AFTER EFFECTS WISH LIST (Prior to Sept 09)

[Andrew Yoole]

AFTER EFFECTS WISHLIST

What features would you like to see implemented in After Effects? New ideas for plugins? Interface changes? Post 'em here!

Let's keep bug identification to individual posts, as these will probably be addressed more readily. Let's use this thread for specific ideas about ways that AE can be improved and expanded.

These Forums are for users, not Adobe employees, so don't forget to also fill in an  Adobe feature request form.

To view the Wish List posts prior to 2008, look here.

[_invisiblerabbit_]

Two simple interface things:

1: The ability to add expression control filters to cameras and nulls

2: The ability to edit expressions from within the effects controls palette.

[David_Wigforss-Hv1BNN]

Invisiblerabbit, you can already add expression control filters to nulls - I do that all the time with a null named 'CONTROLS'.

Perhaps you meant 'cameras and lights'...

[_invisiblerabbit_]

You're right David. This is what happens when you try to work and type at the same time. :-)

[Navarro_Parker]

- I still want an expression palette -- a standard place to write expressions and apply them to parameters. Having the twirl open controls and write expressions in the timeline is a pain.

[jbaumchen]

How about developing whatever function/feature is required so I can use USEFUL Things again. Lost it between CS2 and CS3.

[Todd_Kopriva]

> How about developing whatever function/feature is required
> so I can use USEFUL Things again. Lost it between CS2 and CS3.

I presume that you've already asked the folks who make Useful Things to update their software.

[A. Cobb]

I'd like the ability to enable or disable multiprocessing in the render settings. Some projects benefit from MP, while some are hindered by it, and keeping those that benefit straight from those that don't can be difficult when I work on several projects during the course of a day.

Either that or a more efficient multiprocessing system that obviates the need for end users to make these sorts of choices in the first place.

[Navarro_Parker]

I think Useful Things was sold to Sony Vegas.

[_invisiblerabbit_]

The interface with Photoshop's vanishing point is a little incomplete at the moment. What I'd really love to see is a vanishing point-like tool in AE for creating planes and a camera in 3D space in AE directly whose perspective could be matched to an underlying video layer.

[David_Wigforss-Hv1BNN]

"The interface with Photoshop's vanishing point is a little incomplete at the moment. What I'd really love to see is a vanishing point-like tool in AE for creating planes and a camera in 3D space in AE directly whose perspective could be matched to an underlying video layer. "

SynthEyes can create an AE camera based on a still or video layer, although I haven't attempted that.. There's a tutorial on the site that demonstrates it, though...

[A. Cobb]

I don't know if this has been mentioned already, but:

I'd like to have a more functional footage viewer. Right now there is no way to play back image sequences in realtime without RAM previewing them, and the movie viewer that lets you view movies ignores interpretation settings like alpha, pixel aspect ratio, and pulldown removal. This means to view movies as interpreted by AE I have to drop the movies in a comp and do a RAM preview, which is a pain.

[_invisiblerabbit_]

I'd love a setting either in the preferences or the output module to write project information (importantly: the name of the project) into the metadata of the rendered file.

I don't know too much about Windows file systems, but on the Mac, it would be great to write it to the Spotlight Comments section.

[_JHAKVAR_MIKHAIL_BROWN_II_]

I Wish there was a nuke in after affects, oh and it wouldn't hurt to have some kittens or puppies strapped on it, you know, I would pay for that

[_invisiblerabbit_]

Also, someone may have mentioned this but it would be great for individual projects to default the location of rendered files to the last place a file was rendered by THAT PROJECT or even that comp, rather than the last place rendered to by anything in After Effects.

[Navarro_Parker]

Spotlight would be awesome! In fact, I'd love AE projects to be searchable. Having the ability to search for comp names or source footage names within projects from the Finder would be fantastic.

[David_Wigforss-Hv1BNN]

A preference that toggles the spacebar to RamPreview button. This should be on by default, to clear space on forums.

[_Steve_Patterson_]

The ability for keyframes on multiple selected layers to be able to be copied and pasted onto their respective layers. Currently, the layers themselves will copy/paste. Or, perhaps a toggle switch in the preferences that would allow this behavior.

[_invisiblerabbit_]

When you twirl down a layer so that you can see the "fx" box next to an effect, I'd like a pickwhip next to that box. From there you can pickwhip an effect on another layer.

Doing that links *all parameters* between the two. That would be a fantastic compositing feature.

[_juha87_]

Hi, i wish "Shape Motion Track" for next cs4 version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsP4I6rC3Rg <-this is what i mean.
I also hope possibility to see each selected Vertex keyframes on timeline, so i can see each selected Vertex keyframe and see that where is the problem in the graph editor. And it would be nice to have possible to track motion for each Vertex by one by one.

[Navarro_Parker]

It would be awesome if Adobe could make a plug-in out of one of this year's SIGGRAPH presentations! Infinite cosmic zooms from any photograph!

Multiscale Texture Synthesis
http://www.cs.columbia.edu/cg/mts/

movie (must see)
http://www.cs.columbia.edu/cg/mts/mts.mov

[bogiesan-gyyClL]

I humbly ask the Adobe After Effects team to concentrate first on fixing anything and everything that is broken or buggy before adding any more complexity to this application.

Make it more elgant, make it easier to use, make it faster... sure, fine. But invest the creative energy and geek resources to making it work flawlessly instead of adding more stuff.

bogiesan

[A. Cobb]

David, while I'm sympathetic to what you are saying, wouldn't you feel, at least on some level, that you were being cheated if a paid upgrade contained only optimizations and bug fixes? Wouldn't you feel like you were paying another $300 for the product you were supposed to get with the last $300 upgrade?

[Navarro_Parker]

Hey David, I compare what you are asking for is kinda like the Apple's new Snow Leopard OS. No new features, but optimizations all over the board. But also costing less than a full upgrade.

[_invisiblerabbit_]

Here's a simple one: Drag-and-drop from the source window as well as from the project window. I keep wanting to set in-point, set out-point, drag to comp. I keep trying and then realizing I have to set the cursor and hit the "overlay edit" button.

Just an alternative option.

[_Mark_Weiss_]

It's been a few months since the introduction of XDCam support in Premiere and I was wondering how much longer before AE gets the support update?