Animating a television lower third with precomps and null objects

In this segment, we will learn about precomps. This is a very important part of After Effects. It helps you to create complex animations quickly. Once you understand it, we will be able to create a lower third project with more complex layers.

Designing with storyboards

An important part of this book is knowing how to design strong compositions. In this chapter, you will create a lower third. Let's now walk through how this project is designed. In designing any project, the ideation stage is really important; it is when you're generating ideas and developing concepts for the project. It's very important to stay organized during the idea-generating phase. I use Adobe Bridge for this. You can bring in photos and videos, and organize them in Adobe Bridge. You can also label and organize them in a variety of ways.

All design projects have parameters. Ask yourself what the criteria are for your project. When you're creating a project, it's important to know your audience and know where your video will be seen. This will help you to design a project that is appropriate for your audience. Bear this in mind, particularly when you are choosing fonts, colors and images. Ask yourself: is the design legible?

The following screenshot shows a storyboard; you can use this to plan out your ideas for your project. It can be a very basic storyboard to help you organize and plan your project. When you design your storyboard, you have an opportunity to see whether your typography and images work well together. You need to make sure that your designs are readable and can be communicated effectively:

Adobe Bridge

Refer to the following link to find out more about television lower thirds: https://www.jbistudios.com/blog/lower-thirds-chyrons-subtitles-dubbing-video-translation.

Editing masks and using precomps

Let's begin our television lower third. Look at the following screenshot; this is what we're creating. We are creating the 6:30 portion of this project right now:

Final image

To begin with, we are going to create a compostion (comp) with solid layers and edit those solid layers with masking techniques, as follows:

Create a new 1920 x 1080 comp with a frame rate of 29.97.
Make the comp 9 seconds—0:00:09:00. Name it pattern.
Go to Layer | New | Solid, and change the color to blue.
Create a circle shape using the ellipse tool.
Drag another ellipse on to the comp layer.
Choose a subtract mask:
Subtract mask
This will allow you to cut out a shape inside your first mask.
Choose the Pan Behind Tool. This will allow to move your anchor point, and you can transform around this point.
Scale down the layer.
Move it up into the top-left corner.
Duplicate this layer.
Reposition this layer as seen in the following example:
Repeat this process until you have at least six circle shapes in your composition.

Just like Photoshop, you can put a variety of assets in one folder in After Effects. In After Effects, this is called precomposing. It's a simple process to precompose something. However, the concept behind it is a little more complicated. The way to precompose the objects in our scene is to have a transparent background and select everything in your composition.

Go to the Layer tab in the top-left panel of the screen and choose the Pre-compose... option:

Pre-comp 1

When you precompose something, you get a dialog box. This gives you the option to name your precomp. Choose the option to move all of your attributes into the new composition, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:

Pre-comp 2

Nesting precomps and using the pen tool

Let's create a background for your shapes, as follows:

Go to the top-left panel and choose Layer | New | Solid
Move this new Solid layer to the bottom of your composition layer
Next, create a main comp in which to move all of your assets

After creating a new composition, name it Main comp, and then we can apply the same settings as we did in our first comp.

To move a precomp into another composition, simply locate the precomp in your project window and drag it down into your Main comp:

Dragging the precomp

Now, you should see one precomp in your Main comp. Let's adjust this precomp further. Select your pen tool, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:

Pen tool

We will use the pen tool to mask out a shape on your precomp. To use the pen tool, you simply select the layer you want to use the pen tool on. In this case, it's the precomp. Click the pen icon at the desired starting point of your mask.

Move your pen tool to the next desired point, and click again. When you're ready to close the shape, hover near the point you want to close it at. You'll see a small circle icon near the pen tool, meaning that you can close the shape. When you've completed masking this precomp, it should look like the following screenshot:

Masking a precomp

Next, I will create another composition for the additional shapes that I will use for my lower third. Create a new composition with the same dimensions and time length as our previous comp. I am essentially going to repeat the exact same process that I did with the previous shapes I created. This time, however, I'm going to use the rectangle tool to make some shapes.

