Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual page 53

Adobe After Effects Help
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Replacing footage throughout a project
You can replace one footage item with another at any time while working on a project.
This can be useful if you receive a new version of a source file used in your project, and you
want to replace the original footage with the new version. The new footage item replaces
the existing one in layers and compositions throughout the project. When you replace
footage, all values (property settings, effect settings, and so on) remain applied to the
layer.
To replace footage throughout a project:
1 In the Project window, select the name of the footage item you want to replace.
2 To import a replacement file, choose File > Replace Footage > File, select the file, and
then click Open.
Note: If the new footage item is a different size, it is not scaled to fit the original item's size.
Replacing footage of one or more layers
You can replace the original source footage of one or more layers without changing any
settings applied to the original footage. The new source footage or composition takes the
place of the old source to the layers, but uses the existing keyframes.
To replace the source footage of one or more layers:
1 In a Timeline window, select the layer or layers to be replaced.
2 Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag a footage item or compo-
sition from the Project window to any of the following places containing the selected
layers: the Composition window, the Timeline window, or the Composition icon in the
Project window.
About placeholders and proxies
When you want to temporarily use a substitute for footage, choose one of two alterna-
tives: a placeholder or a proxy.
Placeholder A still image of color bars used to temporarily take the place of missing
footage. Use a placeholder when you are building a composition and want to try out ideas
for footage that is not yet available. After Effects generates placeholders automatically, so
you do not have to provide any placeholder footage.
Proxy Most often a lower-resolution or still version of existing footage used to replace
the original to save processing time. Use a proxy when you have the actual footage but
you want to speed up previewing or rendering of test movies. You must have a file
available to use as a proxy.
Using either method, any attributes and keyframes you apply to the placeholder or proxy
are transferred to the actual footage when you insert it. You can even set a proxy for a
placeholder, so that you use a low-resolution or still version of full-resolution footage that
is not yet available. See "Working with missing source footage" on page 54 and "Substi-
tuting a low-resolution proxy for footage" on page 54.
If final footage is unavailable, and you simply want to substitute draft footage or a story-
board still image, you can import the draft footage and replace it with final footage later.
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