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NOVEMBER 25, 2002 Adjustment Layers
If you wanted to change the tint of all of the layers at one time, you would have to apply the Hue/Saturation effect to every layer in the Timeline. With three layers it isn’t that big of a deal, but if you had hundreds of layers in your After Effects composition, it could take some time. What if you wanted to make half of the image a negative image, and keep the other half positive? That would be a bit more difficult adjusting every layer. You would probably have to duplicate layers, create masks, reposition, etc. just to get the effect you desire. What would happen then if you decided you didn’t like the look? You would have to go in and readjust or remove all of the layers you just created. This is a huge time waster. Instead, let’s add an adjustment layer. Step 9: From the Layer menu select New>Adjustment layer. You will notice it is an adjustment layer because the adjustment layer icon is on in the Timeline.  Step 10: From the Effect menu, select Channel>Invert to apply the Invert effect to the entire composition. Step 11: With the Adjustment Layer selected in the Timeline press the P key on your keyboard to bring up the Position property for the layer. Chang the Y-axis position to 270. Now only a portion of the image has been inverted. Step 12: Press Command+Y on the Mac or Control+Y on the PC to create another solid. Make this solid the width of the composition, but make the height only 10 pixels. Change the color to red and press OK. Step 13: Apply the Drop Shadow effect to the solid using the default values for the effect. Step 14: Position the red line below the text in the Comp Window.  You will notice that the line is not inverted when it hits the area where the adjustment layer is. This is because it is higher in the Timeline Stack.  Remember, an adjustment layer only affects the layers below it. If you wanted the Invert effect to affect the red line, you would need to move that solid layer below the adjustment layer. Experiment with different effects and see how using an adjustment layer can affect multiple layers in your next project. [an error occurred while processing this directive] When not working deep in the labs of the DMN Central Division testing the latest and greatest software/hardware products Stephen Schleicher can be found at the local university teaching a few courses on video and web production. He can be reached at schleicher@mindspring.com. You can also visit him on the web at www.mindspring.com/~schleicher Related sites: • Animation Artist • Animation Supplement • AV Video • Content Mastering • Corporate Media News • Creative Mac • Digital Animators • Digital Post Production • Digital Producer • Digital Video Editing • DV Format • Mac Supplement • Presentation Supplement • Production Supplement • Siggraph News • The WWUG Related forums: [an error occurred while processing this directive] 
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