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Chapter 4: Planning and managing
projects
Planning projects
About projects
An After Effects project is a single file that stores references to all the footage you use in that project. It also contains
compositions, which are the individual containers used to combine footage, apply effects, and, ultimately, drive the
output.
Starting a project involves two tasks: (1) planning your project based on the formats of the final output and (2)
creating a project file. Once you have planned your project and learned how to perform some basic tasks related to
working in After Effects, you'll be ready to start importing footage. You then create a composition and begin working
with your source footage.
As you create large or intricate After Effects projects, use After Effects management tools to meet the challenges of
organizing projects, speeding up previews, and working efficiently. Using the Flowchart panel, nesting compositions,
and prerendering movies are some of the ways you can control a complex project.
For additional information, go to Adobe Studio on the Adobe website.
Adobe periodically provides updates to software and Help. To check for upates, click the Preferences button
Adobe Help Center, and then click Check For Updates. Follow the on-screen instructions.
See also
"Working with imported files" on page 68
Project planning considerations
Careful planning before you start working on a project can help you avoid unexpected results. Correct initial config-
uration of footage, composition settings, and render or export settings helps you to avoid rendering errors and
unexpected rendering results. If you're working with large compositions, taking steps to improve performance in
Adobe After Effects results in improved rendering and screen redraw speed.
Rendering order and nesting may also be part of project planning.
See also
"About nesting" on page 130
"Default rendering order" on page 593
"Improving performance by simplifying your project" on page 639
Footage considerations
Before importing footage, first decide which media you'll use for your finished movies, and then determine the best
settings for your source material. In many cases, it's best to prepare footage before importing it into After Effects.
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