expression (18:10)
• Adjusting the Coordinates of the Null (using
Slider Controls) (19:55)
• Animating the Line (using Trim Paths
modifier) (21:45)

Links & Resources

3D Normalization video by Red Giant
https://youtu.be/vNfGgJ9k3IE

→ Link to download the free script:

https://elementsupply.co/products/scripts/normalizeTrack

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Vimeo video - Expression Shorts - Attach 2D layer to a 3D layer

https://vimeo.com/37089961

• The expression line for copy & pasting

(replace “LAYER NAME” with the 3D layer you’re linking to):

thisComp.layer("LAYER NAME").toComp([0,0,0])

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TH E VAULT EXTRA

02
The Anatomy of After Effects
(for beginners) (Duration: 49:09)
• Choosing a Workspace (Layout) (0:47)
• The Project Panel (1:27)
• Creating Folders for Organization (2:35)
• Creating a New Composition (Method 1) (3:24)
• Creating a New Composition (Method 2) (4:00)
• Viewing your Settings (4:26)
• Playback & The Preview Panel (4:48)
• Playback (5:03)
• Preview Panel (Settings) (5:25)
• Play From (5:33)
• Frame Rate (6:21)
• Resolution (6:45)
• Secondary Drop-Down Menu (7:10)
• Zoom Levels (8:05)
• Fast Previews (9:10)
• Transparency (10:05)
• Grid and Guide Options (10:46)
• The Timeline (11:27)
• Toggling Your Settings & Controls (11:53)
• How After Effects Works With Layers (12:30)
• The Buttons In Your Timeline (13:48)
• Layer Visibility (13:55)
• Soloing (14:08)
• Audio Button (14:42)
• Lock Layers (14:54)
• Color Labels (15:19)
• Rename Your Layer (15:35)
• Motion Blur Layer (15:42)
• Blend Modes (16:18)
• Track Matte (16:57)
• Alpha Matte (17:38)
• Luma Matte (18:11)
• Invert (18:46)
• Parenting & Linking (19:07)

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TH E VAULT EXTRA

• Properties & Keyframing (20:14)

• Transform Options (20:21)
• Position (20:42)
• Scale (20:56)
• Rotation & Anchor Point (21:19)
• Opacity (22:13)
• Keyframing (22:42)
• Changing the Value of a Keyframe (23:59)
• Easy Easing (Keyframe Pacing) (24:46)
• How to Swap Between Easy Ease and Normal (26:03)
• Graph Editor (26:42)
• Color Labeling (29:10)
• Animating Through Expressions (29:47)
• The Toolbar (30:55)
• Shortcuts (31:10)
• Selection Tool (31:35)
• Hand Tool (31:43)
• Rotation Tool (32:40)
• Anchor Point Tool (32:53)
• Pan Tool (33:13)
• Mask and Shape Tool (34:01)
• Using the Selection Tool (34:31)
• Using the Pen Tool (34:43)
• Text Tool (35:10)
• Character Panel (35:30)
• Paragraph Window (36:10)
• Effects & Presets (36:40)
• Example: Applying the Turbulent Displace Effect (37:24)
• Stacking Order Effects (41:10)
• Pre-Composing (42:26)
• Keyboard Shortcuts (44:46)
• How To Make Your Own & View All Shortcuts (46:02)
• Other Panels & Customizing Your AE (47:00)

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TH E VAULT EXTRA

Links & Resources

School of Motion keyboard shortcuts
https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/30-essential-keyboard-shortcuts-in-after-effects

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03
My Favorite After Effects
Expressions (Duration: 23:14)
• Wiggle (0:44)
• Slider Control (2:27)
• Keyframing (4:59)
• Posterize Time Expression (5:43)
• Random Seed (seedRandom) (9:52)
• Loop Out (11:39)
• Continue (12:20)
• Example with Text & Tracking Animator (14:09)
• Time (15:34)
• Applied to Turbulent Displace (16:25)
• Applied to Fractal Noise (17:02)
• Inertial Bounce (17:27)
• Number Counter (19:28)

Links & Resources

School of Motion article on loopOut
https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/loop-expression-after-effects

