SRI MANAKULA VINAYAGAR ENGINEERING COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Subject: Subject code:

Prepared By :
Dr.M.Ganesan, Associate Professor / CSE
Dr.N.Moganarangam, Professor / CSE
Mrs.C.Kalpana, Assistant Professor/ CSE

Verified by : Approved by :

UNIT II - LEARNING AFTER EFFECTS

Usage of Platform - Tools used - Plugins & Types - Imports & Exports - Masking - Object Duplication -
Motion Tracking - Rotoscoping - Color Play - Visual Effects - Render Tab & Advance Option - Exploring to
Media Encoder.

Part A (2 Marks)

1. Discuss about after effects.

Adobe after effects is a digital visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing application developed by
adobe systems and used in the post-production process of film making, video games and television production.
Among other things, after effects can be used for keying, tracking, compositing, and animation.
2. What is the function of key frames in after effects?

The function of the key frames is to set parameters for audio, motion, visual effects and many other properties
for any image or object by changing them over time. After effects is mostly used for animation purpose, and
by setting key frames and after effects properties, they can move the image as if they are a video.

3. What is cti and what is the function of CTI?

CTI stands for current time indicator, and it controls the time line of the footage in the composition panel.
With the help of cti you can move the footage backward or forward.

4. What is the key that will help you to know, how much area will cut out from the footage?
While you are on the composition panel, by pressing apostrophe (!) Key will show you the area that will
cut out from the footage.

5. What is the function of scale? What are the control keys in the tool bar?

It makes your picture or object, grow or shrink. Once the picture is selected, you will see a scale menu in the
composition panel. Click on the tab infront of the "scale" bar known as stop watch, and the picture is ready

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to grow or shrink. To control the size of the picture, on the right hand side of the "scale bar" you will see a
number, increasing and decreasing those, number you can grow and shrink the size of the picture.
6. How you can delete the previous time frame from the time frame panel?

The time frame will be indicated with a yellow dot, by clicking on that yellow button and then pressing
the delete button, you can delete the previous time frame.

7. How you can rotate your picture?

In the composition panel, select rotation option by pressing r' on your keyboard. Now on the right hand side
you will see numbers, which show how much degree you want to rotate the picture. You can rotate the
picture by increasing and decreasing those numbers.
8. What is the different axis you can rotate?

There are three axis x, y and z that your picture can rotate and to select the axis, you have to click on the
right side of one of the three boxes that resides right below the "tool bar". The "tool bar" is between the
"source name" bar and "parent" bar in the composition panel.

9. What is 'ease in' and 'ease out' in after effects?

Slowing down the speed of your moving picture is known as 'ease in' while to bring it back to its original
speed is known as 'ease out'.

10. What is graph editor?

Graph editor can help you to change the rotation speed and the degree of rotation. It is in the corner of the
composition panel on the right hand side
11. What is motion sketch?

Motion sketch is a path you want your object and picture to drop or move. For motion sketch, click on the
window tab in menu bar and select motion sketch option from the window bar. Now you can draw the path
and make your image move accordingly.

12. What is the function of split layer?

In edit bar, if you select split option you can split your video clip into two sections or layer. So, when you
want to do animation separately for each layer or each video clip you have separated, you can do it by using
split layer option.

13. What is the function of blending mode?

When you press f4 , "mode" option will appear in the composition panel. When you click on the mode
option, it will come with a list of option like color, multiply, darker, hard light, overlay etc. By using this
option you can not only change the appearance of image but also can blend or overlap two images on each
other and make it appear as single image.

14. What is a mask in after effects and what is the short key to select the image?

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The mask is the technique by which you can select the specific area within the image or picture you want to
modify while leaving the rest of the image steady, the short key to select image in mask is ctrl+t.
15. Define composition.
A composition in after effects is similar to a movie clip in flash professional or a sequence in
premiere pro.
You render a composition to create the frames of a final output movie, which is encoded and
exported to any number of formats
16. What is precomposing?
Precomposing is the process of packaging a series of layers into a new composition in after effects.
By grouping these layers together you can add animation, effects, or masks that will then be applied to all
of the layers within.

17. What is precomposing for?

Precomps can organize your timeline by grouping certain layers together, freeing up room in the timeline
and making it easier to navigate a complex composition.

You can build an animation in one composition and then add that composition to another. This is also
known as nesting.

Precomposing allows artists to apply keyframes, effects, and other layer changes to a precomposition
layer, and therefore affect all of the grouped layers within.

18. What's the difference between precomposing and nesting?

Precomposing is the process of placing a group of layers into a new composition, nesting is placing an
existing composition into the timeline.

19. What is the difference between rendering and export in after effects?

Rendering is the creation of the frames of a movie from a composition. The processes of creating
previews for the footage, layer, and composition panels are also kinds of rendering.

