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Table of Contents
Home Page
Getting started
Installation
Requirements
Install the software
Activate the software
Register
Read Me
Adobe Help
Adobe Help resources
Using Help in the product
Resources
Adobe Video Workshop
After Effects CS3 videos
Extras
Bridge Home
Adobe Design Center
Adobe Developer Center
Customer support
Downloads
Adobe Labs
User communities
What’s new
New features
User interface
Customizing the user interface
About workspaces
Choose a workspace
Dock, group, or float panels
Resize panel groups
Open and close panels and windows
Working with multiple monitors
Save a custom workspace
Reset a workspace
Delete a workspace
Brighten or darken the interface
Using the After Effects interface
Work with columns
Scroll or zoom with the mouse wheel
Open panel, viewer, and context menus
Work with viewers
Activate a tool
Tips for working with the After Effects user interface
Work with preferences
Planning and managing projects
Project basics
About project files
Create and open projects
Work with template projects
Save and back up projects
Work with the Flowchart panel
Undo changes
Project planning and setup
Workflow
Example workflow: Create a simple movie
Use Adobe Bridge with After Effects
Planning your project
Planning for playback from film, videotape, and DVD
Planning for playback on computer monitors and mobile devices
Working with Photoshop and After Effects
Working with Flash and After Effects
Working with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects
Work with Adobe Encore and After Effects
Creating an animated GIF movie
Cross-platform project considerations
Memory, storage, and performance
Memory usage and storage
RAM and disk caches
Memory & Cache preferences
Render multiple frames simultaneously
Improve performance
Plug-ins and scripts
About plug-ins
Work with scripts
Importing
Importing and interpreting footage items
Working with imported files
Supported import formats
Import footage items
Interpret footage items
Specify alpha channel interpretation
Change frame rate
Change pixel aspect ratio
Common pixel aspect ratios
Use square-pixel footage for output to D1/DV NTSC
Working with footage items
Organize and view items in the Project panel
Working with footage items in the Footage panel
Reveal footage items
Refresh footage items
Edit footage in its original application
Remove items from a project
Work with placeholders and proxies
Loop a footage item
Importing from After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro
Import an After Effects project
Import an Adobe Premiere Pro project
Use Adobe Premiere Pro for capture (Production Premium only)
Copy between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro
Importing video and audio
Work with the media cache
Types of video and film
About high-definition (HD) video
About interlaced and noninterlaced video
Separate video fields
Determine the original field order
Remove 3:2 or 24Pa pulldown from video
Import assets in Panasonic P2 format
Importing AAF and OMF files (Windows only)
Importing DDR-based footage
Edit audio in Adobe Soundbooth or Adobe Audition
Importing 3D image files
3D files from other applications
Importing 3D images from Photoshop Extended and Illustrator
Import RLA or RPF data into a camera layer
Baking and importing Maya data
Importing still images
Preparing still-image files for importing
Import a single still image or a still-image sequence
Convert a merged footage item into a composition
Preparing and importing Photoshop files
Preparing and importing Illustrator files
Importing Cineon sequences
Introduction to Camera Raw
About camera raw files
About Camera Raw
About the Digital Negative (DNG) format
Processing images with Camera Raw
Import and interpret camera raw files
Camera Raw dialog box overview
Work with the Camera Raw cache in Adobe Bridge
Navigating, opening, and saving images with Camera Raw
Process, compare, and rate multiple images in Camera Raw
Open images in Camera Raw
Save a camera raw image in another format
Adjusting color in Camera Raw
Using histogram and RGB levels in Camera Raw
Preview highlight and shadow clipping in Camera Raw
White balance controls in Camera Raw
Adjust tone in Camera Raw
Fine-tune tone curves in Camera Raw
Clarity, Saturation, and Vibrance controls in Camera Raw
HSL / Grayscale controls in Camera Raw
Tone a grayscale image in Camera Raw
Adjust color rendering for your camera in Camera Raw
Compensate for chromatic aberration in Camera Raw
Compensate for lens vignetting in Camera Raw
Modifying images with Camera Raw
Rotate images with Camera Raw
Straighten images in Camera Raw
Crop selected images in Camera Raw
Remove red-eye in Camera Raw
Retouch images in Camera Raw
Adjust sharpening in Camera Raw
Reducing noise in Camera Raw
Camera Raw settings
Save, reset, and load Camera Raw settings
Specify where Camera Raw settings are stored
Copy and paste Camera Raw settings
Apply saved Camera Raw settings
Export Camera Raw settings and DNG previews
Compositions
Composition basics
Introduction to compositions
