Adobe After Effects Certification

Lock guides

ctrl ;

Reverse keyframes

select keyframes > right click > keyframe assistant > time reverse keyframes

Use a color scheme by adding custom colors

preferences > general > use system color picker

Make a template for rendering

Click down arrow and make preset > select all comps to render > click down arrow on one of them to change them all to that preset

Create keyframes from expressions

make keyframe > right click > keyframe assistant > convert expression to keyframes

Project Panel

holds all the assets

Timeline Panel

where edits are made to the assets

project purpose, project audience, audience needs (accessibility), client goals

When we first start working on a project, what should we focus on?

target audiencedemographics

What needs to be discussed prior to starting a project?

compression

the process of reducing the file size of a video, while still maintaining the video’s quality; videos need to be compressed to accommodate the internet speed of the consumer

codecs

compress and decompress digital video

H.264

most common compression standard; works for streaming services

containers

contain compressed information

pre-production

everything that happens before shooting a single frame of video; all about communication and ensures that the final product looks the way it was originally envisioned; starts by writing a script

script

text document that tells where each scene will take place, who is in the scene, and the dialogue for the actors or voice-over; can include data points for motion graphic heavy projects; transitions from scene to scene and cues for actors on how to deliver dialogue are often included

storyboard

used to represent the script visually; each shot is drawn sequentially and has its own frame to help cinematographer to determine camera angle and motion for the shot

animatic

animated version of storyboard, often with soundtrack and sometimes dialogue

shot list

a check-list of each shot needed for the production; can contain shot number, location, shot, camera angle, camera move, audio, descriptions, props and cast

design compositions (sketches)

storyboards for the motion graphics; help determine where text and graphics will appear on the screen and at what times throughout the project; will include arrows depicting direction in which graphics will move and notes for any needed effects, masks and mattes

style guide

guide to the overall style of the project that the client has laid out; makes sure that all marketing materials stay consistent; will contain dos and do nots when forming graphics; often contain colors, fonts, patterns, imagery styles and company motto set by the client; often hard and fast rules that should not be broken

scope

what needs to be done and how it is accomplished; timeline, resources, assigned tasks, costs, due dates, communication, strengths and weaknesses, scheduled progress updates, deliverables, and publishing/distributing

production

cameras actually roll and actors get to act on set

post-production

where footage is compiled and edited, graphics are created, and effects are added

scope creep

change to project’s scope; can keep us from meeting deadlines and interfere with budgets

delivering a project to specification

the project met all of the criteria set out by the style guidehaving multiple formats exported to distribute to various platforms

copyright

exists to protect creative works; new creative works are automatically copyrighted upon creation regardless of publication status; a tangible copy of the work must exist; granted by law, no paperwork needs to be filled out; the owner of the copyright is the only one allowed to reproduce or distribute that work

intellectual property

deals with creations of the mind; protects the expression of an idea such as inventions or trade secrets

ask permission (copyright)

be very specific about exactly how much of the material and exactly which parts of it will be used; written permission to use a copyrighted work can be obtained through licensing, which often comes with an associated fee; the licensee can dictate the term of use for the copyrighted material

commercial use

intent to make money ex | advertisement

noncommericial use example

using a video for educational or personal reasons

fair use doctrine

allows for limited use of copyrighted material without permission; depends on how and why the material is being used researchnews reportcritiqueteaching purposes ask permission to use copyrighted material

derivative works

a creation that is copied, derived, or originates from an original work or works; can contain some or all of the original material; must include enough new elements to be considered as an entirely new work

public domain

work no longer protected by copyright; works enter it 50 to 100 years after the death of the author; author can waive copyright protection and place their work into the public domain at any time

work for hire

if an employee creates something for a company, that company will retain the copyright; differs for independent contractors, in which case you should make sure to write out a contract that details who owns any finished works

Creative Commons

a non-profit organization that offers various copyright licenses that help copyright holders encourage others to share and use their original works

model release form

needed to be signed by any actors or models used if their likeness is being used for commercial gain; using someone else’s likeness without their permission could infringe on their right to privacy; laws vary state to state; should list all of the potential uses for the media they are in and include the model’s name and date; if the model is under 18, a legal guardian has to sign it for them; keep these forms indefinitely

photo release form

needs to be signed by photographer if a client wanted to use an image from them

location release

if you want to film on private property, you need to get permission to legally protect you and the property owner, you in case the owner changes their mind and the owner if any damage occurs to their property during the filming process when the location will be usedfor how longthe recognition of liability

location permit

filming in national park (low-impact filming)

no permit needed for a crew of five people or less able to carry their equipment at all times

sensitive location or resource filming (non-low-impact filming)

must contact the park 10 days before shooting, and a representative will inform you whether you will need a permit or not

shooting for commercial use

need to pay for a permit

frame rate (FPS)

