After Effects workshop 4 Notes

Adding effects to objects - change colour etc. -
in right hand pannel - choose effect - drag directly onto literal object
- control effect in left panel (under stylise) - turn off and on etc.
- can also animate effects (have an effects dropdown above transform) - i.e. make something change colour in time

to change how your whole animation looks or nearly the whole thing - add an adjustment layer / add effect to adjustment layer instead of actual layer  (layer, new, adjustment layer)

You can overlay an image with a texture - just drag in texture - multiply or overlay (in photoshop effects dropdown) (can add a video or photo overlay)


Making a composition out of lots of tiny assets
Open objects - make composition size of asset - drag asset onto this icon

Change size after - composition, composition settings - change

to embed one composition in another (i.e. animate rocket fully then make it move in sky)
make rocket then go file new composition - make it and it will exist already in side panel
see list of compositions here

Can then duplicate rockets or whatever

To make object follow path nose first (more naturally - layer, transform, auto - orient - orient along path
Can also import illustrator files - make sure you tick this so it doesn't get pixelated

After Effects Session 3 Notes

Bring in photoshop file - File, Import, file

To loop a movement (so it goes back to start/ not in circles) - do action- right click - toggle hold keyframe - you'll end up with 3 points (middle one an arrow) - Copy and paste all three to loop
Pause movement - copy and paste point at which you want it to pause

Resetting workspace layout -

Duplicating and repositioning moving object - Copy layer - select all key points - position line on specific keypoint then move whole object (make sure it isn't parented when C/P it)
Can turn on motion blur - add realism to moving objects



Parenting objects - Change dropdown to object you want to pair it with

 

Importing sound - File , import, drag from left to pannel at bottom
 (aif, wav) Edit same as image pretty much - Shift, Cmd, D to split sound or double clock to open layer - can move brackets specifically
Cool music on - free music. org - or google sound effects on youtube (or royalty free sound effects)
If something is copwrighted - edit it and its yours

After Effects Session 2 Notes

Getting your objects into After Effects:
Either have them as separate assets - file, import - drag them in separately (to left panel)
- I guess you just rub out bg and export ? or save as ps..

A different .. Better? way of doing this - Photoshop
File, New, Film and video, HDTV 1080p
Can change canvas size - still keeps used area outlined - so things have space to move
file, import, file - choose doc, composition - retain layer sizes - puts everything in neat folders
when in double lick on it
*If you want something to rotate fully once - instead of changing the degrees you can just change it to 1x
Can also move backwards in time when you're setting things up - position - so that they move into exactly the right place
Export: Composition, Add to Render Queue
Render queue tab, render settings, time span, work area only
Output Module: H.264
Output : desktop - name RENDER

Studio Brief 1: Reflective Report

I think that I have combined media well in this image. Chinagraph and ink work really well together as chinagraph allowed me to achieve a deep black and extra level of detail impossible with ink, which added to the eerie, disturbed mood of my image. I also think that the way I have overlayed my grayscale images with block colour works well to create an unexpected contrast. The fact that the layers don't quite match up also adds an interesting friction.

I really struggled to simplify and reduce down my images. I did receive good feedback and I think that they communicate a mood well but they aren't what I was personally pushing for. I translated them into mono-print just to see if this would help me to simplify and it did with the castle. It forced me to think more about light and dark and how to better split up the image planes to create a sense of depth. I know that I am going to struggle with lino and screen print but I think that their limitations will really help me to simplify. Maybe I should think of a new way of designing my images, a more shape lead approach?

I also struggled with the drafting stage because I was so stumped for ideas. However, I discovered in the crit that I was trying to be too clever with my ideas when I could have been a lot more literal and spent more time visually developing them instead. I.e. taking just the castle concept and spending a couple of pages playing with it compositionally. Initially I thought that this was just how I worked but after my reflection in the crit I think that I was again just over complicating.

I want to continue to explore chance colour overlays. I think that the friction between the bold coloured shapes and the drawing behind is really interesting. I also want to want to continue to explore this theme of deception and the illusion of beauty, to hide the dark twisted reality. However, I need to read 'The Bloody Chamber' before I do any more drawing. Right now I think I'm focusing too closely on 'Nights at the Circus' and it seems quite different from her other writing. It will be interesting to see what other illusions and disguises crop up here.

After Effects session 1 notes

New document - Composition - new composition (layers - like PS)
HDTV 1080 25 - composition setting for brief (preset)


- this is 5 seconds

Bin where project lives - mid left
Layers pannel - bottom left

Creating solid shapes - flash etc.
layer, new, solid - change pixels and colour - will make coloured square
can change where image appears by moving timeline at bottom along
to split madia - edit - split layer (shift, cmd , d)
to change colour of a solid - layer, solid settings, change whatever (can also do with general composition - composition settings)

Zoom at bottom - zoom in and out of frame per second - so you can be super accurate 



To do a different shape - use shape tool at top instead of new solid


Drag brackets at top to choose which bit to play - can also use these when exporting


Making a keyframe animation
Composition, new - choose colour, size etc (100 x 100?)
create solid - dropdown in layers menu (under transform)
before you make the image move - put anchor point to centre of shape so you can see path
to make an image move - click stopwatch next to position  - diamond appears - drag line off stuff to time - to determine how long it takes to move - drag shape to where you want it to move to
to move it to a couple places move time then object, time then object, time then object
You can also use the rotation stopwatch to make it rotate while it moves - also size and fade etc

Always start with movement then change the other things while its moving along its path
to change whatever it is - drag time along and type in new value at specific time - will auto fill in the gaps



If something hits something then moves - move anchor point to pivot point
Instead of always typing in a new value you can also grab the value and drag it to the right to make it move - can also change time by moving diamonds after animating
is a path is curved - want it straight - go on pen tool, click anchor point to toggle
to make shape pause - copy movement diamond and paste further along time path



TA DAAHHH !!!