More AE learning on Lynda.com. A shorter segment today, so most of the new stuff I learned was just keyboard shortcuts and all. Plus some other various little tricks here and there.
But the biggest thing I learned about was the "Timewarp" Effect. There's quite a few slow-motion effects I have planned for my film (the feature that I mentioned in a previous post, that I'm editing right now), and this will definitely come in handy. At the moment I've just been using some simple duration adjustments (% of normal speed), but this new tool in After Effects will give me a lot more control and ideally better quality. I'll have to play around with it more in the future though. :) This is gonna be fun!
January 22, 2016
January 21, 2016
1/21/16 - After Effects Learning (Part 4)
Continuing with the same tutorial on Lynda.com. Key topics of note include: anchor point, AE rotation style, and puppet tool.
Seriously though… I loved learned about the anchor point. That's a common thing that I've seen in many other applications, but oddly enough I never really understood it. It's really quite simple, and all these years I've just forced myself to work around these weird rotations and scales and whatnot. Now it all makes sense! :)
The rotation notations in AE are pretty cool too, written like: 0x, +0*. I think it's a pretty intelligent design to mark it like that: # of full rotations, plus extra degrees beyond that. I can definitely see it streamlining certain animations quite a bit.
And then the puppet tool is an amazing feature! I already just learned about this is in that introductory lesson I watched before this one, but this gave me a slightly more in-depth look at it and definitely gave me some ideas on how to use and work with it (separating objects of a figure based on their function: solid transforms vs. organic transforms, connecting pieces, etc.).
Still pretty basic stuff, but I really am learning a lot.
Seriously though… I loved learned about the anchor point. That's a common thing that I've seen in many other applications, but oddly enough I never really understood it. It's really quite simple, and all these years I've just forced myself to work around these weird rotations and scales and whatnot. Now it all makes sense! :)
The rotation notations in AE are pretty cool too, written like: 0x, +0*. I think it's a pretty intelligent design to mark it like that: # of full rotations, plus extra degrees beyond that. I can definitely see it streamlining certain animations quite a bit.
And then the puppet tool is an amazing feature! I already just learned about this is in that introductory lesson I watched before this one, but this gave me a slightly more in-depth look at it and definitely gave me some ideas on how to use and work with it (separating objects of a figure based on their function: solid transforms vs. organic transforms, connecting pieces, etc.).
Still pretty basic stuff, but I really am learning a lot.
January 17, 2016
1/17/16 - After Effects Learning (Part 3)
Finally got back to the tutorial series again today:
http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-CS4-tutorials/essential-training/715-2.html
Just did 30 min. today (one chapter), kept it simple. Mostly it was all about layers (sorting, managing, navigation, alignment, etc.), all stuff I'm pretty familiar with (except for alignment, which oddly enough I could never quite figure out before, haha). "Distribute Layers" is a really cool feature. Also, the "shy" layers feature is gonna be super helpful! I'm actually really enjoying this "no post" stuff as part of my blog. Learning a lot, bit by bit.
http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-CS4-tutorials/essential-training/715-2.html
Just did 30 min. today (one chapter), kept it simple. Mostly it was all about layers (sorting, managing, navigation, alignment, etc.), all stuff I'm pretty familiar with (except for alignment, which oddly enough I could never quite figure out before, haha). "Distribute Layers" is a really cool feature. Also, the "shy" layers feature is gonna be super helpful! I'm actually really enjoying this "no post" stuff as part of my blog. Learning a lot, bit by bit.
January 12, 2016
1/12/16 - After Effects Learning (Part 2)
Back again with another "no post" post. Gonna be like this for awhile while I'm watching through all these After Effects tutorials.
Today I started my second AE series on Lynda.com:
http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-CS4-tutorials/essential-training/715-2.html
I'm following all the CS4 tutorials specifically because that's the version of the software that I'm still using. I purchased it quite a few years ago in a bundle at college, and I figure there's no reason to upgrade until I really know how to use the one I already have.
