You’ll create a new composition based on the Collectibles movie file.
- Choose File > Import > File.
- Navigate to the Lessons/Lesson10/Assets folder. Select the Collectibles.mp4 file, and select Create Composition.
- Click Import or Open.
After Effects creates a composition named Collectibles and opens it in the Composition and Timeline panels.
Previewing your project on a video monitor
If possible, perform color correction for projects intended for broadcast on a video monitor instead of a computer monitor. The gamma values between a computer monitor and a broadcast monitor vary greatly. What may look good on a computer screen may be too bright and washed out on a broadcast monitor. Always be sure your video or computer monitor is properly calibrated before performing color correction. For instructions on calibrating a computer monitor, see After Effects Help.
Mercury Transmit is a software interface that Adobe digital video applications use to send video frames to external video displays. Video device manufacturers AJA, Blackmagic Design, Bluefish444, and Matrox provide plug-ins that route the video frames from Mercury Transmit to their hardware. The same Mercury Transmit plug-ins work in Adobe Premiere Pro, Prelude, and After Effects. Mercury Transmit can also use monitors connected to your computer’s video card and FireWire-connected DV devices without an additional plug-in.
- With a video monitor connected to your computer system, start After Effects.
- Choose Edit > Settings > Video Preview (Windows) or After Effects > Settings > Video Preview (macOS). Then select Enable Mercury Transmit.
- Choose a device from the list. Devices with names such as AJA Kona 3G or Blackmagic Playback represent video devices connected to your computer. Adobe Monitor devices are the computer monitors connected to your video card. Adobe DV requires a DV device connected to a FireWire port on your computer.
- To change the options for your video device, click Setup next to its name. More options may be available in the device’s control panel or management application.
- Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
- Press the spacebar to preview the footage. Notice that there are three distinct scenes. Depending on your computer’s volume, you may also hear some static noise for most of the footage.
