“Growing” Clip Art

CATEGORIES: After Effects, Tutorials | Brandon Henry | January 06, 2006

How to clip art grow in After Effects.

STEP 1:

Find a piece of clip art you would like to use. For this example, I used an item called “Decorative Fleurons” found on iStockphoto.com.

STEP 2:

To make this demonstration simple, I am going to avoid the tedium of animating the masks for both sides and only work with the right side of the image. Therefore, we can crop the image in Photoshop to only show half. Later, in After Effects, I will use the Mirror effect to make it look like both sides are growing at the same time.

STEP 3:

In Photoshop, using the selection tools and the Cut (Command-X [PC: Control-X]) and Paste (Command-V [PC: Control-V]) commands, separate the pieces of your artwork into individual layers. It is easier to animate a small mask for each part rather than trying to create one large complex mask for the whole image. Be sure to label each piece. This will become obvious when we get into After Effects. The screen capture below shows how I split up the image.

STEP 4:

Before you save the image, make sure to realign the pieces, using the Move tool (V), to make the animation process easier in After Effects. Now save your image as a .psd file.

STEP 5:

In After Effects, create a new comp. Control-click (PC: Right-click) in the footage window and select Import>File. Choose your new layered Photoshop file and select Composition-Cropped Layers from the Import As pop-up menu. Click Open.

STEP 6:

When you double-click on the new Comp (in my case, fleuronsSeparate Comp 1), you will see that your Photoshop file is still layered and in the same stacking order as you saved it. Now, it is time to organize your layers. I have arranged my layers based on the order I want them to appear. You can adjust your layers however you like. You can click-and-drag your layers in the Timeline to move them above or below the other layers. You can also use the shortcut Command-Option-Up Arrow (PC: Control-Alt-Up Arrow) and Command-Option-Down Arrow (PC: Control-Alt-Down Arrow) to move your layers up and down in the Timeline stacking order.

STEP 7:

If you do a RAM preview now (Composition>Preview>RAM Preview), all of the elements will appear at the same time and do nothing. We want to give the impression of growing vines, so each element needs to appear at different times in the Timeline. You can slide the color bars right and left or, if you want your elements to appear at a certain time, you can use the shortcut Command-G (PC: Control-G) to enter a time. Then, use left bracket ([) to move the start of the clip to the current time. Use Option-[ (PC: Alt-[) to set the clip's in-point to the current time.

STEP 8:

Since we imported the artwork as cropped layers, each piece will have an Anchor Point close to its center. Since I am scaling the flower and the dots rather than animating a mask around them, I need to reposition the Anchor Point so they appear to scale from the center (remember, we are working with half of a graphic). Here, I selected the topDot layer in the Timeline and chose the Pan Behind tool (Y). Then, I moved the Anchor Point to the left edge of the dot. Now, when I scale it and mirror the Comp, it will look like a full circle grows in.

STEP 9:

Now, we will start masking the pieces. I will start on the layer called BaseLayer, as that is my main piece that all the others grow from. Select the Rectangular Mask tool (Q) and draw a rectangle, starting off the stage at approximately the same height as the bottom layer. Hit M to bring up the mask properties. Create a keyframe for the mask shape at the first frame by clicking on the stopwatch.

STEP 10:

Move to 2 seconds in the Timeline (press Command-G [PC: Control-G], then type 200). With the Selection tool (V), click once in the gray area outside the stage to deselect the mask shape. Now, with the Selection tool, click-and-drag the right side of the mask and expand the mask to the end of the artwork. Now, when you do a RAM preview, the bottom layer should appear to draw on.

You can move the points of your mask by using the Selection tool and clicking-and-dragging one of the mask points to a new location. To add points to your mask, hold the Command key (PC: Control key) and click any of the yellow mask lines. Notice the cursor changes to the Pen tool cursor.

STEP 11:

After you have created a mask for all of your layers, save your animation (actually, save often). Next, click Composition>New Composition and set the time to 5 seconds. The composition size should be the same as the previous Comp. Name your composition finalComp, or whatever you like. Now, drag the mask Comp into the new Comp.

STEP 12:

Now, we need to resize the image down a bit so we can fit both sides in the Comp window. Go ahead and move the time marker to the end of the Comp, just so we can see the entire graphic after the growth spurt. With the comp layer selected, hit the “S” key to bring up the Scale property and scale your image down to about 35%.

step 13

STEP 13:

Now, select Effect>Distort>Mirror. Click the Reflection Center button (it looks like a crosshair) and then click the left side of the fleurons layer. This will mark the point where the two sides “grow” out of. Set the Reflection Angle to 180° and do a RAM preview. If everything went right, your artwork should grow from the center of the Comp with two identical sides. You may have to weak the position of the Reflection Center to get it just right. You can also try experimenting with the Center point and the Reflection Angles to get some cool effects. Now, add some text and you have a fancy animated logo.

Brandon’s experience as a consultant in web and multimedia design led him to work with such clients as Sprint, Black & Veatch, Assist-2-Sell, and Vistar International. This experience also provided the background for his contributions to several publications including Technical Writing: Processes & Procedures, and The Director 6 and 7 Bible.

Brandon has won several awards specifically for his instructional design work. With a BS in Advertising & Mass Communications and a M.Ed in Instructional Technology, Brandon has been a presenter at educational conferences, and has also taught classes on Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and other new media. He also enjoys playing paintball and scuba diving, although not both at the same time.

No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.