Working on a Complex Composition

When working with a complex composition, we will have several different objects, all with different animation properties and effects. We can also animate some of the effects as well.

It can be difficult to keep track of various objects and effects interacting with each other. Because of this, in this section, we will also explore some organizational techniques that can help us focus on a small portion of the composition.

Let's create a new composition. We'll need to move to the Project panel first.

Step 1. To move to the Project panel, on the Menu bar,

Click Window, Click Project

Step 2. To create a new composition, in the bottom of the Project panel,

Click 

The Composition Settings window appears. Most of our settings should be automatically set to match our other compositions. But we will name the composition so that we can easily identify it.

Step 3. To name the composition, in the Composition Name field, type:

Planet Animation Enter key

Now we have a new composition to work with. Let's start by talking about solids.

Working with Solids

In After Effects, all the effects we can apply require an object to use. Sometimes, we don't have a specific object but still want the effect.

For these scenarios, we have solids. Solids are simple shapes, such as rectangles, that we can use as the basis for effects. They can also be used to provide solid color backgrounds in some cases.

Let's create one now.

Step 1. To create a solid, on the Menu bar,

Click Layer, Point New, Click Solid...

The Solid Settings dialog box appears:

In this dialog box, we can set up all the aspects of our solid. Let's name it now.

Step 2. To name the solid, in the Name field, type:

Stars

This first solid will be used as a basic starting point that will eventually turn into a background of stars for our composition.

We also want to make sure this solid matches our composition size, since we want our star field to cover the entire canvas. Let's set that now.

Step 3. To ensure that the solid is the correct size,

Click

We might not need to do this every time, but it's a good habit to get into, since it's such a simple step.

The star field effect we are using take the initial color of the object as the color of the stars. Because of this, we will need to set the color of the solid to white. Many effects will ignore or override the color settings of the object or solid it is being applied to, so most solids won't need to be colored.

NOTE: If the color showing in the color swatch at the bottom of the dialog box is already set to white, you can skip ahead to step 7.

Step 4. To set the color, at the bottom of the dialog box, if necessary,

Click 

The Color Picker appears. We'll type in the hexadecimal color code for white.

Step 5. To select the color white, in the # field, type:

FFFFFF

Now we've chosen the color for the solid, and can move on.

Step 6. To finish changing the color of the solid, in the upper right corner of the Solid Color dialog box,

Click

We're finished changing the settings for our solid, so let's complete the process of making the solid.

Step 7. To complete the solid creation process,

Click

Now we have our solid created, and we can add an effect to it.

Adding a Star Field Effect

We'd like this solid to turn into a field of stars. We could try to achieve this through a combination of effects, but there is a single effect that will do all of this for us. It is called CC Star Burst.

The CC stands for Cycore, which is a company that has created a series of effects for After Effects. To see all of them, simply search for CC in the Effects & Presets panel.

Let's find this effect in the Effects menu.

Step 1. To find the effect, from the Menu bar,

Click Effect, Point Simulation, Click CC Star Burst

NOTE: If all of the effects in the Effect menu are grayed out, select the solid by clicking on it, then repeat step 1.

Our solid turns into a star field. This effect includes animation. Let's see it now.

Step 2. Preview the animation using whichever method you choose.

We can see the star field moving toward us very quickly. We'd like our field to be fairly stationary and less noticeable, since it will serve as the background.

Step 3. Stop the animation, and return to the beginning of the timeline using whichever method you choose.

Let's alter the settings in the Effect Control panel, seen here:

We will provide some values here, but feel free to experiment with your own values. Remember that these can be changed at any time.

Step 4. Set the following field values:

With these values, we will achieve a subtler star field that will not distract from the rest of the animation.

Step 5. Preview the animation.

We can see now the star field moves very subtly and slowly.

Step 6. Stop the animation, and return to the beginning of the timeline.

Step 7. Save the file.

Now we can begin work on our planet.