With these new shapes, we won't be using the subtraction mask feature. We're making a series of rectangle shapes and organizing them to create a pattern, as shown in the following screenshot:

Creating a rectangle pattern

Next, we are going to precompose these new shapes using the following steps:

Simply select all the rectangle shapes and choose composition precompose. When you precompose something, a dialog box appears. This gives you options to name your precomp.
Choose the Move all attributes into the new composition option.
The next step is to create a background for your shapes. Go to Layer | New | Solid, and make the color yellow.

Since this will be the background for our design, you need to move this new Solid layer to the bottom of the stacking order.

Now that you have a new design, you need to move it into the Main comp. The steps for moving a precomp into your Main comp are as follows:

Navigate to the Main composition in your project folder. Double-click on Main comp.
Find the precomp in your Precomp folder and drag it into the Main comp.

It's very important to stay organized at this point because it will be easy for you to identify where all of your precomps are. When you make a new comp that's not the Main comp, put it into the Precomp folder immediately. The only composition that should be in your Main comp folder is the main composition. This is the composition that you intend to export/render.

Repeat the same process as before, and use the pen tool to mask off around the design in the Main comp:

Masking the second pattern

Designing with storyboards

An important part of this book is knowing how to design strong compositions. In this chapter, you will create a lower third. Let's now walk through how this project is designed. In designing any project, the ideation stage is really important; it is when you're generating ideas and developing concepts for the project. It's very important to stay organized during the idea-generating phase. I use Adobe Bridge for this. You can bring in photos and videos, and organize them in Adobe Bridge. You can also label and organize them in a variety of ways.

All design projects have parameters. Ask yourself what the criteria are for your project. When you're creating a project, it's important to know your audience and know where your video will be seen. This will help you to design a project that is appropriate for your audience. Bear this in mind, particularly when you are choosing fonts, colors and images. Ask yourself: is the design legible?

The following screenshot shows a storyboard; you can use this to plan out your ideas for your project. It can be a very basic storyboard to help you organize and plan your project. When you design your storyboard, you have an opportunity to see whether your typography and images work well together. You need to make sure that your designs are readable and can be communicated effectively:

Adobe Bridge

Refer to the following link to find out more about television lower thirds: https://www.jbistudios.com/blog/lower-thirds-chyrons-subtitles-dubbing-video-translation.

Editing masks and using precomps

Let's begin our television lower third. Look at the following screenshot; this is what we're creating. We are creating the 6:30 portion of this project right now:

Final image

To begin with, we are going to create a compostion (comp) with solid layers and edit those solid layers with masking techniques, as follows:

Create a new 1920 x 1080 comp with a frame rate of 29.97.
Make the comp 9 seconds—0:00:09:00. Name it pattern.
Go to Layer | New | Solid, and change the color to blue.
Create a circle shape using the ellipse tool.
Drag another ellipse on to the comp layer.
Choose a subtract mask:
Subtract mask
This will allow you to cut out a shape inside your first mask.
Choose the Pan Behind Tool. This will allow to move your anchor point, and you can transform around this point.
Scale down the layer.
Move it up into the top-left corner.
Duplicate this layer.
Reposition this layer as seen in the following example:
Repeat this process until you have at least six circle shapes in your composition.

Just like Photoshop, you can put a variety of assets in one folder in After Effects. In After Effects, this is called precomposing. It's a simple process to precompose something. However, the concept behind it is a little more complicated. The way to precompose the objects in our scene is to have a transparent background and select everything in your composition.

Go to the Layer tab in the top-left panel of the screen and choose the Pre-compose... option:

Pre-comp 1

When you precompose something, you get a dialog box. This gives you the option to name your precomp. Choose the option to move all of your attributes into the new composition, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:

Pre-comp 2

Nesting precomps and using the pen tool

Let's create a background for your shapes, as follows:

Go to the top-left panel and choose Layer | New | Solid
Move this new Solid layer to the bottom of your composition layer
Next, create a main comp in which to move all of your assets

After creating a new composition, name it Main comp, and then we can apply the same settings as we did in our first comp.

To move a precomp into another composition, simply locate the precomp in your project window and drag it down into your Main comp:

Dragging the precomp

Now, you should see one precomp in your Main comp. Let's adjust this precomp further. Select your pen tool, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:

Pen tool

We will use the pen tool to mask out a shape on your precomp. To use the pen tool, you simply select the layer you want to use the pen tool on. In this case, it's the precomp. Click the pen icon at the desired starting point of your mask.

