FX...before or after

[RodThompson]

When adding special effects, ala After Effects, is it more prudent to go scene by scene, then edit those scenes together with the effects? Or should I edit, then drop the whole 6 minute film into after effects? I assume the render would take forever. :zombie_smiley:

[Mike Manning]

Depends... does every shot in your film have FX in it?

Normally, you want to do your effects after you've locked picture, so you don't find yourself spending time on FX that aren't gonna make it into the final cut.

But yeah, what I do is once I have picture lock... i export out each specific effects shot and work on them one at a time. Then, once they're all rendered out, drop the file back into my editing timeline as a completed shot.

[RodThompson]

And transitions?

[Jordan_S]

Why wouldn't you want to employ the high-quality world of AE to render every effect and transition? AE is better than NLEs at rendering. A six-minute short should not take too long to render. If your effects are really demanding, pre-render. Your NLE can be used to help you organize the clips.

[MrFluffy]

I put together each scene in Ae (lots of VXF) and then put the scenes together added titles/credits and transitions in PremierPro .

[Mattykins]

It depends on your workflow. On a short I have coming up next month I am doing the effects work now. Modeling, texturing, animating. I know I need to have a helicopter move when I shoot it, so I am making it move now.

I know I need explosions and dust, so I am making that stuff now too. And will composite it in after the fact. Shot dependent stuff, I will do when the footage is in.

At least that is my workflow. So mine starts before and then goes scene by scene.