It is possible to save a preview as a movie and use that as your final output.

After a composition is rendered for final output, it is processed by one or more output modules that
encode the rendered frames into one or more output files. This process of encoding rendered frames into
files for output is one kind of exporting.

20. List the major differences between rendering/exporting in premiere pro and media encoder.

1. If you export the project from premiere pro directly, you'll have to wait for the export process to finish.
You won't be able to continue your work. Whereas, if you queue your project in media encoder, it can
export in the background while you can continue working in premiere pro on other sequences.

2. In premiere pro, you will be able to export just one instance of the sequence. In media encoder, you can
export the same sequence in multiple formats simultaneously.
3. Premiere pro export window doesn't have a queuing feature. It can only export one sequence at a time.
Media encoder can export multiple sequences, or projects simultaneously after you queue them in its
window.
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21. What is adobe media encoder used for?
A product of adobe is media encoder.
• any editing done in after effects ahow to create a shape layer mask in after effects?nd premier pro is
rendered faster using media encoder.

22. What is an after effects mask? (Aug 2021)

Essentially a mask in after effect is a shape that hide or show a specific area of a layer (or multiple
layers) on your composition. Specifically a mask is a path / outline made of vertices that you can adjust
or/and animate.

23. Type of masks in after effects?

There are 2 type of masks you can use in after effects
- Regular mask
- Shape layer mask.

If your select your layer on your timeline: you will create standard mask
If your don't select your layer on your timeline: you will create a shape layer mask
Regular mask are often used for rotoscoping and morphing because you can quickly mask multiple frame.

24. Select your image/video on your timeline

- Top tools bar, click on the shape tool icon ie) (shortcut: press q)
- In you composition draw your rectangle mask on your image/video

25. How to modify a mask in after effects ?

There are many ways to modify after effects masks i will go over the essential below move one mask point
at a time
Select the layer on your timeline press
v (selection tool)
Start moving each point

Move multiple mask points at once

- Select the layer on your timeline

- Press m (shortcut to access the mask properties)
- Select mask path
- Press v (selection tool)
- Click on one point/vertex

- You should be able to move all the point together resize or

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rotate a mask
- Select the layer on your timeline
- Press m (shortcut to access the mask properties)
- Select mask path
- Double click on any point/vertex
- Move your cursor on the corner of the layer you should see the resize cursor which should allow you to
scale.
- Press shift if you want to scale proportionally.

If you move you cursor further more on the corner you should also see the rotate cursor which will
allow you to rotate your mask.

26. How to create a shape layer mask in after effects?

- Make sure no layer is selected on your timeline

- Top tools bar, click on the shape tool icon iei (shortcut: press q)
- Draw a rectangle
- Make sure your rectangle shape layer is above the image/video layer. select your image/video and change
track matte to alpha.

27. How to use the mask modes in after effects?

- -After effects have 7 mask modes options click on the drop down you will see: none, add, subtract, intersect, lighten,
darken, difference

-
- See below what after effects mask mode options are doing visually

Add Intersect

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28. Explain plugin and its types.(Aug 2021)

A component that adds a specific function or feature to an already existing software.

Part B & C (5 Marks and 10 Marks)

1. Discuss the process of creating animation sequence by taking over.

Open and save projects

Open, create, and save new projects

 Click the New Project button on the Start screen to create a new project, or the Open Project button to open a
project file.

Get to know the interface.

The interface

 Active panels are highlighted in blue. When you click any panel you make it active and are able to access its
options.

 Menu bar (at the very top) shows the File, Edit, Composition, and other menus that give you access to a
variety of commands, adjustments, and panels.

 Tools panel (under the menu bar, upper left) contains tools for adding and editing elements in your
compositions. Similar tools are grouped together. You can access related tools in a group by clicking and
holding a tool in the panel.

 Project panel (upper left corner below the Tools panel) is the area where you import, search, and organize
assets in your After Effects projects. In the bottom of the panel you can create new folders and compositions
as well as change item and project settings.

 Composition panel (center) is a viewport showing the currently loaded composition. Compositions contain
one or more layers of video and or graphic elements stacked in the timeline.

 Timeline (bottom) displays layers of the currently loaded composition.

 Close a project: Choose File > Close Project

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Import media

Import assets for use in a project.

 In the menu bar, choose File > Import > File to open the Import dialog box, navigate the files accessible to
your system and choose the elements to import.

 Double-click in an empty area of the Project panel to automatically open the Import dialog box without
having to go to the menu bar.
 Imported files are not embedded in your After Effects Project. Their location is referenced by the project.
 All files imported into a project don’t have to reside in a composition.

Organize projects

Create order for assets in the Project panel.

 Dragging an element in the Project panel down to the New Folder icon will create a folder and add the
dragged element directly into that new folder.

