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Understanding basic composition settings


    When you create a new composition, it appears as a new item in the Project window. Before you set up a new composition, determine the specifications of the final output. These specifications influence the composition settings you choose for frame size, duration, frame rate, and pixel aspect ratio. Three factors determine composition settings:

    • The type of movie you are producing
    • The requirements of any systems that will process the movie that After Effects renders
    • The final delivery medium of the movie

    For best results, specify the composition settings at the beginning of your design process. After Effects bases certain calculations on the composition settings, so changing settings such as frame size and pixel aspect ratio late in the project can affect your final movie. (However, you can override some composition settings when creating a movie. For example, you might change the composition-frame size to a smaller image size when rendering.)

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