Create a composition
Timeline panel overview
Work with composition settings
Work with the region of interest
Set composition background color
Work with composition thumbnail images
Zoom in or out in time
Set the work area
Nesting, precomposing, and pre-rendering
About nesting and precomposing
Precompose layers
Pre-render a nested composition
Render order and collapsing transformations
Markers
About markers
Work with composition-time markers
Work with layer-time markers
Create a web link, chapter link, or cue point from a marker
Synchronize markers to audio
Views and previews
Previewing
Preview video and audio
Move the current-time indicator
Choose a viewer to always preview
Preview modes
Work with snapshots
Preview on an external video monitor
Modifying and using views
Select a view layout and share view settings
Select a 3D view
Show or hide layer controls in the Composition panel
Zoom
Resolution
Viewing a color channel or alpha channel
Adjust exposure for previews
Work with safe zones, grids, guides, and rulers
Change time display units
Layers and properties
Creating layers
About layers
Work with the Layer panel
Create layers from footage items
Create or modify a solid-color layer
Create an adjustment layer
Create a layer and new Photoshop footage item
Selecting and arranging layers
Select layers
Change the stacking order for selected layers
About coordinate systems
Move layers in space
Align or distribute layers in 2D space
Trim, extend, or slip-edit a layer
Remove part of a layer’s duration
Place a layer in time
Arrange layers in time sequentially
Copy or duplicate a layer
Split a layer
Auto-Orientation options
Managing layers
View and change layer information
Layer switches and columns in the Timeline panel
Exclude a layer from previews and final output
Solo a layer
Lock or unlock a layer
Work with color labels
Show and hide layers in the Timeline panel
Layer image quality
Continuously rasterize a layer containing vector graphics
Modify layer properties
Work with layer properties in the Timeline panel
Set a property value
Work with layer anchor points
Scale a layer
Flip a layer
Rotate a 2D layer
Adjust audio volume levels
Work with parent and child layers
Create a null object
Work with guide layers
Use Brainstorm to experiment and explore settings
Blending modes
Change a layer’s blending mode
Blending mode reference
Layer styles
About layer styles
Work with layer styles
Layer style settings
Working with blending options for layer styles
Exclude channels from blending
Working with 3D layers
About 3D layers
Convert 3D layers
Show or hide 3D axes and layer controls
Move a 3D layer
Rotate or orient a 3D layer
Axis modes
How render order and collapsed transformations affect 3D layers
Cameras, lights, and points of interest
Create a camera layer and change camera settings
Create a light and change settings
Move a camera, light, or point of interest
Adjust a camera view
Material Options properties
Specify resolution to use for rendering shadows
Animation
Animation basics
About animation, keyframes, and expressions
Work with the Graph Editor
Setting, selecting, and deleting keyframes
Set keyframes
Add a keyframe without changing a value
Move the current-time indicator to a keyframe
Select keyframes
Keyframe menu commands
Delete or disable keyframes
Editing, moving, and copying keyframes
Edit a keyframe in the Graph Editor
View or edit a keyframe value
Copy and paste keyframes
Edit keyframe values using a spreadsheet
Move keyframes in to another time
Move a keyframe to a specific time
Expand or contract a group of keyframes in layer bar mode
Move a layer duration bar but not its keyframes
Copy a value from a layer property that contains no keyframes
Change multiple keyframe values at once
Edit multiple keyframes in the Graph Editor
Creating and modifying motion paths
Work with motion paths
Sketch a motion path with Motion Sketch
Create a motion path from a mask, shape, or paint path
Assorted animation tools
Use motion blur
Smooth motion and velocity
Add randomness to a property with The Wiggler
Convert audio to keyframes
Interpolation
Controlling change with interpolation
Keyframe interpolation methods
Apply and change keyframe interpolation methods
Modify Bezier direction handles
Speed
About speed graphs
About changes in speed
Control speed between keyframes
Work with the speed graph
Change speed numerically
Smooth motion with roving keyframes
Revert to a nonroving keyframe
Automatically ease speed
Use Exponential Scale
Time-stretching and time-remapping
Time-stretch a layer
Reverse a layer’s playback direction
Reverse keyframes without reversing layer playback
About time-remapping
Time-remap a layer
Time-remap audio pitch
Apply frame blending to a layer
Animating with Puppet tools
About the Puppet tools
Manually animate an image with the Puppet tools
Record animation by sketching motion with the Puppet Pin tool
How the Puppet effect creates outlines
Work with pins and the distortion mesh
Puppet Overlap controls
Puppet Starch controls
Color
Color basics
Set the color depth
High dynamic range color
Select a color or edit a gradient
