Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual page 56

Adobe After Effects Help
Using Help | Contents
Creating a composition
When you first create a new project, you must create a composition before you can start
working with your footage items. When you create a composition without changing
settings in the Composition Settings dialog box, the new composition uses the same
settings as the previous composition. For information on changing composition settings,
see "Understanding basic composition settings" on page 57.
Once you have created a composition, you can change its settings at any time. Remember,
however, that changing frame size or pixel aspect ratio can affect your final movie, so set
these as early in the project as possible. Use the Flowchart View to get a "big picture"
perspective of complex projects; see "Visualizing organization with Flowchart View" on
page 264.
Note: When you set up a new composition, the settings you use become the default
settings that will appear the next time you create a composition.
To create a composition:
1 Choose Composition > New Composition.
2 Type a Composition Name.
3 Choose a Preset from the menu or specify basic settings as follows. For detailed descrip-
tions of basic settings, see "Understanding basic composition settings" on page 57.
Specify the frame's Width and Height. As a general rule, frame size and aspect ratio
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should match your source footage and intended output media.
Select Lock Aspect Ratio if you want to type a width or height not included in the menu
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and if you want After Effects to ensure that the composition dimensions conform to the
aspect ratio for the current values.
Choose a Pixel Aspect Ratio from the pop-up menu. This is set automatically if you
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choose a digital format (D1, D4, D16, or DV) for Preset. See "Setting pixel aspect ratio for
compositions" on page 58.
Specify a Frame Rate in frames per second. See "Setting frame rate" on page 58.
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Choose a Resolution from the pop-up menu. "Setting resolution" on page 59.
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Specify the Start Timecode or Start Frame to determine the time value that will be
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displayed for the first frame of the composition. This value does not affect rendering.
See "Setting start timecode or start frame" on page 60.
Type a Duration for your composition. "Setting duration" on page 60.
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4 Click the Advanced tab, specify advanced settings as follows, and then click OK. For
detailed descriptions of advanced settings, see "Understanding advanced composition
settings" on page 60.
Use the Anchor control if you want to anchor the layers to a corner or edge of the
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composition as it is resized. "Setting the anchor" on page 61.
If desired, specify Shutter Angle and Shutter Phase settings for motion blur. See
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"Adjusting the shutter angle for motion blur" on page 91.
If desired, select the Preserve Resolution When Nested option so that the nested
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composition retains its resolution setting. Select the Preserve Frame Rate When Nested
option to lock a composition to a specific frame rate. "Setting nesting options" on
page 61.
Using Help | Contents
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Building a Composition
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