[Joey Foreman]

You can set the 2nd keyframe on the last frame of the comp, then move the end of the Work Area one frame back.

[Joey Foreman]

I don’t understand your question. What parameter are you animating?
You have a simple circle. And you’re rotating it?
Did you offset the Anchor Point so you can see the rotation?

Please clarify and/or provide a screenshot or video capture.

[Joey Foreman]

If you got my response in your e-mail, please disregard the part about turning off the visibility of the other layers. You’re starting with only one in the comp.

[Joey Foreman]

Here’s one way to do it that works well and isn’t hard to set up.

Go to the Video Copilot site and grab the 3d Orbit preset if you don’t have it. (Andrew Kramer to the rescue again.)

Start fresh, and with only one of the seven image file layers in your comp, create a new Camera.

Make the layer 3d.

Apply the preset to the layer.

Now as you scrub the timeline your layer will orbit, oriented to the camera. It defaults to orbiting around the camera, so pull your camera back in z until it’s orbiting in front of the camera. Then adjust the camera position, and the Radius and Speed effects of the preset to taste.

Now duplicate your layer. Change the Rotation Offset effect until this layer is where you want it. Replace the source file for this layer with the next image by selecting the layer and then option dragging the next source file to the layer. Repeat for the rest of the files.

Now, with one of the layers at its closest distance from the camera, go to a top view and adjust the Point of Interest for the camera until it’s lined up with that layer.

Next activate the Stopwatch for the Focus Distance parameter of the camera and paste this expression-

length(position, pointOfInterest)

This sets the focus distance to be the same as your point of interest.

Now just tweak the Aperture and Blur Level parameters of the camera until the depth of field tapers off to your satisfaction.

Hope this gives you what you’re after.

[Joey Foreman]

Your link doesn’t work.
I’m not sure what you mean by “switching” images.
I’m picturing a heptagon rotating, with a different image on each face. Is that what you’re going for?

Darby Edelen gave a good very explanation of how to properly join planes in AE’s 3d space in this thread. See if it helps.

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/202/885266

[Joey Foreman]

I’m a big fan of ProRes 422, and have gotten great results round tripping with it. On the rare instances I need to render with an alpha channel for FCP, I use ProRes 4444.

One thing to be aware of, though, is the gamma shift that will occur when importing your ProRes 422 file into AE. I wish Adobe would release a point update to fix this, but until then there is hack you can perform if you’re not faint of heart.

https://blogs.adobe.com/toddkopriva/2009/03/prores-422-colors-in-after-eff.html

Actually I’ve had gamma shifts occur with every codec I’ve used from FCP to AE. Apple Intermediate Codec and DVCPRO as well.

Some people like to render to Animation for FCP, but the last time I did that, I no longer had access to Unlimited RT in my FCP timeline; so I’m ProRes all the way now.

[Joey Foreman]

Just out of curiosity, what color is your text, and what color is the background?

[Joey Foreman]

Tell me something first. What codec are you editing with in FCP?

[Joey Foreman]

Jon, it’s clear now from re-reading your post that you were already aware of needing to import all of the files individually, rather than as an image sequence. Sorry about that.

Hope you found the links useful.

[Joey Foreman]

You’re off to a great start. If this is supposed to look like it takes place in the late-forties, early fifties, you’ve succeeded brilliantly. Looks like one of the scenes from the Prelinger Archives on the joys of intercontinental air travel.

The actor looks like a character from Father Knows Best or something, but to be honest it kind of looks like he has one of those Jersey Shore spray-on tans.

There should be moving clouds reflected in the window. Those look too stationary. Well, they’re okay for the ones in the far distance, but you should create some parallax movement with ones moving faster in the foreground.