Move your pen tool to the next desired point, and click again. When you're ready to close the shape, hover near the point you want to close it at. You'll see a small circle icon near the pen tool, meaning that you can close the shape. When you've completed masking this precomp, it should look like the following screenshot:

Masking a precomp

Next, I will create another composition for the additional shapes that I will use for my lower third. Create a new composition with the same dimensions and time length as our previous comp. I am essentially going to repeat the exact same process that I did with the previous shapes I created. This time, however, I'm going to use the rectangle tool to make some shapes.

With these new shapes, we won't be using the subtraction mask feature. We're making a series of rectangle shapes and organizing them to create a pattern, as shown in the following screenshot:

Creating a rectangle pattern

Next, we are going to precompose these new shapes using the following steps:

Simply select all the rectangle shapes and choose composition precompose. When you precompose something, a dialog box appears. This gives you options to name your precomp.
Choose the Move all attributes into the new composition option.
The next step is to create a background for your shapes. Go to Layer | New | Solid, and make the color yellow.

Since this will be the background for our design, you need to move this new Solid layer to the bottom of the stacking order.

Now that you have a new design, you need to move it into the Main comp. The steps for moving a precomp into your Main comp are as follows:

Navigate to the Main composition in your project folder. Double-click on Main comp.
Find the precomp in your Precomp folder and drag it into the Main comp.

It's very important to stay organized at this point because it will be easy for you to identify where all of your precomps are. When you make a new comp that's not the Main comp, put it into the Precomp folder immediately. The only composition that should be in your Main comp folder is the main composition. This is the composition that you intend to export/render.

Repeat the same process as before, and use the pen tool to mask off around the design in the Main comp:

Masking the second pattern

Editing masks and using precomps

Let's begin our television lower third. Look at the following screenshot; this is what we're creating. We are creating the 6:30 portion of this project right now:

Final image

To begin with, we are going to create a compostion (comp) with solid layers and edit those solid layers with masking techniques, as follows:

Create a new 1920 x 1080 comp with a frame rate of 29.97.
Make the comp 9 seconds—0:00:09:00. Name it pattern.
Go to Layer | New | Solid, and change the color to blue.
Create a circle shape using the ellipse tool.
Drag another ellipse on to the comp layer.
Choose a subtract mask:
Subtract mask
This will allow you to cut out a shape inside your first mask.
Choose the Pan Behind Tool. This will allow to move your anchor point, and you can transform around this point.
Scale down the layer.
Move it up into the top-left corner.
Duplicate this layer.
Reposition this layer as seen in the following example:
Repeat this process until you have at least six circle shapes in your composition.

Just like Photoshop, you can put a variety of assets in one folder in After Effects. In After Effects, this is called precomposing. It's a simple process to precompose something. However, the concept behind it is a little more complicated. The way to precompose the objects in our scene is to have a transparent background and select everything in your composition.

Go to the Layer tab in the top-left panel of the screen and choose the Pre-compose... option:

Pre-comp 1

When you precompose something, you get a dialog box. This gives you the option to name your precomp. Choose the option to move all of your attributes into the new composition, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:

Pre-comp 2

Nesting precomps and using the pen tool

Let's create a background for your shapes, as follows:

Go to the top-left panel and choose Layer | New | Solid
Move this new Solid layer to the bottom of your composition layer
Next, create a main comp in which to move all of your assets

After creating a new composition, name it Main comp, and then we can apply the same settings as we did in our first comp.

To move a precomp into another composition, simply locate the precomp in your project window and drag it down into your Main comp:

Dragging the precomp

Now, you should see one precomp in your Main comp. Let's adjust this precomp further. Select your pen tool, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:

Pen tool

We will use the pen tool to mask out a shape on your precomp. To use the pen tool, you simply select the layer you want to use the pen tool on. In this case, it's the precomp. Click the pen icon at the desired starting point of your mask.

