Join Chris Meyer for an in-depth discussion in this video Aligning and distributing, part of After Effects Apprentice: 02 Basic Animation.
- [Narrator] The align panel is very useful…when you need to align layers…or distribute layers across the comp.…You open it up by selecting the align panel…from the window menu…and it will open on the right hand side of the timeline.…Now I don't like to give up valuable timeline space,…so I'm going to drop it so it shares the same frame…as the effects and presets panel.…The align panel is divided into two sections,…options for aligning layers…and options for distributing them.…To see this in action,…I'll shift click my two video layers.…
Notice they don't quite align at the top,…but they are actually the same height.…As soon as I select the layers,…I can choose to align them to the selection,…meaning themselves,…or to the composition.…Let's try selection first.…As you roll over each option,…helpful tool tips pop up.…In this case,…the three icons on the right…will align layers vertically.…Since both layers are the same height,…I can choose any one of these icons…and I'll get the same result.…
If I add the snowflake into the mix,…
Chris Meyer
Trish Meyer
Updated
11/7/2016Released
1/25/2011After Effects Apprentice is created by Trish and Chris Meyer and designed to be used on their own and as a companion to their book After Effects Apprentice.
- Starting a project from scratch
- Building a composition
- Arranging and transforming layers interactively and numerically
- Animating parameters including motion paths
- Applying and re-using effects
- Creating variations and rendering the final movie
- Importing layered Photoshop files
- Understanding alpha channels
- Avoiding common mistakes
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
Q: This course was updated on 11/09/2012. What changed?
A: We added new movies on using the exercise files that come with this course, and working with the Global Performance Cache in After Effects CS6. We have also added exercise files designed for After Effects CS6.
Q: This course was updated on 11/07/2016. What changed?
A: We updated eight movies to stay up to date with the latest changes in After Effects CC.
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Introduction
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Welcome1m 26s
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1. Getting Started
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Creating a new project3m 16s
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Creating a composition2m 55s
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Importing sources5m 12s
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Adding a layer to a comp2m 12s
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2. Transforming and Animating Layers
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Animating position8m 31s
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Adding more layers3m 16s
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Editing motion paths4m 49s
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3. Finishing Your Composition
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Arranging layers3m 20s
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Adding a solid4m 22s
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Applying effects5m 14s
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4. Idea Corner
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5. More on Keyframes
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Exploring spatial keyframes5m 46s
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Using hold keyframes5m 38s
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Using Auto-keyframe mode4m 46s
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6. More on Arranging Layers
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Using grids and guides3m 32s
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Aligning and distributing3m 24s
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7. Sidebars
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Understanding alpha channels8m 34s
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Video: Aligning and distributing