05: Creating a Composition
To merge various graphic sources and create a composite image, you first need to create a container known as a Composition. This guide will walk you through the process of creating a composition, connecting it to the Viewer, and adjusting its parameters.
Creating a New Composition
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Click on the Create Composition button located at the top-left of the Project Panel. The new composition will appear in this panel and automatically connect to the Viewer.
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Its name is displayed at the top of the Viewer with a blue frame. The color blue differentiates a composition from other graphic elements.
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This composition is also automatically connected in the Timeline, at the bottom at the interface.
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Connections, Disconnections, and Color Indicators
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Remember that double-clicking on an imported element will display its name in red surrounded by a red frame. This color indicates that you are viewing something other than a composition.
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When you want to work with a specific composition, make sure you see a blue outline. It's important to ensure that you are connected to the composition in the Viewer while working in the Timeline, as changes will not reflect if the same composition is not connected to the Viewer.
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If you click on the composition name at the top of the Viewer, you can disconnect it right away.
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There are three ways to reconnect a composition to the Viewer:
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Double-click on the composition in the Project Panel.
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Right-click on the composition in the Project Panel and select Show in ... > Viewer 1 Main View.
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Click at the top of the Viewer to display the list of available compositions and select the one you want to connect.
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If you have a large number of compositions, use the search bar in this list or in the Project Panel to quickly filter and locate a specific composition.
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When a composition is connected to the Viewer, a white frame appears around the image. This frame defines the composition format, the area that will be captured when rendering the final image.
Adjusting Composition Parameters
Accessing the Properties Panel
With the composition selected in the Project Panel, you can see it appear in the Inspector.
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The Properties Section, which is the lower part of the Inspector, displays all parameters related to the selected composition.
Modifying the Composition Format
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To change the composition format, click on HD (1920x1080) which is syncronized with the Format parameter in the Properties Section. A list of presets will appear.
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You can preview different formats just by hovering your mouse over the list options without selecting anything.
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- The format is also displayed with the prefix "Source:" at the bottom-left corner of the Viewer. This prefix indicates that your are rendering the composition with the format defined by the Format parameter. In another tutorial, we'll go over how to dynamically override the composition format when rendering to create Reponsive Design content. For now, let's stick with an HD (1920x1080) composition.
Changing the Frame Rate
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With the composition still selected, set the Frame rate to 30 (frames per second).
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This list contains several presets, but you can enter a custom value by setting the Select Frame rate parameter from Preset to Custom.
For now, let's use the preset of 30 FPS.
Summary
In this section, we covered:
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How to create a composition and connect it to the Viewer
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The importance of recognizing element types through color coding
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How to adjust composition properties using the Inspector and Properties Panel