GCOM 390 Motion Design 01

Over the past 14 weeks, we have explored the art and design of broadcast motion graphics. As we approach the end of this course, we now need to apply all that we have learned about using After Effects and design motion graphics into one culminating experience. The final project in this class will challenge you to build a motion graphic that showcases your design skill, your technical ability in After Effects and your ability to communicate a message to your audience. Lets start working on our final project.

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Compositing shots in the feature film industry requires the artist to be able to combine many elements in to one shot. Shots that include computer generated elements, like animated characters, are rendered out of the computer in multiple passes. Each render pass focuses the computer on rendering a specific surface characteristic. For example, the computer might render out a pass that only draws the reflections or another pass might be devoted to the shadows the object is casting. Computer generated elements are often rendered this way to maximize the level of control the compositor has on the final image.

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We are going to explore the basic principles of green screens this week. Through our conversation, you will learn how to use green screens in the production environment and also how to remove the screen in After Effects. The process can be relativley easy, if the green screen is filmed correctly, so we will cover how to light a green screen as well.

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This week, we will adding few more layers of complexity when working with 3D objects in After Effects. Not only are we going to manipulate objects inside the 3D scene, but we are going to create a 3D box that we can rotate in 3D. This is going to be fun, so sit down….strap in and let’s get started!

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When working on professional motion graphics or feature films, the motion graphics artists is often asked to remove certain elements from the shot. This process is called Masking, or Rotoscoping, and we have some wonderful masking tools built right into After Effects. One of the things I love about working inside of After Effects is that most of the tools from Photoshop have been brought over to After Effects. The Pen Tool, yea the one from Photoshop and Illustrator, has made the journey over into After Effects. Luckily for us, the Pen tool in After Effects works identically to how to the Pen tool in Photoshop works. Let’s check out how to use the masking tools in After Effects.

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This week we are going to explore the exciting world of character animation inside of After Effects. In addition to learning about the character animation tools, we’ll also explore a few of the traditional principles of animation that will help enhance the movements we create in After Effects. Today is going to awesome, so lets jump in!

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We are going to pull back the curtain of Hollywood and begin to explore some the procedures that are used to create some really awesome visual effects. In addition to exploring the effects engine in After Effects, we will also look at the Tracking System in After Effects and discover how it can be used in our work. Are you excited? Cause I’m geekin’ out over here! Lets get started!

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This week we are going to explore the 3D animation system in Adobe After Effects. Creating movements in a 3-Dimensional space will help us achieve the illusion of depth in our animations. The results are stunning, so let’s jump in and start exploring the 3D animation system in After Effects.

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We are going to look at two different animation systems during this week’s lecture. The first animation system will establish a few new key framing principles by exploring the graph editor. Here, we can easily change the speed of our animations and creating an “easing” effect on the movements of our layers. In addition, we’re going to take a look at a more advanced animation technique as we begin to explore programatic animation using Expressions. Fun stuff today!

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Adobe After Effects projects typically use a variety of imported footage, arranged in a composition, which is edited and animating using the Timeline Panel. This week, you’ll become more familiar with animation fundamentals as you build a multimedia presentation. We are also going to take a closer look at how transparency channels are interpreted in After Effects. Using track mattes and alpha channels effectively will open up a lot of creative possibilities in our animations and designs. Mastering alpha channels is an important skill, so we will be spending a lot of time exploring this critical system in After Effects.

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