 Labels are another method for organizing and selecting multiple elements in a project.
 You can browse and organize elements using columns in the Project panel.
 The search field in the Project panel can help you find specific assets.
 Dragging an element in the Project panel down to the trash icon will delete the file from the project.

Build your first composition

Create a composition with multiple layers.

 In the menu bar, choose Composition > New Composition to create an empty composition. Use the preset
drop-down menu in the Composition Settings dialog box to choose a preset resolution. You can customize a
preset by typing in your own values, like width, height, frame rate & duration

 Drag footage onto the new composition icon in the bottom of the Project panel to automatically place it in a
new composition, matching the footage settings exactly.
 Compositions can contain layers generated within After Effects and layers from external files such as files
from Illustrator or Photoshop.
 Compositions are composed of a stack of layers in the Timeline panel.
Layers can be moved vertically to change appearance in the stack, and horizontally to change the appearance of
layers over time.

Create your first animation

Record multiple keyframes to create animation.

Import layered files as compositions

1. Double-click in the Project panel to open the Import dialog box, navigate to the files accessible to your
system and choose a PSD or AI file to import.
2. With a file selected, choose Import As > Composition – Retain Layer Sizes to create a layered composition
comprised of the original layers created in Photoshop or Illustrator.

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Understand, apply and adjust effects

 Effects are extra customizable settings you can apply to any layer in a composition.
 Effects can be applied to a selected layer by choosing an effect from the Effect menu in the menu bar. You
can search effects in the Effects and Presets panel, and you can drag and drop those effects from the panel
directly onto any layer in a composition.
 Access effects in the timeline on a selected layer by pressing E on the keyboard.
 Effect settings are available in both the timeline and the Effect Controls panel.
 Toggle an effect on or off by clicking the fx button in the upper left corner of the Effect Controls panel, or by
clicking the fx button in the switches section of the timeline.

Delete an effect by clicking its name in the timeline, or in the Effect Controls panel, and pressing Delete on your
keyboard.

2. Illustrate the process of object duplication with suitable example.

MANUALLY DUPLICATE A LAYER IN AFTER EFFECTS

To duplicate a layer from the After Effects menu:
1. Select the layer you want to duplicate in your composition
2. Click the Edit menu at the top to reveal its dropdown menu

1. Click Duplicate

In the timeline, you'll notice that your new layer is directly above the layer you chose to duplicate.

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TO DUPLICATE A LAYER USING A KEYBOARD SHORTCUT IN AFTER EFFECTS

Using the Edit menu every time you want to duplicate a layer can get very old very quick, especially if you need to
create multiple duplicates.

Luckily, like most tasks in After Effects, there is a keyboard shortcut for duplicating layers in After Effects:

 CMD + D (Mac)
 CTRL + D (Windows)

3. Discuss about general workflow in after effects.

General Workflow
1. Import and organize footage
2. Create, arrange, and composite layers in a composition
3. Modify and animate layer properties

 You can modify any property of a layer, such as size, position, and opacity.
 You can make any combination of layer properties change over time, using keyframes and
expressions.
 Use motion tracking to stabilize motion or to animate one layer so that it follows the motion in
another layer.
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O 4. Add effects and modify effect properties
 You can add any combination of effects to alter the appearance or sound of a layer, and even
generate visual elements from scratch.
 You can apply any of the hundreds of effects, animation presets, and layer styles.
 You can even create and save your own animation presets.
 You can animate effect properties, too, which are simply layer properties within an effect
property group.
O 5. Preview
 Previewing compositions on your computer monitor or an external video monitor is fast and
convenient, even for complex projects.
 You can change the speed and quality of previews by specifying their resolution and frame rate,
and by limiting the area and duration of the composition that you preview.
 You can use color management features to preview how your movie will look on another output
device.
O 6. Render and export
 Add one or more compositions to the render queue to render them at the quality settings you
choose and to create movies in the formats that you specify.
 You can use File > Export or Composition > Add to Render Queue.

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 Previewing compositions on your computer monitor or an external video monitor is fast and
convenient, even for complex projects.
 You can change the speed and quality of previews by specifying their resolution and frame rate,
and by limiting the area and duration of the composition that you preview.
 You can use color management features to preview how your movie will look on another output
device.
 6. Render and export
 Add one or more compositions to the render queue to render them at the quality settings you
choose and to create movies in the formats that you specify.
 You can use File > Export or Composition > Add to Render Queue.

2. Explain about workspaces and panels in after effects.

The main window of a program is the application window. Panels are organized in this window in an arrangement called
a workspace.
Each application includes several predefined workspaces that optimize the layout of panels for specific tasks. You can
also create and customize your own workspaces by arranging panels in the layout that best suits your working style for
specific tasks.
You can drag panels to new locations, move panels into or out of a group, place panels alongside each other, and undock a
panel so that it floats in a new window above the application window. As you rearrange panels, the other panels resize
automatically to fit the window.

