This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Creating a Composition
A composition contains layers of footage and describes how you arrange those layers in space and time. This section explains how to create a composition; the following section describes how to choose basic settings to define a composition’s spatial and temporal attributes.
To create a new composition:
Do one of the following:
- Choose Composition > New Composition.
- Press Command-N (Ctrl-N).
At the bottom of the Project panel, click the Create Composition button (Figure 4.1).
Figure 4.1 Click the Create Composition button at the bottom of the Project panel.
A Composition Settings dialog appears (Figure 4.2).
Figure 4.2 In the Composition Settings dialog, enter settings manually, or choose an option in the Preset menu.
- For Composition Name, enter a descriptive title for the comp.
To set the comp’s fundamental aspects, do either of the following:
- In the Preset pop-up menu, choose the appropriate format for the comp.
- Specify composition settings manually.
Choosing a format from the Preset menu enters values for Width, Height, Pixel Aspect Ratio, and Frame Rate automatically; entering values manually sets the Preset menu to Custom. For more about settings, see “Specifying Basic Composition Settings,” later in this chapter.
Choose a Resolution; then specify values for Start Timecode and Duration (Figure 4.3). Choosing a Preset does not specify these settings automatically. By default, these settings match those of the most recently created composition.
Figure 4.3 Specify a viewing Resolution, Start Timecode, and Duration.
Click OK to close the Composition Settings dialog.
A new composition appears in the Project panel, and related Composition and Timeline panels open (Figure 4.4).
Figure 4.4 A composition appears in a Composition panel and a Timeline panel and as an icon in the Project panel (shown here).
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