After Effects is a video compositing and special effects program developed by Adobe as part of its Creative Suite. Among its many functions, After Effects allows you to remove dust from videos, which is very helpful when cleaning up older film footage that has been transferred into a digital format. The After Effects dust removal filter is very resources intensive, so make sure you are using the fastest computer that is available to you before you start.

1. Click “Composition” in the top menu bar and choose “New Composition…”
2. Step 2

   Select the video resolution you want to use for exporting the video and press “OK.”

3. Step 3

   Go to “File>Import>File” and browse to your dusty video. Select it and press “Import.”

4. Step 4

   Drag the video file from the Project panel on the left side of the After Effects window into the Composition panel at the bottom of the window.

5. Step 5

   Type “Dust & Scratches” into the search field in the “Effects & Presets” panel on the right side of the After Effects window.

6. Step 6

   Drag the filter onto the video in the Composition panel in the middle of the window. The effects controls will show up in the panel to the left of the Composition panel.

7. Step 7

   Set the “Radius” to 5 and the “Threshold” to 3.5.

8. Step 8

   Play through the video and fiddle with the Radius and Threshold settings to improve the quality of your footage.

9. Step 9

   Go to “Composition>Make Movie…” and browse to the location where you would like to save your video. Click “Save.” Depending on the length of your video, the rendering process will take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

Adobe After Effects is a digital video production program, able to do anything from 3D camera work to green screen effects. Transcoding is also possible. An FLV file is a Flash video file commonly found on websites like YouTube and Google Video. A Mov file is a Quicktime Movie video container capable of holding compression codecs like DV, Mjpeg and Mpeg-4. Quicktime is very similar to Microsoft’s AVI format, but geared more towards Macintosh.

1. Open Adobe After Effects. When the welcome screen pops up, click the “Close” button to get to the main interface.
2. Step 2

   Right-click in the “Project” window, under the “Name” category. Under the “Import” menu, select “File” or “Multiple Files” if there is more than one FLV file to convert.

3. Step 3

   Navigate to where the file has been stored using the Windows Explorer interface or the Mac OS Finder interface. Select the FLV file or files to be converted, and click the “Open” button.

4. Step 4

   Click and drag the newly opened FLV file from the “Project” window onto the “Create New Composition” button. This button is shaped like a film strip and has three shapes in the center: a circle, square and triangle. The “Create New Composition” button is located between a folder icon and a trash bin at the bottom of the “Project” window.

5. Step 5

   Select the new file which appeared in the “Project” window. This is a composition file. The composition file helps Adobe After Effects to understand the attributes of the FLV file so that it can be converted. Editing is also now possible.

6. Step 6

   Click the “Render Queue” button at the bottom left of the screen. It should be located directly under the “Create New Composition icon.”

7. Step 7

   Drag and drop the composition file created earlier into the “Render Queue” window. Four options should appear. “Render Settings,” “Output Module,” “Log” and “Output To.” Make sure the “Render Settings” option is set to “Best Settings.”

8. Step 8

   Click on the link titled “Lossless” located to the right of the “Output Module” option. A window titled “Output Module Settings” should pop up.

9. Step 9

   Select “Quicktime Movie” under the “Format” drop-down menu, then click on the “Format Options” button. The “Compression Settings” window should pop up.

10. Step 10

    Select “Animation” under the “Compression Type” drop-down menu if you want your Quicktime movie to have very low compression. Select “DV/DVCPRO” if your video will be edited on Adobe Premiere. Select “H.264″ if the video will be for an iPod or Blu-Ray disc player. When finished, click on the “OK” button.

11. Step 11

    Click the check box at the bottom of the “Output Module Settings” window to include Audio Output, then click the “OK” button.

12. Step 12

    Click the “Render” button to transcode the FLV file to a Quicktime Mov file. The Mov file will be saved into the same folder as your FLV file.