Example workspace

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A. Application window B. Grouped panels C. Individual panel
To increase the available screen space, use multiple monitors. When you work with multiple monitors, the application
window appears on the main monitor, and you place floating windows on the second monitor. Monitor configurations are
stored in the workspace.

Navigate and use the Home screen

The Home screen assits you to get started quickly with After Effects. You can use the following options on the left side:

 Home: Click this tab to open the Home screen.

 New Project: Creates a project in After Effects.
 Open Project: Opens an exisitng project.
 New Team Project: Creates a Team Project.
 Open Team Project: Opens an exiting Team Project.
If you are a new user, the centre of the screen also gives you the option to create a project. As you create projects in After
Effects, the content on the home screen evolves.

Use the Learn workspace and Learn panel

Learn panel
Designed for new-to-After Effects users, you can use tutorials in the Learn panel to quickly learn about the different
panels, timeline, and effects in After Effects. You can access the learn panel from the Window menu > Extensions.

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Learn workspace
The Learn workspace offers a simple interface with the following panels that you use to create an After Effects project:
 Learn panel
 Project panel
 Composition panel
 Timeline panel
To access the workspace, select Help > Learn After Effects. The workspace includes the Learn panel docked to the side
so that you can follow the instructions along with clear access to the rest of workspace.

Customizing workspaces

Choose a workspace
You can access custom or default workspaces with a single click in the new workspace bar. The workspace bar occupies
the right side of the Tools panel. You can customize the width of the bar by dragging the vertical divider between the tool
and the workspace bars.

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The workspaces that do not fit in the available space display in the chevron menu (>>) on the workspace bar.

When you move the Tools panel from its position, the Workspace menu replaces the workspace bar.

Choose a workspace
 Choose Window > Workspace, and select the desired workspace.
 Choose a workspace from the Workspace menu in the Tools panel.
 If the workspace has a keyboard shortcut assigned, press Shift+F10, Shift+F11, or Shift+F12.
Save, reset, or delete workspaces
Save a custom workspace

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As you customize a workspace, the application tracks your changes, storing the most recent layout. To store a specific
layout more permanently, save a custom workspace. Saved custom workspaces appear in the Workspace menu, where you
can return to and reset them.
1. Arrange the frames and panels as desired, and then choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace. Type a
name for the workspace, and click OK.
Reset a workspace
Reset the current workspace to return to its original, saved layout of panels.
1. Choose Window > Workspace > Reset workspace name.

Delete a workspace
1. Choose Window > Workspace > Delete Workspace.
2. Choose the workspace you want to delete, and then click OK.

3. How to Mask in After Effects?

Mask in After Effects
Essentially a mask in After Effect is a shape that hide or show a specific area of a layer (or multiple layers) on your
composition. Specifically a mask is a path / outline made of vertices that you can adjust or/and animate.

1. Open up your composition.

2. Select the layer you want to mask.
3. Click the Shape icon and select a tool.
4. Drag out the shape.
Masking in After Effects with the Shape Tool
 First, double-click on your composition to open it up.

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 Here, we have two layers, a daisy layer, and a background layer. I want to mask the daisy onto this teal
background, cutting out the excess background behind it. First, select the layer you want to mask. In this case, select the
upper layer.

 With this layer selected, hit the shape icon in the top toolbar. You must have the layer selected before clicking
into the shapes tool. Otherwise, you will create a new shape layer instead of a mask.
If you click and hold, a variety of shapes will pop down. Here, you can select from the Rectangle Tool, Rounded
Rectangle Tool, Ellipse Tool, Polygon Tool, and Star Tool. You can also cycle through them using the Q command. For
this tutorial, I’ll select the Ellipse tool.

 After you select your shape, click and hold into the composition and drag out the shape. Here, you will see the top
layered image already masked, cutting out the rest of its layer. Only the image inside the mask will be visible.

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Masking in After Effects with the Pen Tool
 Double-Click into your composition Layer.

 Select the layer you want to mask.

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For this tutorial, we will be using the pen tool. If you click and hold, there will be other options.

 Add Vertex tool adds a point to the path, and the Delete Vertex tool deletes a point in the path.
 Convert Vertex Tool converts straight vertexes into curves and vice versa.
 Mask Feather Tool creates a feathered radius around your object. The best part about this tool is the ability to
create a non-uniform feather, useful when you need variable blending.

 Click into the Composition panel on your layer, creating points around your image. As you click on the image, the
pen tool leaves points that connect as you create your shape or outline the image. If you click and drag, Bezier handles
will come out of the point, allowing you to adjust the line’s curve.

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 To close the shape, you will click on the first point while creating the mask. (A little circle will appear next to it.)
Clicking this point will close off the mask shape. Now, your image is masked.

To Alter the Mask’s Shape

 Activate the selection tool. Either click on the arrow icon in the upper toolbar or press keyboard shortcut V.

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 Next, select the image layer by clicking on it.

 With the image layer selected, the layer will show up as selected in the composition panel. Click and drag any of
the outer squares to change the layer’s height, width, and scale.

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 To change the mask’s shape, click a square that borders the outline of the mask and drag. Bezier handles can
appear. You can drag those to change the shape of the curve.

 To change the position of the mask, select the mask layer.

 Click the border of the mask and drag it to your desired location.

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Mask Properties
Masks have four properties—path, feather, opacity, and expansion. Click the arrow next to the mask name to reveal the
properties.

The choices to the right of the mask change how the mask behaves.

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 None turns off the mask on the alpha channel of the layer.
 Add adds the mask to the masks above it in stacking order, cumulative with the masks above it.
 Subtract subtracts the mask to the masks above it in stacking order.
 Intersect adds the mask to the masks above it in stacking order, cumulative with the masks that overlap, full
opacity in the areas that don’t.
 Lighten adds the mask to the masks above. Where masks overlap, the highest transparency value is used.
 Darken adds the mask to the masks above. Where masks overlap, the lowest transparency value is used.
 Difference adds the mask to the masks above. In areas that overlap, the influence of the mask is subtracted from
the masks above it. In areas without overlap, the mask operates as it would by itself.
Checking Inverted on or off inverts the area of the mask.

Pressing the stopwatch icon enables keyframes for the property. You can change the property value from keyframe to
keyframe to create animation.

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Path: Change the path of the mask. If you turn on the keyframe icon, you can create an animation, moving the mask
points for each keyframe.

Feather: This feature feathers the mask’s border, making the selection less harsh, blurring the lines.

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Opacity: Changes the transparency of the mask.

Expansion: Mask expansion expands or reduces the pixels on the border of the image. If you make this number negative,
it will reduce the mask border, and if you increase it, it will expand the mask border.

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5. Discuss about Workspace and Interface in AE.
After Effect provides a consistent, customizable user interface. It also provides a different set of
panels as other applications of Adobe. We can move and group the panels in the same way in each
application.

The After Effects interface is pictured below. This is what you will see each time when you open the
After Effects program on your computer.

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MENU BAR:

At the top of the After Effects application window, you will see the Menu Bar. It looks like this:

TOOLBAR:

Below the Menu Bar, you will see the Toolbar.

Tools in After Effects:

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

1. Home
2. Selection Tool
3. Hand Tool
4. Zoom Tool
5. Orbit Around Cursor Tool

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6. Pan Under Cursor Tool
7. Dolly Towards Cursor Tool
8. Rotation Tool
9. Pan Behind Tool
10. Rectangle tool
11. Pen Tool
12. Horizontal Type Tool
13. Brush Tool
14. Clone Stamp Tool
15. Eraser Tool
16. Roto Brush Tool
17. Puppet Position Pin Tool

STANDARD WORKSPACE:

The Adobe Effects interface is made up of panels. Adobe After Effects contains several different workspaces,
each featuring panels related to the workspace.

Below is the Standard workspace. The panels displayed in the Standard workspace contain the tools and
commands you will need when working in this workspace.

PROJECT PANEL:

Project panel is the area where you import, search, and organize assets in your After Effects projects. In
the bottom of the panel you can create new folders and compositions as well as change item and project
settings. The Project panel is pictured below.

1)Edit Workspace:

Step 1: Click on the Windows menu.

Step 2: Choose Workspace.

Step 3: Click on the chevron menu or Edit Workspaces.

2)Choose a workspace:

Step 1: Click on Window

Step 2: Select Workspace and choose the desired Workspace.

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Step 3: Go to the workspace menu and select a workspace.

3)Delete a Workspace:

Step 1: Go to the Windows menu and click on the Workspace.

Step 2: Select the Delete Workspace.

Step 3: Now, select the Workspace you want to delete on the appeared dialogue box and click the OK button.

4)Saving the workspace:

Step 1: Click on the Windows menu, then choose the Workspace.

Step 2: Go to the sub-menu and choose New Workspace.

Step 3: Assign a name to your Workspace and click OK on the appeared dialogue box.

5) Discuss about layers, timeline panel , composition panel and and link panel.

i)Layers:
Layers in Adobe After is similar to the tracks in any other video editing tools. The main difference between
these two is that layers cannot have more than one footage item as their source, whereas a track typically
contains multiple clips. Layers are the elements that make up a composition, and without layers, a composition
is only an empty frame.

Types of Layers:
1.Shape Layer : Shape layers contain vector graphics objects called shapes. By default, a shape consists of a
path, a stroke, and a fill.

