[Dave Johnson]

Delete the missing images from the timeline and close the gaps they leave.

[Dave Johnson]

The letters just have to be on separate AI layers (not grouped within one) and the file imported to AE as a comp (not just footage).

Since you mentioned being away from AE for a while, I’ll mention that it’s not nearly as necessary as it once was to do text separately in AI … AE’s text tool now generates text it treats as scalable vector and can even be converted to outlines within AE. Generally, I’ll only create text in AI now if it needs to be fully custom (not font-based).

[Dave Johnson]

Good point, Dave … I should’ve read more thoroughly … guess I missed the “VHS” part so I was thinking of a window burn with the big black box.

[Dave Johnson]

Unfortunately, there’s really no way to do this since there are plenty of ways to remove a timecode window (masking, blurring, etc.), but there’s still the much more significant problem of how to fill the space it leaves … it’s not as though there’s video information behind that black timecode box that just needs to be restored somehow … there’s nothing there so there’s nothing to fill it with unless the scene is so uncomplicated that it would be passable to essentially paste another region of the screen over or paint over the hole.

[Dave Johnson]

Thanks Abraham … very useful info.

[Dave Johnson]

I know, but if someone accidentally changed their layout to frames-only or one of those other settings, I still don’t see how that could mean that 0;00;09;09 “doesn’t display seconds”.

It’s ok though … I don’t need to understand … was just confused/curious.

[Dave Johnson]

I should’ve specified that the layer I suggested trimming should be an adjustment layer since it would rarely be practical to apply an effect like lightning directly to a footage layer.

And, you’re exactly right that thinking with your Photoshop brain will give you a huge head start in AE … especially since the two seem to converge and overlap more and more with each new version.

BTW, I take exception to the idea that only kids like lightning effects … I’m well beyond 9 and I kinda like lightning effects … perhaps just because I live in the lightning capital with sports teams like “The Lightning”, “The Storm”, etc., but I still like them ;~)

[Dave Johnson]

Forgive me guys, but I’m confused by what I read here …

0;00;09;09

It seems to me that first 9 refers to seconds so I don’t understand how one can say that “doesn’t display seconds” … do you mean seconds only with no hours, minutes or frames? I didn’t know that was possible … or desirable for that matter.

[Dave Johnson]

[Ron Lindeboom] “We used to try FAQs but when we saw how much work went into them and how few people actually used them (even the newest users), it became pretty futile to try to go that route.”

Perhaps part of it is that many people prefer the interaction of asking questions their own way and having others answer them directly, rather than reading the same information in pre-existing form … I guess that’s the human nature part. Considering the numbers of questions with answers more easily found on page one of the corresponding manual, futile seems the perfect word to describe attempts to change that. That’s why it seems moving posts would be more effective than trying to proactively prevent them from being posted in the wrong places.

[Ron Lindeboom] “Me? I think most people will continue to run in oblivious of anyone or anything else and blurt out the same questions that are often no more than a few threads down the forum.”

Your experience has obviously taught you how to accurately predict the future so would you mind picking some lotto numbers for me? ;~)

Cheers!

[Dave Johnson]

Thank you, both.

[Ron Lindeboom] “… a bit of hyperbole is at work here …”

Ron,
It’s understandable that it seems that way, but there was no hyperbole … I was simply mistaken … I must’ve confused this forum with another (maybe DMN or one that’s now extinct … I seem to recall a WWUG or something like that) … or, perhaps I was unaware that the COW had a FCP forum when I first started visiting around 2000 since I was using NLEs other than FCP until years later.

[Ron Lindeboom] “We never received the same request from the forum leaders in the AE forum.”

I’m certainly not doubting that … just a little surprising since the topic has been discussed many times within the forum … including conversations that involved forum leaders.

Anyway, thanks again for adding the feature, as well as for starting and maintaining such a phenomenal resource.