After Effects workshop 1 notes

Key frame animation

Composition - make new composition 

HDTV 1080 25 (frames per second)

Web video, 320 x 240
Web Banner, 468 x 60 (pixels)

Duration
Background colour

Layer - new... solid

Key frame = a value.

Position - press stopwatch on solid layer in timeline - move forward in time and move the shape to where I want it.

If realtime (in info panel) is in red, change the quality of the animation at the bottom of the composition panel. Set to auto, or lower the quality.

Hold shift and select all solids in timeline panel
Shortcut for Position = letter P

Change the colour of a solid once it's already in the composition: Layer - solid settings

Grey bar at the top of timeline (work area - basically brackets) - can adjust it to only show one area of your project - good for looping a certain part

Shortcuts:
P - Position
A - Anchor point
R - Rotation
S - Scale
T - Opacity
U - reveals all modified properties

Anchor point is like a drawing pin - stuck to the paper at that point - the shape will rotate around it.
Press and hold letter Y to manually move anchor point.



Import file, PSD, import as composition NOT footage.

Copy and paste both key frames and move them along on the timeline a bit.

Pen tool - use it to change the path between key frames - how the object moves between points.

Right click key frame - Toggle hold key frame
So instead of the rain drop moving back up to the cloud, it now looks as if rain is falling!

Gets rid of transition.

Duplicate layer

Click position to select all key frames.