After Effects 7.0 animation and behavior presets
Adobe® After Effects® 7.0 gives your creativity a head start. It includes hundreds of customizable animation presets that can significantly cut the time it takes to create the perfect titles, backgrounds, transitions. and effects in your own video compositions. Here's a look at some of the many options you can choose from, as well as ways to browse and apply these presets to save time.
Special Effects animation presets in your images
Let After Effects animation presets inspire your image treatments. You can start with presets that offer the look of embossed multiple exposures, that simulate random light leaks, or many other treatments, and move into effects that reflect your own vision.
Background animation presets
After Effects provides many options for beautiful, complex backgrounds that can help you quickly define the look of projects like DVD menus. Use these presets to jump-start your imagination.
Text animation presets
When you are working on projects with text in motion, After Effects animation presets allow plenty of experimentation. Whether you want to light text dramatically, animate it to enter or exit, spin or rotate, change size, or randomly assemble, there are all kinds of prebuilt launch pads for your creativity. Just apply a preset and feel free to edit attributes or add keyframes.
Transitions
Presets include many options for dissolves, wipes, and interesting movement of different objects. Just apply your own content and begin experimenting to build arresting transitions in your video projects.
Synthetics
The presets in this collection provide slightly eerie digital visual treatments that can be the basis of even more powerful customized visual effects.
Browse presets
Another way to get a preview of After Effects presets available is through Adobe Bridge, included in Adobe Production Studio. It lets you review all the options installed on your own system so you can select the one that works best for you with just a bit of customization to create the perfect touch. Just click Browse Presets in the After Effects Animation menu.
Bridge gives you a snapshot of the visual impact you can apply with a chosen preset, as shown below.
Apply presets to your projects
When you are ready to get to work, click Apply Animation Preset in the Animation menu. After Effects lets you navigate to the exact preset you want.
Now your selected preset is loaded in your composition and you can begin to experiment with its properties to achieve the visual impact you are aiming for.
Saving time and achieving unique effects
Beldon Wolson of Marchand Media used Adobe After Effects 7.0 to build an introduction for the television program "Nicks' Experience." Wolson started with the Digital Tunnel preset and changed the internal settings to create a more significant growing effect, similar to a fire. He saved about six hours by starting with a customizable preset instead of working to build the effect from scratch. Wolson says, "The ease of presets brings drag-and-drop fully customizable motion beds to After Effects. I highly recommend experimenting with presets in combination with wipe generators and blending modes to create new and exciting, sometimes unexpected results." Follow his advice and experience shortcuts to your own creative visual effects.
Watch the movie by Beldon Wolson / Marchand Media (QuickTime: 164k)
