Adobe

Working with After Effects and other applications


 

    Working with Adobe Bridge and After Effects

    Adobe Bridge is the control center for Adobe Creative Suite software. Use Adobe Bridge to browse for project templates and animation presets; run cross-product workflow automation scripts; view and manage files and folders; organize your files by assigning keywords, labels, and ratings to them; search for files and folders; and view, edit, and add metadata.

    • To open Adobe Bridge from After Effects, choose File > Browse In Bridge.
    • To reveal a file in Adobe Bridge, select a file in the Project panel and choose File > Reveal In Bridge.
    • To use Adobe Bridge to open template projects, choose File > Browse Template Projects.
    • To use Adobe Bridge to browse for animation presets, choose Animation > Browse Presets.

    For video tutorials on using Adobe Bridge, go to the Adobe website:

    Working with Photoshop and After Effects

    If you use Photoshop to create still images, you can use After Effects to bring those still images together and make them move and change. In After Effects, you can animate an entire Photoshop image or any of its layers. You can even animate individual properties of Photoshop images, such as the properties of a layer style. If you use After Effects to create movies, you can use Photoshop to refine the individual frames of those movies.

    Comparative advantages for specific tasks

    The strengths of After Effects are in its animation and automation features. This means that After Effects excels at tasks that can be automated from one frame to another. For example, you can use the motion tracking features of After Effects to track the motion of a microphone boom, and then automatically apply that same motion to a stroke made with the Clone Stamp tool. In this manner, you can remove the microphone from every frame of a shot, without having to paint the microphone out by hand on each frame.

    In contrast, Photoshop has excellent tools for painting and drawing.

    Deciding which application to use for painting depends on the task. Paint strokes in Photoshop directly affect the pixels of the layer. Paint strokes in After Effects are elements of an effect, each of which can be turned on or off or modified at any time. If you want to have complete control of each paint stroke after you’ve applied it, or if you want to animate the paint strokes themselves, use the After Effects paint tools. If the purpose of applying a paint stroke is to permanently modify a still image, use the Photoshop paint tools. If you are applying several paint strokes by hand to get rid of dust, consider using the Photoshop paint tools.

    The animation and video features in Photoshop Extended include simple keyframe-based animation. After Effects uses a similar interface, though the breadth and flexibility of its animation features are far greater.

    3D objects, 3D models, and 3D images

    In general, After Effects 3D functionality is limited to the manipulation of two-dimensional layers in three dimensions. Photoshop, however, can manipulate complete 3D models and output two-dimensional composites and cross-sections of these 3D models from any angle. After Effects can import and render 3D object layers from PSD files. You can set a layer based on a PSD 3D object layer to honor the active camera in an After Effects composition. When the camera moves around such a layer, it views the 3D object from various angles.

    To see a video tutorial about using 3D object layers from Photoshop in After Effects, see the Adobe website.

    After Effects can also automatically create 3D layers to mimic the planes created by the Photoshop Vanishing Point feature.

    To see video tutorials about using Vanishing Point data from Photoshop in After Effects, see the Adobe website:

    Exchanging still images

    After Effects can import and export still images in many formats, but you will usually want to use the native Photoshop PSD format when transferring individual frames or still image sequences between After Effects and Photoshop.

    When importing or exporting a PSD file, After Effects can preserve individual layers, masks, layer styles, and most other attributes. When you import a PSD file into After Effects, you can choose whether to import it as a flattened image or as a composition with its layers separate and intact.

    It is often a good idea to prepare a still image in Photoshop before importing it into After Effects. Examples of such preparation include correcting color, scaling, and cropping. It is often better for you to do something once to the source image in Photoshop than to have After Effects perform the same operation many times per second as it renders each frame for previews or final output.

    By creating your new PSD document from the Photoshop New File dialog box with a Film & Video preset, you can start with a document that is set up correctly for a specific video output type. If you are already working in After Effects, you can create a new PSD document that matches your composition and project settings by choosing File > New > Adobe Photoshop File.