Move your pen tool to the next desired point, and click again. When you're ready to close the shape, hover near the point you want to close it at. You'll see a small circle icon near the pen tool, meaning that you can close the shape. When you've completed masking this precomp, it should look like the following screenshot:

Masking a precomp

Next, I will create another composition for the additional shapes that I will use for my lower third. Create a new composition with the same dimensions and time length as our previous comp. I am essentially going to repeat the exact same process that I did with the previous shapes I created. This time, however, I'm going to use the rectangle tool to make some shapes.

With these new shapes, we won't be using the subtraction mask feature. We're making a series of rectangle shapes and organizing them to create a pattern, as shown in the following screenshot:

Creating a rectangle pattern

Next, we are going to precompose these new shapes using the following steps:

Simply select all the rectangle shapes and choose composition precompose. When you precompose something, a dialog box appears. This gives you options to name your precomp.
Choose the Move all attributes into the new composition option.
The next step is to create a background for your shapes. Go to Layer | New | Solid, and make the color yellow.

Since this will be the background for our design, you need to move this new Solid layer to the bottom of the stacking order.

Now that you have a new design, you need to move it into the Main comp. The steps for moving a precomp into your Main comp are as follows:

Navigate to the Main composition in your project folder. Double-click on Main comp.
Find the precomp in your Precomp folder and drag it into the Main comp.

It's very important to stay organized at this point because it will be easy for you to identify where all of your precomps are. When you make a new comp that's not the Main comp, put it into the Precomp folder immediately. The only composition that should be in your Main comp folder is the main composition. This is the composition that you intend to export/render.

Repeat the same process as before, and use the pen tool to mask off around the design in the Main comp:

Masking the second pattern

Nesting precomps and using the pen tool

Let's create a background for your shapes, as follows:

Go to the top-left panel and choose Layer | New | Solid
Move this new Solid layer to the bottom of your composition layer
Next, create a main comp in which to move all of your assets

After creating a new composition, name it Main comp, and then we can apply the same settings as we did in our first comp.

To move a precomp into another composition, simply locate the precomp in your project window and drag it down into your Main comp:

Dragging the precomp

Now, you should see one precomp in your Main comp. Let's adjust this precomp further. Select your pen tool, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:

Pen tool

We will use the pen tool to mask out a shape on your precomp. To use the pen tool, you simply select the layer you want to use the pen tool on. In this case, it's the precomp. Click the pen icon at the desired starting point of your mask.

Move your pen tool to the next desired point, and click again. When you're ready to close the shape, hover near the point you want to close it at. You'll see a small circle icon near the pen tool, meaning that you can close the shape. When you've completed masking this precomp, it should look like the following screenshot:

Masking a precomp

Next, I will create another composition for the additional shapes that I will use for my lower third. Create a new composition with the same dimensions and time length as our previous comp. I am essentially going to repeat the exact same process that I did with the previous shapes I created. This time, however, I'm going to use the rectangle tool to make some shapes.

With these new shapes, we won't be using the subtraction mask feature. We're making a series of rectangle shapes and organizing them to create a pattern, as shown in the following screenshot:

Creating a rectangle pattern

Next, we are going to precompose these new shapes using the following steps:

Simply select all the rectangle shapes and choose composition precompose. When you precompose something, a dialog box appears. This gives you options to name your precomp.
Choose the Move all attributes into the new composition option.
The next step is to create a background for your shapes. Go to Layer | New | Solid, and make the color yellow.

Since this will be the background for our design, you need to move this new Solid layer to the bottom of the stacking order.

Now that you have a new design, you need to move it into the Main comp. The steps for moving a precomp into your Main comp are as follows:

Navigate to the Main composition in your project folder. Double-click on Main comp.
Find the precomp in your Precomp folder and drag it into the Main comp.

It's very important to stay organized at this point because it will be easy for you to identify where all of your precomps are. When you make a new comp that's not the Main comp, put it into the Precomp folder immediately. The only composition that should be in your Main comp folder is the main composition. This is the composition that you intend to export/render.

Repeat the same process as before, and use the pen tool to mask off around the design in the Main comp:

Masking the second pattern

Animations, nulls, text, and rendering

In this section, we will learn how to animate using Null objects. We will also learn about rendering our projects.

