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- Hello and welcome to the 21st episode
in this Beginner's Guide to Adobe After Effects.
In this tutorial we are going to look
at color adjustments in After Effects.
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So over the past few videos we have been looking
at animation effects that can be applied to your layers.
Now After Effects is not just good for adding animation.
Now a lot of designers will use After Effects
to color grade and adjust color to their video footage.
In this video we will be looking at how we can use
After Effects to adjust color to our video footage.
So let's get into it.
So here I am in After Effects,
and I have a project open here
that I'm going to use to demonstrate
how you can apply color adjustments to your video.
In the last episode we looked at transition effects
in the Effects & Presets panel
over on the right of the interface.
Now instead of focusing on the Animation Preset category,
this time we're going to look further down
at the Color Correction folder.
Now if we toggle down the Color Correction category,
we can see we have quite a few effects here.
So let's take a look at a few examples.
Now if you have the Project Folder,
you can open up this document I have here.
With the Project Folder open,
click into the S2 Essential Practice folder
into Folder 21, Color Effects,
and open the Color Effects After Effects file,
and you will have the same document I have open here.
This is a document you could use to quickly experiment
with color effects with me in this video.
Now if you don't have the Project Folder
and you want to follow along
with this tutorial using this document
I have prepared especially for you,
you can download this Project Folder for a small fee.
The download link with instructions is in the description.
The Download folder comes with lots of exercise documents
we will be using on this course
that have been carefully developed
to aid your learning experience.
The folder also comes with document resources
such as videos, graphics, and images
you can use to build your first video presentation
from scratch later on in this course.
To get the full learning experience,
I recommend you get the Project Folder.
Download link with instructions is in the description.
So with the Project Folder open,
click into the S2 Essential Practice folder
into Folder 21 Color Effects
and open the Color Effects After Effects file
and you'll have the same document I have open here.
So now I want to draw your attention
over the the Project panel.
Here you can see I have a folder
called Color Edited and one called Original.
For now I need you to pay attention
to the Color Edited folder.
So double-click on the first composition, Camden 1,
and it will appear in the Composition panel.
So I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
So here we have a video which I took in Camden Town, London.
And here I have applied a few color effects.
To create this effect, I simply dragged on a preset.
Now with the layer selected in the Timeline panel,
if we come up to the top of the Project panel on the left
and click on the Effect Control tab,
here we can see I have three color effects applied.
So to this I have a Toner effect,
and I'll toggle this off.
Next I have a Black & White filter applied,
and I'll toggle this off.
And last I have a Brightness & Contrast effect applied,
and I'll toggle this off.
So now you can see the original footage I started with.
So I'll click the tab next to the Effects Controls
to go back to the Project panel,
and this time double-click on the next composition,
Camden 2, and it will appear in the Composition panel.
So I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
So here is another video but this time I have applied
some color effects that make the video look more vintage.
So with the layer selected in the Timeline panel,
if we come up and click back on the Effect Controls,
here we can see I have three color effects applied.
So to this I have a Photo Filter effect,
and I'll toggle this off.
Next I have a Color Balance filter applied,
and I'll toggle this off.
And last I have a Vibrance effect applied,
and I'll toggle this off.
So here you can see the original footage I started with.
So I'll click the Project tab to go back,
and this time double-click
on the next composition, Camden 3.
So I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
This time I have applied an effect
that makes the video look quite graphic with two colors.
So with the layer selected in the Timeline panel,
if we come up and click back on the Effect Controls tab,
here you can see I have two color effects applied.
So to this I have a Tint effect, and I'll toggle this off.
And last I have a Brightness & Contrast effect applied,
and I'll toggle this off.
So here you can see the original footage I started with.
So I'll click the Project tab to go back,
and this time double-click
on the next composition, Camden 4.
I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
This time I have applied an effect
to really push out the colors
and create a really vibrant effect.