    Exchanging movies

    You can also exchange video files, such as QuickTime movies, between Photoshop and After Effects. When you open a movie in Photoshop, a video layer is created that refers to the source footage file. Video layers allow you to paint nondestructively on the movie’s frames, much as After Effects works with layers with movies as their sources. When you save a PSD file with a video layer, you save the edits that you made to the video layer, not edits to the source footage itself.

    You can also render a movie directly from Photoshop. For example, you can create a QuickTime movie from Photoshop that can then be imported into After Effects.

    Color

    After Effects works internally with colors in an RGB (red, green, blue) color space. Though After Effects can convert CMYK images to RGB, you should do video and animation work in Photoshop in RGB.

    If relevant for your final output, it is better to ensure that the colors in your image are broadcast-safe in Photoshop before you import the image into After Effects. A good way to do this is to assign the appropriate destination color space—for example, SDTV (Rec. 601)—to the document in Photoshop. After Effects performs color management according to color profiles embedded in documents, including imported PSD files.

    Working with Flash and After Effects

    If you use Adobe® Flash® to create video or animation, you can use After Effects to edit and refine the video. For example, from Flash you can export animations and applications as QuickTime movies or Flash Video (FLV) files. You can then use After Effects to edit and refine the video.

    If you use After Effects to edit and composite video, you can then use Flash to publish that video. You can also export an After Effects composition as XFL content for further editing in Flash.

    Flash and After Effects use separate terms for some concepts that they share in common, including the following:

    • A composition in After Effects is like a movie clip in Flash Professional.

    • The composition frame in the Composition panel is like the Stage in Flash Professional.

    • The Project panel in After Effects is like the Library panel in Flash Professional.

    • Project files in After Effects are like FLA files in Flash Professional.

    • You render and export a movie from After Effects; you publish a SWF file from Flash Professional.

    Additional resources

    The following video tutorials provide additional detailed information about using Flash together with After Effects:

    The following articles provide additional information about using Flash and After Effects together:

    Exporting QuickTime video from Flash

    If you create animations or applications with Flash, you can export them as QuickTime movies using the File > Export > Export Movie command in Flash. For a Flash animation, you can optimize the video output for animation. For a Flash application, Flash renders video of the application as it runs, allowing the user to manipulate it. This lets you capture the branches or states of your application that you want to include in the video file.

    Rendering and exporting FLV and F4V files from After Effects

    When you render finished video from After Effects, select FLV or F4V as the output format to render and export video that can play in Flash Player. You can then import the FLV or F4V file into Flash and publish it in a SWF file, which can be played by Flash Player.

    Importing and publishing video in Flash

    When you import an FLV or F4V file into Flash, you can use various techniques, such as scripting or Flash components, to control the visual interface that surrounds your video. For example, you might include playback controls or other graphics. You can also add graphic layers on top of the FLV or F4V file for composite results.

    Composite graphics, animation, and video

    Flash and After Effects each include many capabilities that allow you to perform complex compositing of video and graphics. Which application you choose to use will depend on your personal preferences and the type of final output you want to create.

    Flash is the more web-oriented of the two applications, with its small final file size. Flash also allows for run-time control of animation. After Effects is oriented toward video and film production, provides a wide range of visual effects, and is generally used to create video files as final output.

    Both applications can be used to create original graphics and animation. Both use a timeline and offer scripting capabilities for controlling animation programmatically. After Effects includes a larger set of effects, while the Flash ActionScript® language is the more robust of the two scripting environments.

    Both applications allow you to place graphics on separate layers for compositing. These layers can be turned on and off as needed. Both also allow you to apply effects to the contents of individual layers.

    In Flash, composites do not affect the video content directly; they affect only the appearance of the video during playback in Flash Player. In contrast, when you composite with imported video in After Effects, the video file you export actually incorporates the composited graphics and effects.

    Because all drawing and painting in After Effects is done on layers separate from any imported video, it is always non-destructive. Flash has both destructive and nondestructive drawing modes.

