User Guide

135
ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 5.0
User Guide
Creating simple cuts and transitions between layers
A simple cut (shifting view from one layer to another) is easy to create in the Timeline
window.
To cut from one layer to another:
1 Display the Timeline window containing the two layers for which you want to create the
transition.
2 Set the In point of the second layer at one frame later than the Out point of the first layer.
For more information about setting In and Out points, see “Understanding trimming” on
page 139.
Other kinds of transitions, such as fading or dissolving one layer into another, involve
opacity settings, In and Out points, and keyframes. However, you can apply certain
effects (including transition effects) to create a different transitions instead of building
them yourself, as described in “Applying and controlling effects” on page 270. For more
information about creating your own transitions, see “Setting layer opacity” on page 180,
“Understanding trimming” on page 139, and “Understanding keyframes” on page 160.
Customizing layer work and views
You can change a number of layer properties to suit the way you work. For example, you
can rename a layer, giving it a unique name. This is especially helpful when you use the
same source footage for more than one layer. You can also change color labels.
Certain settings affect both the working view and the rendered view. For more infor-
mation, see “Changing the layer image quality” on page 149 and “Showing and hiding
applied effects” on page 149.
Renaming a layer
By default, the layer outline in the Timeline window uses the source footage names for
layers. You can rename any layer at any time. Unique layer names can help you identify
layers when you use the same source footage for more than one layer. You can switch
between displaying the original filename and the layer name you’ve specified; see “Viewing
the source name of a layer” on page 136.
UG.book Page 135 Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:05 PM