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r/editors•
whenmattsattack

another couple of questions about basic workflow in AE using masks and keyframes

hey r/editors, i'm back again, and wanted to say thanks, first of all, for getting me up and going on my project; you recommended some good tutorials and helped with some advice. however, now I'm running into some questions that I think I should work out now to avoid trouble down the line but it's not really addressed in any of the resources I've read through yet.

basically, I'm working with masks and will eventually need to figure out keyframing better before I more forward. I'm attempting to create 6 vertical "panels" that all fade in/out, scroll up/down independently (each with it's own video source) and as I'm finishing the first "animation" of this right now, my first instinct is to want to somehow "save" it and export it as it's own clip to build onto later.

my question is if this is essentially right or wrong: to finish a segment, export it, repeat, and then stitch it all together at the end? or is there a benefit to keeping the entire project (only 4 min) in a single composition?

obviously it's getting a little cluttered working with so many independent sources on each frame, but I have no idea how to best "organize" the timeline. so, do you usually work in segments and then stitch them together or use only the one composition?

any and all help appreciated, thanks

Posted Oct 4, 2012, 8:06 PM UTC · edited

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TehNebs•

Will these panels be moving the entire 4 mins?

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whenmattsattackOP•

no they each will only appear for 10 or 15 seconds before scrolling offscreen

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TehNebs•

I would snip off the parts that are going to have the panels and just replace it with the finished comp. That's what I do if I have a long shot that only segments will need to be composited and as long as you don't do any coloring, you should be fine.

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whenmattsattackOP•

sorry, but i'm not really sure what you mean by that. if the "panels" are mostly contained in the precomp(mask layer and source video, yes it has color adjustments) how should I "replace it with the finished comp?

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whenmattsattackOP•

anybody familiar? I really can't find any advice on this online. maybe I don't know how to phrase my question so if you know how to please let me know!

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[deleted]•

I prefer to keep everything precomposed or in the comp, rather than rendering out and bringing it back in. What are your concerns?

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whenmattsattackOP•

effects are muddied and seem affect others. right now I'm still working on the 1st panel, set up a mask and key framed it to scroll off screen. when I option drag this precook into the comp, something changes and it doesn't scroll off the screen. even after going back and having the mask drop far below what it should need to no avail, forcing me to try my best to mask the precomp in the comp and try to match up the two scrolling effects (never happens). anybody know why or how they come out differently when option-dragged from pre-comp to comp?

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[deleted]•

Different resolutions? Alternatively, why not copy/paste the masks/keyframes?

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whenmattsattackOP•

I guess I'm not sure. I set up a new adjustment layer (at the same resolution as the main comp and then option dragged my footage to it. created a mask and effect and then option dragged that to the main comp. but i'm guessing now that it doesn't matter what resolution the adjustment layer is, as it changed when you import footage of a different resolution? is there a way to get the footage to be able to match the resolution? also, seems obvious but didn't even think to c/v. does that affect it differently than option-dragging?

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[deleted]•

This question is pretty subjective. Try it both ways and see which one works better for your project.

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whenmattsattackOP•

well, shit. okay how about this: I'm on a mac and I still can't figure out how to preview with audio! I don't have a numpad and wonder if you or anyone else knows another way aside from rendering it everytime

EDIT: dammit, just figured that out too. well i'll keep plugging away, thanks!

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