[Steve Roberts]

Look up “precomposing” in the help.

Basically, you do it when you’ve created layer X inside composition A, and you want to turn that layer X into a comp B nested inside comp A. You precompose layer X and call it Comp B. If you then look inside comp B, you’ll find layer X there.

Nesting is the same thing, but in that case, you create comp B, create layer X inside it, then drag comp B into comp A.

There can be many organizational situations where it is useful, but it is necessary when you use an effected layer X as a layer map for an effect applied to layer Y. The layer Y effect looks to the original layer X as a layer map, before the layer X’s effect was applied. So you need to precomp layer X so the Y effect sees the comp with the effect inside.

An example would be applying the displacement map effect to layer Y, and using a fractal noise layer X as the displacement map. You’d need to precomp layer X so the dispmap effect can actually see the fractal.

Experiment.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Effect>image control>grow bounds.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

The Color Difference Key is very complex, and the best explanation for it is contained in Trish and Chris Meyer’s Creating Motion Graphics, Volume 2. I recommend you avoid it and consider Keylight, included on the install CD pf recent versions of AE. The docs for keylight should be on the CD.

However, since the boxer is probably on a solid black BG, AE’s Color Key should do fine.

Regarding the text, my original instructions were backwards: you should leave “Composite On Original” unchecked in the effect controls. My apologies.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

1. Your composition has to have a transparent background. In other words, the frame should not be completely filled. To check, hit the checkerboard button at the bottom of the comp window. Your white text should be a Text layer or if the Basic Text effect was applied to a solid, then “composite in original” or similar should be selected in the Basic Text effect controls.

2. You need to render using “make movie” to open the render queue. In the Output Module, you need to render to a file format or codec that supports alpha channels. Examples are 32-bit TGA, PSD, PNG, and Quicktime Animation codec.

3. Also in the output module, you need to select RGB+alpha and millions+.

For the boxer, you might need to apply one of AE’s keying effects to key out the black, or interpret the boxer footage (select the boxer in the project window, then file>interpret footage>main) and select “straight alpha” or “premultiplied alpha” if available.

Does that help?
Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Add it to a new solid. I think you need to deselect “in original” in the text effect controls to hide the solid.

Basic Text is obsolete, only useful for certain things. We use the text tool now to create text layers. Unless you have an older version of AE with no text tool.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Any effect applied to an adjustment layer affects all layers below it. Check the manual. That’s what adjustment layers are for: to affect all the layers below.

If you want to apply an effect to text layer A, then apply it to text layer A. Don’t use adjustment layers at all unless you specifically want to affect all layers below.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Vector features missing? Nope.

Text features missing? Nope.

Other thoughts? Search the AE help for pro + vector, or pro + text to see which features are “Pro only”. Or just search for “Pro only”.

If you see any references to text, they probably refer to Particle Playground.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

First, you need a wireframe image and a normally rendered image of a 3D object, created in a real 3D application. You might just need the 3D wireframe object, if you freeze your footage and use it as a guide for creating the wireframe object. This is not a quick, automatic process, and it requires a real 3D app.

There’s no way to use software to create a wireframe from a movie or photograph, unless the movie is a shot of the object rotating on a turntable, and the software is reeeeally expensive. And the object already has wireframe lines marked on it. 🙂

Once you have the wireframe image layer that matches the other image layer, you can animate the shape of a mask applied to the wireframe layer so it gradually reveals the wireframe layer and hides the other one.

Basically, the transition from one image to the other is very easy … but getting the wireframe images of the object is the 3D challenge.

Anybody else?
Steve

[Steve Roberts]

… and can you copy and paste the expression (from your project) in your post?

Steve 🙂

[Steve Roberts]

… and can you copy and paste the expression (from your project) in your post?

Steve 🙂