Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Layers - Part 1: Discovery
Building Your Projects - One Layer at a Time
Unlike many other compositing programs, After Effects encourages creative
artistic experimentation just as if you were using any paint or illustration
program. It is this free-form design that sets it apart - its inviting workspace and
common sense workflow lure designers into spending hours trying to perfect
that new unique look guaranteeing us a spot in the Adobe demo reel. And it all
starts with layers.
Layers are the literal building block to every project composition. In the 'Focus
on the Timeline Window' and 'Focus on the Composition Window' sections, we
were exposed to how layers are constructed, manipulated, and edited. This
chapter will build further upon those instructions by introducing these, and
other, more advanced concepts:
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Layer Mix Modes
- how images blend together
Masks
- Box and Oval creation and adjustment
Basic Layer Editing
- splitting and duplicating
Audio
- basic sound processing and editing
Precompositions
- nesting and grouping layers
Loop Etiquette
- how to build correct and seamless loops
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Type Tool
- creating basic text pages
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Frame Blending and Time Remapping
- footage speed ramping
All of these functions introduce After Effects' more powerful and
essential capabilites. Once you've mastered these techniques, the
whole process of compositing will at once feel both familiar and
addictive.
Blending Modes - Pixel Mixing Your Layers Together
As we assembled our example project in the last chapter, we briefly touched on a
layer's Blending Mode potential. At its most simple, Blending Modes instructs
After Effects how to blend its layers together. There are 34 unique modes to
select, each affecting layers in different ways. The best way to discover the
