User Guide

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ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 5.0
User Guide
• Choose a mode from the Output Mode menu. The choices listed here depend on the
device you are using. The Frame Size and Frame Rate indicators below the menu reflect
the choices you made in the Output Mode menu and are independent of any After Effects
setting.
• Select Update Desktop During Video Playback to play the preview simultaneously on the
computer screen and the external monitor.
• Select a Show Output option. Select During RAM Previews to see all RAM previews on
the external monitor. Select For All Window Updates to always update the video preview
on the external monitor. Select Including Renders to view each frame on the external
monitor as it renders.
Previewing animation
When you preview a composition in After Effects, the more detail and precision you want
to see, the more slowly the composition displays in standard preview and the more RAM
is required for RAM preview. You can control the amount of detail shown in either the
standard or RAM preview by changing the resolution, magnification, and preview quality
of your composition. See “Setting resolution” on page 106 and “Changing the layer image
quality” on page 149.
You can also limit the number of layers previewed by turning off the video switch for
certain layers, or limit the number of frames previewed by adjusting the composition’s
work area. See “Hiding layers in the Composition window” on page 137 or “Setting up a
work area” on page 121. For information on all the previewing shortcuts available, see the
After Effects Quick Reference card.
After Effects also uses caching and dynamic resolution to facilitate quicker previews and
Composition window updates whether you’re using RAM preview, advancing sequentially
or nonsequentially through the frames, or dragging layers in the Composition
window. Wireframe mode is also available to speed up Composition window updates.
See “Previewing 3D” on page 302 for information on using Wireframe mode.
To stop any preview before it is complete:
Press the spacebar.
UG.book Page 191 Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:05 PM