Adobe After Effects User Manual
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Additional resources
The following articles provide additional information about using Flash and After Effects together:
Richard Harrington and Marcus Geduld provide an excerpt, "Flash Essentials for After Effects Users", of their book After Effects for Flash |
Flash for After Effects on the Peachpit website. In this chapter, Richard and Marcus explain Flash in terms that an After Effects user can
understand.
Richard Harrington and Marcus Geduld also provide "After Effects Essentials for Flash Users", another excerpt from their book After Effects
for Flash | Flash for After Effects. In this chapter, Richard and Marcus explain After Effects in terms that a Flash user can understand.
shows the basics of using After Effects from the perspective
of someone who is familiar with Flash Professional.
Exporting QuickTime video from Flash
If you create animations or applications with Flash, you can export them as QuickTime movies using the File > Export > Export Movie command in
Flash. For a Flash animation, you can optimize the video output for animation. For a Flash application, Flash renders video of the application as it
runs, allowing the user to manipulate it. This lets you capture the branches or states of your application that you want to include in the video file.
Importing and publishing video in Flash
When you import a movie file into Flash, you can use various techniques, such as scripting or Flash components, to control the visual interface
that surrounds your video. For example, you might include playback controls or other graphics. You can also add graphic layers on top of the
movie for composite results.
Composite graphics, animation, and video
Flash and After Effects each include many capabilities that allow you to perform complex compositing of video and graphics. Which application you
choose to use will depend on your personal preferences and the type of final output you want to create.
Flash is the more web-oriented of the two applications, with its small final file size. Flash also allows for run-time control of animation. After Effects
is oriented toward video and film production, provides a wide range of visual effects, and is generally used to create video files as final output.
Both applications can be used to create original graphics and animation. Both use a timeline and offer scripting capabilities for controlling
animation programmatically. After Effects includes a larger set of effects.
Both applications allow you to place graphics on separate layers for compositing. These layers can be turned on and off as needed. Both also
allow you to apply effects to the contents of individual layers.
In Flash, composites do not affect the video content directly; they affect only the appearance of the video during playback in Flash Player. In
contrast, when you composite with imported video in After Effects, the video file you export actually incorporates the composited graphics and
effects.
Because all drawing and painting in After Effects is done on layers separate from any imported video, it is always non-destructive. Flash has both
destructive and nondestructive drawing modes.
Importing Flash SWF files into After Effects
Flash has a unique set of vector art tools that make it useful for a variety of drawing tasks not possible in After Effects or Adobe® Illustrator®. You
can import SWF files into After Effects to composite them with other video or render them as video with additional creative effects. Interactive
content and scripted animation are not retained. Animation defined by keyframes is retained.
Each SWF file imported into After Effects is flattened into a single continuously rasterized layer, with its alpha channel preserved. Continuous
rasterization means that graphics stay sharp as they are scaled up. This import method allows you to use the root layer or object of your SWF files
as a smoothly rendered element in After Effects, allowing the best capabilities of each tool to work together.
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