    Exporting After Effects content for use in Flash

    You can export After Effects content for use in Flash. You can export a SWF file that can be played immediately in Flash Player or used as part of another rich media project. When you export content from After Effects in SWF format, some of the content may be flattened and rasterized in the SWF file.

    To edit your After Effects content further in Flash, export a composition as an XFL file. An XFL file is a type of Flash file that stores the same information as a FLA file, but in XML format. When you export a composition from After Effects as XFL for use in Flash, some of the layers and keyframes that you created in After Effects are preserved in the Flash version. When you import the XFL file in Flash, it unpacks the XFL file and adds the assets from the file to your FLA file according to the instructions in the XFL file.

    The following video tutorials provide detailed information about exporting XFL files from After Effects:

    Importing Flash SWF files into After Effects

    Flash has a unique set of vector art tools that make it useful for a variety of drawing tasks not possible in After Effects or Adobe® Illustrator®. You can import SWF files into After Effects to composite them with other video or render them as video with additional creative effects. Interactive content and scripted animation are not retained. Animation defined by keyframes is retained.

    Each SWF file imported into After Effects is flattened into a single continuously rasterized layer, with its alpha channel preserved. Continuous rasterization means that graphics stay sharp as they are scaled up. This import method allows you to use the root layer or object of your SWF files as a smoothly rendered element in After Effects, allowing the best capabilities of each tool to work together.

    Working with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects

    Adobe Premiere Pro is designed to capture, import, and edit movies. After Effects is designed to create motion graphics, apply visual effects, composite visual elements, perform color correction, and perform other post-production tasks for movies.

    You can easily exchange projects, compositions, sequences, tracks, and layers between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro:

    If you have Adobe Creative Cloud Membership, Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium or Master Collection CS6 (or After Effects CS6 and later), you can also do the following:

    • Start Adobe Premiere Pro from within After Effects and capture footage for use in After Effects. (See Use Adobe Premiere Pro for capture (Production Premium and Master Collection only).)

      Note: In After Effects and Premiere Pro, the limitation of Dynamic Link to only work within a suite has been removed (for example, Dynamic Link will now work between CC or CS6 applications purchased as individual products). In After Effects, starting Premiere Pro from within After Effects and capturing footage is not supported. The File > Import > Capture in Premiere Pro command has been removed.

    • Use Adobe Dynamic Link to work with After Effects compositions in Adobe Premiere Pro without first rendering them. A dynamically linked composition appears as a clip in Adobe Premiere Pro.

    • Use Adobe Dynamic Link to work with Adobe Premiere Pro sequences in After Effects without first rendering them. A dynamically linked sequence appears as a footage item in After Effects.

    • Start After Effects from within Premiere Pro and create a new composition with settings that match the settings of your Premiere Pro project.

    • Select a set of clips in Adobe Premiere Pro and convert them to a composition in After Effects.

    For information on using Dynamic Link with After Effects and Premiere Pro, see Dynamic Link and After Effects and the relevant sections of Adobe Premiere Pro Help.

    For a video tutorial about working with After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro using Dynamic Link, go to the Adobe website.

    Working with Adobe Encore and After Effects

    You can use After Effects to quickly create buttons and button layers for use in Adobe Encore. Adobe Encore uses a naming standard to define a button and the role of individual layers as subpicture highlights and video thumbnails. When you select a group of layers in After Effects to use as an Adobe Encore button, After Effects precomposes the layers and names the precomposition according to the naming standards for buttons.

    Highlight layer names receive the prefix (=1), (=2), or (=3), and video thumbnail names receive the prefix (%).

    Note: In After Effects CC or CS6, the Layer > Adobe Encore menu and submenu commands have been removed.
    After Effects includes template projects that include entire DVD menus for you to use as a basis for your own DVD menus. To use Adobe Bridge to browse and import these template projects, choose File > Browse Template Projects. (See Template projects and example projects.)

    For information on using Dynamic Link with After Effects and Encore, see Dynamic Link and After Effects.

    For video tutorials about using After Effects with Encore, go to the Adobe website:

    Paul Tuersley provides a script on the After Effects script website for importing subtitles into After Effects and controlling their formatting.

