Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual page 78

Adobe After Effects Help
Using Help | Contents
To arrange layers in a sequence:
1 In the Timeline window, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and select
layers in sequential order, beginning with the layer you want to appear first.
2 Choose Animation > Keyframe Assistant > Sequence Layers.
3 In the Sequence Layers dialog box, do one of the following, and then click OK:
To arrange the layers end to end, leave the Overlap option unselected.
•
To overlap ends of layers, select the Overlap option and type a duration in timecode for
•
how long the layers should overlap.
4 If you selected the Overlap option in step 3, choose a Crossfade option to specify which
layers' opacity After Effects adjusts to create crossfades.
If none of the selected layers uses an alpha channel or mask, choose Front Layer Only.
•
If any of the selected layers uses an alpha channel or a mask, choose Front & Back
•
Layers.
Creating simple cuts and transitions between layers
A simple cut (shifting view from one layer to another) is easy to create in the Timeline
window.
To cut from one layer to another:
1 Display the Timeline window containing the two layers for which you want to create the
transition.
2 Set the In point of the second layer at one frame later than the Out point of the first
layer.
For more information about setting In and Out points, see "Understanding trimming" on
page 81.
Other kinds of transitions, such as fading or dissolving one layer into another, involve
opacity settings, In and Out points, and keyframes. However, you can apply certain effects
(including transition effects) to create a different transitions instead of building them
yourself, as described in "Applying and controlling effects" on page 170. For more infor-
mation about creating your own transitions, see "Setting layer opacity" on page 110,
"Understanding trimming" on page 81, and "Understanding keyframes" on page 96.
Customizing layer work and views
You can change a number of layer properties to suit the way you work. For example, you
can rename a layer, giving it a unique name. This is especially helpful when you use the
same source footage for more than one layer. You can also change color labels.
Certain settings affect both the working view and the rendered view. For more infor-
mation, see "Changing the layer image quality" on page 88 and "Showing and hiding
applied effects" on page 88.
Using Help | Contents
| Index
| Index
Managing Layers
Back 78
Back 78