Motion Design – 03

Class 3 – Transitions, Trimm Paths, Mattes & Workflow

Last weeks project – planetary file

Before we head into this weeks main project we’ll go back to last weeks planetary file and add a comet flying through.

Animate comet along path with trace path

Use trim path, dashes and tapering for animated flare

Animation Project – A to B

Import from Illustrator and basic setup

Start with rough animation timing of project. 

Animate Flowers, Twigs and other stuff with rotation and cc bend it

Draw letter with trim path and track matte

Add dashes and flares with trim path

Pre comp and add Turbulent Displace to an Adjustment Layer to roughen the whole animation

Rendering

If you want to create a movie file out of your animation you must render your file. There are several ways to do this and Adobe provides basic explanations on them here. Or watch this tutorial for a more detailed look into the topic.

Render to mov

If you want to render a high quality .mov file, that you’ll compress later (see HandBrake) do the following:

Add your composition to the Render Queue by going to Composition → Add to Render Queue and choose → Render Settings: Best Settings→ Output Module: Lossless.

Render to mp4

If you will use your file for Web and Social Media you’ll need an mp4 and the easiest and quickest way is this:

Add your composition to the Media Encoder by going to Composition → Add to Adobe Media Encoder (Option + Command + M) and choose → Format: H.264 → Preset: Match Source – High bitrate.

You can read an in depth article about mp4 and H.264 here. If you have no clue what a codec or a container is and want to know → read it.

HandBrake

is a really good free compressing software. The mp4 and mov file that will result from the rendering described above can still be quite big so to keep file sizes low please download and install HandBrake.

Once running go to Import and find the “H.264 – fast – same as source.json” preset in base folder → HandBrake → Class-Presets. This preset is set to H.264 with very good compression while keeping frame rate and dimensions of the original file.

You might also want to use this one with other files, if you want to put them on a website ore even e-mail them.

For comparison:

mov straight out of AE → 17.8MB
mp4 with Media Encoder – High Bitrate → 2,1MB
mov or mp4 compressed with HandBrake and Class-Preset → ca. 420 KB

Masks, Mattes and Transparency

In After Effects there are many ways to mask. You can mask a layer with a path, or another layer or with transition effects. You also can use Lightness/Color/etc. to add transparency to other layers.

Layer Mask

  • directly applied to layer
  • moves, scales, rotates with layer
  • layers can have several masks that can be combined in an additive or subtractive way
  • defined by paths
  • mask path can be animated
  • edge can be feathered
  • it’s fixed to the layer and will transform with it

Track Matte

  • separate layer acts as matte/mask
  • does not move or scale with masked layer but can be parented
  • can use alpha OR luma
  • both also inverted
  • matte layer can be animated separately
  • only one matte per layer and vice versa

Set Matte effect

  • separate layer acts as matte/mask
  • can therefore be applied multiple times and to multiple layers
  • can use alpha, luma, color channels, etc. for matte
  • matte layer can not be animated separately
  • hard to understand because matte transforms with layer if applied to a Pre-Comp or Solid and collapse transformations is off and does not transform with layer if applied to a Shape Layer or if collapse transformations is on

Stencil Alpha

  • masks ALL layers underneath in a comp
  • layers above are not affected
  • to get a background you’ll need to precomp eveything

Preserve Underlying Transparency

  • layer will only be visible where anything is already in any layer underneath
  • only works in Comps without background layer

Transition with wipe

You can also control layer transparency with “transition” effects like linear, radial or iris wipe and all other members of the wipe family.

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