Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 186

Create a camera layer
❖
Choose Layer > New > Camera, or press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift+C (Mac OS).
Note: By default, new layers begin at the beginning of the composition duration. You can instead choose to have new
layers begin at the current time by deselecting the Create Layers At Composition Start Time preference (Edit >
Preferences > General (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > General (Mac OS)).
Change camera settings
You can change camera settings at any time.
❖
Double-click the camera layer in the Timeline panel, or select the layer and then choose Layer > Camera Settings.
Camera settings
You can change camera settings at any time by double-clicking the layer in the Timeline panel or selecting the layer
and choosing Layer > Camera Settings.
The name of the camera. By default, Camera 1 is the name of first camera that you create in a composition,
Name
and all subsequent cameras are numbered in ascending order. You should choose distinctive names for multiple
cameras to make it easier to distinguish them.
The type of camera settings you want to use. The presets are named according to focal lengths. Each preset
Preset
is meant to represent the behavior of a 35mm camera with a lens of a certain focal length. Therefore, the preset also
sets the Angle Of View, Zoom, Focus Distance, Focal Length, and Aperture values. The default preset is 50mm. You
can also create a custom camera by specifying new values for any of the settings.
The distance from the camera to the image plane.
Zoom
The width of the scene captured in the image. The Focal Length, Film Size, and Zoom values
Angle Of View
determine the angle of view. A wider angle of view creates the same result as a wide-angle lens.
Applies custom variables to the Focus Distance, Aperture, F-Stop, and Blur Level settings.
Enable Depth Of Field
Using these variables, you can manipulate the depth of field to create more realistic camera-focusing effects. (The
depth of field is the distance range within which the image is in focus. Images outside the distance range are blurred.)
The distance from the camera to the plane that is in perfect focus.
Focus Distance
Makes the Focus Distance value match the Zoom value.
Lock To Zoom
Note: If you change the settings of the Zoom or Focus Distance options in the Timeline panel, the Focus Distance value
becomes unlocked from the Zoom value. If you need to change the values and want the values to remain locked, then use
the Camera Settings dialog box instead of the Timeline panel. Alternatively, you can add an expression to the Focus
Distance property in the Timeline panel: Select the Focus Distance property, and choose Animation > Add Expression;
then drag the expression pick whip to the Zoom property. (See "Working with expressions" on page 543.)
The size of the lens opening. The Aperture setting also affects the depth of field—increasing the aperture
Aperture
increases the depth of field blur. When you modify Aperture, the values for F-Stop change to match it.
Represents the ratio of the focal length to aperture. Most cameras specify aperture size using the f-stop
F-Stop
measurement; thus, many photographers prefer to set the aperture size in f-stop units. When you modify F-Stop,
Aperture changes to match it.
The amount of depth-of-field blur in an image. A setting of 100% creates a natural blur as dictated by the
Blur Level
camera settings. Lower values reduce the blur.
The size of the exposed area of film, which is directly related to the composition size. When you modify
Film Size
Film Size, the Zoom value changes to match the perspective of a real camera.
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