2.Solid Layer : Solid layer is a layer in the size and color of your choice. You create a solid layer when you
need an opaque background for a nested composition.

3.Adjustment Layer : Adjustment layers allow you to apply effects to an entire composition without
precomping it.

4.Null Layer : To use a Null layer, apply the pick whip function to attach a layer to a Null layer.

5.Camera Layer : Camera layers have a point of interest that can be used to determine what the camera
looks at. By default, the camera's point of interest is the center of the composition.

We can reposition the layer in the Composition panel after we add a layer to a composition. We can change a
layer's duration in the timeline panel, such as starting time and place in the layer stacking order.

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Following are the tasks we perform in either the composition panel or the Layers panel: Ukrainian Drone
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 Drawing masks
 Tracking Motion
 Using Paint Tool

Opening layers and layer sources:

 To open a layer other than a precomposition layer in the Layer panel, double-click the layer, or select the
layer and choose Layer > Open Layer.
 To open the source composition of a precomposition layer in the Composition panel, double-click the
layer, or select the layer and choose Layer > Open Composition.
 To open the source footage item of a layer, Alt-double-click (Windows) or Option-double-click (Mac
OS) the layer, or select the layer and choose Layer > Open Layer Source.
 To open a precomposition layer in the Layer panel, Alt-double-click (Windows) or Option-double-click
(Mac OS) the layer, or select the layer and choose Layer > Open Layer.
c.ii)Timeline Panel:

The Timeline panel is one of the main panels used for creating animations. Each composition has its own
independent Timeline panel, where you can animate layer and effects properties, position layers in time, and
change the layer blending modes. The default display of the Timeline panel is the layer bar mode.

A. Current Time.
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B. Search Field.
C. Composition Mini Flowchart.
D. Live Update.
E. Enable Draft 3D.
F. Hide “Shy” Layers.
G. Enable Frame Blending.
H. Enable Motion Blur.
I. Brainstorm.
J. Auto-keyframe.
K. Graph Editor.
L. Current Time Indicator (playhead).
M. Work Area Bar.
N. Add Composition Marker.
O. Expand/Collapse Layer Switches Panes.
P. Expand/Collapse Transfer Controls Panes.
Q. Expand/Collapse In/Out/Duration/Stretch Panes.
R. Zoom In/Zoom Out Timeline.
c.iii)Composition:

A composition is a framework in Adobe After Effect. All the Compositions have a separate timeline. It includes
multiple layers that display video/audio footage items, vector graphics, still images, animated text, and lights.
We will add footage to the Composition by generating a layer. We will then arrange the layers inside
Composition in composite and space and time using transparency features. It helps determine the parts of
underlying layers displayed through the layers stacked on top of Composition.

Creating a composition and manually setting up composition settings:

Step 1: Go to the Composition Menu.

Step 2: Click on New Composition/press Ctrl+N to create a new composition.

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c.iv)Links Panel:

The After Effects Project panel is where you will store and organize all of your video, audio, graphics, and any
other file you will use for your project.

The Project Panel is almost always located in the top left of your screen.

Keeping the project panel organized is very important, be sure to use bins for the different file types as this will
make your project creation process go much more smoothly.

Group layers using Pre-compose:

1. Select multiple layers in the Timeline using either Shift, Control (Windows) or Command (macOS), or
the Label menu’s Select Layer Group command.
2. From the main menu, choose Layer > Pre-compose.
3. Double click on a Pre-composition in the timeline to open and view its layers.
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4. Use the tabs at the top of the Timeline panel to switch back to the main composition.

6. Discuss about After Effects Animation Principles.

Animation Principles:
The goal of the principles is to bring life and excitement to any animation exceptional. Originally created by
Disney animators for hand drawn animation, these are principles that anyone hoping to create quality
animations should know and use.

1. SLOW IN/SLOW OUT:

The objects don't immediately spring into motion at full speed, or come to dead stops; they accelerate and
decelerate. We can use the built-in "Easy Ease In/Out" functions(F9).It is a big step towards creating fluid
movement.

2. SQUASH & STRETCH:

Squashing and stretching an object's scale as it moves can help make your animation feel more organic . The
general rule is to not to change the object's volume as you change it's shape (which means that if you stretch it
longer vertically, you should squash it shorter horizontally).

3. ARCS:
This principle states that, in nature, objects tend to move along an arc - not a straight line (with
the exception of mechanical objects). For example,Think of a pendulum swinging or a child
doing jumping jacks. By using this principle it can be easily achieved in After Effects by
animating along a path.

4. STRAIGHT AHEAD ACTION vs POSE TO POSE:

This principle is one that applied to drawing animations. "Straight Ahead Action" refers to drawing out
frames, one by one, in order. "Pose to Pose" refers to a method of drawing the "key" poses first, and then filling
the frames in between. This is where we get the terms "keyframe" and "tweening."

