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AE CS5 as a simple timeline editor
  • stoneystoney
    I've been jumping between PP CS5 and AE CS5 where AE edited one clip at a time.

    Currently I'm trying to use AE as the only editor. Importing, trimming, ripple insert, overlay insert, footage replacement, fading in/out effect, render queue, change default options, a lot of cool shortcuts, etc. All good except a few things.

    RAM Preview was the only way to hear the sound, but it's so freaking slow to render. I have 8GB RAM. Anyone knows how to preview sound quickly? Launch external player? Increase RAM?

    Once a MTS footage has been trimmed and inserted as a layer, is there a way to export the trimmed layer to DNxHD and automatically replace the content of the layer with the newly generated DNxHD file? This would shorten the transcoding process, save a lot of disk space, and fasten the color correction afterward.

    When a layer's trim length changes, any easy way to ripple it to layers below it?

    Thank you in advance.
  • 20 Replies sorted by
  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland
    Press . on the numpad and it will preview audio only.

    What happens if you precompose a layer and select "move attributes into new composition"? Does the new composition now contain the trimmed layer? (I'm not in front of AE so I can't check if in and out points are moved). If it does then you can render out from the new composition as DNxHD, then replace the footage in the new composition and the changes will ripple back to the master.
  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland
    ...personally I'd like to see PPro and AE merged into one program. Stu Maschwitz gives some good reasons for doing this here: http://prolost.com/blog/2008/10/1/what-should-adobe-do-with-premiere-pro.html

    EDIT: Fixed the prolost link - thanks @thepalalias!

  • cj7cj7
    Hello,

    >>8GB RAM
    I think that 8GB RAM is too little. I have recently upgraded mine to 16GB, which has made AE (as well as Pr) work way much better.

    Are you using Adobe Dynamic Link perhaps? I gave up using AE as the main movie editing software since I found ADL works well for me. I like to find more about others' work flows.
  • ulimanuliman
    Hi,

    with dynamic link it´s easy and quick. Footage editing in PP and effects / titels / correction-grading in AE.
    I´m on 5.5 with 16 GB. Changing in one app gives the same changes in the other app. One thing: A lot of AE changes need a rendering in PP. Also it gives me more comfort to pre edit audio in PP and then sent the audifiles as multitrack to audition for final cleaning, processing and mixing. From here you can easily reimport as stereo mixdown or multitrack to PP. With bigger project I export as omf and finish audio in Protools or Logic.

    BR ULi
    BTW. One year ago I used Final Cut studio. The Adobe package is imo more comfortable
  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland
    I've never been a big fan of dynamic link. I like to do all the final grading in AE, and I usually import the entire PP project into a new AE project. But if you've used any dynamic link you can't import the PP project.
  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland
    @uliman I've had problems with nested sequences and OMF export in PP. Is it working for you?
  • ulimanuliman
    Hi Sam,

    OMF export (for Protools) out of PP works. Using dynamic link, you have to open both apps. Any change in AE will be reflected in PP.
    Nested Sequences work. Here is a helpful link:
    http://help.adobe.com/en_US/PremierePro/4.0/WSEC1CCB36-CFD4-4d60-ABDF-B4F9BE339B05.html

    BR Uli
  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland
    @uliman OK, I'll the OMF export another go. Last time I tried it if got the in/out points all wrong for the nested sequences.

    With the dynamic link, I meant you can't import a PP project into AE if that project is using dynamic link.
  • stoneystoney
    Thanks for the tips.

    @sam_stickland PP rough cutting and AE importing sound practical. In the source monitor panel, it's easy to queue a trimmed section to AME by pressing Cmd+M. While I trim source clips, AME can encode in the background. AE can't do that in the background... I think. After the AE importing, AE is good enough for simple editing to polish the trim ends and insert new clips here and there. I don't wanna import back and forth between PP and AE. One import is enough.

    @cj7cj7 Bumping up to 16GB RAM... arrrrrrgggg…. More money!!!

    @uliman ADL works ok, but full blown AE seems the logical step for me to do color grading and effects in AE. AE can trigger audition or soundbooth (I'm on CS5) to edit audio, too.

    AE 5.5 supports image stabilization, and there are gozillions of freely available AE scripts. Hopefully AE 6 supports noise reduction effect, synching audio effect, more editing features, and more gpu acceleration. Basically one tool for everything.

    Ok. Ready to try out the ColorGHear that everyone is talking about. Woohoo~!
  • thepalaliasthepalalias
    @sam_stickland Just FYI, the period right after the link for the ProLost blog is screwing up the clickthrough. I got a "not found" error until I realized I had to delete the period after I clicked it. :)
  • JackBayerJackBayer
    more RAM will make AE use more cpu cores and thus will make it a bit faster in rendering (if multicore processing is activated). But you´ll never have realtime playback without rendering first, it´s just not designed that way. Your renderable work area will grow too with more RAM.

    My workflow for little projects:
    PPro for cutting and transitions, AE dynamic linked comps for few shots if neccessary (if there were many, it´s not a small project anymore), Audition for final audio, export in AME.

    Big projects:
    PPro for cutting video and sound only, no dissolves no nothing else. In AE import PPro project and now everything in AE, color, stabilizing, final look etc., sound in Audition. Export through AME
  • stoneystoney

    I'm using a macbook that has no numpad.