So with the layer selected in the Timeline panel,
if we come up and click back on the Effect Controls tab,
here you can see I have just one color effect applied.
To this I have Curves, so I'll toggle this off,
and you can see the original footage I started with.
So I'll click the Project tab to go back,
and this time double-click on the next comp, Camden 5.
I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
This time I have applied
quite a psychedelic effect to the video.
With the layer selected in the Timeline panel,
if we come up and click back on the Effect Controls tab,
here you can see I have just one color effect applied.
To this I have a Colorama effect applied,
and I'll toggle this off,
and you can see the original footage I started with.
So I'll click back on the Project tab,
and this time double-click
on the next composition, Camden 6.
So I'll make sure my time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
This time I have applied an effect
that makes the video look light with a warm feel.
So with the layer selected in the Timeline panel,
if we come up and click back on the Effect Controls,
here you can see I have two color effects applied.
So to this I have an Exposure effect,
and I'll toggle this off.
And last I have a Photo Filter applied,
and I'll toggle this off.
So now you can see the original footage I started with.
So back again in the Project tab,
this time I'll double-click on Camden 7.
I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
This time I have applied an effect
that makes the video again look quite graphic
though with a more monotone effect.
So with the layer selected in the Timeline panel,
if we come up and click back on the Effect Controls,
here you can see I have just one color effect applied.
To this I have a Tritone effect applied,
and I'll toggle this off,
and you can see the original footage I started with.
So I'll click back on the Project tab to go back,
and this time double-click
on the last example composition, Camden 8.
I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
So this time I have applied some subtle effects
just to make the footage feel rich and clear.
With the layer selected in the Timeline panel,
if we come up and click back on the Effects Controls tab,
here you can see I have just two color effects applied.
So to this I have a Vibrance effect,
and I'll toggle this off.
And last I have an Auto Levels filter applied,
and I'll toggle this off.
And now you can see the original footage I started with.
So those are a few examples of the types of color effects
that can be made in After Effects.
You can make subtle adjustments
or quite drastic adjustments
to create a very distinct effect.
So now I'm going to demonstrate
how you can apply color adjustments in After Effects.
So I'll click the Project tab to go back,
and notice under the Color Edited folder,
we have an Original folder.
Well, in here are the exact same examples
I just showed but without the effects applied.
These have been placed here for you to have a go yourself.
So let's begin by clicking on the Camden 1 comp.
So here in the timeline
we can see we have one layer of footage.
So I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline.
And to make sure my video plays nice and smooth,
in this instance I'll click the Resolution Factor Popup
at the bottom of the Composition panel and select Half.
And I'll press space bar to activate preview.
So here is a video I took from my Canon 80D SLR camera.
Now the video looks fine,
but in this case I think it would benefit
from a little adjustment just to make it pop a little
which is most often the case
when I bring in my raw footage from my camera.
So I'll press space bar to stop the preview.
And to add a color effect,
we can use the same technique
we used in the previous video.
If we come over to the Effects & Presets panel,
we can click down on the Color Correct tab.
So at the top we have a few useful effects.
Now I want to make this video pop a little,
so I can do this easy by clicking and dragging
the Brightness & Contrast effect onto my video layer.
Upon release we will see the Effect Controls
up here in the panel to the left.
So now I can tweak the Contrast.
In this instance I'll push the Contrast up to 20,
and that's making the colors just pop a little more.
If I toggle the effect on and off on the control panel,
we can see the effect that is having.
And I'll press space bar to activate preview.
So just like that,
I made a very simple and easy adjustment
to improve the quality of the video.
So what if I want to make this footage black and white?
Well, there is an effect for that.
Back in the Color Correction folder,
if I click and drag the Black & White effect
onto the layer and release,
the video is now black and white.
Now I could leave it there
but if I want to add a Tone on top of that,
well, I can click and drag on the CC Toner preset
and release on the layer.
And if I want to change the tone,
I can come into the Effect Controls
and explore some other colors,
but I kind of like the original,
so I'll press Command + Z on Mac
or Control + Z on PC just to undo that.