About color correction and adjustment
About color spaces
About gamma and tone response
Color management
Why you should use color management
Color management and color profiles
Calibrate and profile your monitor
Choose a working color space and enable color management
Linearize working space and enable linear blending
Interpret a footage item by assigning an input color profile
Assign an output color profile
Enable or disable display color management
Simulate how colors will appear on a different output device
Broadcast-safe colors
Working with Cineon footage items
Masks, transparency, and keying
Transparency overview
About transparency
About alpha channels and mattes
About straight and premultiplied channels
About keying
About masks
Creating and importing masks
Creating masks
Create a rectangular or elliptical mask numerically
Create a mask from a motion path
Create a mask from a channel with Auto-trace
Working with masks and mattes
View mask paths
Select masks, segments, and vertices
Change a mask path numerically
Lock or unlock masks
Copy, cut, save, reuse, and delete masks
Control mask path color
Mask modes
Adjust the edges of a mask
Adjust mask feather
About track mattes and traveling mattes
Convert a layer into a track matte
Preserve underlying transparency during compositing
Animating masks
Use Smart Mask Interpolation
Move a mask or pan a layer behind a mask
Apply motion blur to a mask
Keying
Keying overview and tips
Use a garbage matte
Use a hold-out matte
Close a hole in a matte
Text
Creating and editing text layers
About text layers
Best practices for creating text and vector graphics for video
Enter point text
Enter paragraph text
Resize a text bounding box
Convert point or paragraph text
Change the direction of text
Convert text from Photoshop to editable text
Select text
Edit and move text in text layers
Formatting characters
Using the Character panel
Work with fonts
Use smart quotes
Specify leading to control spacing between lines
Work with text fills and strokes
Specify kerning and tracking
Adjust scale or specify baseline shift
Change the case of text
Format as superscript or subscript
Blend overlapping characters in a text layer
Work with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text
Formatting paragraphs
Work with the Paragraph panel
Align and justify text
Indent and space paragraphs
Specify hanging punctuation for Roman fonts
Text composition methods
Animating text
About text animation
Text animation presets
Animate text with text animators
Work with animator properties
Work with selectors
Set a text layer’s anchor point properties
Work with per-character 3D text properties
Creating and animating text on a path
Examples of text animation
Example: Animate characters with per-character 3D properties
Example: Offset characters
Example: Animate characters with the Wiggly selector
Example: Animate text tracking
Example: Use selectors to animate specific words
Example: Create a write-on animation
Example: Animate text with multiple selectors
Example: Animate text position with expressions
Example: Animate text as a timecode display
Drawing and painting
Using paint tools
Work with paint tools and paint strokes
Common paint tool settings in the Paint panel
Work with brushes
Paint with the Brush tool
Use the Clone Stamp tool
Work with clone presets
Use the Eraser tool
Animate paint strokes
Shape layers overview
About vector graphics and raster images
About paths
About shapes and shape layers
About groups and render order for shapes
Group and ungroup shapes and shape attributes
Creating shapes and masks
Creating shapes and shape layers
Create a shape or mask by dragging with shape tools
Create a shape or mask the size of the layer
Create shapes from text characters
Create a Bezier shape or mask using the Pen tool
Convert a path between manual Bezier and RotoBezier
Modify a Bezier mask path or shape path
Copy a path from Illustrator, Photoshop, or Fireworks
Designate the first vertex for a Bezier path
Managing and editing shapes
Select paths, shapes, and groups
Move vertices in free-transform mode
Duplicate a shape group while transforming
Adding attributes to shape layers
Work with strokes and fills for shapes
Fill rules for shapes
Alter shape paths with path operations
Merge Paths options
Using the Repeater to replicate shapes
Motion tracking
Motion tracking overview
About motion tracking
Motion tracking workflow
Motion tracking controls
Motion tracking options
Motion tracking properties in the Timeline panel
Tracking motion
Track or stabilize motion
Adjust the track point
Apply tracking data to a new target
Correct a motion track
Effects and animation presets
Effects and animation presets overview
About animation presets
About effects
About compound effects and control layers
Effects with a Comp Camera attribute
Working with effects and animation presets
Work with effects in the Effect Controls panel
Effects & Presets panel overview
Apply an effect or animation preset
Delete or disable effects and animation presets
Remove an effect or animation preset
Save an animation preset
