Starting up
      About Digital Classroom                      1  (1)
      Prerequisites                                1  (1)
      System requirements                          1  (2)
      Starting Adobe After Effects CS6             3  (1)
      Fonts used in this book                      3  (1)
      Loading lesson files                         4  (2)
      Working with the video tutorials             6  (1)
      Viewing the video tutorials with the         7  (1)
      Adobe Flash Player
      Additional resources                         8  (1)
    Lesson 1 Understanding Motion Graphics
      Starting up                                  9  (1)
      Defining motion graphics                     10 (1)
      Television and video graphics                10 (1)
      Internet and mobile devices                  10 (1)
      Desktop distribution and presentation        10 (1)
      graphics
      Digital video basics                         11 (1)
      Understanding video formats                  11 (3)
      Understanding frame rate and resolution      14 (1)
      Understanding transparency                   15 (1)
      Self study                                   16 (1)
      Review                                       16 (1)
    Lesson 2 Understanding the After Effects
    Interface
      Starting up                                  17 (1)
      Understanding and working with menus         18 (1)
      Opening an existing After Effects project    18 (2)
      Understanding the After Effects panel        20 (1)
      system
      After Effects panels                         21 (1)
      Primary panels                               21 (14)
      Understanding the workspace                  35 (1)
      Viewing and hiding panels                    35 (1)
      Docking and undocking panels                 36 (2)
      Resizing panels                              38 (1)
      Saving a custom workspace                    39 (1)
      Resetting the workspace                      40 (1)
      Setting After Effects Preferences            41 (1)
      Changing the default Undo levels             42 (1)
      Enable Auto-Save                             43 (1)
      Self study                                   44 (1)
      Review                                       44 (1)
    Lesson 3 Media Management---Working with
    Images, Audio, and Video
      Starting up                                  45 (1)
      What is Media Management?                    46 (1)
      Projects, compositions, and layers: An       46 (1)
      overview
      Creating a new project                       47 (1)
      Importing media files                        48 (2)
      Organizing the Project panel                 50 (1)
      Modifying the column displays                50 (1)
      Creating folders and subfolders              51 (3)
      Previewing footage                           54 (1)
      Previewing stills and video                  55 (1)
      Previewing audio                             56 (1)
      Trimming a video clip                        57 (3)
      Importing multiple files                     60 (2)
      Importing Photoshop and Illustrator files    62 (3)
      Importing image sequences                    65 (3)
      Importing After Effects compositions         68 (2)
      Locating missing files                       70 (1)
      Using the Interpret Footage dialog box       71 (1)
      Looping an audio or video file               71 (2)
      Using Remember Interpretation                73 (1)
      Using the Collect Files command to           74 (1)
      consolidate files
      Self study                                   75 (1)
      Review                                       75 (2)
    Lesson 4 Creating Animation in After Effects
      Starting up                                  77 (1)
      Understanding the animation workflow         78 (1)
      Creating and working with compositions       78 (1)
      Creating a new composition                   79 (2)
      Understanding composition settings           81 (2)
      Importing compositions from Photoshop and    83 (2)
      Illustrator
      Working with layers                          85 (5)
      Understanding the layer switches             90 (2)
      Understanding layer stacking order           92 (1)
      Changing layer names                         93 (2)
      Creating Kinestasis by animating the         95 (3)
      Anchor Point
      Animating rotation                           98 (3)
      Using layer parenting to ease repetition     101(2)
      Animating position                           103(5)
      Understanding motion paths                   108(2)
      Using layer motion blur                      110(2)
      Adjusting Motion Blur settings               112(2)
      Using blending modes                         114(3)
      Applying layer styles                        117(2)
      Understanding nested compositions and        119(1)
      precomposing
      Adding nested compositions                   119(3)
      Pre-composing layers                         122(2)
      Creating a fade-in by animating Opacity      124(1)
      and Scale
      Self study                                   125(1)
      Review                                       125(2)
    Lesson 5 Working with Masks, Track Mattes,
    and Keys
      Starting up                                  127(1)
      Working with masks                           128(3)
      Creating masks with the shape tools          131(3)
      Selecting and manipulating masks             134(3)
      Animating the position of masks              137(5)
      Working with mask feathering                 142(1)
      Setting the Mask Feather Property            142(1)
      Setting Per Vertex mask feathering           143(2)
      Creating freeform masks                      145(1)
      Setting up the project                       146(9)
      Animating the shape of masks                 155(2)
      Understanding track mattes                   157(1)
      Creating track mattes                        157(2)
      Creating mattes from animated Photoshop      159(4)
      files
      Creating a chroma key                        163(2)
      Creating a garbage matte                     165(2)
      Creating a chroma key                        167(3)
      Refining the matte                           170(4)
      Self study                                   174(1)
      Review                                       174(1)
    Lesson 6 Working with Text
      Starting up                                  175(1)
      Creating text                                176(3)
      Setting text properties globally             179(3)
      Formatting individual characters             182(6)
      Animating text properties                    188(6)
      Saving an animator as a preset               194(1)
      Working with text animation presets          195(3)
      Modifying animation presets                  198(4)
      Creating custom text animators               202(1)
      Creating a typewriter effect                 202(1)
      Creating a blur-in effect                    203(2)
      Creating text on a path                      205(2)
      Self study                                   207(1)
      Review                                       207(2)
    Lesson 7 Working with Audio
      Starting up                                  209(1)
      Audio in After Effects                       210(1)
      Previewing audio                             211(1)
      Adding audio files to the Timeline           212(2)
