Automating the change of layers

[logik101]

Hello folks.. first post here...

I am making animations for a client.
They're basically "Ken Burns" style animations of photographs. (where I 'move' the camera over and around the image to 'animate' it).

So:

I open a new AE file;

I make a new composition;

I drop all the images (from 25-100 photos/jpegs) onto the timeline.

I animate each photo.

Since I want to keep using the same time markers, all my photos are one under another, each under their own layer.

(Here's a screenshot in case my description is confusing)..

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c377/Logik101NYC/AEScreenshot.gif

So.. my question is...

How can I automate After Effects so that, for example;

Layer 1 will render, and after it's done, it will turn itself off, so Layer 2 will begin rendering now, and so on and so on.

I know there MUST be a way to do this... I just can't seem to find it anyway.. I have Googled the entire universe... Adobe metions that Professional can do it.. I have professional version 6.5... but I can't seem to find any other info...

Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thanks.

 

[maruyama]

You may be able to do it with a script. There are several script agents out there, but the most popular in the professional community was (was)

PROFOUND EFFECTS which made USEFUL THINGS, and now makes a product called USEFUL ASSISTANTS.

What you'll ultimately need to create is a small JAVA script that turns each layer (an INDEX) off after the render has completed in the queue.

You may be better off creating multiple compositions...

1. CREATE A MASTER COMP. Place ONE image as a layer in this comp and make your generic animation.

2. SELECT ALL KEYFRAMES on that layer. SAVE as an animation preset.

3. SELECT ALL PHOTOS. Drag them to "make comp" icon and make separate compositions.

4. SELECT LAYER in composition, APPLY animation preset (cmd-opt-SHFT-F)

5. DRAG all comps from bin to RENDER QUEUE. click render.

Easier? Faster? I don't know, but it's an alternative to scripting and debugging JAVA code.

HTH

Ko

Ko Maruyama
Free Tutorials

http://homepage.mac.com/komaruyama/Tutorials