3D Six-Pack 3 (After Effects version): Tutorials & Tips
In Adobe After Effects ( CS6 or any CC Creative Cloud version):
1. Drag-and-drop 3D Six-Pack 3 onto a timeline layer, from the Pixelan folder of the Effects and Presets panel of After Effects. 3D Six-Pack 3 controls will appear as native effect controls within the After Effects interface.
Important: 3D Six-Pack 3 transitions are available as normal (3D Six-Pack 3 layer gradually appears or disappears, covering/revealing the lower tracks) and reversed (the layer selected in Layer menu gradually appears or disappears).
Only normal transitions will look properly if None is selected in Layer menu.
To use reversed transitions: (1) Choose which layer you are transitioning to or from, using the Layer menu. (2) Move the Time Indicator where the layers overlap. (3) Click the Presets button and choose a reversed preset.
Shadow/Glow presets are not suitable for use with titles.
3D Six-Pack Easy Steps
(1) Choose which layer you are transitioning to or from, using the Layer menu. It can be any layer in the comp; its Video switch can even be off. If the layer has effects or masks, precompose the layer first. If None is selected, 3D Six-Pack will reveal lower tracks.
(2) Set the transitions's progress over time, using the Progress control. A typical linear transition is 100 to 0 at a layer’s head, or 0 to 100 at the tail. Set the transitions’s ease-in/ease-out, holds, or other timing as desired. To ease-in/out or hold the transition, add additional keyframes or select a handy preset in the Progress Presets menu.
(3) Choose from hundreds of professional presets via a large animated Effects Browser window.
Effects Browser
This is where HUNDREDS of transition presets are located. Click the Presets (Click here to load...) button to open a wonderful large Effects Browser window to visually choose/compare from over 250+ pre-made presets.
Time-saving tips to load presets faster:
The Effects Browser is fast, but sometimes you may already know which preset you want to use, such as when you are applying the same preset repeatedly in a project. In that situation, selecting a preset by one of the following methods can be faster... To see recently chosen Effects Browser presets, click the More button and choose Recent Presets. For a drop-down menu of Effects Browser presets,click the More button and choose All Presets. To use a standard Open file dialog box,click the More button and choose Opent Preset.
Last but not least, you can easily Save the selected transition as animation preset in After Effects. The advantage of the usual After Effects way is you can apply a favorite preset quickly without entering the 3D Six-Pack interface at all.
Handy tips while working within the Effects Browser:
• To scroll through presets in a folder while keeping your eye on the top preview image for comparison, hold the mouse pointer over the right panel then use arrow keys or the mouse wheel.
• To increase/decrease the thumbnail image size, use the Size button at the bottom of the Effects Browser.
• To copy a favorite preset into the My Favorites folder located atop the left column of preset folders, right-click any preset image and choose Copy to My Favorites. To copy the preset into a subfolder within that folder (such as if you want to organize presets per project or per client), right-click the preset and choose Copy to My Favorites >> [new subfolder]. You can then name the subfolder as desired. After the subfolder is created, it will also appear in the right-click menu.
• To rename a preset that is in the My Favorites folder, right-click the preset there and choose Rename this preset. To remove a My Favorites preset, right-click and choose Delete this preset.
• To hide any preset, right-click the preset and choose Hide this preset. To show all hidden presets in a folder, right-click any preset in that folder and choose Restore all hidden presets from this folder. To temporarily view the folder's hidden presets, which can be handy if you just want to momentarily browse them, choose Temporarily show hidden presets.
• To toggle between viewing the source file image and the 3D Six-Pack preset, click the top large preview image in the Effects Browser.