      Viewing audio file metadata                  214(3)
      Looping audio files                          217(2)
      Animating audio levels                       219(1)
      Working with audio effects                   220(2)
      Using composition markers to set the beat    222(4)
      Naming composition markers                   226(2)
      Refining the position of composition         228(1)
      markers
      Syncing animation to composition markers     229(5)
      Creating keyframes from audio files          234(3)
      Self study                                   237(1)
      Review                                       237(2)
    Lesson 8 Working with 3D in After Effects
      Starting up                                  239(1)
      Previewing animation with RAM preview        240(1)
      Working with After Effects 3D                241(1)
      Creating 3D layers                           242(1)
      Using multiple viewports                     243(3)
      Understanding 3D Transform properties        246(1)
      Understanding Material Options               246(1)
      Animating 3D layers                          247(5)
      Creating and using lights                    252(6)
      Understanding light options                  258(1)
      Animating light properties                   259(3)
      Creating and using cameras                   262(3)
      Understanding basic camera options           265(1)
      Animating camera properties                  265(9)
      Creating the depth-of-field effect           274(2)
      Creating a Rack Focus shot                   276(4)
      Working with After Effects 3D Layers         280(1)
      Creating a Ray-traced composition            280(1)
      Extruding and Beveling Text                  281(3)
      Creating Reflections                         284(2)
      Self study                                   286(1)
      Review                                       286(1)
    Lesson 9 Advanced Animation
      Starting up                                  287(1)
      Animating with effects                       288(1)
      Applying effects to layers                   288(4)
      Animating effect properties                  292(4)
      Saving animation presets                     296(1)
      Applying and modifying effects presets       297(2)
      Time-reversing a layer                       299(1)
      Using the Motion Sketch panel to capture     300(3)
      motion
      Controlling layer orientation                303(1)
      Using the Smoother panel to soften           304(2)
      movement
      Using the Wiggler panel to add frantic       306(3)
      motion
      Create acceleration and deceleration         309(1)
      using Easy Easing
      Changing spatial interpolation               309(2)
      Adding easing to keyframes                   311(2)
      Using squash and stretch to enhance the      313(2)
      animation
      Animating with the Graph Editor              315(5)
      Create a strobing effect using hold          320(2)
      interpolation
      Self study                                   322(1)
      Review                                       322(1)
    Lesson 10 Tracking and Stabilizing Footage
      Starting up                                  323(1)
      Understanding Video Stabilization and        324(1)
      Tracking
      Using the Warp Stabilizer                    324(4)
      Using the 3D Camera Tracker                  328(5)
      Attaching 3D layers to Track Points          333(4)
      Self study                                   337(1)
      Review                                       337(2)
    Lesson 11 Working with Expressions and
    Scripts
      Starting up                                  339(1)
      Automating animation with expressions        340(1)
      Finding expressions                          341(1)
      Adding expressions to properties             341(1)
      Using the loopOut () expression              342(2)
      Using the random () expression               344(3)
      Using the Time property with expressions     347(1)
      Using the wiggle () expression               348(2)
      Working with scripts                         350(1)
      Installing and running scripts               350(1)
      Creating scripts                             351(1)
      Finding additional scripts                   351(1)
      Using and running scripts                    351(1)
      Using the Ease and Wizz Script               352(4)
      Self study                                   356(1)
      Review                                       356(1)
    Lesson 12 Outputting After Effects Projects
      Starting up                                  357(1)
      Rendering files for output                   358(1)
      Understanding the Render Queue               359(1)
      Adding compositions to the Render Queue      359(3)
      Adjusting render settings                    362(3)
      Duplicating jobs in the Render Queue         365(4)
      Creating render templates                    369(1)
      Exporting a project file                     370(2)
      Trimming and cropping compositions           372(4)
      Rendering an individual frame                376(2)
      Self study                                   378(1)
      Review                                       378(1)
  Appendix A Adobe After Effects keyboard
  shortcuts
      General Keyboard Shortcuts                   379(1)
      Working with After Effects Projects          380(1)
      Working with Preferences                     380(1)
      Panels, viewers, workspaces, and windows     380(2)
      Activating tools                             382(1)
      Compositions and the work area (keyboard     383(1)
      shortcuts)
      Navigating the Timeline                      383(1)
      Previews                                     384(1)
      Views                                        385(2)
      Footage                                      387(1)
      Effects and animation presets                388(1)
      Layers                                       388(2)
      Showing properties and groups in the         390(1)
      Timeline panel
      Showing properties in the Effect Controls    391(1)
      panel
      Modifying layer properties                   391(2)
      3D layers                                    393(1)
      Keyframes and the Graph Editor               394(1)
      Text                                         395(3)
      Working with Masks                           398(1)
      Paint tools                                  398(2)
      Shape layers                                 400(1)
      Markers                                      401(1)
      Motion tracking                              401(1)
      Saving, exporting, and rendering             402(1)
  Appendix B After Effects secondary panels
      After Effects Secondary panels               403(8)
  Appendix C Importable media formats
      Importable media formats                     411(2)
      Still images and image sequences             413(1)
      Project formats                              414(1)
  Appendix D Understanding bit rate
      Understanding formats and codecs             415(1)
      Understanding bit rate                       416(1)
      Understanding spatial and temporal           416(1)
      compression
  Appendix E Understanding video displays
      Understanding Video Displays                 417(1)
      Understanding aspect ratio and pixel         417(2)
      aspect ratio
      Progressive display versus interlacing       419