Chapters and Exercises

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

Projects

Dancing Can Project
I Am Poem

After Effects Online Resources

Help at Adobe

Chapter 5: Creating Animated Backgrounds

Chapter Objectives

  • Create an animated background using a Generate effect
  • Edit the use of generated backgrounds

Assignment

  1. Go to: Creating Animated Backgrounds and download the files that go with the two lessons on the page and follow along with the videos. When complete save the file as Ch5Tutorial(your initials).  Place your AE file with assets into the Shared Drive. (10 Pts)
  2. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCwJqlt7lMg and download the files that go with the lessons here. When complete save the file as Ch5Tutorial2(your initials).  Place your AE file with assets into the Shared Drive. (5 Pts)
  3. Complete the Exercise below and submit it in your Google Shared Drive. (10 Pts)

Exercise

Instructions

Create a Particle Background- See the Example Below:

  1. Create a New Composition and change the Duration to 6 seconds.
  2. Layer > New Solid – Pick the color white and select Make Comp Size > OK
  3. Effect > Simulation > CC Particle World
  4. Move the Playhead to about 2 Seconds
  5. In the Effect Controls (in the panel on the left side of the screen) Change the Setting for Producer – Radius X to .675 and Radius Y to .485
  6. In the Effect Controls Change the Setting for Particle > Particle Type > Cube
  7. Change the Birth Color and the Death Color to two different color choices of your own! (Experiment with color!)
  8. Scrub through the timeline to see what was created thus far.
  9. In the Effect Controls Change the Setting for Physics > Velocity to 0
  10. In the Effect Controls Decrease the Setting for Producer > Position Y to -.20
  11. In the Effect Controls Decrease the Setting for Birthrate to 2.5
  12. In the Effect Controls Increase the Setting for Longevity to 1.5
  13. Scrub through the timeline to see what was created thus far.
  14. To change the size of the Particle in the Effect Controls change the Setting for Particle > Birth Size and Death Size
  15. Play with all the settings to see what you can come up with!
  16. Create a new Layer > New Solid – Pick a color that goes with your cube color choice and select Make Comp Size > OK
  17. Make sure this layer is on top of the particle layer. Include a blend mode on the layer so you can see the particles. (I chose Multiply) There are many that will look good, pick one!
  18. Go back to the settings of the particle and play with all the settings to see what you can come up with!
  19. Save the file as AE_Ch5Ex(YourInitials).
  20. Once you have expanded on this exercise, Render the video as a file called AE_Ch5Ex(YourInitials), and place it in the Shared Drive for grading.