User Guide

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ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 5.0
User Guide
Setting the rendering plug-in
You can animate layers inside a 3D space. This 3D environment includes shadows,
specular highlights, rack focus, and an automatic method of compositing layers based on
depth. The default 3D renderer is Standard. However, you can use the Advanced panel of
the Composition Settings dialog box to specify other rendering plug-ins for rendering 3D
compositions as they become available.
Adding footage items to a composition
Once you have created a new composition and imported footage into the project, you can
add footage items or another composition to it. To do this, drag footage items or folders
from the Project window to a Timeline window, a Composition window, or a composition
name or icon in the Project window. You can use individual items in the Project window
any number of times in one or more compositions.
Note: Although you cannot directly add a composition to itself, you can duplicate a compo-
sition and add the copy to the original.
When you drag a footage item to the Timeline window, you can specify a precise layer
order and start time for the item. If you add multiple footage items to a composition, the
items appear in the order in which they were selected in the Project window. If you drag a
footage item into the Composition window, the layer appears where you drop it. If you
drag a footage item onto a composition in the Project window, the layer snaps to the center
of the Composition window. After you add a layer, you can move it to any position within
the Composition window. When you add multiple footage items, they appear in the
composition in the order selected.
Items added to a composition begin at the time indicated on the current-time marker in
the Timeline window. For example, if the current time box displays 0:00:04:00 (4 seconds),
when you place the item in the Composition window, the item begins its first frame at 4
seconds. By changing the location of the current-time marker (Timeline window) or the
time displayed in the Current Time button (Composition window), you can add a layer at
any point in the composition.
UG.book Page 109 Wednesday, February 21, 2001 12:05 PM