    Here's bunch of new shortcuts. It's Ctrl + . for previewing audio only.

    http://help.adobe.com/en_US/aftereffects/cs/using/WS3BF0E907-5F84-49b7-BE26-E69D3C4ECE7F.html#WS3bf812c123007fb87794c65512708459afc-7ff0

  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland

    Also, it sounds obvious but don't forget to drop your preview resolution to help AE out when needed. If the window you are watching isn't full screen it makes little sense to have the RAM preview resolution set to 1080p. Dropping the resolution will both decrease the render times and allow longer previews.

    I'd also recommend Stu's DV Rebel Tool's for AE. You can generate real-time thumbnail view of chosen frames from an AE composition, which is great for checking colour consistency across shots: http://prolost.com/dvrg

    I'd really like to see more editing support and CUDA acceleration in AE. I'd consider ditching PP then. At the moment I take things to edit-lock in PP and then import the project into AE (for grading, effects work, stabilisation, compositing etc). Sometimes I've used DL to do some work in AE while I've been editing. Then I have to either replace the AE bits with plates (which kinda destroys the point of DL) or I have to remove the AE bits, import the PP project into AE and then manually add them back into the compositions. It's already like I'm trying to use PP+AE as if there are one program.

  • stoneystoney

    Thanks for the great tips. Fingers crossed for AE CS6.

  • AlexAlex

    make sure that your sample rate is 48 KHz in your project settings. If the settings do not match your footage, things become very slow because after effects is trans coding be for previewing ...

    If you hold down command while clicking and holding down your mouse some where in on the time line, it loops a few frames of audio. Cool to find a sync point ... also double press L to display the wave form of your selected audio layer ...

    If it comes to quick color work I can recommend Firschluf FreshCurves ($69,-). Besides its the best curve tool interface available, it has the option to adjust only the brightness curve (!!!!!). You can tweak the contrast of your clip without affecting the color. It has also a saturation curve.

    http://www.frischluft.com/curves/index.php

  • lolololo

    well i remember that my first shortfilm (25 minutes) i edited everything on after effects, because at that time i didn´t know any other editing software hahaha not even premiere wich is funny....

    but i most say that edit the audio on after effects i don´t think it is a good idea, it is just nos designed for that, is a real pain, and limits the creativity i feel, so at least on the audio side i think you should be thinking on using another software

    but for the images, i think it is not such a bad idea, perhaps a good way of keeping everything in order, and not having too many layers would be to pre-compose the clips by scene ( select the layers and, ctrl+shift+c ), an to cut the clips use the split ( place the time marker over the clip and, ctrl+shift+s )

    but still at least from my side i prefer the premiere+ae wrokflow, edit all the clips and the audio on premiere and then open the premiere proyect on after for details...

  • jpbturbojpbturbo

    @stonebat AE cs4 has a noise/grain removal tool already, no need to wait for cs6. If you are talking audio noise reduction you can right click your audio track in ppro and click edit in soundbooth or something.

  • OSGondarOSGondar

    Do all of your editing in premiere pro now save and close it. Open after effects and select import file.. now locate the permiere pro save file the actual save file as if opening it for premiere, import and open the sequence within that project as a composition. You will have all of your cuts, fades, edits and everything as if you were in original premier timeline! NEVER ever edit primarily in after effects alone, what a nightmare. Only use it for the final touches for the few things premiere does not have and always import the sequence this way, SO much faster work flow so much easier than what you have just described...

    P.S. The same thing works the other way around opening a composition from ae in premiere...
    AE is not designed for being a primary editor and will fight you every step of the way.. One thing i didnt see anyone mention is that if you were trying to edit in after effects alone you can hold the timeline position thing hold ctrl OR shifit i forgot off the top of my head, while holding the key and moving it you can scrub sound like this. Its useful instead of rendering it all each time to know how to line things up.

  • sam_sticklandsam_stickland

    @OSGondar People just need to be aware that a lot of the effects in PPro won't appear in AE. Titles don't appear at all. Sometimes effects will still be applied but I find the settings have been reset. Fades (dip-to-black) don't import properly either, there was an AE script available to add them back but I can't find it right now.

  • stoneystoney

    I renamed this thread title.

    @Alex Good tip.

    @lolo In AE CS5, sound can be rendered quickly and edited in soundbooth. Not too shabby.

    @jpbturbo I'm gonna try @shian's ColorGHear's noise reduction feature that uses AE's noise reduction feature. Yes I already have AE CS5.

    @OSGondar AE and PP are different tools. Neither can replace the other one. But PP is good enough for simple effect, and AE is good enough for simple editing. For less than two dozen clips I might use only AE to compose because I've been using more AE's features and PP & AE integration can be buggy from time to time. e.g. try DL from PP to AE, apply TimeWarp for slow motion in AE, and see what happens in PP. For hundreds of clips, of course PP & AE.

    This might mimic ripple delete: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEffects/9.0/WS3878526689cb91655866c1103906c6dea-7e6ea.html

    More AE layer tips:

    http://help.adobe.com/en_US/aftereffects/cs/using/WS3878526689cb91655866c1103906c6dea-7e94a.html

    Please share more bag full of AE editing tricks :)

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