Using Fractal Noise

One of the most common and useful effects in After Effects is Fractal Noise. This effect can be used to create a random pattern of noise that we can use as the basis for a lot of interesting effects. We can control what the pattern looks like to a large degree, and we can also animate these patterns, making them shift and move in interesting ways. Adding color to this pattern allows us to enhance the effect.

We will use Fractal Noise today to create the texture for a planet. Once the noise is set, we will apply the Sphere effect to wrap the noise pattern around a spherical shape, and then we will adjust the noise pattern to achieve a look that we like for our planet.

We need a solid to apply the Fractal Noise effect to.

Step 1. To create a solid, from the Menu bar,

Click Layer, Point New, Click Solid

The Solid Settings dialog box appears.

Step 2. To name the new solid, in the Name field type:

Planet Enter key

The new solid is created. It doesn't matter what the color is, since Fractal Noise will replace the entire solid with its pattern.

Let's apply the effect. We already have the object created and selected, so we can simply add the effect.

Step 3. In the Effects & Presets panel, in the search field type:

Noise Enter key

We see all the effects with the word "noise" in their title appear:

NOTE: Turbulent Noise is a filter that can be used in similar situations as Fractal Noise. The main difference between the two is that Turbulent Noise is hardware-accelerated. This means that it can use your graphics card to render faster. Experiment with both to see which works better in different situations.

Step 4. To add the effect, in the Effects & Presets panel, under the Noise & Grain heading,

Double-Click Fractal Noise

We see a cloudy grayscale pattern appear in place of the canvas. We have a lot of work to do before this looks anything like a planet, but for now, let's explore the options for the Fractal Noise effect.

The two options that we are going to find most useful for changing the look of this effect are Fractal Type and Noise Type:

Fractal Type allows us to change the type of pattern that appears on the screen. The Noise Type option changes the particular pattern that is selected, making it more or less distinct.

Finally, Evolution will change the effect we have selected, shifting the pattern. We can use this option to animate the effect, making it appear to pulse and move.

Step 5. To test out the options for Fractal and Noise Type, in the Effect Controls panel,

Click for Fractal Type and Noise Type, and select different options

Contrast and Brightness can also change the effect by changing the lightness and darkness of the effect.

Step 6. To test out the Contrast and Brightness options, in the Effect Controls panel,

Press & Drag the sliders for Contrast and Brightness to see how they change the effect

We will reset the Fractal Noise effect before continuing.

Step 7. To reset the effect, at the top of the Effect Controls panel,

Click Reset

We want to add color to our planet, and make it a sphere before we make any more changes to the Fractal Noise effect. This will give us a better idea of what our final planet will look like as we're making changes.

Adding the Tritone Effect

On of the main issues with Fractal Noise is that it does not include color, so if we want any color included, we will need to add another effect. There are several effects we can use, but one of the most simple and effective is the Tritone effect.

The Tritone effect allows us to change the color of a grayscale object by replacing the white, gray and black colors with new colors of our choosing. Since white, gray and black are the only colors present in a grayscale image, this can give us a good simple way to quickly alter the colors.

Let's add this now.

Step 1. To add the Tritone effect, in the Effects & Presets panel search field, type:

Tritone

Step 2. To add the effect, in the Effects & Presets panel,

Double-Click Tritone

The effect is applied. Let's see how to alter this effect. Tritone begins with a simple sepia-toned effect. Let's change the midtones to see a difference.

Step 3. To change the midtones, in the Effect Controls panel,

Click 

A Color Picker appears.

Step 4. To select a new color,

Click a different color, then Click

The color changes, and now we're ready to finish creating the planet.

Adding the Sphere Effect

Finally, to complete our planet effect, we need to make a sphere out of this noise texture. We'll use the CC Sphere effect to accomplish this. This is a simple effect that creates a sphere, and we can control size, position, and lighting from within the effect itself.

Let's add this now.

Step 1. To add the Sphere effect, in the Effects & Presets panel search field, type:

CC Sphere

Step 2. To add the effect, in the Effects & Presets panel,

Double-Click CC Sphere

The effect is added, and we can see a planet sitting on a star field.

Step 3. Save the file.

Now that we have our planet in place, let's begin animating the planet to move towards us.