Using User Presets as an Efficient Workflow Tool:

One of the most common buzzwords in the industry is “workflow”. You will see this term used more often than any other whenever people are discussing post-production. What they are really talking about is efficiency. The faster and more effectively one is able to perform tasks, the more they can use their time to improve the final output through creativity and polishing. In other words, the less time wasted on menial details, the more time can be put towards creating better projects.

In that vein, I would like to share a useful tip I have been using in Adobe After Effects CS3 and Adobe Premiere that has saved more time than I can imagine. Most AE users are familiar with effect presets and the ability to create user presets. What I am going to demonstrate is very fundamental, but is scaleable and applicable to numerous uses. I am going to demonstrate how to use user presets in conjunction with an organizational process to streamline tasks such as keying.

For this process to work best it actually starts before the camera rolls. The first step is to have a shotlist, with shots labeled in a standard numbering and lettering format. Obviously, you may not have control over this, but if you do, make sure that you stick to this list. During the shoot, make sure to slate every shot clearly and correctly. Once the footage is brought into Premiere, label it accordingly. This is common practice, and should be a part of any post-production process. If there wasn’t a shotlist, create one at this point, making sure to use a numeric system (see below).

EDIT

You’ll have a timeline that looks something like this:

Notice that all the clips were labeled accurately and the same shot was used multiple times while cutting together this dialogue scene between two characters. Fine-tune your edit until you are completely satisfied and ready to move onto the VFX/Motions Graphix.

Import the premiere project into AE. When this is done, all the data from Premiere is brought in, including the sequences, clips, and naming conventions. You might have to do a little organization, depending on how your tracks were setup in Premiere, and how you want your AE project layed out. In a future article I will discuss some practices and methods for streamling AE projects. But for now, let’s assume we’re neat and tidy and ready to key. Start at the beginning and move forward. Everyone has their own keying process, so do what works best for you. Once again, in the future I will discuss my methods a little more in depth. However, almost all techniques require the use of multiple effects.

Once you have your key set up, highlight all your effects and select the make new preset icon in the bottom right corner of Effects and Presets box. It will open a dialogue box to save the preset. Here is where the system kicks into high gear. At this point, what you are doing is creating a database of effects (in this case, keys). Since the same shot is used multiple times in this project, the effect will need to be used multiple times, with little to no changes. One might ask, “How does one keep track of all these effects?” It’s easy. Your naming convention has already been set up; it’s your shotlist. As long as you labeled your clips correctly in Premiere, each instance of a shot will be its labeled accordingly as well.

When you go to save, create a folder structure in your preset library, preferably numeric and labels. Create a folder for keys, and save the preset in the folder labeled by the following three things: Folder number (100 in my case), shot, and description. By using all three, it will be much easier to search for the desired preset quickly by simply typing in the keywords or a shot label in the search box.

As you move through your project, you will be able to quickly locate the correct key and efficiently. By using the shot label to search, a few keystrokes will bring up the correct key. This is much easier than any ctl C/V method I have ever used previously. The purpose of the numeric labeling is more clearly seen when working with artistic effects that may be used in any number of shots or projects. By creating preset animations/effects, and labeling them by number, you can quickly pull up any effect quickly and effectively, without a lot of time spent searching or recreating. For instance, all lens flares animations can be labeled 51* so by simply typing 51 in the search box, all presets will be at your fingertips instantly.

(footage courtesy of iTwinkle.tv)