User Guide

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ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 5.0
User Guide
Creating low-resolution movies for testing motion
You can test the motion of a high-quality composition by quickly creating a low-
resolution, or thumbnail, movie. Do this by making a movie at a resolution less than full
(using the Resolution pop-up menu in the Render Settings dialog box). After Effects
creates a movie with dimensions proportional to the resolution.
For example, if your composition is 640 x 480 pixels and you make a movie at quarter
resolution, the resulting movie will be 160 x 120 pixels (one-sixteenth the size of the compo-
sition). This thumbnail renders almost 16 times faster than at full resolution. You can then
play the thumbnail on your system to get a good idea of what motion will be like in your
final, full-sized movie. You can also enlarge the thumbnail in a movie-playing application to
see playback at full size. In addition, you can use RAM preview for testing purposes.
Testing the field-rendering order
A simple test can determine the order in which your video equipment requires fields.
When you make a movie, the rendering order (Upper Field First or Lower Field First)
should be synchronized with the method used by your equipment, or your movie will
appear distorted.
Note: The field order with which you record to video equipment can be altered by changes in
the hardware or software of your production setup. For example, changing your video board,
device control software, or VCR after setting the field order can reverse your fields. Therefore,
any time you make a change to your setup, run this test for field-rendering order.
The test takes about 15 to 20 minutes and involves creating two movie versions of the same
composition (one rendered with Upper Field First and one with Lower Field First), and
then taping and playing the movies to see which choice looks right.
To test field-rendering order:
1 Create a simple composition with the correct frame size and frame rate. Choose an
NTSC or PAL preset in the Composition Settings dialog box, and make the composition
at least 3 seconds long.
2 Within the composition, make a layer that is a small rectangular solid. The layer can be
any color as long as it contrasts sharply with the composition background. You may wish to
add a title such as “Upper Field First” to the solid, to make identification of the movie easier.
UG.book Page 387 Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:05 PM