Parenting and Null object animations

Now, we are going to animate our designs. We have created designs that live in the Precomp folder. Double-click on the first precomp you made. In this precomp, you have a nested comp and a Solid layer that you made for your background. Select and center the top precomposed shape layer:

Press the R button to reveal the Rotation parameters
Go to the left-side of the panel, and hit the stopwatch for the Rotation parameter
Move 90 key frames down to the right in the timeline
Scrub the Rotation parameter

This will automatically create a key frame, as shown in the following screenshot:

Animation rotation

Go back into the Main comp, and press the spacebar to preview your animation. Give yourself a pat on the back for creating your first animation! Let's animate the next pattern precomp that we created by observing the following steps:

In the Main comp, double-click on the remaining pattern precomp.
Let's animate this precomp using the same steps that we previously used. We will animate by using the Position parameter.
Animate this Pattern layer so that it's moving to the right.
Hit P for Position.
Go to the beginning of the timeline.
Hit the Position stopwatch.
Go down the timeline 90 key frames.
Scrub the Position parameter.

You should see the rectangle shapes moving to the right, as seen in the following screenshot:

Animation position

Let's jump back to the Main comp and preview our animation. Press the spacebar to preview our work:

In the Main comp, let's import a 1920 x 1080 image to use for our background in the lower third project
Drag the background image into the Main comp
Bring this image to the bottom layer in the timeline
Re-scale the image, if necessary

Parenting null animations

Another animation technique that I want to introduce you to is called parenting animation. Through the process of parenting, any layer you parent to another layer will follow the movement or animation of that layer. In the process of parenting, you will have a parent and a child. A child is anything that is connected to, or parented by, the parent. The child is able to move freely. However, it will always be connected and thus move with the parent. Using a parenting animation, we can create a complex secondary animation. We are going to parent our two shape layers to a Null object. The Null object is a layer that is essentially invisible. However, this Null object can be animated and things can be parented to it.

The following are the steps to create a parenting animation:

Create a Null object by going up to the Layer tab and choose a new Null object.
Select the two precomped animated patterns.
Look to the right of the layers for the Parent & Link tab. Look for the coil icon.
Click and drag on the coil icon (this is called pick whip).
Pick whip this coil to the Null object, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:
Parenting

Parenting

After parenting these objects to the Null object, you will see the word Null in the Parent & Link tab for both of these layers. This means that these layers will move where the null moves. Just like any layer, this null will animate along the anchor point. That's the first thing we want to adjust. Make sure it's in the correct center position. Use the Null object to scale down both precomps. Hit S for the scale parameter and scale the objects down. Move the objects to the lower area of the composition, as seen in the following screenshot. Position the objects in a layout that is similar to the following screenshot. You can position the objects by selecting them on the composition window or you can hit P for Position and scrub the Position parameter in the timeline. You can also adjust each object's scale independent of the Null object. Adjust your masks for your precomps if necessary. The adjusting of these objects doesn't affect the parenting relationship. As stated earlier, the children are parented and obey the parent, but they are free to move on their own:

Adjusting the mask

Positioning a lower third

Now, we are going to create a basic shape with no animation on it. You will have two precomps with animated shapes on it and one solid layer without any shapes on it.

Creating a dark blue solid layer

In this project, we are building our lower thirds from solid layers. We will add another Solid layer to our project and use the Parenting tool to connect it to our Null object, as follows:

Use the pen tool to create a triangle shape.
Adjust the Position parameter of your object further.
Move this new object to beneath the two shapes. Adjust the mask for this Solid layer and reposition it, if necessary.
Parent this object to the Null object.
Select the triangle shape and look to the right of the layer for the Parent & Link tab. Look for the coil icon.
Click and drag on the pick whip coil.
Pick whip this coil to the Null object, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:
Using the pick whip

The triangle pick whip

Now that we have all our objects parented to the Null object, we can animate them. Let's animate our lower third onto the screen using the null object, as follows:

Select the Null object.
Hit P for Position.
Move down in the timeline about 30 key frames.
Trim your work area to this point (hit N).
Hit the Position stopwatch for the Null object.
Move back to the beginning of the timeline.
Select the Null object.
Scrub the Null object Position parameter so that the lower third is moving off screen.
Moving this at an angle, you will see a motion path line proceeding at a diagonal angle, as demonstrated in the following screenshot. Preview your animation:
The position of an animation null object