Harry J. Frank website with Inertial Bounce expression

https://www.graymachine.com/top-5-effects-expressions

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04
Animating the Course Logo
(Step by Step) (Duration: 1:10:23)
• Prepping A New Project File in Adobe Illustrator (1:15)
• Importing Into After Effects (4:39)
• Creating the Master Composition (Where the Animation Will
Live) (5:15)
• Animating the Squares (6:40)
• The Animation Concept (8:01)
• Setting the Shape Layer (9:13)
• Keyframing (11:12)
• Position and Rotation (11:35)
• Step Ladder System - Base Keyframes
& Easing the Rotation (15:00)
• Duplicate Layer (15:42)
• Opacity (18:25)
• Syncing When the Squares Appear (19:56)
• Creating a Pulse Animation (22:03)
• Keyframing
• Stroke Width & Size (24:05)
• Pacing (25:09)
• Opacity Fade (26:00)
• Position & Rotations (28:10)
• Shake Effect (30:36)
• Adding Wiggle (31:45)
• Shutter Angle (32:13)
• Keyframing (Frequency and Amplitude)
(33:36)
• Syncing the Peak Keyframe With the
Squares Showing Up (35:40)
• Reorganizing the Layer Stack (Interlacing
Pulse and Shake Effects) (36:08)
• Removing the Stacking of the Shake Effect
(37:30)
• Adjusting the Pulses & Opacity (41:12)
• Matching Opacity (41:30)
• Increasing Pulses (42:56)

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TH E VAULT EXTRA

• Animating the Letters (44:09)

• Syncing the Letters With the Squares (44:20)
• Animating Individual Letters (F & E) (45:03)
• Animating Individual Letters (R, A, & M) (48:42)
• Applying a Flicker Effect (55:18)
• Creating Pre-Comps (57:24)
• Mirroring The Frame Animation (Frame Ref) (57:57)
• Animating the X-Circle (58:58)
• Blending Mode: Silhouette Alpha (1:01:38)
• Animating the Subtitle Text (1:03:08)
• Continuously Rasterized Layers (1:03:53)
• Clean-up (1:06:43)
• Adding An Overlay Texture (1:07:21)

Links & Resources

Project File
https://skymography.com/FxFLogoAnimation/

Overlord plugin
https://www.battleaxe.co/overlord

FX Console
https://www.videocopilot.net/blog/2018/05/fx-console-updated-to-v1-0-3/

Reposition Anchor Point

https://aescripts.com/repositionanchorpoint/

Texture Labs
https://texturelabs.org/

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05
Glow Compositing
& Rotoscoping (Duration: 24:29)
• Glow (0:00)
• What Is Bloom & Why Is It Important? (0:24)
• How to Create Glow (2:20)
• Creating the Shape Layer (2:43)
• Applying Optical Glow (3:25)
• Set Matte Effect (4:20)
• Applying the Composite Layer (Fire Example) (7:10)
• Rotoscoping (8:20)
• What is Rotoscoping? (8:58)
• How To Rotoscope (9:17)
• Applying the Threshold Effect (From the Brush)
(11:52)
• Tracking the Rotoscope (13:26)
• Freezing the Rotoscope (14:51)
• Extra Settings (After Freezing) (15:30)
• Applying the Composite Layer (Fire example) (16:13)
• Alt. Method: Using RunwayML (17:40)
• Keylight Effect (Green Screen Tool) (23:34)
• Simple Choker Effect (23:42)

Links & Resources

RunwayML
https://runwayml.com/

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06
Hand-Written Text Effect
(With a Bonus Trick) (Duration: 33:56)
• Setting Your Kerning (1:09)
• Level 1 (1:39)
• Adding the Fast Box Blur Effect (3:25)
• cc Threshold Effect (3:48)
• Set Matte Effect (4:22)
• Minimax Effect (5:10)
• Foundation for Levels 2-4 (Trim Paths) (6:57)
• Level 2 (8:10)
• Level 3 (10:22)
• Level 4 (16:53)
• Splitting the Word Into Individual Letters (16:58)
• Using Text Exploder (17:17)
• How to Split-up Letters Without Text Exploder
(17:32)
• Adjusting the Timing of the Reveal (27:15)
• Side-by-Side Comparisons of Levels 1-4 (28:13)
• Bonus Trick (Adding A Blur Animation) (28:38)
• ○ Adding A Camera Lens Blur (31:48)

