Best workflow for creating a template for The Brady Bunch effect in CS5.5

[Erik Waluska]

For the template, I would make one placeholder pre-comp and then use that to assemble the 9 squares in the main comp. When you get the real footage you can just pre-comp it and edit the footage in the pre-comp however you want. Then just select one of the squares in the main comp and then Alt+Drag any of the real footage pre-comps from the project window onto the placeholder layer in the timeline or into the comp window to replace the footage. Repeat until you’ve got all nine replaced.

[Karl Compton]

Thanks for the response. So, I’m kind of having trouble understanding your suggestions…

I have been playing around with the placeholders and I was wondering if it is a bad idea to just create nine placeholders in my main comp?

[Erik Waluska]

You only need to make one placeholder pre-comp and then just duplicate it nine times in your main comp and set up your Brady Bunch grid with the nine copies of the placeholder. Then when you get the real footage just alt+drag the real footage comps onto each of the placeholder comp layers. You could create nine different placeholder comps but it’s not really necessary.

[Karl Compton]

Oh ok, I think that is what I got going on. When you say “placeholder pre-comp” are you saying that I should import a placeholder and then pre-compose it? Or is “placeholder pre-comp” the terminology for simply importing the a placeholder?

I imported a placeholder into my main comp. Then I duplicated it until I had 8 and then I created my grid and tested the alt-drag thing with some footage and it worked perfectly. Do I need to precompose anything?

[Erik Waluska]

You don’t have to import anything for the placeholders, you just need a pre-comp that’s the same size as the footage you will be replacing it with. The placeholder pre-comp could contain some footage or just a solid, it doesn’t really matter. Whatever works for you in setting up your template.

You don’t have to pre-compose anything, but if you are going to edit the footage it would make it easier because you can edit multiple layers and add effect or whatever inside the pre-comp and just have that one layer to deal with in the main comp. But if you’re not going to edit the footage or anything than just skip the pre-comping and use solids or stills or something that are the size of the footage you are going to replace them with.

HTH

[Karl Compton]

Ok, I’m getting closer to understanding. Would you mind just explaining to me how I go about creating a placeholder precomp? I know how to import a placeholder into my main comp. Am I supposed to right click it and pre-compose it, and then open it, and then duplicate it? If so, what is the difference in doing that compared to just duplicating it in the main comp?

[Erik Waluska]

“Would you mind just explaining to me how I go about creating a placeholder precomp?”

Just create a comp the size of the footage you will be using that just contains a solid or something. If you’re importing footage as a placeholder then you don’t have to pre-comp it. But I do suggest you pre-comp your final footage if you will be editing or applying a lot of effects, etc. because it will be much easier to deal with that one pre-comp layer in your main comp than several different layers with effects applied to them, etc..

“I know how to import a placeholder into my main comp. Am I supposed to right click it and pre-compose it, and then open it, and then duplicate it? If so, what is the difference in doing that compared to just duplicating it in the main comp? “

No, you want to duplicate the placeholder footage or pre-comp inside of the main comp so you have 9 copies (layers) that you can arrange into your grid.