User Guide

CHAPTER 1

Working with Projects, Windows, and Palettes

To view a color channel or alpha channel:

1 Open the Composition, Layer, or Footage window to view a channel for a composition,

layer, or footage item, respectively.

2 At the bottom of the window, click the icon that corresponds to the channel you want

to display.

A. Red channel B. Green channel C. Blue channel D. Alpha channel

Taking and viewing a window snapshot

When you want to compare one view to another in the Composition, Layer, or Footage

window, take a snapshot of one view and temporarily replace the window image with the

snapshot. For example, you might want to compare two frames in different locations in a

movie. You can instantly show and hide the snapshot to identify differences between the

views. If you have a sound card installed, you hear a sound when you take a snapshot.

When working with snapshots, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Snapshots taken in one kind of window can be displayed in another kind. For example,

you can take a snapshot of a Layer window and display the snapshot in the Composition

or Footage window.

• Displaying a snapshot does not replace the content of the window.

• If the snapshot has a different size or aspect ratio than the window in which you display

it, the snapshot is resized to ﬁt the window.

• Choose Edit > Purge > Snapshot to free up memory used by your snapshots.

• Snapshots are for reference only and do not become part of the layer, composition, or

rendered movie.

To take a snapshot:

Click the take-snapshot icon at the bottom of the window, or press Shift+F5.

UG.book Page 58 Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:05 PM