Cannot use Motion Graphics Demo 2017 in AE

[kjetils30485119]

Hi,

I wanted to follow along with the video on how to use Motion Graphics, from this site: Create Motion Graphics templates |  and tried to add the demo files to my library. Once in AE, the demos appear greyed out and it says that this cannot be opened in After Effects.

Since my Creative Cloud folder is not syncing in Finder (at least I cannot see new items here), I am not able to open the demo files from here.

[davidarbor · Accepted solution]

Right now templates can be created in After Effects and then used in Premiere. They can't be edited back inside of After Effects. I suspect this will change in the (hopefully) near future, but the first release of this new feature focuses on sharing your work with editors.

[kjetils30485119]

Yeah but this demo files to a tutorial which Adobe has made - And it says "If you want to follow along with this tutorial, use the Motion Graphics Demo assets. Click Save to copy the assets to your Creative Cloud Library."

The files don't even show up in Premiere Pro.

[davidarbor]

I just saved the library and saw it show up in Premiere. If you open the Essential Graphics panel in Premiere did you switch from "Essential Graphics" to "Libraries" in the dropdown? Try doing that and see if "2017 Motion Graphics Demo" is a library there. See attached screenshot.

[kjetils30485119]

You're right. This works. But it doesn't really solve my problem. I wanted to see how they've done it in After Effects.

[davidarbor]

Well that's the secret, isn't it

I suspect in the next few months there will be a lot of great looking templates for sale and the inability for you to dig in to them will protect the template authors' work. I can tell you that you might not find what you were looking for in this case because the assets such as the rippling ground with the lines, dots, and facets and the other very attractive graphical elements are pre-rendered files. Even if you could open the project you wouldn't be able to see how those were made.

[kjetils30485119]

I am just trying to find out how to use the slider control to enable different layers within a comp.

[davidarbor]

Do you mean to turn certain layers on and off, or two switch between layers using a slider?

[kjetils30485119]

There doesn't seem to be a dropdown menu-option yet, the only thing I've seen is a slider control to enable different styles - like in the example above.

I have a set of logos, and I want our client to be able to choose from these in PP.

[davidarbor]

Gotcha. You can do this with some simple expressions and a Slider control. You can also do it with checkboxes, although it's a little clunkier because you would have to turn a checkbox off every time you wanted to turn another layer on. I've done both methods before the EGP was a thing, so it's up to your personal preference.

Attached is a screenshot and a GIF showing how this is done, but here's the simple rundown.

• Create a null with an Expression Slider effect on it.
  • Limit that Slider's range from 1 to 3 (or however many logos you have)
  • Put an expression on that Slider's actual Slider parameter that clamps the values to only show whole numbers. This is important because while the EGP will show you whole numbers on sliders behind the scenes it's still working in decimals.
    • Math.floor(clamp(value, min=1, max=3));
• Add this expression to the Opacity of each of your logos

  • slider = thisComp.layer("Shape Controller").effect("Slider Control")("Slider");

  • if (slider == 1) 100 else 0;

    • Swapping the "1" in "(slider == 1)" for the slider number you want the logos associated with.
• Drag your slider into the EGP and see the fruits of your labor!

[kjetils30485119]

Worked like a charm. Thank you!

[Tilden]

This is awesome and I've built a few templates like this. I would like to do something very similiar but sourcing proxy image files from a folder. Like have a folder with AA.png, BB.png, CC.png and so forth. These would be assigned to layers in and used the same way. I guess "a call to a folder" is needed. You could copy in another logo into the folder and your template is still good to go. Any ideas?

[Roei Tzoref]

thank you David.

to elaborate on editing capabilities with the essential graphics panel and motion graphics template: the mograph file, in the library or anywhere else, can only be accessed through the essential graphics panel in Premiere. MG template editing capabilities are only available for templates that were made in premiere.

here's an example of the same kind of template on both Apps. the right was made in premiere, and the left in Ae. both viewed in premiere:

in the premiere made MG Template: you can change the parameters themselves delete parameters or add new ones, change everything about them and have access to any parameter because this is actually the source file.

in the Ae made MG Template: you can only change the value of the parameters you were give: different text, sliders, color and what not.

if you want to edit a motion graphics template that was made in Ae, you need to have access to the original Aep file and change it from the Essential Graphics Panel then export it again as a motion graphics template.

here's more information about the workflow:

Motion Graphics Template Workflow in After Effects and Premiere Pro CC 2017 (Spring) — Premiere Bro

Create Motion Graphics templates |

[rpcstudio]

davidarbor​

There is in fact a workaround I've found (at the moment). Open the library assets in Adobe Premiere, place the asset on the timeline, selecting the asset & right click "Reveal in Explorer (PC)" and then open that .aegraphic file in After Effects.

Note: this DOES NOT seem to work on Macs for some reason. I've tried the same approach multiple times, but it simply won't open on Mac systems.

That said, I simply saved the .aegraphic files as regular After Effects files on the PC, collected them (like you would a normal AE project), and placed them in another folder.

All of this, so I could follow a simple tutorial. You note that, "there will be a lot of great looking templates for sale and the inability for you to dig in to them will protect the template authors' work" - but the truth his, there are already a lot of great looking After Effects templates on sale (and have been for years at places like Videohive.net). These files are completely open files with no restrictions. The benefit for the purchaser is that they can open the files and learn.

It has very little to do with protecting the template authors' work. After all, if these templates are primarily aimed at editors who don't want to be bothered with AE in the first place, why would they go to the trouble of locking them?

[Roei Tzoref]

then open that .aegraphic file in After Effects.

file->open that's all it takes. interesting. thank you.