The Power of Dimension Separation in After Effects
“To separate or not to separate? That is the Question”
Are you wondering when to separate dimensions in your After Effects projects? Well, I have a quick answer for you - always. You should always be separating your dimensions. In fact, I believe this should be enabled by default. But don't worry, by the end of this article, you'll learn exactly how to do that.
Keep ‘em separated
To clarify, separating dimensions in After Effects allows you to move the X and Y values independently of each other. This comes in extremely handy when you're animating something like a ball bounce. You can focus solely on the Y position for the bounce itself, and then separately animate the ball moving from one side of the screen to the other on the X axis.
These are separate forces – one is gravity, and the other is the force of you throwing the ball. Separating dimensions gives you more control over each individual aspect of your animation. Plus, who can forget the access it gives you to the graph editor!
When to Join Dimensions
While separating dimensions is incredibly useful, there are times when joining your dimensions can be beneficial. Here are three use cases:
Animating on a path - If you're familiar with 3D, this is like attaching a 'follow path' modifier to a curve. You get access to the Bézier curves in the viewport, which gives you a lot of control over where your animation goes. Just keep in mind, you'll have to use the speed graph, which can be a pain, I know.
Fine control of angles - This is especially useful when you're animating things like eyes in a face rig or a mouse on a screen. By using the Bézier handles, you can art direct where the animation flies in and out of without having to fiddle around with the exact curve in the graph editor.
Applying a wiggle expression to your position - This is great for creating effects like camera shake, floating objects, or even vibrating geese.
Bonus Tip: Enable Dimension Separation by Default
Before I wrap up, here's a bonus tip for you. You can actually set After Effects to separate dimensions by default. All you have to do is go into your preferences, click on 'general', and check the box to turn separate dimensions on.
And that's it.
I hope this article has helped demystify the mysterious 'separate dimensions' option in After Effects.
Blog over
