Answers.Body: <p>There are a few different ways you can do this depending on your scenario.  Normally, for things like lower thirds, I make one composition in which I enter just the lower third text and plate.  I then use that composition as an asset in another composition to do the actual animations.  I can then simply turn on or off any particular text I need to in the static composition and render the final composition to get the needed output.</p>
  
  <p>Similarly, for a video at the beginning of a clip, you can have a wrapper composition that has the lead-in and then you can replace the contents of the composition that is shown after the lead-in plays.</p>
  
  <p>Alternately, you could probably do a fair bit of it using expressions too, but I've yet to have any tasks that were complex enough to have bothering to setup something with expressions.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-06-21T19:08:07.900Z
Answers.Text: I'm planning on doing tutorial videos on iPhone apps and settings. I will be re-doing multiple drop-ins and overlays and I would like to find the most intelligent way of doing that. It sounds like I was dead on based on your answer. I can just create one composition, create all of my effects that I expect to use, then reference that composition in each video and edit per video. I just want to have a good templating system in place that is the most efficient. THANKS!
Answers.UserDisplayName: randomblink
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-06-21T19:08:35.730Z
Answers.Text: And expressions just scare me!
Answers.UserDisplayName: randomblink
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-06-21T19:50:09.727Z
Answers.Text: Yeah, it sounds like you have a pretty good idea what to do.  What I described is actually how I do lower thirds for conference work.  I built out the graphics so that I just have to put in the speaker's name and hit render.
Answers.UserDisplayName: AJ Henderson
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-06-21T20:07:56.930Z
Answers.Text: Thank you. I love design work of all kinds, this is my first big project where it's both something I am capable of doing and something I love doing... now I just have to find the time and DO IT!
Answers.UserDisplayName: randomblink
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-06-21T02:22:02.967Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-06-21T02:22:02.967Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: AJ Henderson
Body: <p>I'm trying to put together a library of 'clips' and/or 'effects' to use in some upcoming training videos I am developing. Is there a 'best practices' that includes making each effect into a composition? Or are 'best practices' usually individually developed and there really isn't any such thing for After Effects.</p>
  
  <p>My effects are things like:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>templated layouts
  <ul>
  <li>Specific lower thirds fonts and colors</li>
  <li>outlines that draw themselves</li>
  <li>text blocks that swoop in and settle that can have their text updated per video</li>
  </ul></li>
  <li>color palettes or swatches</li>
  <li>intro videos</li>
  <li>etc.</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>I am trying to reduce repetition. I could create these effects each video, but I would like to create an effect ( i.e., text block swooping in at angle x and changing color at arrival ) and then replace JUST the text each video so that the effect becomes something the viewer recognizes as part of my training series.</p>
  
Tags: <after-effects>
Title: After Effects CS6 : Template Compositions
UserDisplayName: randomblink
ThreadText: # After Effects CS6 : Template Compositions
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2013-06-20)
  
  I'm trying to put together a library of 'clips' and/or 'effects' to use in some upcoming training videos I am developing. Is there a 'best practices' that includes making each effect into a composition? Or are 'best practices' usually individually developed and there really isn't any such thing for After Effects.
  
  My effects are things like:
  
  1. templated layouts
     * Specific lower thirds fonts and colors
     * outlines that draw themselves
     * text blocks that swoop in and settle that can have their text updated per video
  2. color palettes or swatches
  3. intro videos
  4. etc.
  
  I am trying to reduce repetition. I could create these effects each video, but I would like to create an effect ( i.e., text block swooping in at angle x and changing color at arrival ) and then replace JUST the text each video so that the effect becomes something the viewer recognizes as part of my training series.
  
  **Tags:** after-effects
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2013-06-21. Score: 0 | Accepted answer
  
  There are a few different ways you can do this depending on your scenario. Normally, for things like lower thirds, I make one composition in which I enter just the lower third text and plate. I then use that composition as an asset in another composition to do the actual animations. I can then simply turn on or off any particular text I need to in the static composition and render the final composition to get the needed output.
  
  Similarly, for a video at the beginning of a clip, you can have a wrapper composition that has the lead-in and then you can replace the contents of the composition that is shown after the lead-in plays.
  
  Alternately, you could probably do a fair bit of it using expressions too, but I've yet to have any tasks that were complex enough to have bothering to setup something with expressions.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: I'm planning on doing tutorial videos on iPhone apps and settings. I will be re-doing multiple drop-ins and overlays and I would like to find the most intelligent way of doing that. It sounds like I was dead on based on your answer. I can just create one composition, create all of my effects that I expect to use, then reference that composition in each video and edit per video. I just want to have a good templating system in place that is the most efficient. THANKS!  
  > **username_0**: And expressions just scare me!  
  > **username_1**: Yeah, it sounds like you have a pretty good idea what to do.  What I described is actually how I do lower thirds for conference work.  I built out the graphics so that I just have to put in the speaker's name and hit render.  
  > **username_0**: Thank you. I love design work of all kinds, this is my first big project where it's both something I am capable of doing and something I love doing... now I just have to find the time and DO IT!  
  
  ---
  
  