Work with effect control points
About randomness and random seeds
Effect reference
Galleries of effects
3D Channel effects gallery
Blur & Sharpen effects gallery
Channel effects gallery
Color Correction effects gallery
Distort effects gallery
Generate effects gallery
Keying effects gallery
Matte effects gallery
Noise & Grain effects gallery
Paint effects gallery
Perspective effects gallery
Simulation effects gallery
Stylize effects gallery
Text effects gallery
Time effects gallery
Transition effects gallery
Utility effects gallery
3D Channel effects
About 3D Channel effects
3D Channel Extract effect
Depth Matte effect
Depth Of Field effect
Fog 3D effect
ID Matte effect
Audio effects
Backwards effect
Bass & Treble effect
Delay effect
Flange & Chorus effect
High-Low Pass effect
Modulator effect
Parametric EQ effect
Reverb effect
Stereo Mixer effect
Tone effect
Blur & Sharpen effects
About Blur & Sharpen effects
Box Blur effect
Channel Blur effect
Compound Blur effect
Directional Blur effect
Fast Blur effect
Gaussian Blur effect
Lens Blur effect
Radial Blur effect
Reduce Interlace Flicker effect
Sharpen effect
Smart Blur effect
Unsharp Mask effect
Channel effects
Alpha Levels effect
Arithmetic effect
Blend effect
Calculations effect
Channel Combiner effect
Compound Arithmetic effect
Invert effect
Minimax effect
Remove Color Matting effect
Set Channels effect
Set Matte effect
Shift Channels effect
Solid Composite effect
Color Correction effects
Using histograms to adjust color
Auto Color and Auto Contrast effects
Auto Levels effect
Brightness & Contrast effect
Broadcast Colors effect
Change Color effect
Change To Color effect
Channel Mixer effect
Color Balance effect
Color Balance (HLS) effect
Color Link effect
Color Stabilizer effect
Colorama effect
Curves effect
Equalize effect
Exposure effect
Gamma/Pedestal/Gain effect
Hue/Saturation effect
Leave Color effect
Levels effect
Levels (Individual Controls) effect
Photo Filter effect
PS Arbitrary Map effect
Shadow/Highlight effect
Tint effect
Tritone effect
Distort effects
Bezier Warp effect
Bulge effect
Corner Pin effect
Displacement Map effect
Liquify effect
Magnify effect
Mesh Warp effect
Mirror effect
Offset effect
Optics Compensation effect
Polar Coordinates effect
Puppet effect
Reshape effect
Ripple effect
Smear effect
Spherize effect
Transform effect
Turbulent Displace effect
Twirl effect
Warp effect
Wave Warp effect
Generate effects
4-Color Gradient effect
Advanced Lightning effect
Audio Spectrum effect
Audio Waveform effect
Beam effect
Cell Pattern effect
Checkerboard effect
Circle effect
Ellipse effect
Eyedropper Fill effect
Fill effect
Fractal effect
Grid effect
Lens Flare effect
Lightning effect
Paint Bucket effect
Radio Waves effect
Ramp effect
Scribble effect
Stroke effect
Vegas effect
Write-on effect
Keying effects
Color Difference Key effect
Color Key effect
Color Range effect
Difference Matte effect
Extract effect
Inner/Outer Key effect
Linear Color Key effect
Luma Key effect
Spill Suppressor effect
Matte effects
Matte Choker effect
Simple Choker effect
Noise & Grain effects
Work with Grain effects
Work with noise samples in Grain effects
Working with added or matched grain
Add Grain effect
Dust & Scratches effect
Fractal Noise effect
Match Grain effect
Median effect
Noise effect
Noise Alpha effect
Noise HLS effect and Noise HLS Auto effect
Remove Grain effect
Paint effects
Paint effect
Vector Paint effect
Perspective effects
3D Glasses effect
Basic 3D effect
Bevel Alpha effect
Bevel Edges effect
Drop Shadow effect
Radial Shadow effect
Simulation effects
Common Lighting controls and Material controls
Card Dance effect
Caustics effect
Foam effect
Particle Playground effect
Shatter effect
Wave World effect
Stylize effects
Brush Strokes effect
Color Emboss effect
Emboss effect
Find Edges effect
Glow effect
Mosaic effect
Motion Tile effect
Posterize effect
Roughen Edges effect
Scatter effect
Strobe Light effect
Texturize effect
Threshold effect
Text effects
Basic Text effect
Numbers effect
Path Text effect
Timecode effect
Time effects
Echo effect
Posterize Time effect
Time Difference effect
Time Displacement effect
Timewarp effect
Transition effects
About Transition effects
Block Dissolve effect
Card Wipe effect
Gradient Wipe effect
Iris Wipe effect
Linear Wipe effect
Radial Wipe effect
Venetian Blinds effect
Utility effects
Cineon Converter effect
Color Profile Converter effect
Grow Bounds effect
HDR Compander effect
HDR Highlight Compression effect
Expressions
Working with expressions
About expressions
Add, edit, and remove expressions
Example: Use the expression language reference to write an expression
Show expressions and the expression graph
Writing expressions for source text
Add comments to an expression
Save and reuse expressions
Using Expression Controls effects
Convert an expression to keyframes
The expression language
About the expression language
Accessing attributes and methods
Arrays and multidimensional properties
Vectors
Indices and labels
Expression time
After Effects expression elements reference
