User Guide

347
ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 5.0
User Guide
When you collapse the transform properties of a layer, all compositions nested inside it
combine their opacity setting with the opacity setting of the layer that uses collapsed
transform properties.
Because you can collapse transformations but not mask or effect properties, After Effects
automatically disables all composition and layer switches related to masks or effects when
you collapse transformations. If you click a disabled layer switch, After Effects prompts
you to turn off Collapse Transformations. You cannot turn on the Effect, Mask, Mask
Feather, or Motion Blur layer properties or apply transfer controls to a layer in which you
collapsed transform properties. You can still apply these properties to a composition
nested within the composition with transform properties collapsed, as long as the
Collapse Transformations switch is not turned on for that composition.
When a layer contains an Adobe Illustrator file instead of a nested composition, the
Collapse Transformations switch for that layer becomes the Continuously Rasterize
switch, which you can use to improve the image quality of footage. See “Importing an
Adobe Illustrator, PDF, or EPS file” on page 77 and “Collapsing transformation
properties” on page 148.
Collapsing transformations also adds some flexibility when you work with 3D layers in
nested compositions. If you have a subordinate composition that has 3D objects within it
without Collapse Transformations, After Effects renders the composition as a 2D image of
the 3D arrangement in the higher composition. However, if you turn on Collapse Trans-
formations, After Effects renders the 3D layers into the next higher composition so that
they retain their 3D relationships among themselves and with other 3D layers in the higher
composition. You can continue to manipulate the relative positions of the 3D layers from
the lower composition as a group.
Saving time by prerendering nested compositions
A complex nested composition can take a long time to preview and render. If you have a
nested composition that you do not expect to work on any further, render the nested
composition into a movie and use it as a proxy for the actual nested composition. As a
rendered movie, it will require less calculation and time to display and render in the larger
project. You can still make changes to the prerendered composition, because the original
nested composition remains in the project list. If you make a significant change to the
original nested composition, simply render it again. Prerendering a nested composition is
particularly beneficial when you use a nested composition multiple times in a project.
UG.book Page 347 Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:05 PM