ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS 7.0
User Guide
150
See also
“About text layers” on page 283
“About 3D layers” on page 173
“About cameras” on page 180
“About lights and points of interest” on page 183
To create a layer from a footage item
Of the numerous ways to create layers in an After Effects composition, the most obvious is to begin with a footage
file that you want to use. You can create a new layer from any footage item in your Project panel, including audio
files. After you add a footage item to a composition, you can modify and animate the resulting layer.
To create multiple layers simultaneously, follow this procedure but hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac
OS) and click to select footage files in step 3. When you drag them to the Timeline panel, the footage files form layers
in the order in which you selected them.
1 In the Project panel, double-click the composition you want to work on to open its Composition and Timeline
panels.
2 In the Timeline panel, move the current-time indicator to the time where you want the layer to begin.
3 Drag the footage item from the Project panel to the Composition panel.
Note: To position the new layer in a particular order among existing layers or at a specific starting time in the compo-
sition, drag the item to the Timeline panel and release it in that layer position and starting time instead of dragging it to
the Composition panel.
To create a layer from another composition
When you add a composition to another composition, it creates a new layer in a process called nesting.Thecompo-
sition you add becomes a layer in the other (target) composition. Nested compositions can change composition
structure, memory usage, and rendering order. (See “Organizing a project using nesting” on page 60.)
1 Display the Composition panel or Timeline panel for the target composition.
2 Drag a composition from the Project panel list to the target Composition panel or the Timeline panel.
See also
“About nesting” on page 130
To create a solid-color layer
You can create solid images of any color or size (up to 30,000 x 30,000 pixels) using After Effects. After Effects treats
solids as it does any other footage item: You can modify the mask, transform properties, and apply effects to the solid
layer.Ifyouchangesettingsforasolidthatisusedbymorethanonelayer,youcanapplythechangestoalllayersthat
use the solid or to only the single occurrence of the solid. Use solid layers to color a background or create simple
graphic images.
1 Do one of the following:
• To add the layer to the Composition and Project panels, bring the Timeline or Composition panel forward, and
choose Layer > New > Solid.
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