So that's how easy it is to apply
some color effects to your footage.
And there is so much more to explore.
Let's take a look at another example.
So back in the Project panel,
this time double-click on Camden 2.
I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
So I want to make this video feel a bit more vintage.
To do this requires a few effects.
To start I can drag a Vibrance effect on.
So towards the bottom of the Color Correction folder,
I'll click and drag the preset onto my layer.
Upon release we will see the Effect Controls
up here in the panel.
So now I can tweak the Vibrance.
In this instance I'll push the Vibrance up to around 80,
and that's making the colors in the video more vibrant.
If I toggle the effect on and off,
we can see the effect that is having.
Next I'll come back to the Presets panel
and drag Color Balance onto the layer.
And in the Effect Controls
I'll push up the Midtone Red Balance up to 100.
Next I'll drag on the Photo Filter onto the layer.
And in the Effects Controls I can toggle down the filter
and choose from an array of presets.
But in this instance I'll keep it set to a warm filter,
and I'll push up the density to around 60.
And that is looking pretty cool.
So let's look at another example.
So back into the Project panel,
this time click on Camden 3.
I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
So this time I want to give the video
a very distinct visual effect.
To start I can drag
a Brightness & Contrast effect onto the layer.
Upon release we will see the Effect Controls
up here in the panel to the left.
So now I can tweak the Contrast.
In this instance I'll push the Contrast up to around 50.
Next back in the Presets panel,
I'll drag Tint onto the layer.
And in the Effect Controls
I'll click the Map to Black color
and choose a navy blue color and click OK.
Then I'll click the Map to White color
and choose a red color and click OK.
And that is creating a super cool graphic effect.
So let's look at one more example.
So back into the Project folder,
this time double-click on Camden 8.
So I'll make sure the time indicator
is at the start of the timeline,
and I'll press space bar to activate preview.
So what we can see here is a piece of footage
that appears to be affected by the light
which looks as if it's bleaching the video slightly.
So to this video I don't want to add any jazzy effects.
All I want to do here is just enhance it.
One of the easiest ways to do this
is to simply drag on Auto Contrast.
So I'll click and drag Auto Contrast
from the Presets panel onto the layer.
Upon release, the footage has improved.
Now if you want to tweak this a bit further,
we can come into the Effects Controls
and push up the Black Clip from 0.10 up to about one.
And if I toggle the effect on and off,
you can see before it was slightly bleached by the light,
and with the effect applied,
the blacks and the colors are a bit more punchy and rich.
Now if I want to boost the colors a little more,
I can click and drag a Vibrance preset
out and onto the layer.
In the Effect Controls
I can boost the Vibrance up to around 50,
and that will make the colors punch out a little more.
And that is looking much better.
So that's how easy it is to make color adjustments
to your video in After Effects.
So at this point I would say continue to explore
and have some fun with color effects.
Go back to the Project panel and look again
at some of the edits I made and the effects applied
in order to learn and see how they work,
then try and apply some color effects
to some of the compositions
I have created for you in the Original folder,
or even try and bring in some of your own video
and experiment with color correcting on your own video.
When applying effects,
make sure to look at the Effects Controls
and what settings you can tweak.
And remember that you will sometimes
have to add a variety of effects
to achieve an overall effect.
So have fun and explore.
So that's an introduction to color effects.
Now we just looked at how we can add
color effects directly to our layers.
In this video we looked at some very simple compositions
where we applied color effects to just one layer.
Now what if we have a really complicated composition
consisting of, say, 20 plus layers,
and you want to apply a single effect to the entire comp?
Now it would be tedious and take some time
to apply the same effect to every layer.
Well, in After Effects there is an easy way.
In After Effects we can use
what are called adjustment layers.
In the next video we will be looking
at how adjustment layers work
and how they can be used to apply
an effect to an entire composition.
So see you in the next video.
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