5. STAGING:
"Staging" refers to the act of directing the audience's attention to the important actions and events in your
animation. This involves proper camera placement, edits, color selection, layout, etc. Staging can also be used
as a form of anticipation, by using the camera to lead an action (for example, zooming in to frame an object just
before it explodes).

6. EXAGGERATION:
This principle is based on the idea that "more realistic" is not always better, and that sometimes trying to exactly
imitate nature can produce results that are stiff and boring. Exaggerating the right movements at the right times
can create animation that is much more interesting.

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7. FOLLOW THROUGH/OVERLAPPING ACTION:
This principle deals with the way that multiple actions affect each other. "Follow through" refers to the way an
object and its parts continue to move at the end of an action, and lag at the beginning of an action.
"Overlapping action" refers to the idea that one action doesn't have to stop before the next action, like a change
in direction, begins.

8. TIMING:
This principle means deals with the speed with which your objects move - but it seems to be one of the hardest
to master. The timing or speed of an action can drastically alter the emotion of that action. It can also affect
other things, such as the perception of an object's weight. Moving an object slowly makes it seem large and
heavy, while moving it quickly makes it appear lighter.

9. SOLID DRAWING:
It refers to correctly conveying weight, form, and movement in drawings. It is the one principle that really
doesn't apply much at all to After Effects, unless you're using some other software to draw images and then
animating them in After Effects .

10. APPEAL:
This principle originally instructed animators to make sure that the characters they designed for their animations
had charisma, or appeal. Its core idea is that the most incredible animation technique in the world will mean
nothing unless the characters are interesting enough to draw in the audience. This may seem completely
irrelevant to anyone who isn't a character.

7. Discuss about keyframes in After Effects.

Key Frames:
Keyframes are markers in time that allow you to tell After Effects where you want to change the value for a
layer or effect property such as position, opacity, scale, rotation, amount, particle count, color, etc. By setting
these 'markers' and changing the values you create animation.

Every MoGraph (Motion Graphic) application has a timeline, and it's inside this timeline that you add
keyframes to create movement. For After Effects, keyframes are set in the Timeline Panel. When we set these
keyframes in the timeline we are telling After Effects where we want our animation to begin and where we want
it to end.

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 Keyframes in the Timeline Panel

1)Setting or adding keyframes:

When the stopwatch is active for a specific property, After Effects automatically adds or changes a keyframe for
the property at the current time whenever you change the property value.

To activate the stopwatch and enable keyframing, do one of the following

 Click the Stopwatch icon next to the property name to activate it. After Effects creates a keyframe at
the current time for that property value.
 Choose Animation > Add [x] Keyframe, where [x] is the name of the property you are animating.

2)Add a keyframe without changing a value:

 Click the keyframe navigator button for the layer property.

 Choose Animation > Add [x] Keyframe, where [x] is the name of the property you are animating.
 Click a segment of the layer property’s graph in the Graph Editor with the Pen tool .

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3)Delete or disable keyframes:

 To delete any number of keyframes, select them, and then press the Delete key.
 To delete one keyframe in the Graph Editor, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a
keyframe with the Selection tool.
 To delete all keyframes for one layer property, click the stopwatch button to the left of the name of the
layer property to deactivate it.

8. What is the use of Easing time stretching?

Easing refers to the way in which a motion tween proceeds. When you ease the speed of an object, for
example, the object slows down as it approaches a keyframe, and gradually accelerates as it leaves.
STEP 1: Create a composition.

STEP 2: Click elipse tool and draw a shape in the composition area.

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STEP 3: Duplicate the layer by pressing ctrl+D.

STEP 4: Select all the layers and press (p) to get their position details.

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STEP 5: Set the layers by changing the x axis value by dragging.

STEP 6: Select all those layers and set the timer then drag the timeline to 2 seconds.

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STEP 7: Select each layer and right click it then choose keyframe assistant option and choose Easy Ease Out
option.

STEP 8: Select each layer and right click it then choose keyframe assistant option and choose Easy Ease In
option.

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STEP 9: Select each layer and right click it then choose keyframe assistant option and choose Ease Ease option.

STEP 10:Press the Spacebar to preview.

OUTPUT:

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(b)TIME STRETCHING:
Speeding up or slowing down an entire layer by the same factor throughout is known as time-stretching.
When you time-stretch a layer, the audio and the original frames in the footage (and all keyframes that belong to
the layer) are redistributed along the new duration.

STEP 1: Press ctrl+y to create a dark gray solid.

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 STEP 2: Create the text “Hello” in the new layer.

STEP 3: Set the keyframe, by clicking the stop watch near the position and move the text “hello”.

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STEP 4: Trim the timeline of the text layer.

STEP 5: Go to Layer  Time  Time Stretch , time stretch window pops up.