Adobe After Effects is a complicated animation and compositing program that cannot easily be learned in a few steps. The best way to learn the program is to start simply, learn the basics and build from there. After you create a composition and import files into your project, and begin working with many layers, you will find it is important to keep your project organized. Here are a few tips.

1. Import files into your Project window. Go to the File menu at the top of your workspace. Select “File,” then “Import File.” Search for your video or animation footage. Select it with your mouse and click “OK.” Repeat for all of your media elements.
2. Step 2

   Look for your files in the Project Panel, listed by name. Depending on the type of footage you are using, you may want to organize your footage into folders by type. These may be video, animation, audio, backgrounds, effects or stills, to name a few.

3. Step 3

   Open a new file folder within the Project Panel. Click the “Create a New Folder” icon at the bottom of your Project Panel. It looks like a little file folder.

4. Step 4

   Look for the “Untitled” file folder that appears. Type in a name, and drag the appropriate media into the folder. You may also rename it later by selecting the folder with your mouse and pressing “Enter.”

5. Step 5

   Drag your footage directly into your Timeline. You will be working with multiple layers, and it is important to keep in mind that in your Timeline, files are organized from the bottom up, meaning your background image will be at the bottom of the Timeline and your foreground image at the top.

6. Step 6

   Move items up or down within the Timeline by selecting an item with your mouse and dragging it up or down while holding down your left mouse button.

7. Step 7

   Rename layers in your Timeline by clicking on the name of the layer with your mouse, then pressing “Enter” to activate the text name of your layer. You can now type directly over the original name of the layer. Press “Enter” again to change the name.

Creating folder templates in Adobe After Effects is a easy way to keep project files orderly and uniform. Folder templates allow to keep your assets organized, create directories, and easily access your files for different projects. By creating folder templates all of your files are organized in the same which makes retrieval and use quick and easy.

How to Create Folder Templates with Adobe After Effects

1. Step 1

   Open the “Output To” pull-down menu at the top of the screen located in the panel titled “Render Queue.” Click “Custom.”

2. Step 2

   Click where you want to place the folder template inside the “Template Box.”

3. Step 3

   Click open the “Add Property” menu.

4. Step 4

   Click on a preset property if you wish to have the template named for a pre-existing folder or template.

5. Step 5

   Type in a title if you wish the the template to have a new name.

6. Step 6

   Click “Save.” after you’ve named the folder template.

7. Step 7

   Type the folder template’s name in the dialog box which opens.

8. Step 8

   Click “Default” to make this template the default folder template.

9. Step 9

   Click “Okay” to apply this folder template to the project you are currently working on.

Animating your own drawings is a time-intensive, but not impossible, process. Drawings, images or cartoons that you wish to animate should be saved on a transparent background. You will also likely need several layers to effectively portray movement, depending on your ultimate objective. With accurately prepared images, multiple layers and a bit of patience, you will find you are able to create a simple animation in After Effects.

1. Open After Effects and create a new project by going to “File,” then “New” and then “New Project.” Save your project right away in a location that will be easy to find. It is recommended when working with After Effects that you save your project file and all of the elements of that project together in one folder. This is because After Effects projects can contain hundreds of independent assets, and these can be difficult to keep track of.
2. Step 2

   Import your elements by going to the File menu and then “Import File.” Select your image elements and click “OK.” You will prompted to choose the kind of import. Import it as a “Composition” at “Document Size” and click “OK.”

3. Step 3

   Drag your elements into the timeline from the project file. For example, if you want to animate a man waving his arm, you will drag a layer with a man and a layer with an arm.

4. Step 4

   Scale your objects to fit the frame. Select each element in the timeline and click “S.” Type in the number you will need. This may take a bit of finessing to get the arm and body to match.

5. Step 5

   Select the arm layer (or whatever your moving layer may be) and then click “P” to activate the positing key frame. Activate the keyframe of the arm at the beginning of sequence. The keyframe remembers what the originally position of the moving layer is at this point so that you can create movement.

6. Step 6

   Move your current time indicator forward 10 frames or so. Click on the “Rotate” tool in your toolbox, which looks like a circle with a layer on it. Go back to the monitor and click on the arm. Rotate it to its next position. Another keyframe will automatically appear to mark that movement.

7. Step 7

   Move forward another 10 frames or so and then, using the rotate tool, rotate the arm back to its original position.

8. Step 8

   Repeat the above several times. The closer your keyframes are, the faster the movement will be. You can adjust any keyframes as necessary to slow or quicken the movement.

9. Step 9

   Click on the “RAM” preview button in your toolbox. This will give you a preview of the movements you just created. Adjust as necessary and add more complex movements as you get more comfortable with the process.

Although Adobe After Effects is best known as a powerful compositing and visual effects creation tool, it is possible to edit video using the program. Using this guide, you will learn how to make simple cuts between several video clips and include a fade from black to begin the scene and fade to black to complete the scene. Our tutorial will use Adobe After Effects CS4 to create the video edits.

1. Open After Effects. Create a new composition by selecting “Composition” and “New” from the main menu. For our purposes, we will use the default NTSC DV preset. Keep the 30-second default duration unless you need more time for the video scene you wish to edit.
2. Step 2

   Import several video clips by selecting “File,” then “Import” from the menu. Navigate to the video files you want, and import at least three different video files using the Import File dialogue box.

3. Step 3

   Double click on the first video file you want to add to your timeline. The file will now open in a video monitor window under a tab titled, “Footage: {name of your file}.”

4. Step 4

   Drag the timeline cursor to the point where you want to begin the video clip. Locate the “Set IN point to current time” icon by moving your mouse over the icons directly beneath the video window. Click the “Set In” icon to mark the clip in point. Likewise, drag the cursor to the desired point where you want the video clip to end and click the “Set Out” icon.

5. Step 5

   Insert the selected portion of the video clip into the composition timeline by clicking the “Ripple Insert Edit” button to the right of the Set Out button. The selected portion of the clip will now be located on the composition timeline.

6. Step 6

   Locate the cursor in the composition timeline on the end point of the clip added in the last step. Select the second clip you wish to add to the composition, and repeat Steps 4 and 5.

7. Step 7

   Place the composition timeline cursor at the end of the last video clip. Select the third imported clip, and repeat Steps 4 and 5.

8. Step 8

   Add a fade from black by selecting the first clip layer added to the composition timeline. Press the “T” key, and enter an opacity value of 0 percent. Click the key frame icon. Move the composition timeline cursor to 1 second on the timeline. Now enter an opacity value of 100 percent.

9. Step 9

   Add a fade to black at the end of the scene by placing your composition timeline cursor 1 second before the end of the last clip. Select your final clip layer, and press the “T” key for the opacity effect. Enter 100 percent and click the key frame icon. Now place the cursor at the end of the last video clip and enter 0 percent. You now have edited three clips together with a fade up and fade to black to begin and end the scene.

After Effects is commonly used to produce complex digital video effects. Projects from major motion pictures to local television commercials use After Effects to create unique visual images. With a robust library of video filters, you can customize effects using the filter control settings. Although not designed as a video editor, After Effects can be used to transition between clips and arrange the video clips in a sequence that can be exported as a single video file.

1. Create a new composition by clicking “Composition,” then “New” from the main menu.
2. Step 2

   Enter “My Composition” as an example title in the Composition Name field.

3. Step 3

   Select the type of video you plan to edit by choosing from the Preset pull-down menu. For this example, select “NTSC DV” and enter “30 seconds” in the Duration field.

4. Step 4

   Import the video clips. Double click anywhere in the After Effects Project window, select the video files, and click the “Open” button.

5. Step 5

   Double click a video clip you wish to add to the composition.

6. Step 6

   Set the point where you want the video to begin by positioning the time marker at that point on the time line and clicking the “Set In” icon in the monitor window. Set the point where you want to end the video clip by moving the cursor to the end point on the time line and clicking the “Set Out” icon.

7. Step 7

   Place the video clip in the composition by clicking the “Overlay Edit” icon from the monitor

8. Step 8

   In the My Composition window, select the video clip layer added in the previous step and press “Shift” and “Ctrl” and “Alt” and “Right Arrow” to place the composition cursor at the end of the video clip.

9. Step 9

   Double click the next video clip you wish to add to the composition.

10. Step 10

    Repeat steps 6 through 9 until you have assembled all the clips you want in your final video file.

11. Step 11

    Add a 10-frame dissolve from black on the first video clip in the composition by pressing the “Home” key to position the Current Time Indicator at the beginning of the composition.

12. Step 12

    Press the “T” key to open the Opacity controls for the layer. Click the “100%” opacity value and enter “0.”

13. Step 13

    Click the key frame icon that looks like a stop watch next to the Opacity control.

14. Step 14

    Press “Shift,” then “Alt,” then “J” to go to a specific time in the composition window.

15. Step 15

    Enter “10″ in the Go to Time window. The Current Time Indicator will now be positioned at 10 frames into the composition.

16. Step 16

    Click the “0%” opacity value and enter “100.” You now have a 10-frame fade-up from black to the first video clip.

After Effects is among the most popular software titles used in digital video effects creation. With Adobe After Effects, you can create stunning images from individual video and graphic elements. What better way to share your work than to use the video clips from files created in After Effect for your own screensaver. Better yet, share the video clips as screensaver files that can be installed on other computers. Your screensavers may be so popular people will want to buy them.

Create Screensaver with InstantStorm

1. Step 1

   Download and install InstantStorm.

2. Step 2

   Select the composition from the After Effects Project window.

3. Step 3

   Click “File,” then “Export,” then “Adobe Flash Player (SWF)” from the main menu. Select the folder to save the SWF file in and click the “Save” button.

4. Step 4

   Open InstantStorm and close the splash screen box. Enter “My AE screensaver” as a title example for your screensaver in the “Screensaver title” field.

5. Step 5

   Click the “Browse” button to load the SWF file you created with After Effects.

6. Step 6

   Click the “Publishing” tab from the InstantStorm program window. Click the “Create” button to create the self-installing EXE screensaver file.

Use Axialis Screensaver Producer

7. Step 1

   Download and install Axialis Screensaver Producer.

8. Step 2

   Select the composition from the After Effects Project window.

9. Step 3

   Click “File,” then “Export,” then “Adobe Flash Player (SWF)” from the main menu. Select the folder to save the SWF file in and click the “Save” button.

10. Step 4

    Open Axialis Screensaver Producer and click the “New” icon from the menu.

11. Step 5

    Select “Flash Based Screensaver” from the “New Screensaver Project” menu and click the “Next” button.

12. Step 6

    Type “My AE screensaver” as an example title in the “Title” field.

13. Step 7

    Click the “Finish” button.

14. Step 8

    Load the SWF file exported from After Effects by clicking the “…” button.

15. Step 9

    Click the “Make Install” button and accept the program settings to create the EXE file by pressing the “Next” button through a series of configuration option windows until you reach the “Go and Compile!” button. Click this button and the self-installing EXE file will be created.

Installing Screensavers

16. Step 1

    Double click the EXE file created by the software.

17. Step 2

    Right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop.

18. Step 3

    Select “Personalize” from the menu.

19. Step 4

    Click the “Screen Saver” icon.

20. Step 5

    Select “My AE screensaver” from the “Screen saver” drop-down menu.

One of the symbolic images of winter is the snowman. For every big snowfall, people can view or create their own snowman using a variety of sources. If you do not get snow, or cannot wait for the big storm to arrive, you can easily create your own digital snowman using Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. This snowman is much more than a drawing, though, because you can actually make it come to life using animation skills in After Effects.

Adobe Photoshop

1. Step 1

   Open a new file by going to File>New. Make a custom sized file that measures 500 pixels by 900 pixels. This will give you some room to work with and enough space to create you snowman. Make sure that the background is transparent underneath the “Background Contents” option.

2. Step 2

   Click on the “Eclipse” tool so you can start making the body of the snowman. Each section of the snowman should have a separate layer.

3. Step 3

   Create the base of the snowman using the “Eclipse” tool. Hold the “Shift” key while creating the shape to make a perfect circle. Use the “Move” tool to adjust and center the position.

4. Step 4

   Go to Layer>New>Layer… to create a new layer. Draw a smaller circle that will represent the center of the snowman. Use a black “eclipse” tool to create small coal buttons for the snowman’s center.

5. Step 5

   Create a new layer, and use a brown paint brush and the “Line” tool to create an arm for the snowman. Placement does not matter at this point, because everything will be adjusted in Adobe After Effects. Repeat this process for the second arm.

6. Step 6

   Add another new layer, and create the head of the snowman. Draw on the face using a mix of colors and orange for the nose if you wish that it would look like a carrot. Create another layer to make the snowman’s hat.

7. Step 7

   Save the file as a Photoshop image so that After Effects can read every layer.

Adobe After Effects

8. Step 1

   Open up Adobe After Effects and import the Snowman Photoshop file. Do this by right-clicking in the “Project” window and pressing Import. Choose the option that says “Composition” so the project will work correctly.

9. Step 2

   Right-click on the composition window and select the option that says “Compostion Settings”. Change the size to “NTSC DV” and press “OK.”

10. Step 3

    Press the small arrow next to the folder that contains your snowman project. Highlight and drag all of the layers down into the “Timeline” section.

11. Step 4

    Click and drag each of the layers until they are scattered across the bottom of the screen. To make it look more lifelike, you can actually import a snowy background for the snowman to be a part of.

12. Step 5

    Click on the first layer of the snowman. Press the arrow to the left of the layer in the project window and then press the arrow next to the “Transform” option. Press the small clock button next to the position arrow. This will turn on the key frames that adjust the animation. Drag the timeline bar over to the five-second mark. Click and drag the center of the snowman until it is in the center of the screen. This will set its animation.

13. Step 6

    Move the timeline navigation and the arrow to different positions to make it move around longer. Just make sure that the final key frame is set for the final position.

14. Step 7

    Repeat this process for all of the other pieces so that they fall into place. Use the rotation key frames to set rotation points so that every thing lines up as well.

I have a special love for Adobe Photoshop especially Photoshop 7. This is a graphics tool you can purchase very reasonably second-hand from sources such as Amazon but it has all the graphics editing power of products that costs 2 or 3 times more.

I’m going to write several how-to articles on Photoshop eventually leading up to how you can build a webpage using this tool. I’ll show you some foundational techniques to start you off on the right foot. This first lesson will be on how to use the “Save Workspace” command in Photoshop.

1. As we are working with Photoshop, I’m sure that we’ve all experienced a profusion of clutter from having too many screens and menus opened in our workspace. When it becomes too chaotic, it becomes very difficult to think clearly let alone be creative!
2. Step 2

   The next step requires some pre-planning. Decide in your mind ideally how you would like to organize your workspace. By this, I mean how would you like to place all the menus you use on a regular basis. I would suggest for now that you double-click on the tab menus to minimize them off so that you can set them up properly in this initial stage. I generally prefer to have the “History”, “Color”, Navigation”, and “Layers” menu stacked one on top of another however you should arrange it based on what you feel is the most efficient way to work with Photoshop.

3. Step 3

   In the Photoshop toolbar there is a tab called, “Window”. In the submenu, there is an option called, “Save Workspace…”. You should give your new, organized workspace a name. I named mine, “Kai’s Favorite”

4. Step 4

   Now, whenever your Photoshop workspace becomes disorganized and unmanageable all you have to do is go up to “Window” and then click on your favorite workspace. And then, viola, as though by magic all the menus jump to order. Now, if only there is a command like this for organizing my house!