{"id":38163,"date":"2016-10-07T13:40:35","date_gmt":"2016-10-07T18:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=38163"},"modified":"2016-10-14T10:24:00","modified_gmt":"2016-10-14T15:24:00","slug":"creative-cloud-design-tips-animated-type-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/38163-creative-cloud-design-tips-animated-type-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Cloud Design Tips: Animated Type, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

This fall we are sharing a series of simple design techniques for Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects. Rather than setting up a tutorial where you follow a \u201crecipe\u201d and end up with our design instead of your own, we show core workflow steps that allow you to try different tools or looks. Where pitfalls or caveats were found, we’ve noted them so that you can avoid problems. The idea is to get you experimenting with these powerful apps and enjoying the creative process! While you don’t need to be an expert to follow along, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with each application and its core features before you begin.
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\"cloud2\"Setup:<\/strong> the application versions used for this article include Adobe Illustrator CC, 2015.3.1 release, and Adobe After Effects, CC 2015.3 release. Both apps were installed on a Late 2013 MacBook Pro with an SSD<\/a> and 16GB of RAM<\/a>. The system version is OS X 10.11.6.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction:<\/strong> after creating and preparing vector artwork as described in Part 1 of this series<\/a>, it\u2019s time to import the assets into After Effects so that we can begin animating the letters or symbols that you created.<\/p>\n

Step 1) Set up the master composition.<\/strong>
\nOnce you launch After Effects, create the master composition (or \u201ccomp\u201d) that will contain your pre-animated letters or symbols. There is no requirement as to how large or small the comp is, but for projects where the target medium is online video, the settings used below should work well for distribution on services like YouTube or Vimeo. Choose Composition > New Composition (Cmd-N on Mac, Ctrl-N on PC).<\/p>\n

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The After Effects New Composition dialog box.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Step 2) Import Illustrator files as compositions.<\/strong>
\nBring in the Illustrator artboard files that were created in Part 1. Double-click an empty spot in the Project panel. This will open an OS X or Windows file browser window with additional options. Select all of the Illustrator files you created from the artboards, and within the Import As menu, select Composition \u2013 Retain Layer Sizes. This brings each file into the After Effects project as its own composition and maintains the size of your original artboards. Click Open when you\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

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Be sure to import as compositions that retain the original layer size.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Step 3) Remove duplicate layer assets.<\/strong>
\nYou should have several compositions in your Project panel \u2014\u00a0one for each letter or symbol you designed, and the master comp you created in Step 1. Additionally you should also see a folder for each comp that you imported. Notice that each folder contains all of the layers from the Illustrator file, not just the layers specific to that comp. The extra layers need to be removed; highlight and them and press Delete. This cuts down on the project\u2019s file size and helps to keep things organized.<\/p>\n