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Creating a filmstrip file for editing in Photoshop


    Use the Filmstrip format to paint directly on video frames, a process known as rotoscoping. You can render part or all of a composition as a filmstrip, a single file that contains all the frames of a composition or portion of a composition. Because video compression is not used in creating a filmstrip file, these files can be large. You can break the filmstrip file into any number of smaller files by setting the work area to a different portion of the composition before rendering each portion.

    A filmstrip opens in Adobe Photoshop as a series of frames in a column, with each frame labeled by number, reel name, and timecode. If the column created by the filmstrip frames is more than 30,000 pixels tall, the frames continue in a second column. The number of frames displayed depends on the duration of the footage and the frame rate selected when you render the filmstrip.

    When editing a filmstrip in Adobe Photoshop, use the following guidelines for best results:

    • You can paint on the gray lines dividing the frames of the filmstrip without damaging the file. After Effects will display only the part of each frame that lies within the frame border.
    • You can edit the red, green, blue, and alpha channels in the filmstrip file. Use only channel #4 as the alpha channel.
    • Do not resize or crop the filmstrip.
    • Flatten any layers you add in Adobe Photoshop.

    Note: If you simply want to export a single frame, you don't need to use the Filmstrip format. See Exporting a single frame of a composition.

To render a composition as a filmstrip:

  1. Be sure that the composition you want to render is active. If you want to render only part of the composition, set the work-area markers to define the part you want to render.
  2. Choose Composition > Make Movie.
  3. Type a filename.
  4. In the Render Queue window, click the underlined Output Module template name.
  5. Choose Filmstrip from the Format pop-up menu. Specify the rest of the settings you want and click OK.
  6. In the Render Queue window, click Render.