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STEP 6: On the time stretch window, change the duration from 4 seconds to 6 seconds.

STEP 7: Now the footage will run for 6 seconds instead of 4 seconds.

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OUTPUT:
Before Effect:

After Effect:

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 9. How do you import and export a file in After Effects?

(i)IMPORTS:
We can import source files in the After effect project as the basis for footage items, and we can use these sources
for layers. We can work with the footage items in the Project panel . It also includes moving image files, still-
image files, still-image sequences, and audio files.
STEP 1:Open a new file and choose Composition.

STEP 2:Give the Composition name.

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STEP 3: Click on the File menu.

STEP 4:Click Import ->File.

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STEP 5: Select the file to be imported.

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 STEP 6: Drag the image to the Project Panel.

OUTPUT:

(ii)EXPORTS:
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 Video can be exported with the After Effects Render Queue or with Adobe Media Encoder.Video with a
transparent layer needs to be exported with an alpha channel.

STEP 1: After finishing the work click on composition->add to render queue.

STEP 2: Select the best settings then check your needs and click OK button.

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 STEP 3: Click on lossless and change the AVI to quick access.

STEP 4: Customize resize and crop option , if you need or otherwise click OK button.

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STEP 5: Then click on not yet specified specify the locations.

STEP 6: Click on the big render button at the right bottom.

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STEP 7:The file is exported.

OUTPUT:

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 10. Discuss about presets in After Effect.

PRESETS:
An After Effects preset is a predefined combination of effects saved within AE, while plugins are separate
software that work with After Effects to produce effects the program is unable to do as is.

STEP 1: Select the windows tab and select the Effects &Presets.

STEP 2: Import the image and add some text (You can import by choosing File->import->file orDirectly drag
and drop the image in the project pannel).

STEP 3: Select the image then from Effects and Presets choose Transition wipes.

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STEP 4: Select the Linear wipe from the options( you can choose your own).

STEP 5: Select the text you have given then choose from Effects & Presets ->text->Fade up Character.

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STEP 6: Press the space bar and play your work.

OUTPUT:
Before Effect:

After Effect:

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 11 . How to do text animation in After Effects?
After Effects has a toolset specifically designed to animate text letter-by-letter. In fact, the Animate menu is
embedded in every single text layer and it's only one click away. Let's look at our project.

STEP 1: Start a new composition and choose your own color at the background and add some text.

STEP 2: Click on the animate button at the project panel and select tracking.

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STEP 3: Drag the time line to certain limit and set tracking criterias.

STEP 4: Then again drag it to the staring and set tracking_count to 10.

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STEP 5: Again drag the time line pannel and keep it between the previous position setting points and click on
opacity.

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STEP 6: Then again drag time line to initial position and set the opacity to 0.

STEP 7: Click on space bar and run the exercise.

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 OUTPUT:
Before Effect:

After Effect:

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 12.Give an example of VFX and rendering.

(i)VFX:

STEP 1: Create a new project and add a new composition.

STEP 2: Import required video in project window by double clicking on project window or by using the shortcut
keys “Ctrl + I”

STEP 3: Drag the video onto the timeline panel

STEP 4: Add two null layers, by right clicking on timeline and select new -> null

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STEP 5: Use the tracker tool to track the motion of the character’s eyes and click on the edit target option in the
tracker tool to specify the respective null layers.

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STEP 6: Create a solid layers and duplicate it, and link the solid layers to the previously specified null layers

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STEP 7: Select the solid layer and turn off the visibility using eye icon, then use the pen tool to mask the eyes
of the character. After masking, turn back the visibility of the solid layer.

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STEP 8: Adjust the feather and position of the masked solid layer accordingly.

STEP 9: Right click the solid layer and click Layer Styles -> Gradient Overlay, then choose the style of the
gradient overlay to radial.

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STEP 10: Again, right click on the solid layer and click Layer Styles -> Inner Shadow. To give a more realistic
look to the effects, add “gradient ramp effect” from the effects panel and play with the values accordingly.

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STEP 11: Repeat STEPS 7 – 10 for the other solid layer or copy the added effects to the other solid layer.

STEP 12: The final output is the desired result.

BEFORE VFX

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 AFTER VFX

(ii)RENDERING:
The term render refers to the process of publishing your work, which creates self- contained files viewable
outside of After Effects. Renders the sections of the video tracks lying within the In and Out points
containing a red render bar.

STEP 1: After finishing the work click on composition->add to render queue.

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STEP 2: Select the best settings then check your needs and click OK button.

STEP 3: Click on lossless and change the AVI to quick access.

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STEP 4: Customize resize and crop option , if you need or otherwise click OK button.

STEP 5: Then click on not yet specified specify the locations.

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STEP 6: Click on the big render button at the right bottom.

STEP 7:The file is exported.

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OUTPUT:

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