After Effects Guru: Creating Presets and Controllers

1h 29mIntermediate2017-02-28

Authors

Nick Harauz

Certified Adobe, Apple, and Avid Trainer

Course details

How much time in your After Effects workflow do you spend applying simple key frames to layers in your composition, such as fade in and fade out? Wouldn't it be easier to save those effects as presets, so you don't have to recreate them? Follow Nick Harauz as he shows how to build presets that you can use in future projects. In this course, Nick explains how to create text presets, textures, and useful backgrounds. Plus, he looks at ways to control multiple layers in a project through expressions, null objects, and blending tricks. By the end of the course, you're equipped to develop your own library of presets, so that when you tackle your next After Effects project, you'll have an arsenal of custom effects and content that can help expedite your work.

Learning objectives
Creating text animation presets
Creating custom vignette and fractal noise presets
Creating a custom texture library
Using a null object to control layered graphics
Using the interpolation expression to link values
Setting up a Universal Color Control
Using prebuild expressions to drive camera animation and depth of field
Creating a control layer to delay layer animation
Saving your control layers and expressions

Skills covered

Motion GraphicsAfter EffectsRenderingMotion Graphics and VFXVisualization and Real-TimeLimited SeriesAdobeAECProduct and ManufacturingAnimation and Illustration

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - What you should know before watching this course
03 - Using the exercise files

1. Creating Text and Shape Presets for Kinetic Text Animations

04 - Understanding how to work with text animators
05 - Creating a text animation preset , part 1
06 - Creating a text animation preset, part 2
07 - Creating custom vignette presets
08 - Creating fractal noise presets
09 - Creating a custom texture library
10 - Sharing presets

2. Understanding Control Layers

11 - Using a null object to control layered graphics
12 - Using a null object to control camera rotation
13 - An overview of expression controls
14 - Using the interpolation expression to link values

3. Control Layers in Action

15 - Setting up a Universal Color Control
16 - Using a checkbox control for visibility
17 - Using slider controls for wiggling a light's intensity
18 - Using prebuilt expressions to drive camera animation and depth of field
19 - Animating fractal noise to control layer visibility
20 - Creating a control layer to delay layer animation
21 - Saving your control layers and expressions

Conclusion

22 - Summary