Links & Resources

Text Exploder
https://aescripts.com/textexploder/

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07
The 7 Main Layer Types
of After Effects (Duration: 27:16)
• Solid Layers (3 Types) (0:51)
• Normal Solid Layer (1:17)
• What Is It Used For? (2:54)
• Why Are They Different From Vector Layers? (3:38)
• Null Object Layer (2nd Solid Layer) (4:55)
• What Do Nulls Do? (5:52)
• When Do You Use Nulls? (6:55)
• Adjustment Layer (3rd Solid Layer) (8:08)
• What Does An Adjustment Layer Do? (8:33)
• How does After Effects Tell Between A Normal
Solid and An Adjustment Layer? (9:17)
• Turn A Normal Solid Into An Adjustment Layer
(9:33)
• Vector Layers (2 Types) (11:30)
• Text Layers (11:53)
• Animation Options (13:05)
• Shape Layers (14:32)
• How Shape Layers Work (Shape Tool & Pen Tool)
(14:52)
• The Shape Tool (15:03)
• The Add Button (17:07)
• The Pen Tool (18:07)
• The Difference Between Vector Layers and Solid Layers (18:30)
• 3D Layers (21:10)
• Cameras (21:36)
• How To Control The Camera With The Camera Tool
(23:36)
• Lights (25:00)

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08
My Favorite Add-Ons
for After Effects (Duration: 11:20)
• Panels
• Dojo Shifter (0:40)
• FX Console (2:37)
• Text Exploder (3:27)
• Reposition Anchor Point (5:45)
• Effects
• Optical Glow (from Red Giant VFX) (6:36)
• Alternative: Deep Glow (7:26)
• Uni.VHS Effect (8:09)
• Alternative: Signal (8:37)
• S_WarpChroma (9:00)
• Alternative: Quick Chromatic Aberration 3 (10:05)

Links & Resources

Dojo Shifter
https://creativedojo.net/store/dojo-shifter/

FX Console
https://www.videocopilot.net/blog/2018/05/fx-console-updated-to-v1-0-3/

Text Exploder
https://aescripts.com/textexploder/

Reposition Anchor Point

https://aescripts.com/repositionanchorpoint/

Red Giant VFX Suite

https://www.maxon.net/en/red-giant/vfx

Deep Glow
https://aescripts.com/deep-glow/

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Red Giant Universe

https://www.maxon.net/en/red-giant/universe

Signal
https://aescripts.com/signal/

Sapphire Visual Effects Plugins Bundle

https://borisfx.com/products/sapphire/

Quick Chromatic Aberration 3

https://aescripts.com/quick-chromatic-aberration/

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09
Rendering From After Effects
(3 Methods) (Duration: 15:00)
• H.264 (.mp4) (2:00)
• Formatting Settings (2:05)
• Quicktime Method 1 (Apple ProRes 422 [HQ] (.mov)) (4:02)
• Formatting Settings (4:15)
• Quicktime Method 2 (Apple ProRes 4444) (6:20)
• Formatting Settings (7:20)
• How to Make a Preset within After Effects (8:50)
• How to Make a Preset Using Adobe Media Encoder (9:36)
• How to Make a Preset with Anubis
(Third Party Rendering Program) (13:22)

Links & Resources

Anubis
https://www.battleaxe.co/anubis

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10
Tips, Tricks, & Hidden Features in
After Effects
(Duration: 13:09)

• Accessing Your Preferences (0:26)

• Colors & Labeling (0:50)
• Masking (1:39)
• Color Masks (1:39)
• Moving Mask Points While Masking (1:51)
• Mask Mode Shortcuts (2:03)
• Shape Layers (2:23)
• Masking On A Shape Layer (2:25)
• Using Auto-Trace to Vectorize an Image (2:49)
• Convert Shape to Bezier Path (3:53)
• Opening Closed Paths (4:14)
• The Shape Layer “Add” Menu (4:29)
• Keyframing (4:41)
• Changing Keyframe Interpolation (4:43)
• Using Hold Keyframes With Bezier Paths (5:08)
• Other Hold Keyframe Uses (5:45)
• Rove Across Time (5:58)
• Pass-Through Keyframes (6:26)
• The Keyframe Velocity Menu (6:54)
• Path to Position Keyframes (7:37)
• Auto-Orient Along Path (8:06)
• Time-Stretching Keyframes (8:28)
• Selecting (8:48)
• Selecting Layers Based on Color (8:50)
• Inverting Your Selection (9:11)
• Selecting Link Layers Through Parent (9:21)
• Soloing Layer Properties in the Timeline (9:37)
• Miscellaneous Tips (9:55)
• Frame Rate Syncing Trick (9:58)
• Puppet Pin Tool Trick For Complex Layers (10:41)
• Utilizing Layer Styles (11:06)
• Utilizing Guide Layers (11:57)
• Trim Comp to Work Area (12:08)
• Snapping Layers to Other Layers (12:32)
• Snapping Layers to the Composition (12:47)

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11
Change the Color
of Your After Effects (Duration: 1:48)

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