Anyway, the total course itself is 8 hours long and I'm trying to break it up into about an hour a day. Today's segments included:
Today I started my second AE series on Lynda.com:
http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-CS4-tutorials/essential-training/715-2.html
I'm following all the CS4 tutorials specifically because that's the version of the software that I'm still using. I purchased it quite a few years ago in a bundle at college, and I figure there's no reason to upgrade until I really know how to use the one I already have.
Anyway, the total course itself is 8 hours long and I'm trying to break it up into about an hour a day. Today's segments included:
- Another overview of the software
- Managing a simple project
- Creating basic elements (shapes, animated text, effects)
- Understanding interface elements
- Importing various file types (and under various settings)
Much of this I already know, but there are a few little things here and there I didn't know. I'm only just starting to scratch the surface of really learning the software, but I do feel a lot more comfortable with it already.
January 6, 2016
1/6/16 - After Effects Learning (Part 1)
Gonna try something new today. Been thinking about ways to improve my work habits as part of a New Year's resolution kind of thing, and I made a decision regarding this blog…
Not every post has to actually have something "posted".
What I mean by this is that not every post has to have an image, a video, a music track, or whatever else, to qualify as a post. I can merely say, "Hey, I watched a tutorial today and learned something" and in my opinion that will more than qualify as time well spent. I came to this conclusion after recently asking myself… what would be the most effective use of my time regarding this blog right now? And honestly, it came down to learning and practicing with various software via tutorials and all (specifically "After Effects" and "Logic" at the moment). I have a massive project I'm currently in the middle of editing footage for, and as soon as I'm done (which should be relatively soon) I'll be entering the VFX, music, and sound editing stages, nearly 90% of which will require the use of After Effects and Logic. And I'm incredibly inexperienced with both. The catch…? During those periods of just watching tutorials and learning I'll have very little in terms of things I can actually "post" to this blog.
So…
For today's post I'm gonna test the waters so to speak, and just talk about what I did/learned but not actually "share" anything.
Today I watched an introductory tutorial series for After Effects on Lynda.com (which is an amazing resource for learning so many topics). One of the shorter lessons, it was basically a little over an hour long and covered a broad overview of concepts about the software, introducing me a bit more to the interface, keyboard shortcuts, and various functions available. A simple introduction, but I wanted to start with the basics before moving on to more complex tasks.
We'll see how these "no post" posts help my work habits. They may or may not work, but it made a lot of sense to me so I figured it was at least worth a try.
If interested, this is the tutorial I watched:
http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-CS4-tutorials/getting-started/699-2.html
Not every post has to actually have something "posted".
What I mean by this is that not every post has to have an image, a video, a music track, or whatever else, to qualify as a post. I can merely say, "Hey, I watched a tutorial today and learned something" and in my opinion that will more than qualify as time well spent. I came to this conclusion after recently asking myself… what would be the most effective use of my time regarding this blog right now? And honestly, it came down to learning and practicing with various software via tutorials and all (specifically "After Effects" and "Logic" at the moment). I have a massive project I'm currently in the middle of editing footage for, and as soon as I'm done (which should be relatively soon) I'll be entering the VFX, music, and sound editing stages, nearly 90% of which will require the use of After Effects and Logic. And I'm incredibly inexperienced with both. The catch…? During those periods of just watching tutorials and learning I'll have very little in terms of things I can actually "post" to this blog.
So…
For today's post I'm gonna test the waters so to speak, and just talk about what I did/learned but not actually "share" anything.
Today I watched an introductory tutorial series for After Effects on Lynda.com (which is an amazing resource for learning so many topics). One of the shorter lessons, it was basically a little over an hour long and covered a broad overview of concepts about the software, introducing me a bit more to the interface, keyboard shortcuts, and various functions available. A simple introduction, but I wanted to start with the basics before moving on to more complex tasks.
We'll see how these "no post" posts help my work habits. They may or may not work, but it made a lot of sense to me so I figured it was at least worth a try.
If interested, this is the tutorial I watched:
http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-CS4-tutorials/getting-started/699-2.html
January 1, 2016
1/1/16 - Carol of the Bells (Final)
The final video and music track!
Happy New Year, everybody!
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGVHYebYTP0
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