After Effects Apprentice: 08 Nesting and Precomposing

Learn how to use multiple compositions to group layers, accommodate client changes, and rewire the internal render order in After Effects.

Introduction

• Overview
• Software versions and exercise files

1. Nesting a Group of Layers

• Building an extra-wide composition
• Nesting and animating a precomp
• Editing the precomp

2. Nesting a Common Source

• Using common elements
• Creating and animating a map composition
• Accommodating changes efficiently

3. Precomposing a Group

• Precomposing to group layers
• Precomps and effects

4. Precomposing a Single Layer

• What could go wrong?
• Precomposing with Leave All attributes
• More on precomps and effects
• Replace with precomp

5. Render Order Issues

• Understanding the render order
• Solving problems by using a second composition
• Using precomposing to rewire the render order

6. Render Order Exceptions

• Exploriong continuous rasterization
• Using the Transform effect
• Exploring Collapse transformations
• Working with compond effects

7. Quizzlers

• Quizzler challenges
• Quizzler solution 1: Alien Puzzle
• Quizzler solution 2: Picture in Picture

8. Idea Corner

• Finishing the Muybridge

9. Sidebars

• Navigating composition hierarchies
• Edit this, look at that
• Preserve frame rate