After Effects is the graphic composition and video editing software that is dominating the current market. Through this program, different animations and effects are generated capable of impacting the final consumer, due to their quality and style.
But of course this is not achieved alone, skillful and capable hands are required behind the screen that with dedication focus on creating the best audiovisual pieces. If you’re in the process of polishing your skills on the show, stick around and today we’ll focus on the slow motion effect.
What should you take into account before creating slow motion in a video with After Effects?
It is essential, before using this effect in any project, to understand its importance, since it is a language in itself, which is studied to have greater clarity in which section of the shot it is necessary and will transmit the appropriate message. As a basic rule of thumb, slow motion is achieved by shooting in an accelerated range and slowing down the projection speed.
Currently, it is possible to generate all kinds of compositions from the comfort of home or office, be it the 3D tracking effect of objects with Mocha and After Effects, or modifications in the playback speed of a shot. However, from the initial point of recording, you must have a clear idea of what you are looking for, in order to work accordingly.
Check to have good lighting in the video
We mean that the same quality will not be obtained in a slowed down video that was filmed without taking care of the minimum aspects or in low quality, as in one in which the plane, lighting, movement and resolution are adequate. That is, to achieve proper slow motion, clear criteria must be applied from the recording.
Always look for the best possible lighting, the best is natural light, but if this is not possible, make sure to compensate with good lighting. Also, adjust the camera in the graduation of the mode and resolution so that it captures the greatest amount of detail possible, all this assuming that you are in charge or have the capacity to decide on these aspects.
How to adjust the FPS in a video to better create the slow motion effect in After Effects?
Otherwise, where the video or clip simply corresponds to apply the effect, that is, you must work with what you have, even if what you have is not exactly of the best quality. You can still adjust certain parameters of color, luminance and FPS, so that before applying the slowdown, your video will look much more professional.
The reason to do these is that when you play a clip at a slower speed than it was recorded, there comes a point where it loses detail, that is, the image becomes blurry and indefinite, which is totally unsightly. It will seem extremely meticulous, but the best ones are, and we assume that you want to follow in their footsteps.
Therefore, to improve the number of frames per second, the first thing you have to do is download After Effects, when you import your video into the program, you will go to Composition > Composition Adjustment > Frame Rate, and set it to 60. In this way, you manage not to lose so much detail in fast movements.
How can you do the slow motion effect in this program?
We are sure that, day after day, you will discover new methods to make your projects more outstanding, from rendering files with Alpha Channel in After Effects, to applying speed curves, which help in the transmission of the message devised for the video.
From the effect control window
As you can imagine in After there is more than one way to achieve a result, you may want to make the effect come out of the screen or play with the speed of a shot, and in any case, there are multiple ways. Now we will focus on the easiest way to get slow motion in a clip:
- The first thing is that you run the program, import the file you want to work with and drag it to the composition panel.
- Then, make sure you have it selected and go to the “Effects” menu, where you choose the “time effects” option.
- You will see one called “Timewarp”, which you will drag onto your composition layer. This will activate a left effect control panel.
- Vary the speed value according to what you prefer and press enter. Now, head over to Effects > Timewarp again.
- In the timeline create the frame markers with the clock icon, give them a speed, then select them, click Keyframe Wizard>easy option> easy. Your slow motion will look mega professional
Using time reallocation
If you have some dexterity on this platform we recommend following the steps above, but if you are just starting out there is a simpler method, which will help you get the slowed down effect quite decently. After you import the clip into your After window and drag it onto the timeline:
- Right click on the layer, there select the option of Time > Activate time remapping.
- Again, in the timeline you will see two Diamonds that indicate the beginning and end of the video, you can move them with a long click to increase the distance between them, thus automatically the whole clip will be slower.
- You can also assign your own keyframes, which you’ll then edit, to modify the speed of just a section of the clip.
