After Effects Question - How complicated?

[halex1316]

Okay, so this has been bugging me for a while now. A lot of AMV editors use adobe after effects (at least the ones with lots of technically advanced videos) and I just can't seem to wrap my head around the program? It's not as simple as Sony Vegas, definitely, and just the way transitions, tracks, etc work in the project window it all confuses the heck out of me. Is it really as complicated as it seems to me?

Does anyone know of any good tutorials to get accustomed to it? I really want to take my AMV's technical aspect to the next level, I'm just too damned scared to use After Effects -__-'

[mirkosp]

http://www.videocopilot.net/basic/

This should definitely help you to understand the basics.

[halex1316]

Thanks! I watched the tutorial, and the program is a little more familiar. Just to be clear on something;

In order to keep the editing organized is what I'm about to suggest possible?

You can create compositions, and inside the compositions, you're able to do create all the effects on the clips, do all the editing you want, and it will all be contained in that composition? So, I can do a title slide, with some anime characters, etc in a composition, then drag the composition into the main composition's timeline so that all that appears is the single clip with all the editing? Basically, will it create a reference for me to edit later? So that if I want to change the background color, per se, I can do that in the edited composition, and the changes will appear in the main one?

[BasharOfTheAges]

That's the general idea, yea. The core mindset is to think in nested comps.

[halex1316]

I've been working with it all day, figuring out the nooks and crannies. Knowing that makes it all much easier than having a timeline filled with effects and video clips. Thanks!