Lesson overview. Working with shape layers

WORKING WITH SHAPE LAYERS

Laboratory work 4

Review answers

Review Questions

1 What are some similarities and differences between text layers and other types of layers in After Effects?

2 How can you preview a text animation preset?

3 How can you assign one layer’s transformations to another layer?

4 What are text animator groups?

1 In many ways, text layers are just like any other layer in After Effects. You can apply effects and expressions to text layers, animate them, designate them as 3D layers, and edit the 3D text while viewing it in multiple views. However, text layers are like shape layers in that you can’t open them in their own Layer panels, and in that they are synthetic layers that consist entirely of vector graphics. You can animate the text in a text layer using special text animator properties and selectors.

2 You can preview text animation presets in Adobe Bridge by choosing Animation > Browse Presets. Adobe Bridge opens and displays the contents of the After Effects Presets folder. Navigate to folders containing categories of text animation presets, such as Blurs or Paths, and watch samples in the Preview panel. Then double-click a preset to add it to the currently selected layer in the After Effects Timeline panel.

3 You can use parenting relationships in After Effects to assign one layer’s transformations to another layer (except opacity transformations). When a layer is made a parent to another layer, the other layer is called the child layer. Creating a parenting relationship between layers synchronizes the changes in the parent layer with corresponding transformation values of the child layers.

4 Text animator groups enable you to animate the properties of individual characters in a text layer over time. Text animator groups contain one or more selectors, which are like masks: They let you specify which characters or section of a text layer you want an animator property to affect. Using a selector, you can define a percentage of the text, specific characters in the text, or a specific range of text.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:

􀁴 Create custom shapes.

􀁴 Customize a shape’s fill and stroke.

􀁴 Use path operations to transform shapes.

􀁴 Animate shapes.

􀁴 Repeat shapes.

􀁴 Explore design options with the Brainstorm feature.

􀁴 Add a Cartoon effect to a video layer for a distinctive look.

􀁴 Use Adobe After Effects in a DVD interface workflow.

This lesson will take approximately an hour to complete. Copy the Lesson04 folder into the Lessons folder that you created on your hard drive for these projects (or create it now), if you haven’t already done so. As you work on this lesson, you’ll preserve the start files. If you need to restore the start files, copy them from the Adobe After Effects CS5 Classroom in a Book DVD.

Shape layers make it easy to create expressive backgrounds and intriguing results. You can animate shapes, apply animation presets, and add Repeaters to intensify their impact.

Дата добавления: 2014-11-20