Production Tip: How to Optimize Your Audio Levels

Audio can sound different depending on how you play it back. Use this technique to make sure your levels work with any medium. What ruins a film quicker than bad visuals? Bad audio. Sound is one of the most immersive elements in film, and when it’s off, it can take your viewer completely out of the experience.

If you’re like me, then you’ve been in the awkward situation of showing off your film to your friends on your living room TV, and the audio plays back completely differently than it did on your computer after the export, and you can hear everyone silently judging you. So, how do you make sure that your project sounds the same on every device? Don’t worry: the folks over at The Film Look are here to help out.

When you’re in an edit, your perception can become warped after a while, especially if you’re working with only one playback medium, like headphones. After a while, you may get the perfect mix for your headphones, but once you listen to the track on speakers, the mix doesn’t translate. Headphones are perfect for creating your soundspace because of all the detail you can hear, but speakers are better for the final edit. Switch it up every now and then once you’ve got a solid mix. If you have access to monitor speakers, even better.  

If you’re uploading your video to a platform like YouTube, you want to make sure that the sound quality is top-notch on every device. From phone speakers to headphones, your audio quality should be consistent. To ensure this, export your video and test it on various devices. Are there sounds that aren’t translating well to a certain device? Then go back to your mastering software and boost the levels of that sound. But make sure you don’t boost anything too much at once — try to find a happy medium that works on all platforms.

If you’re looking for an easy way to determine if your volume is at the correct levels, try volume referencing. To do this, pull up a show or movie from a platform like Netflix and watch it for a few minutes. After you’ve determined the levels, quickly switch to your film without changing the volume level on your TV. Is it too loud? Too soft?

Once that you have a reference, you can adjust your volume levels on your master mix to match the volume of a professionally mastered film. Now, you can be confident that your film will sound great on any platform.

Ever Wonder How Obsessive Artists Colorize Old Photos?

In this Vox short about the colorization of photos, they interview Jordan J. Lloyd of Dynamichrome about his process of coloring photos. He claims that a good colorizer has a good network to call upon when trying to stay true to what colors the subject of the photo might be donning. This takes loads of research into old advertisements, diaries, clothing descriptions from tailors, etc. After researching, the color artist can grasp what shades and color types they’re going to use in their restoration.

Take his colorization of King Tut’s tomb for example. He dug through old archives of the archeologist’s journals and cross-referenced those with pictures of the preserved artifacts on display currently in Cairo. This research allowed him to create a true color image of what we would see on that day if the photographer had used a color camera.

Dynamichrome also makes sure to keep lighting in mind when recreating old photos. Since light alters our perception of color, the colors would need to darken or lighten depending on where the source is coming from. The intensity of light also plays a role.

Jordan’s team at Dynamichrome primarily focuses on photos, though. The real juggernaut of the craft is restoring footage.

The Media in My After Effects Template is Missing!

By default, you shouldn’t have to do anything besides simply open up the project file to begin editing your template. However, if for some reason your asset files are put in the wrong spot, you will get an error message when you open up your project. Don’t fret.

Missing footage can be found by simply moving the asset back into the appropriate file structure, right clicking on the file in the Project Panel, and selecting reload footage.

How Are After Effects Templates Different From Scripts, Expressions, Assets, Plugins and Presets?

There are a lot of After Effects related files sold on the internet. The most common are After Effects templates which we’ve already covered in this post, but you’re likely to run across a few other After Effects items online. Here’s a quick breakdown of what each of them are:

• After Effects Script: Lines of code that tell After Effects to do something. Typically scripts are used to save motion graphic designers time from doing mundane or repetitive tasks like duplicating layers.
• After Effects Expression: An expression is a quick snippet of code that will tell After Effects to change the value of a certain parameter. For example, the “wiggle” expression will tell After Effects to wiggle a number value. Expressions are normally used by intermediate to expert After Effects artists. You can get by in After Effects without learning a single expression.
• After Effects Asset: An asset is simply a  file that can be dragged and dropped into your After Effects project. An asset can be video, audio, or image files. Typically video editors will use assets to stylize their footage in After Effects.
• After Effects Plugin: An After Effects plugin is a third-party plugin that gives After Effects extra functionality beyond what it’s already capable of doing. One popular plugin is Element 3D, which allows users to create and customize 3D objects directly in After Effects.
• After Effects Preset: A preset is simply a predefined group of effects and keyframes that can be easily applied to layers. The most common type of presets are text animation presets and color grading presets.

How Do I Use an After Effects Template?

To use an After Effects template, you will need to have the template project file along with all of the video editing assets. If you don’t already have After Effects open, you can either start the program and open the template file by navigating to File>Open, or you can simply double click the project file on your computer.

When you open an After Effects template, you will typically see all of the files on the left side of the screen in a box called the project panel. In the middle you will see a large video screen called the composition panel. You will also see a timeline at the bottom of the program. The timeline is where all of the different video, audio, and graphic elements are placed when they are used to create the final video.

