How to Add a New Frame Containing a New Image?

[Anny H.]

I’m animating a scene with two characters talking to each other. I have everything on its own layer, so if I need to move the eyes or hands, I can. Everything is going well in that respect.

So here’s my problem: I don’t know how to cut to another shot or image. For example, I want to go from a Wide Shot of both my characters to a Close Up Shot of one of my characters. When the time comes to change shots, I’d like to create a new frame that contains only my Close Up Shot folder (and not my Wide Shot folder).

If I were animating in a different software, I’d simply create a new frame. But I don’t know how to do that in After Effects. I know how to add keyframes to move the elements in a shot, but I don’t know how to create a new frame that contains an entirely new image.

I tried changing the opacity. I made a keyframe of the Wide Shot folder, then put another keyframe right next to it and lowered the opacity to 0. I did the same thing for my Close Up folder, only I changed the opacity from 0 to 100. But even though I put the keyframes right next to each other, you can still see the old image fade away for a millisecond before the new image fades in. It looks strange.

I’m having the exact same problem when it comes to animating the mouths. I want to create a new frame, turn on the layer with the mouth I want to use, and turn off the layers that contain the mouths I don’t want to use. Then I want to keep doing this, frame by frame, as I animate the dialogue. But again, the only way I know to do this in After Effects is to change the opacity. Which, again, creates a fade-in, fade-out effect that I don’t want.

To sum up: is there a way to create a new frame containing a new image in After Effects, without losing the animation I made with the previous image?

Hopefully that makes sense. If you need me to explain it in a different way, just let me know. 

[Kyle Hamrick]

I'd recommend doing a little learning about using Precompositions. It sounds like you might be using them already, but may have a little confusion about how to work with them (and/or terminology). For a project like yours, it's not uncommon to create a few different "scenes" as precomps, and then drop all of them into one master composition to do a basic edit. 

Concerning having keyframes "right next to each other" but still visibly fading ... I'm guessing you may actually not have them on consecutive frames. Are you zooming in to do this? Using Pg Up/Down to move frame-by-frame, or dragging your cursor manually? 

If you are actually on consecutive frames and still seeing visible fades between different values, it's likely there's some kind of frame rate mismatch between the compositions you're presumably working in. 

It might be helpful to include a few screenshots of your project (the whole AE interface, not just a portion!), so we have a better idea of your context and how you've constructed this project so far.

[Anny H.]

Thank you very much for your response! I will use Pg Up/Down next time I need to put two frames next to each other, and I will research Precompositions tonight. I will reply again tomorrow to let you know how it goes.

I have attached some screenshots of my workspace. (The animation may look familiar. I am modeling it after the YouTube channel How It Should Have Ended, as I am applying to them for an internship.) As you can see, I have multiple folders, which are inside more folders. Is this a helpful setup, or am I complicating things?

Thanks!

[Kyle Hamrick]

For your future reference / searching - what you're referring to as "folders" are Compositions. When they're used as an element within another composition, they're referred to as a Pre-Composition, or "precomp."

This is the kind of setup I'd likely use for a project like this, though I can see how it would be confusing if you're a newer user. Was this project provided for you, or did you create all this from scratch? 

Based on what you've told me, I think careful use of keyframing Opacity on the different desired layers (making sure they're actually one frame apart), and/or using Hold keyframes should be the answer to the question you're actually asking here. I have a feeling you're going to encounter several more questions in a complex project like this, but we'll be here when that time comes!

For what it's worth - if built correctly (large enough), you could also do your "cuts" just using one model of each character. Using a Null Object, you could parent all your layers (that aren't already parented to something else) to it, and use that like a "camera," for Position/Scale. Hold keyframes, like I referenced above, would be the key here if you want cuts vs moves. 

[Anny H.]

Thank you for all your help! My project is beginning to make more sense now.

I created all my layers from scratch on Clip Studio Paint, exported them as a Photoshop file, and imported them into After Effects.

I will be sure to post on the forum if I have more questions. Thanks again!

[Kyle Hamrick]

Glad to get you headed in the right direction. As you're probably figuring out, After Effects is big and powerful, which can make it a bit overwhelming at times. This sounds like an ambitious project, but sometimes jumping into the deep end is the best way to learn! Good luck with it!

[Anny H.]

Thank you! Here’s what ended up working for me:

To cut from one shot to another, I adjusted the opacity keyframes as we discussed. In addition to putting them right next to each other, I selected them, right-clicked, and chose Toggle Hold Keyframe. This kept the keyframes from fading during the transition.

To lip-sync, I followed the YouTube tutorial “After Effects: How To Build a Mouth Rig For Lip Syncing (2D animation)” by Bloop Animation. However, I had to use a slightly different expression from the one mentioned in the video. The expression I used was: ae=thisComp.layer("mouthCtrl").effect("Slider Control")("Slider")

framesToTime(ae)

Things are going smoothly now!

[Kyle Hamrick]

Looks like you're well on your way. Glad to hear it! 
I'd love to see the finished product, when you get there. 🙂 

Let us know if you run into any more questions.