    Create a button for Adobe Encore

    1. In the Timeline panel, select the layers for use in the button.
    2. Choose Layer > Adobe Encore > Create Button.
    3. Enter a name for the button.
    4. Use the menus to assign up to three highlight layers and one video thumbnail layer, and then click OK.

      A new composition is created with the button name. In keeping with the Adobe Encore naming standards, the prefix (+) is added to the name of the composition to indicate that it is a button.

      Important: If you rename the button, be sure to retain the (+) prefix. The prefix ensures that Adobe Encore recognizes the file as a button.

    Assign a subpicture highlight and video thumbnail to a layer

    1. Select the layer.
    2. Choose Layer > Adobe Encore > Assign To Subpicture [number] or Assign To Video Thumbnail.

    Export a button for use in Adobe Encore

    1. Open the composition that represents the button, and move the current-time indicator to the desired frame.
    2. Choose Composition > Save Frame As > Photoshop Layers.

    Edit audio in Adobe Soundbooth

    While working in After Effects, you may want to use the more comprehensive audio-editing capabilities of Adobe Soundbooth to fine-tune your audio. You can use the Edit In Adobe Soundbooth command to start Soundbooth from within After Effects.

    Note: In After Effects CC and CS6, the Edit > Edit in Adobe Soundbooth menu and command have been removed. Use the Edit > Edit in Adobe Audition command instead.

    If you edit an audio-only file (for example, a WAV file) in Soundbooth, you change the original file. If you edit a layer that contains both audio and video (for example, an AVI file), you edit a copy of the source audio file.

    1. Select the layer that contains the audio that you want to edit. The item must be of a type that is editable in Soundbooth.
    2. Choose Edit > Edit In Adobe Soundbooth to open the clip in Edit view in Soundbooth.
    3. Edit the file, and then do one of the following:

      • If you’re editing an audio-only layer, choose File > Save to apply your edits to the original audio file, or choose File > Save As to apply your edits to a copy of the audio file. If you choose File > Save As, you need to re-import the copy of the file into After Effects.

      • If you’re editing a layer that contains both audio and video, choose File > Save As. After you save the file, import it into After Effects, add it to the composition, and mute the original audio in the audio-video clip by deselecting the Audio switch in the Timeline panel.

        Note: Any effects applied to audio in After Effects aren’t included in the copy that is sent to Soundbooth.

    Edit in Adobe Audition (CS5.5 and later)

    While working in After Effects, you can use the more comprehensive audio-editing capabilities of Adobe Audition to fine-tune your audio. You can use the Edit in Adobe Audition command to start Adobe Audition from within After Effects.

    If you edit an audio-only file (for example, a WAV file) in Adobe Audition, you change the original file. If you edit a layer that contains both audio and video (for example, an AVI file), you edit a copy of the source audio file.

    1. Select the layer that contains the audio that you want to edit. The item must be of a type that is editable in Adobe Audition.

    2. Choose Edit > Edit In Adobe Audition to open the clip in Edit view in Adobe Audition.

    3. Edit the file, and then do one of the following:

      • If you’re editing an audio-only layer, choose File > Save to apply your edits to the original audio file. You can also choose file > Save As to apply your edits to a copy of the audio file. If you choose File > Save As, import the copy of the file into After Effects.

      • If you’re editing a layer that contains both audio and video, choose File > Save As. After you save the file, import it into After Effects. Then, add it to the composition, and mute the original audio in the audio-video clip by deselecting the Audio switch in the Timeline panel.

      Note: Any effects applied to audio in After Effects aren’t included in the copy that is sent to Adobe Audition.

    Tutorials and resources about using Adobe Audition to modify audio from After Effects can be found on this post from the After Effects Region of Interest blog.

    More Help topics

      Adobe Bridge

      Video and animation overview

      3D

      Vanishing Point

      Opening XFL files

      Importing After Effects compositions

      Using After Effects to enhance menus

      Button subpictures for highlighting

      Importing from Adobe After Effects

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