Now that you have your objects moving on the screen, you are going to create a secondary animation. We are going to animate the children of the parented object independently. Creating this type of offset movement will enhance the visual interest of the object, and is executed as follows:

Go 10 key frames after the last key frame of the Null object in the timeline.
Select one of the precomped objects on the far left-hand side of the screen.
Hit P for the Position parameter.
Hit the Position stopwatch.
Go about 10 key frames down from the first key frame.
Animate the shape going off screen at an angle, as demonstrated in the following screenshot.
Preview your animation, as follows:
Animating the first object at an angle

This will create an offset animation for the object. A motion path shows the direction that your object is taking. If you notice when you animate the position of an object, a motion path appears in the composition window. This path is a dotted line, called a motion path. Apply this offset animation technique to the other solid shape. Motion paths are important for understanding your movement and timing. Timing is everything in animation. One way to control the speed of your animation is where your key frames are in the timeline. You can adjust your key frames by selecting them and sliding them in the timeline. Your key frames should look similar to the following screenshot:

An offset animation for the additional object

Parenting and Null object animations

Now, we are going to animate our designs. We have created designs that live in the Precomp folder. Double-click on the first precomp you made. In this precomp, you have a nested comp and a Solid layer that you made for your background. Select and center the top precomposed shape layer:

Press the R button to reveal the Rotation parameters
Go to the left-side of the panel, and hit the stopwatch for the Rotation parameter
Move 90 key frames down to the right in the timeline
Scrub the Rotation parameter

This will automatically create a key frame, as shown in the following screenshot:

Animation rotation

Go back into the Main comp, and press the spacebar to preview your animation. Give yourself a pat on the back for creating your first animation! Let's animate the next pattern precomp that we created by observing the following steps:

In the Main comp, double-click on the remaining pattern precomp.
Let's animate this precomp using the same steps that we previously used. We will animate by using the Position parameter.
Animate this Pattern layer so that it's moving to the right.
Hit P for Position.
Go to the beginning of the timeline.
Hit the Position stopwatch.
Go down the timeline 90 key frames.
Scrub the Position parameter.

You should see the rectangle shapes moving to the right, as seen in the following screenshot:

Animation position

Let's jump back to the Main comp and preview our animation. Press the spacebar to preview our work:

In the Main comp, let's import a 1920 x 1080 image to use for our background in the lower third project
Drag the background image into the Main comp
Bring this image to the bottom layer in the timeline
Re-scale the image, if necessary

Parenting null animations

Another animation technique that I want to introduce you to is called parenting animation. Through the process of parenting, any layer you parent to another layer will follow the movement or animation of that layer. In the process of parenting, you will have a parent and a child. A child is anything that is connected to, or parented by, the parent. The child is able to move freely. However, it will always be connected and thus move with the parent. Using a parenting animation, we can create a complex secondary animation. We are going to parent our two shape layers to a Null object. The Null object is a layer that is essentially invisible. However, this Null object can be animated and things can be parented to it.

The following are the steps to create a parenting animation:

Create a Null object by going up to the Layer tab and choose a new Null object.
Select the two precomped animated patterns.
Look to the right of the layers for the Parent & Link tab. Look for the coil icon.
Click and drag on the coil icon (this is called pick whip).
Pick whip this coil to the Null object, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:
Parenting

Parenting

After parenting these objects to the Null object, you will see the word Null in the Parent & Link tab for both of these layers. This means that these layers will move where the null moves. Just like any layer, this null will animate along the anchor point. That's the first thing we want to adjust. Make sure it's in the correct center position. Use the Null object to scale down both precomps. Hit S for the scale parameter and scale the objects down. Move the objects to the lower area of the composition, as seen in the following screenshot. Position the objects in a layout that is similar to the following screenshot. You can position the objects by selecting them on the composition window or you can hit P for Position and scrub the Position parameter in the timeline. You can also adjust each object's scale independent of the Null object. Adjust your masks for your precomps if necessary. The adjusting of these objects doesn't affect the parenting relationship. As stated earlier, the children are parented and obey the parent, but they are free to move on their own:

Adjusting the mask