Working in a project

In After Effects, every animation starts as a project. An After Effects project is a single file that stores references to all the footage you use in that project. It also contains information about how you've arranged the footage in compositions, including the details of any effects or animation you applied. Inside a project, you create one or more compositions. After you have imported source footage into the project, you can add footage items into the compositions.

Starting a project involves two tasks: (1) planning your project based on the formats of the final output and (2) creating a project file. Once you have planned your project and learned how to perform some basic tasks related to working in After Effects, you'll be ready to start importing footage. (See Importing files into a project.) You then create a composition and begin working with your source footage. (See Working with imported footage.)

For information on project planning, see Planning your project.