number of frames that appear in a second of video 24 FPS - cinematic 60 FPS - more true to life (often in video games) anyone ending in decimal is used for television

higher frame rate

can get rid of the motion blur that eyes see and make a video look slightly unnatural; essential for use of slow motion in post production

slower frame rate

can make a video jump around and look more like stop motion

aspect ratio

ratio between width and height of an image

image and video resolution

how many pixels are in an image more pixels \= higher quality

safe zones

help to keep the action in videos or titles from cropping

action-safe area

the outer rectangle where all action in a scene needs to take place

rendering

process where computers cache temporary video files for smoother playback; flattening layers and effects into a final finished project

file format

container for an exported file .mp4 - very common .MOV/QuickTime - developed by Apple

audio sampling rate (Kilohertz)

the number of times per second that a piece of audio is being sampled CDs - 44.1kHz standard for video production - 48kHz higher rate \= better quality

bit rate

the amount of data that can be transferred in a second

white balance

manually - a pure white card or paper is held in front of the camera so it can analyze the white paper and determine surrounding color temperature

color correction

getting everything to look as natural to the eye as possible; getting whites and blacks as true to life as possible; involves changing brightness, highlights, contrast, shadows

color grading

more of an artistic endeavor, like Instagram filter; process of using colors and hues to set a certain atmosphere or mood n a scene

Tint slider

adds or takes away the white value of a color

bit depth

determines the amount of color information available per pixel within an image 8 bits - 256 colors (low dynamic range) 32 bits (high dynamic range)

RGB

red green blue

CMYB

cyan magenta yellow black

YUV

luma component, red component, blue component

HLS

hue saturation lightness

simple cut

represents the transition from on clip to the next

audio dissolve

smooths out the transitions from a quiet clip to a loud one

fade to black (dip to black) transition

slowly fades the video clip to pure black

wipe transition

transitions by wiping from one video clip to the other

slide transition

slides the entire video frame over the next

squash and stretch

(principle of animation)

helps to insinuate that an object has mass; gives it weight

arc

(principle of animation)

objects in the work don’t typically move in straight lines, they arc slightly

anticipation

(principle of animation)

nothing in life happens without something happening first

exaggeration

(principle of animation)

takes the idea of something, like the happiness of a character, and amps it up

follow-through and overlapping action

(principle of animation)

loose parts of the body continue moving after the character stops and eventually catch up

staging

(principle of animation)

setting up the animation; used to establish focal point and directs the viewers’ attention to a specific area on a screen using the location of a character or object, the placement of the camera, and even the timing of events

secondary action

(principle of animation)

every action that supports the primary action of a character

slow in and slow out

easing; mark drawings at the beginning and ending of a sequence to show acceleration and deceleration

straight ahead action

(principle of animation)

every frame is drawn sequentially from beginning to end

pose to pose

(principle of animation)

animator draws the first frame then the last frame, then fills in all the frames in between; makes it easier to maintain proportions when animating by hand; easier to maintain exactly where an animation is going to begin and end

timing

(principle of animation)

using the timing of an animation to convey something

solid drawing

(principle of animation)

the idea of how much volume or weight an object or character has

appeal

(principle of animation)

important for an audience to connect with a character and make them more relatable

compositing

taking multiple layers of video, graphics, or both, and combining them into a single image; ca be very simple or extremely complex

masking

a way to hide, emphasize, or add effects to a specific portion of a video; often used instead of cropping: applied directly to layers

match moving

the process of analyzing movement within a piece of video

2D match moving

aka motion tracking; happens when an asset follows along with the movement of something in a video clip

3D match moving

artist must create a virtual camera that follows along with footage which allows for the seamless integration of visual effects elements with video; often used in major motion pictures and television shows

two-dimensional space

objects can only move either up or down, or left and right

three-dimensional space

objects can move closer to, or farther away from us

rotoscoping

the process of tracing a matte on every frame of video so that another layer can be seen behind an object

rule of thirds

the idea of breaking up an image into vertical and horizontal thirds, and then placing the focal point on the intersecting lines those thirds create

foreground

the elements in an image or design that appear closest to the viewer

background

the elements in an image or design that are farthest away from the viewer

mid-ground

everything in between the background and the foreground

depth of field

the distance between the closest part of an image that is in focus and the farthest part that is in focus shallow - only a small portion is focused large - most of the image is focused

tone

the shading of light and dark on an object

tonal range

the difference between the darkest and lightest parts of an image

contrast

the differences between colors and other elements within a design; good way to establish focal point

cropping

the act of trimming the edges of a picture to remove what is not needed

field of view

everything a camera can see through its lens

line

a path moving through space drawn by a pencil, pen, or brush, or any two points that have been connected

shape

the contour of a flat object that has a defined boundary