After Effects, Animation Day 3

Objectives

  • Understand the types of keyframe easing
    • Linear
    • Ease In
    • Ease Out
    • Easy Ease
    • Hold Keyframe
  • Use keyframe easing on layer transformation properties
  • Animate effect properties
  • Use keyframe easing on effect properties

Link to files: https://files.learnsoftware.org/after-effects-animation/

Outline

Introduction:

  • Take some time to address any questions students have from the previous days

Hook:

  • Does anyone know what keyframe easing might mean?
  • What makes animation feel smooth/fluid instead of choppy or robotic?

—–Project 1 (Easing Types Practice Project Composition)—–

  • Have students open the Easing Types Practice Project composition
  • Change keyframe easing for each circle
    • Right click on keyframe -> Keyframe Assistant -> select desired easing style
  • Keyframe Hold (last circle)
    • Right click on keyframe -> Toggle Hold Keyframe
  • Reset an easing style to Linear
    • Right click on keyframe -> Keyframe interpolation -> set Temporal Interpolation to Linear

—–Project 2 (Dancing Cactus)—–

Setup

  • Import Cactus Character Illustrator file
    • File -> Import 
    • Change “Import As” from Footage to Composition
    • Important: Change Footage Dimensions from Layer Size to Document Size (otherwise the effect we’ll apply won’t work properly)
  • Open newly created composition
    • Change composition length to 2 seconds (this will be a looping animation)
  • Add a “CC Bend It” effect to the cactus layer
  • In the effects properties, adjust the start and end points to the top and bottom of the cactus (so all of him is visible)

Animating Effects with Keyframe Easing

  • Keyframe the “Bend” property of the effect so that the cactus sways side to side
  • Change the easing style of the keyframes to “Easy Ease”

—–OPTIONAL If Time, Additional Keyframe Easing Practice: Project 3 (Bouncing Ball, Practice keyframe Easing with Multiple Transformation Properties)—–

Setup

  • Create a new composition
    • 30 frames per second 
    • Duration of 0;00;00;20 (2/3s of a second)
  • Create a circle shape layer

Animating the Ball

  • Keyframe the position of the ball to make it bounce up and down
  • Use keyframe easing to make the ball slow down when it reaches its highest point
  • Keyframe the scale of the ball so that it is longer when falling and flatter when it hits the ground (“Squash and Stretch”)
    • Examples of squash and stretch principle
    • To change horizontal and vertical scale independently, uncheck the chain icon located next to the layer’s scale properties
    • Use keyframe easing to smooth out the changes in scale

Conclusion

  • Recap: Today we learned
    • The different types of keyframe easing
    • How to apply them to layer transformations and effect properties