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After Effects as an editing tool
Hi
Really would appreciate some feedback.
I have finished shooting video footage for a short 5 minute film and also done a rough edit in iMovie.
I need to edit now, a LOT of things I CAN’T do in iMovie, but have decided I want to go with the new FCP when it is released in June.I also want to invest in and learn After Effects the next few months.
I need to edit my footage, but, Premiere is NOT an option since my 30 day demo long ago expired and have no desire in purchasing it.
Would it make sense for me to edit the short film using After Effects?
Does After Effects handle H.264 footage gracefully (from 5D/7D) or would I have to transcode it first?Really any feedback appreciated, I’ve even considered using the open source LightWorksbeta but I’m mac based, and don’t want to invest a week of ramp up time for an application I will only use for a few weeks!
Local is the new global
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9 Replies
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After Effects is not an editing application, you’re far better off using iMovie for the edit and After Effects for effects, color grading work.
H264 is a long GOP format, it should be transcoded to an uncompressed format for After Effects. Search for “Dave’s Stock Answer #1” on this forum to learn more.
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Thanks for the tip re transcoding. I’m well aware AE is not an editing application. But as I mentioned in my query, I cannot do everything I need to in iMovie.
And since I plan on purchasing and mastering AE anyways, why not do it now and make it work for editing just this short film…Local is the new global
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[jim bachalo] “I’m well aware AE is not an editing application. But as I mentioned in my query, I cannot do everything I need to in iMovie. And since I plan on purchasing and mastering AE anyways, why not do it now and make it work for editing just this short film…”
After Effects is a very powerful application, but it’s really not a non-linear editor. AE is built for complex compositing, effects and animation. It doesn’t have any real-time playback capability. It’s totally unsuitable for editorial, as every single change you make must be rendered to a RAM preview before you can see the result.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
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Like all the others, I would NOT use AE as an editing tool – it will frustrate you!
Like Dave I agree that it is too bad you do not like Premiere Pro. If you will invest in a editing app, why not go with it? It’s perfectly integrated with AE, it can easily handle all types of footage- from RED to DSLR to any kind of HD/DV- it’s robust, fast and it can do all the things you want an editing app to do.Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist -
Thanks. Yeah, am seriously considering it. Too many un answered questions about the new FCP X. Any idea if Premiere 5.5 will run on a 32bit iMac? I know AE 5.5 does not 🙁
Local is the new global
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there are more but these are the main 3
-color grade and correct
-add additional soundtracks…and sync sound properly
-pan and scan…need to crop in more and control the ramping..iMovie has only rudimentary pan and scanLocal is the new global
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In this case, AE can do 2 of those things. The audio will be a pain, but doable. Still, maybe Premiere CS4 should still be considered as an option if you can’t upgrade your machine.
Just like Dave, out of curiosity, does your machine support only a 32bit operating system or the os you have is 32bit but your machine can take a 64 bit os? If it’s the latter, I would highly recommend upgrading to a 64 bit OS so that you can take advantage of CS5 and 64 bit processing.Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist -
32bit machine, 2nd generation 4-5 year old iMac.
Yes premiere cs4 works well…unfortunately my 30 day demo has expired.I know 100% for sure I want AE, so will probably get Ae CS4 and see if I can make the AE-iMovie combo work somehow.
If not, will need to purchase Premiere CS4…Local is the new global
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Maybe you should take a look at good old Lightworks. https://www.lightworksbeta.com/
It used to be the big NLE for serious film editors back in the day, before cool and hip Avid took over the world. Now that’s a long time ago..
Anyway, it’s now open source and free.
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http://www.jonbagge.net
Jon Bagge – Editor – London, UK
Avid – FCP – After Effects
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