Create compositions for playback on mobile devices

Screen dimensions and video frame rates vary from one mobile device to another. Adobe Device Central contains a database of device profiles that provide information about these characteristics. Using this information, you can create movies that play correctly and look as you intend on the mobile devices that you choose.

For information on acquiring footage for playback on mobile devices, see Planning for playback on computer monitors and mobile devices.

For a video tutorial about creating compositions for mobile devices, go to the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4110_xp.

  1. In Adobe Device Central, choose File > New Document In > After Effects.

  2. Select one or more devices.

  3. In the New Composition tab, select Create Master Composition.

  4. Click Create in the lower-right corner of the New Composition tab.

    If After Effects is already running, then the new compositions are created in the existing project. If After Effects is not already running, then After Effects starts and the new compositions are created in a new project.

You do your design, animation, and other work in the Device Master composition. You use the device-specific compositions for previews and to render for final output.

The Device Master composition is nested and centered in each of the device-specific compositions. The frame rate, height, and width settings for the Device Master composition are each set to the maximum of the values for the device-specific compositions. You can resize or move the nested Device Master composition within each device-specific composition—for example, to tweak layout for different frame aspect ratios. A guide layer for each device in the Device Master composition facilitates your design work.

A Preview composition is also created. The Preview composition consists of a grid of device-specific compositions so that you can preview your master composition in the context of several mobile devices simultaneously.

After you render and export the compositions, you can preview and test the resulting movies on the simulated devices within Adobe Device Central.