[Kevin Camp]

i was looking into linking color samples to a levels adjustment to create a way to use those samples to generate a white point, black point and midtone values in the the levels adjustment, much the way that photoshop levels can use the eye dropper to set those values within the its levels adjustment tool.

my confusion came when i wanted to see what the value of a color sample within the color control was by linking the sample to the source text of a text layer and got a single decimal value, and i was expecting an rgb array. i could n’t figure out what the number represente, so i thought i’d ask… turns out i just made some mistake when i linked it to the source text. once colin told me it should work more like i had expected, i tried again and it gave me what i was looking for…. ooops.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

thanks colin… for some reason when i was trying to get a value from my color, i didn’t get an array of values, like i was expecting. i just got a single decimal value… now it works, user error, i suppose.

thanks again.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

yes, there are two ways, actually. in the import preferences there is a setting for length of still footage, where you can define a set length.

there is also a setting there that will allow the still footage to be imported as the length of composition (i think this is the default). more correctly what that means is it will import the still footage as the length of the last created comp. to if you just created a comp of 20 sec, the next image you import will be 20 sec long.

i prefer the later setting… it is easy to manipulate it in a workflow to get exactly what your looking for, as long as your aware of the feature.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

track matte, perhaps… place you ‘matte’ layer above the ‘fill’ layer. then select your fill layer and choose the above layer alpha as a track matte from the ‘modes’ for that layer.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

unless you want to slow your footage down, you won’t need to change the frame rate in interpret footage, just drag the footage on to the make comp icon, the change the comp to the 23.976 fps. this will then skip every 5th frame for the render. in not sure you will need to split the 22min clip up if you don’t want to.

as far as audio, i think you will be best to lay it back over in fcp.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

yep, it would be nice to have a function that was ‘do everything i just did to the rest of these’… but unless you want to get into writing java scripts that ae can execute (or if cs3 will create action scripts similar to those in photoshop for batch actions) we’ll just have to do it manually. although being able to save any number of effects and animated parameters as a preset helps a lot, i’ve wished i could create the actions, like in photoshop, to do tedious repetitive tasks.

i haven’t use premiere, or dyanmic link, but i think if you were to look into the manual or help file for dynamic link workflow or after effects premiere workflow you might find some help there. you can also ask for specific workflow help here or in the premiere forum. but i would think that you could export just your ‘slide show’ comp to premiere.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

well…. complicated of effect heavy comps can take a long time to render. throw in 3d and hd, and they take even longer.

if you have nested comps in the main comp, you can pre-render those comps to help reducve render time of the main comp. make sure the post render option for the pre-render is set to import and replace usage and the pre-render will automaticly be placed in the main comp. note, if you need to change a pre-rendered nested comp, you will need to go back to the nested comp in the project window, make your changes, re-render that comp and replace the pre-render with the new one.

pre-rendering can save a lot on render time, depending on the effects and comps structure. you may even want to find other elements in the main comp that can be precomped and pre-rendered.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

i think i may know what was going wrong, but i want to make sure that i understand what you have and what you want to get in the end…

you have 60 psd files with 2 layers; a text layer and a background image. the text layer needs to be effected or manipulated separately from the background image, but in the same way for each psd. then each psd needs to be sequenced (for a slide show like effect). i just want to make sure i’m not confusing you more by describing a process to achieve something different…

but, it sounded like the importing of psds went ok. and that you were able to create a your text effect preset and apply it to each text layer of each psd comp.

it sounded like the probelms occured when you tried to combine all the psd comps into your ‘slide show’ comp. first off, you will want to select only the psd (slide) comps, not the image or text layers associated with those comps, when you drag them to the make comp button. those layers are already referenced in the psd comps, presumably the way you want them to appear. one slight draw back to this many nested comps is if you need to adjust your text effect or any animated effects within your slide, you will need to open the slide comp for that slide and make adjustments there (many effects, like color adjustments etc, may be applied to directly to an individual slide comp).

second, i probably should have mentioned this in my first response, but the order of the sequence will be determined by the order in which you select the slide comps. that may help you if you were having problems with your slide order.

i’m a little confused by your mention of ‘all the effects were inverted.’ was it you text effects, or was it a disolve effect applied when creating the sequence?

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

you should be able to do this importing all of the psds as comps (they will have to be comps to keep the ps layers).

i don’t have cs3 yet, but it should be the same as ae7….

first, create a new comp that is the duration that you will want for your psd comps (ae will use that duration seting to create the duration of the psd comps). then choose file>import>file… and select all the psd file that you are going to import. choose to import as comp.

now you should have all your psds as comps in the project window. open one and apply what ever effect and/or parameter changes/keyframes, etc. that you need. then, select that layer and any of the effects that you applied and (from the animaiton menu) choose ‘save animation preset…’, enter a name and save it. then go thru each psd comp and select the text layer and choose either ‘apply preset’ or ‘apply recent preset’ and choose your preset.

once all of your psd comps are set to your liking, select them all in the project window and drag them to the make comp button (little film strip icon at the bottom of the prject window). choose to create a single comp and to sequence layers. if you want to a disolve transition between the psd comps choose overlap, enter the duration of the transition, and select the disolve.

all your psds will now have a text layer with the same animation preset and be sequenced (possibly disolving one to another) in a single comp.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Kevin Camp]

hi aharon,

i can create a written version (i don’t have the software for a video tutorial).

are there any specifics to create a written tutorial for the cow, a template or process to submit it…?

i can post an html page on a website of mine.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW