After Effects is an industry standard effects creation title used by professionals and hobbyists alike. As Adobe Photoshop is to the world of print media, so Adobe After Effects continues the Adobe workflow into the world of film and video by using independent layers to create rich effects that combine video, graphics and animation elements. Add to this mix a completely customizable library of effects filters, and you have the tools you need to tackle any project.

1. Create a new composition in After Effects by clicking “Composition” and “New Composition” from the main menu.
2. Step 2

   Enter “Shutter FX” in the Composition Name field for this example.

3. Step 3

   Select “NTSC DV” from the Preset pull-down menu.

4. Step 4

   Enter “10.00″ for the composition duration.

5. Step 5

   Import the video clip you want to add the shutter effect to by double-clicking anywhere in the Project window and selecting the video clip.

6. Step 6

   Place the video clip in the composition preview window by using your mouse to drag the clip onto the composition canvas.

7. Step 7

   Right-click with your mouse anywhere in the left region of the composition time line underneath the video clip layer. Select “New” and “Solid” from the menu.

8. Step 8

   Enter “Black-Upper” in the Name field for the Solid.

9. Step 9

   Click on the color palette in the Color section of the New Solid dialogue box and enter “20″ for each of the R, G and B values.

10. Step 10

    Click the “OK” button to close the window, and click “OK” again to close the New Solid dialogue box.

11. Step 11

    Drag the beginning point of the Shutter-Upper layer from the composition time line toward the left to shorten the duration to four frames. Use the Info window to see the duration decrease as you drag the beginning point toward the end of the time line. The Shutter-Upper solid is distinguished by a reddish-orange colored bar on the time line.

12. Step 12

    Select the remaining four-frame section of the layer on the time line and drag this section to the point where you want the shutter effect to occur.

13. Step 13

    Place the Current Time Indicator cursor from the time line on the first frame of the Shutter-Upper layer

14. Step 14

    Enter “P” on your keyboard to reveal the Position controls. Note the horizontal and vertical values shown next to the “Position” text. Enter “-240″ for the vertical position by clicking the “240″ value shown on the right.

15. Step 15

    Click the key frame icon (shaped like an hour glass) in the Position control settings for the Shutter-Upper solid on the time line.

16. Step 16

    Place the Current Timeline Indicator in the middle of the Shutter-Upper solid on the time line.

17. Step 17

    Enter “0″ for the vertical Position value.

18. Step 18

    Place the Current Timeline Indicator at the end of the Shutter-Upper solid on the time line.

19. Step 19

    Enter “-240″ for the vertical Position value.

20. Step 20

    Repeat steps 7 through 19, except name the solid layer “Shutter-Lower” and replace the “-240″ vertical position value with “720″ and the “0″ vertical position value with “480.”

If you are using the Chroma-Key effect in After Effects to make your video background transparent, and run into a problem with reflective objects disappearing, you can correct the problem by creating an Add Mask on a new layer of footage.

1. Open After Effects and open your project.
2. Step 2

   Select the clip that you want to create the Add Mask on by clicking on the footage under “Layer Name” in the Timeline.

3. Step 3

   Press the “Control” key and the letter “D” at the same time to create a duplicate layer. Make sure you are working on the TOP layer of the two, by clicking on it.

4. Step 4

   In the tools menu select the Pen Tool.

5. Step 5

   In your composition window, carefully “draw” a circle or shape around the object or person that needs the Mask by left clicking on the footage. Make sure all of your dots are connected in a complete circle or shape.

6. Step 6

   Back in the Timeline, expand the options related to your clip by clicking on the little arrow to the left of the footage name. Then click the arrow next to “Mask” to expand it’s options, and click the arrow next to “Mask 1″ (the mask you just created) to expand it’s options.

7. Step 7

   Click the little stopwatch next to “Mask Shape.” This adds a “Keyframe” to your footage, essentially saving your mask shape from frame to frame. In the pull down menu to the right of “Mask 1″, make sure that “Add” is selected. This tells the mask to remove everything in the frame that is outside the mask.

8. Step 8

   Scrub through your footage by dragging the “Time Indicator” in your Timeline through the footage. Make sure your person or object stays centered in your mask. If they or the object is in motion, it is likely they will not. You can adjust each dot of the mask individually by selecting it and dragging it to expand the mask.

9. Step 9

   Give the Mask Feather Option (in the Timeline) a value of approximately “3.” Save your work.

A skilled After Effects artist can create stunning visual effects using a combination of video, photo and graphic elements. Unlike Adobe Photoshop, which can only create still images, Adobe After Effects adds the dimension of time and movement to create movies that can be exported as digital video files. Showcase your After Effects projects as a personal screensaver, or create screensavers to sell or share with others. Download and install software that will take your exported After Effects video file and convert that file to a self-installing screensaver program.

Create a Screensaver with Video Screensaver

1. Step 1

   Download Video Screensaver using the Resource link provided.

2. Step 2

   Select your project composition in After Effects, then choose “Composition” and “Add to Render Queue” from the main menu.

3. Step 3

   Click the “Lossless” link from the “Output Module” and select either AVI, H.264, MPEG-2 or Quicktime Movie from the “Format” pull-down menu.

4. Step 4

   Click the “Render” button to export your composition to the chosen video format.

5. Step 5

   Install Video Screensaver by double-clicking the Video_Screensaver_Setup.exe file.

6. Step 6

   Select “rodflashvideos” from the “Screen Saver” pull-down menu in the Screen Saver Settings window that automatically launches when you install Video Screensaver.

7. Step 7

   Click the “Open” button from the Video Screensaver program window and select the After Effects video file you exported.

8. Step 8

   Click the “OK” button.

Create a Screensaver with InstantStorm

9. Step 1

   Download InstantStorm (see Resources).

10. Step 2

    Install InstantStorm by double-clicking the InstantStormSetup.exe file.

11. Step 3

    Select your project composition in After Effects, then choose “File,” “Export” and “Adobe Flash Player (SWF)” from the After Effects menu. Choose your target folder and click the “Save” button.

12. Step 4

    Launch InstantStorm. Close the initial window displayed and enter the title for your screensaver using the Screensaver Title field.

13. Step 5

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

14. Step 6

    Create the self-installing EXE file by clicking the “Create” button from the “Publishing” tab.

Create a Screensaver with Axialis Screensaver Producer

15. Step 1

    Download Axialis Screensaver Producer (see Resources).

16. Step 2

    Install the program by double-clicking the Axscrprod.exe file.

17. Step 3

    Select your project composition in After Effects, then choose “File,” “Export” and “Adobe Flash Player (SWF)” from the After Effects menu. Choose your target folder and click the “Save” button.

18. Step 4

    Launch Axialis Screensaver Producer and select the “New” icon.

19. Step 5

    Choose “Flash Based Screensaver” from the “New Screensaver Project” menu. Click the “Next” button to continue.

20. Step 6

    Enter the title of your screensaver in the Title field.

21. Step 7

    Click the “Finish” button.

22. Step 8

    Import your After Effects SWF file by selecting the “…” button.

23. Step 9

    Select the “Make Install” button and click the “Next” button until you see the “Go and Compile!” button. Create the self-installing EXE file by clicking this button.

If you are editing or compositing video footage shot on a Green or Blue Screen and want to remove elements from the footage, you need to create a garbage matte. For the purposes of this explanation, imagine a single person standing in the center of your video frame.

1. Open After Effects and import your footage into a Timeline.
2. Step 2

   Select the clip that you want to create a garbage matte on by clicking on the footage under “Layer Name” in the Timeline.

3. Step 3

   In the tools menu select the “Pen Tool.”

4. Step 4

   In your composition window “draw” a circle or shape around the person in the middle of the frame, by left clicking on the footage. Make sure all of your dots are connected in a complete circle or shape.

5. Step 5

   Back in the Timeline, expand the options related to your clip by clicking on the little arrow to the left of the footage name. Then click the arrow next to “Mask” to expand it’s options, and click the arrow next to “Mask 1″ (the mask you just created) to expand it’s options.

6. Step 6

   Click the little stopwatch next to “Mask Shape.” This adds a “Keyframe” to your footage, essentially saving your mask shape from frame to frame. In the pull down menu to the right of “Mask 1″, make sure that “Add” is selected. This tells the mask to remove everything in the frame that is outside the mask.

7. Step 7

   Scrub through your footage by dragging the “Time Indicator” in your Timeline through the footage. Make sure your person or object stays centered in your mask. If they are moving, it is likely they will not. You can adjust each dot of the mask individually by selecting it and dragging it to expand the mask.

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Adobe After Effects a has plug-in called the Keylight which has made Chroma-keying footage shot on a green or blue screen a very quick and simple process. Assuming you already have a basic understanding of After Effects and Compositing, here is a step by step on how to use the Keylight plug-in.

1. Import your footage into After Effects and set up a project.
2. Step 2

   With your clip containing the footage to be keyed selected, go to the Effects Menu and choose Keying and then Keylight.

3. Step 3

   In the Keylight Effects control menu, select the eyedropper tool next to “Screen Color” and click on the green or blue color of the screen that you want to remove from your footage.

4. Step 4

   While still in the Keylight Effects control menu, and under “About,” look for “View.” From the pull down menu next to “View” choose the “Screen Matte” option. You are now viewing the footage in two-tone black and white only. Here your goal is to make the color you want to key out completely black, and the rest of your footage completely white.

5. Step 5

   While still in the Keylight Effects control menu, and under “About,” expand the “Screen Matte” options. Adjust “Clip Black” number from 0 up until all the white is removed from your key area, making it completely black. This will generally be no more than approximately 30.

6. Step 6

   Adjust “Clip White” number from 100 down until all the black is removed from your foreground footage (the footage in front of the keyed background) and it is completely white. This will generally not be less than approximately 70.

7. Step 7

   Under the “Screen Matte” options, look for “Screen Shrink/Grow.” Make that number negative 0.5.

8. Step 8

   While still in the Keylight Effects control menu, but back under “About,” look for “Screen Pre-blur. Adjust that number to approximately 2.5.

9. Step 9

   Go back to the Main Effect Menu, and choose “Matte”, then “Simple Choker.” In the Simple Choker effects control, look for “Choke Matte.” Make that number between 0.75 and 1.5, depending on the edge of your footage. The “Simple Choker Effect” helps remove some of the edge around your foreground footage.

10. Step 10

    Finally, go back to the Keylight Effects control, and under “About,” go back to “View.” From the pull down menu next to “View” choose the “Final Result” option. Now your background is transparent and you are ready to composite your footage.