Dave Johnson
Forum Replies Created
-
I’m not sure I understand your question or why you have adjustment layers under the layers you want affected … the effects adjustment layers show on layers below them in a precomp should also show up in the main comp those precomps are put into … is that not happening?
If you have trouble clarifying, perhaps a screenshot will help.
-
[fulani Carter] “Everytime I open a project I’ve had numerous files dropped. What do I do to keep this from happening?”
Not change the file names or the locations of the files on your hard drives once you’ve used them in AE projects.
[fulani Carter] “How do I recover all of the files without having to do one at a time?”
Move the files back to the locations and/or file names they had when you used them in your AE projects.
If you have not moved the files or changed their names, there is likely something wrong with the AE project file or your install of AE and you will need to correct whatever it is.
-
The basic steps are to create a mask/path with the pen tool, apply the Path Text effect, then animate the margin.
-
One of the great things about AE is that there’s a million ways to do everything … you could also put the blur effect on a short Adjustment Layer above the portion of the footage you want blurred instead of putting the effect directly on the footage layer. Keep in mind that Adjustment Layers affect all layers below them so, if you have multiple layers at the same point in time the blur needs to occur,you should probably use one of the other methods.
-
If you can consider third-party plugins, in addition to the two Kevin mentions, BCC Page Turn (Boris Continuum Complete) also does edge curls very well and has many more control options than CC Page Turn.
FreeForm and 3D Warps are both very good plugins, but might be time consuming to use for edge curls if you haven’t used them before.
Whether you choose one of the third-party plugins or continue with CC Page Turn, I can tell you that I’ve pulled off pretty believable 3D-looking distortions using any of the third-party plugins mentioned in combination with AE’s native distort effects like Displacement Map, Turbulent Displace and/or Ripple.
-
The only other thing I can think of is sometimes AE will stick individual plugins in strange places … for example, if you’re machine has more plugins installed than your friend’s, AE might be putting them in the notorious “other” folder or in another existing plugin folder you may not have looked in. Or, if you have other plugins installed with individual names or folder names that conflict with the new plugins, AE could react by not loading them (although that would typically generate an error warning upon launch) or putting them in a folder you wouldn’t think to look in. That’s all I’ve got.
-
I’m currently on a Windows XP machine with CS3 so, if you’re using a different version of AE or Vista, your path will be a little different from this , but probably close enough to figure out:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects CS3\Support Files\Plug-ins
Personally, I always make a new folder inside of that folder for third-party plugins, but as long as they’re inside that folder, they should show up. If not, ask the guy who wrote them whether any other install steps are needed. If the answer to that is no, my guess is that there is something about your machine that is different from his and it is something that his plugins need to work (QuickTime version, DirectX version, etc.).
-
In that case, are you sure you put them in the right folder and did you restart AE after you put them there? The best way to answer the first part of the question is to copy and paste the full folder path you put them in into this post so one of us can try to verify … whether I can will depend which version of AE you’re using and on what O/S.
And, I guess I should’ve taken Dave’s bet! lol Forgive our assumptions … anyone who has posted here a long time has seen very many similar questions from people trying to find a way to use third-party plugins for free.
-
Well, sir, despite my willingness to extend the benefit of doubt, I still think the smart money is with you so I’ll pass on that bet. ;~)
-
Dave, I must say, you are quite the diplomat and your responses always bring a smile to my face … at the same time, I’m also glad you’re not negotiating with enemies of state who have big bombs! ;~)
I actually detest sugar-coating and beating around the bush too, but I’ve been in an extremely “corporate” environment for the past 5 years so, now, the dribble just flows without me even realizing it! ;~)
Giving the benefit of doubt, it is possible that Danny did purchase the plugins, but just failed to read the installation instructions.