bare basics to AE 6.0

[Enzo Tedeschi]

Now, now, there’s no need for bad language… 🙂

Question 1: By “Rendering”, I think you mean RAM previewing from the timeline (not actually rendering out a file..?). If that’s the case, the way to increase your 4 second window is to increase your RAM. What resolution are you working at? – you mention HD… I wouldn’t expect 1Gb of RAM to get you too far in HD world…

“Is there a way I can just render the whole thing?” – Render out to a file…?

Question 2: Select your Comp in the project window, and Ctrl-K will open up your Composition Settings. From here, you can change the duration of the composition. If you know in advance, you can set the duration of a new comp as you are creating it.

As for your B/W title – need more info. Did it have an embedded alpha channel? Are you overlaying it over video, or just black background? What were your render settings?

e.

[Mike James]

All compositing software has a big learning curve and there are no shortcuts. You eat the elephant one bite at a time. NLE’s are easy in comparison to compositing softwares.

A great video clip I saw on a blog was from POST NAB. The comment was from someone who attended there in NY. They commented that they took a beginner’s Final Cut Pro course because they had never properly learned it. They just opened the software and tried to figure it out as they went. What they realized at this FCP course was that they were doing things WRONG in some instances. They had never learned the basics. It’s like trying to build a building on a weak foundation… you’re always going to be better off by studying the basics and building up from there. Which means buying several books, DVDs, CD-Roms or in person workshops.

I think it is unrealistic for anyone to try and fudge it through compositing apps. You have all the complexities of a photoshop and then add animation, 3D and moving layers. Which means many, many more buttons, dialog boxes and understandings of how to use the software.

It sucks, but you have to set aside many hours and many days of your time to slowly learn the application with the PDFs, help docs and any third party training you can afford. One of the main reasons I like compositing and 3D so much is that it is a challenge. Both the process and the apps. But folks new to the apps (after effects as well) it means biting the bullet and digging into the help docs.

Sure we can answer questions here, but these apps have online and CD-Rom courses that are 10, 20, 30, 40 hours in length. And that is just for starters. I’ve noticed over the years that the really easy to answer questions sometimes never get addressed or answered on threads because people get annoyed when they see that someone is not bothering to read the manual. Whereas when people are asking questions that fall outside the manual or deal with technique those posts will get tons of answers from folks who have had to conjur up home made techniques or solutions.

3D and compositing are two skill sets where there really is no way around learning the basics. Which can only be accomplished through long hours of reading or watching (others or videos).

Mike James
VFXpodcast.com

[Michael Szalapski]

It should have come with inbuilt help files which would help some.
There are also some tutorials here on the COW that tell you, right from the start, some cool stuff to do.

However, to actually get good without harming yourself you should get the Total Training DVDs by Brian Maffit. Totally worth every penny spent. (Not that the government cares.)

The “Great” stands for “Not-So-Great”

[Duck Of terror]

okay, as for the last few comments including this one; i apologize for the langauge, i couldn’t give ya a justified explanation without it sounding like an excuse… i’m young!…

my deal is… my supervisor does not take me seriously, infact, i hate him. anyways, before i can get the equipment that i need to produce high quality and professional (i don’t even have a tri-pod) educational videos that he is expecting, i have to PROVE to him that i can manage… that pisses me off because he sets me a task, but doesn’t believe i can do it… why would he come to me in the first place? oh well, “it’s the government” is probably the only answer i would get. anyways. so buying the total dvd would be useless because he’s depending on me to know everything there is to possible know about it… so he would probably pull the plug on me if i showed any sign of … i can’t think of the world, inexperianced?

i do not have access to the internet and i figured out almost all the questions that i have asked either moments later or days either, and after figuring out those problems, i proceeded to slap myself.

guess what… more questions! if you guys do not mind, i figure you guys love helping people (as i do myself) and this should give ya something to chew on.

i want to creat a siliuate of a moving video on a person, the background isn’t anythign special, trees and stuff. So i figured i could use a pen tool and just key frame the heck out of it… but i am unable to find the keyframe for the pen tool, but i am away from the program since this is the internet pc, not the editing pc (the can’t trust a student with the internet). i’m probably over looking this but if you can either answer this question, or point me to the right direction with a link (i don’t have a whole lot of time to use the internet, so it would be awesome to get there faster) then… well, maybe i could get a little bit recognition from a doubtful supervisor. thank you guys, i should be in your debt, but … well.. i really am thankful, and my day will be a lot better knowing a little bit more about something i have no clue on. bye

[Jim Kanter]

1. To animate a mask, the time vary stopwatch is for the MASK SHAPE property. In the Timeline window twirl open the layer you are drawing the mask on, twirl open the MASKS, twirl open MASK 1 and you will see the mask shape property. Don’t try to understand what the values represent, just turn on the watch on the first frame and be sure to select the same mask to change on each new frame. In the bottom right of the Composition window you should see a Target: Mask 1 button. If it is Target: None you will draw a new mask when you use the pen tool. Don’t–be sure to target the original mask.

More info in the online help.

2. Sounds like your supervisor will never appreciate you. Don’t worry about it. Just keep your mouth shut (bite your tongue if necessary), get the work done to the best of your ability, and remind yourself that you are using this job to get your AE chops together and build a good demo reel on someone else’s dime.

Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com

[Jonathan Pitzer]

Something that may even be easier and cheap is to shoot the person that will be sillhouetted against a white wall somewhere and then just adjust the levels or the contrast. Then you can luma key the bright white wall out.

[Duck Of terror]

thank you for the help. I do plan on using all my work for a portfolio of some type, but i’m literally turning crap into gold here… okay, not gold, but with the footage i shot (i’m inexperianced in almost every aspect of film, and i’ve learned it all alone the way, no schooling or anything, just myself) with no tripods, just free hand… and my presentations about trades taken on this center really turned out to be okay, i just need an amazing intro and ending to add the cherry on top of my crappy cake. haha, but thank you for the advice, my supervisor may never appreciate it, but every single student and staff that has seen it were amazed, and some of the other people have said that i am the editing god… which is defaintely an overstatement because i hate just about all of the work i have made… well i wasn’t satisfied. the film biz does interest me and i do kind of have a head start on everyone due to my young age… i never heard of anyone working with aftereffects for a real purpose or just playing around with it at the age of 18… so maybe 10 years down the line i might be one of the big heads of something, but right now i’m just sticking to what trade which is being a computer technician… which is defaintely a great thing to have under ones belt in this indrustry.

thanks for the help
– jonathan

[Enzo Tedeschi]

I was only half-kidding about the language!

Your supervisor sounds like a guy I used to work for… there is a fine line between putting your head down and getting up to speed in your work, and being taken for a ride. Taking his crap for too long is disrespectful to yourself and your own skills.

But Jim is right – I learnt a hell of a lot working for that nightmare, particularly in AE – it was the solution to all of this guys problems. At the time I had done a beginner’s course and some really simple stuff, and suddenly I was meant to be a master. Just be careful he doesn’t take advantage of you.

I hope the money is good!

e.