Using the expression elements reference
Global objects
Time conversion methods
Vector Math methods
Random Numbers methods
Interpolation methods
Color Conversion methods
Other Math methods
Comp attributes and methods
Footage attributes and methods
Layer Sub-objects attributes and methods
Layer General attributes and methods
Layer Properties attributes and methods
Layer 3D attributes and methods
Layer Space Transforms methods
Camera attributes and methods
Light attributes and methods
Effect attributes and methods
Mask attributes and methods
Property attributes and methods
Key attributes and methods
MarkerKey attributes
Expression examples
Example: Make a layer revolve in a circle
Example: Rotate the hands of a clock
Example: Position one layer between two others
Example: Create a trail of images
Example: Create a bulge between two layers
Example: Fade a 3D layer’s opacity based on distance from camera
Example: Make a 3D layer invisible if facing away from camera
Example: Flip layer horizontally if facing away from camera
Example: Animate scale at each layer-time marker
Example: Start or stop wiggle at specific time
Example: Match camera’s focal plane to another layer
Rendering and exporting
Basics of rendering and exporting
About rendering and exporting
Supported output formats
Render and export a movie using the render queue
Work in the Render Queue panel
Rendering and exporting movies using QuickTime components
Render with OpenGL
Collect files in one location
Specify file names and locations for rendered output
Work with render settings
Work with output module settings
Use a post-render action
Rendering and exporting to Flash formats
About render and export of Flash formats
Render and export a composition as a Flash (SWF) file
Rendering and exporting still images and still-image sequences
Creating motion-picture film
Rendering and exporting a sequence of still images
Export a single frame of a composition
About Filmstrip format
Exporting project information to other Adobe applications
Export an After Effects project to Adobe Premiere Pro
About Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)
Saving and Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)
Managing performance and Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)
Color and Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)
Link to a new composition with Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)
Link to an existing composition with Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)
Delete a dynamically linked composition or clip (Production Premium only)
Edit a dynamically linked composition in After Effects (Production Premium only)
Offline compositions and Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)
Encoding and compression options for movies
Format options and export settings
About the Adobe Media Encoder
About MPEG
Filter options for encoding
Video options for encoding
Audio options for encoding
Alternates and Audiences options for encoding
Others options for encoding
Media Encoder MPEG multiplexer preset options
Add XMP metadata to an exported file
Preview a movie on a virtual mobile device using After Effects
About compression of movie files
About data rate
Specify QuickTime compression settings
Specify Video for Windows compression options
Render a composition to OMF (Windows only)
Automated rendering and network rendering
Automating rendering with aerender
Network rendering with watch folders
Set up watch-folder rendering
Track dependencies of a watch-folder render
Start in watch-folder mode
Render a still-image sequence with multiple computers
Overflow volumes and segment settings
Converting movies
Convert footage items between video formats
Convert DV footage from PAL to NTSC using pulldown
Scaling a movie down
Scaling a movie up
Create a composition and render source footage items simultaneously
Introduce 3:2 pulldown
Test field-rendering order
Reviewing movies with Clip Notes comments
About Clip Notes comments
Rendering and exporting a movie for Clip Notes comments
Clip Notes export settings
Add Clip Notes comments
Import Clip Notes comments
Keyboard shortcuts
Using and modifying keyboard shortcuts
Shortcuts, general
Shortcuts for working with projects
Shortcuts for working with preferences
Shortcuts for panels, viewers, workspaces, and windows
Shortcuts for activating tools
Shortcuts for working with compositions and the work area
Shortcuts for working with previews
Shortcuts for time navigation
Shortcuts for working with footage
Shortcuts for using and modifying views
Shortcuts for effects and animation presets
Shortcuts for working with layers
Shortcuts for showing properties in the Timeline panel
Shortcuts for modifying properties
Shortcuts for 3D layers
Shortcuts for keyframes
Shortcuts for working with text
Shortcuts for working with masks
Shortcuts for working with paint tools
Shortcuts for working with shape layers
Shortcuts for working with markers
Shortcuts for motion tracking
Shortcuts for saving, exporting, and rendering
Legal notices
Copyright
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