Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual page 107

Adobe After Effects Help
Using Help | Contents
To sketch a motion path:
1 In the Composition or Timeline window, select the layer for which you want to sketch a
motion path.
2 In the Timeline window, set the work-area markers to the area in which you want to
sketch motion.
3 Choose Window > Motion Sketch.
4 Select one of the following Motion Sketch options:
Show Wireframe displays a wireframe view of the layer as you sketch the motion path.
•
In addition, you can see any rotation or scaling that you have applied to the layer.
Keep Background displays the contents of the Composition window while you sketch.
•
This is useful if you want to sketch motion relative to other images in your composition.
After Effects does not show the animation of other layers, however; while you sketch,
After Effects displays only the first frame at the time you start sketching. If you do not
select this option, After Effects displays the motion path as a series of white dots on a
black background.
5 If the composition contains audio, choose Window > Time Controls and click the Audio
button to play all audio in the composition as you sketch.
6 For Capture Speed At, set the capture speed of the motion by specifying a percentage
for how fast the motion plays back in relation to how fast you draw the path. Set the
playback speed in one of the following ways:
To set the playback speed to the exact speed at which you sketch, set the capture speed
•
to 100%.
To set the playback speed faster than the sketching speed, set the capture speed
•
greater than 100%.
To set the playback speed slower than the sketching speed, set the capture speed less
•
than 100%.
7 Click Start Capture and then, in the Composition window, drag the layer to create the
motion path. Release the mouse button to end the path.
Note: After Effects automatically ends the motion path when the capture time reaches the
end of either your composition or the work area.
Smoothing motion and velocity
Smooth motion paths, value curves, and velocity curves to eliminate bumpiness or excess
keyframes using The Smoother, which adds keyframes or removes unnecessary keyframes.
(You can also use the smooth expression to accomplish this. See "Property attributes and
methods" on page 262.)
Although you can smooth a curve for any property, The Smoother is most useful when
applied to curves that have been automatically generated by either Motion Math or
Motion Sketch, where you may have excess keyframes. Applying The Smoother to
keyframes that have been set manually may result in unexpected changes to the curve.
(For information on using Motion Sketch, see "Using Motion Sketch to draw a motion
path" on page 106.)
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