Production Accessories

After Effects Tutorials for Filmmakers

Learn to animate a title, reveal a shot with a mask, track a camera and export a finished composition with practical steps.

Video editing workstation with a timeline and preview on the monitor
Sections7

Start with a short clip and make one title move across it. Then try a mask, a tracked label and a render.

A composition is the workspace that holds layers over time. The Project panel holds imported files; the Timeline shows when layers appear; the Composition panel shows the result. The After Effects workflow guide describes this sequence of importing, layering, animation, preview and export.

Set up a project and composition

Pick a short shot with a clear subject. A locked-off shot is useful for the first title and mask; a moving shot with visible detail works for the tracking exercise. Keep your original clip in a folder you can find again.

  1. Open After Effects and save a new project.
  2. Import your footage into the project.
  3. Create a composition for your footage.
  4. Select the composition and choose Composition > Composition Settings to inspect its size, frame rate and duration.
  5. Save the project again. Press the spacebar to preview; press it again to stop.

The timeline's current-time indicator is the marker for the frame you are viewing. Drag it to inspect a moment without playing the whole shot. The layer bar shows where the clip starts and ends. If the preview is slow, reduce the preview resolution rather than changing the final composition size.

For the shot itself, use the film shot types glossary to choose a frame that gives a title room to read. The filmmaking equipment guide covers the camera and support choices that come before the edit.

Animate a title with keyframes

A keyframe records a property's value at a point in time. Add a second value later and the software fills in the change between them. In this exercise the title travels into the frame and comes to rest.

  1. Move the time indicator near the start. Create a text layer with a short title.
  2. Select the text layer in the Timeline and press P to show Position.
  3. Move the title to its starting point, then click the stopwatch beside Position to set the first keyframe.
  4. Move the time indicator later in the shot. Drag the title to its final position. A second keyframe appears.
  5. Preview the move. Drag the keyframes closer together for a quicker move or farther apart for a slower one.
  6. Select both keyframes and choose Animation > Keyframe Assistant > Easy Ease, as shown in the speed guide. Preview again and compare the start and stop.

The text animation guide also describes text animators and selectors. These let you affect characters within a text layer, rather than moving the whole layer as one object. Try that after the simple title works: select the layer, choose Animation > Animate Text > Opacity, and explore the range selector in the Timeline.

Add a background box behind the title

For a title over a busy shot, try the rectangle in this lower-third tutorial.

  1. Draw a rectangle on a new shape layer, then use Fill to choose a color.
  2. Draw a rectangle that tightly surrounds the text and stays within the background rectangle.
  3. Check that the text stays inside the rectangle.

Reveal part of a layer with a mask

A mask defines an area on a layer. Use one to reveal a detail or create a simple wipe between two shots. The mask documentation explains drawing and editing mask paths.

  1. Import a second clip and drag it above the first in the Timeline. Align the layer bars where the shots should overlap.
  2. Select the upper clip. Choose the Pen tool and click points around the area you want visible.
  3. Expand the layer's Masks group and adjust the mask path points until the revealed area fits.

Make a tracked label sit in a moving shot

The 3D Camera Tracker analyzes a moving shot and estimates camera motion. Its points can help place a layer in the scene. The camera tracking instructions describe the analysis and the point selection used below.

  1. Add a moving clip to a composition and select its layer.
  2. Choose Animation > Track Camera. Wait for the analysis and camera solve to finish.
  3. Select the effect and hover over a group of track points on a surface. A target shows the estimated plane.
  4. Right-click the target and choose Text. Enter a short label and position it on that plane.
  5. Preview the shot. If the label slips, try another group of points on the same surface and check the result again.

The solved track points appear as small colored x's. Plan the relationship between layers with the visual storytelling guide.

Try an expression after the first animation

The expression examples show how to add motion to Position. An expression is a small instruction attached to a property. It can vary a value over time without placing every keyframe by hand. Start with a separate test layer so the original title remains easy to restore.

  1. Duplicate the title layer and select the copy. Press P to reveal Position.
  2. Hold Alt on Windows or Option on Mac and click the Position stopwatch to open the expression field.
  3. Enter wiggle(2,30) and click outside the field. Preview the motion.
  4. Change the values and preview again. The first controls the rate of variation; the second controls its amount.
  5. To remove the test, select the expression text and delete it, or delete the duplicate layer.

Preview and export the shot

Watch the shot from beginning to end before rendering. Look for a title that clips at the edge, a mask that slips and a label that drifts. Check the first and last frames as well as the transition. Save the project before making the output file.

  1. Select the finished composition and choose Composition > Add to Render Queue.
  2. In the Render Queue, open the render settings and output module to choose the time span and format required for your delivery.
  3. Select Output To, choose a file name and destination, and save that choice.
  4. Select Render. When the status reads Done, open the output file in a player and check picture and sound.

The render and export guide distinguishes render settings from output module settings. The first controls how the composition is rendered; the second sets characteristics of the output. Choose these for the recipient rather than assuming one preset suits every delivery.

FAQ

Can I use my own footage for these exercises? Yes. Use a short clip you have permission to use.

Can I return to my edit after exporting? Yes. Open the project file to change the edit; the exported movie is a separate file.

Should I learn expressions before keyframes? Keyframes are a useful starting point. An expression is optional for the exercises above.

Why does my title move at a constant speed? Linear interpolation changes speed sharply at each keyframe. Select the keyframes and use Easy Ease to smooth the change, then inspect the speed in the Graph Editor.

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