For a simple graphics project, you might just have a video and text layer in your compositions timeline. In a template, there will be many more elements, sometimes hundreds. Luckily for you, a good template won’t require you to navigate all of those layers. Instead, a good template will only ask you to access a few simple layers at most.

At the heart of every good After Effects template is a well-organized composition structure. For most templates, all you will need to do is access the composition that corresponds with the scene you are trying to change. For example, if you want to change the end logo, you can look for a composition called “End Logo” and manipulate the text or elements as you need them.

Every After Effects template is different, so it’s important to read any documentation that comes with your template to make the whole editing process easier to understand. All of our templates are standardized, meaning they are all customizable in a similar file structure.

What Hardware and Software Do I Need to Use an After Effects Template?

In order to use an After Effects template you will need a copy of Adobe After Effects on a Mac or PC computer. If you’re not already familiar, After Effects it is an incredibly deep, yet approachable computer program used for motion graphics and VFX work. Some designers spend their entire careers mastering After Effects, but the majority of After Effects users simply use it to create simple graphics or visual effects for videos.

After Effects is one of the programs included in the Creative Cloud by Adobe. Unlike other software manufacturers, Adobe sells their software in a subscription pack called the Creative Cloud. Instead of you purchasing the software outright, you actually license their entire library of softwares for a fee each month. While this may seem strange, it actually saves artists a lot of money in the long run.

If you don’t already have After Effects on your computer, you can download a free 30 day trial from Adobe.  You can fully customize and export videos during your trial, so if you simply purchased an After Effects template with no intentions of using the software again in the future, you might be able to get by without actually subscribing to the Creative Cloud.

In order to use an After Effects template, you will need an After Effects project file along with any assets (video, pictures, music, etc.) that your project file may use. It’s best to think about your After Effects template as a video project. Just because you have the project file doesn’t mean you have all of the video assets on your computer. Some templates may include video, photos or illustration graphics along with the template at no additional cost. Be sure to check what each templates includes in the description before downloading.

What are After Effects templates? Here’s a quick rundown.

After Effects templates are a fantastic resource for anybody looking to make their project look professional and customized. Let’s take a look at the wide world of After Effects templates.

An After Effects template is a customizable After Effects project file. Typically when a motion designer is working on a project in After Effects, they will use a file structure that is not formatted for other people to customize it. In a typical project file it’s not uncommon to see unnamed elements, poor organization, and confusing file structures. Templates, on the other hand, are labeled, well organized, and easy to understand.

A good After Effects template is designed in such a way that users can easily change text, colors, and design elements without needing to understand the complex file structures created by the Motion Graphic Designer. Typically a motion graphic designer will create compositions (timelines) that allow you to simply drag and drop your images or footage inside, and text fields that can be easily customized in a similar fashion to a text editor.

Some After Effects templates are used to create entire finished videos, while others are used to add in graphics to a video that’s already been created. There are also some After Effects templates that have been designed to create a certain effect. 

5 Tips for Beginners Working with After Effects Templates

So, you think you want to venture in to the world of After Effects templates, huh? Not to fret! It’s really a lot easier than you think, especially if you’re working with a professionally made pre-designed template. However, there are some terms that you should be familiar with if you’re new to the game.

It’s an AFTER EFFECTS template…

…that means you must use it in After Effects. After Effects in an Adobe program that is used to create motion graphics. It can be kind of a beast to learn, but starting with pre-made templates is a good way to learn the basics. If you do not have After Effects, you will not be able to use After Effects templates in any other program.

It says it is pre-rendered? Does that mean I can’t change it?

If an After Effects template says it is pre-rendered, that simply means that someone has gone ahead and put in some extra time to ensure that you don’t need any third party plugins to make the template work the way it should. Pre-rendered is a great thing for a beginner!

What is a third party plugin?

A third party plugin is some piece of additional software (usually downloaded from the Internet) that works with After Effects to create new visual effects. These typically cost money and sometimes require vast experience with After Effects to use properly. Third party plugins can be great for creating new looks, but if you’re new to the game you’ll probably want to avoid them for a while.

How do I make it work?

There is no quick answer for this question. Each After Effects template is a work of art that is comprised of many layers. If you recently purchased or downloaded an After Effects template, chances are it came with instructions on how to use it. Check your disc or look in your .zip file to find the how to. If you still can’t find instructions, consider getting in touch with the creator of the template.

This is taking forever…

Remember, After Effects is a beast of a program. Depending on your computer, it can take hours to render a file. Heck, it might even take hours just to download the template from the Internet. But remember, it took the person who created this template twice as long to make it from scratch as it did for you to simply drag and drop your text. Take your rendering time as a chance to stretch your legs and enjoy some fresh air!