All AE users! Please vote for your favourite workflow?

[angie_taylor]

hi all,

There's a healthy and friendly debate going on - on my Facebook page - about using the Graph Editor for perfecting TIMING (not Value) in #AfterEffects. I'd like to hear feedback from you about workflow which you prefer. If you want you can send me a message, or post it publicly. Or just vote without giving your opinions by replying to this message. BTW, You can earn points for voting! 🙂

The choices are;

SG

VG

or None

Here's an explanation of what SG and VG stand for

It seems to be fairly equally divided between the "old school veterans" - like me- who use the Speed Graph. And the "talented young-guns" who prefer the Value Graph. As a result I’m prepping a course on the Graph Editor.

One theory that has been shared by a few people is this. Those of us who have been using AE since the beginning tend to use the Speed graph. This is because it was THE only option back then for adjusting the speed of our animations. The Speed graph is undeniably tricky to use if you've never used it. But it's also extremely powerful once you get used to it and very much worth the effort. Most of us are from a traditional Motion Graphics or animation background or coming from Quantel systems so understand timing from the perspective of more analogue, physics-based methods.

The majority of the younger users seem to have learned about timing within the software. Many come from a 3D workflow where they don't have the luxury of a dedicated speed graph that we have in After Effects, Premiere Pro etc. So they have learned workarounds that use the Value Graph to adjust the timing of their animations. The Value Graph is also indispensable and I love it. We are so lucky to have both in After Effects.

Thanks for your help with this. I'll keep you all posted on the progress of the course 🙂

thanks in anticipation,

Angie

[Warren Heaton]

Speed Graph!!!

But then again....

-Warren

[Kat Gilbert]

SG

[Rick Gerard]

The best curve to edit depends entirely on what you are trying to do, Sometimes it is just a matter of timing, sometimes it is a matter of timing and position. For some properties, it is easier to visualize what is going on when you edit the speed graph, for others, it is easier to visualize using the value graph. Most of the time I have the reference graph visible so I can clearly see how the edits affect both values.

So I guess my answer to the survey is pretty useless because I always tell folks that the best tool depends on the task at hand, and sometimes you need more than one tool. Even in a matter of a simple position animation that must be perfectly timed, it depends on what you want the motion to look like.

[angie_taylor]

Hi Rick, the question is, which do you tend you use most often to adjust the TIMING of an animation 🙂

[Rick Gerard]

Speed about 75% of the time, but sometimes the value graph gives me a better understanding of what is going on in the projec.

[Mike_Abbott]

Both : )

Typically focused on the speed graph if I'm timing position animation, but the value graph if some other property.

I've got to agree that it's great to have both, and I feel like I've lost an arm when working in other software that doesn't have this dual graph mode flexibility.

I think it's a great pity that some (many?) Ae artists shy away from the graph editor. At least that's been my experience when training Ae. In many delegates eyes: graph editor = math, and back in school they liked art and didn't like math : )