ACE: After Effects CS6

Adobe Training Services Exam Guide ACE: After Effects CS6 Adobe Training Services provides this exam guide to help prepare partners, customers, and consultants who are actively seeking accreditation as Adobe Certified Experts (ACE). This guide, while designed to describe the exam in detail and provide as much information as possible, is not meant to be the sole means of exam preparation. Adobe Training Services offers courses that provide in-depth training on the exam content. Hands-on experience with the Adobe product suite is also a critical element in preparing to pass any Adobe certification exam. ACE: After Effects CS6 exam overview The ACE: After Effects CS6 exam audience are users with 5-7 years experience with After Effects, and two or more years experience creating motion graphics. You should also be able to execute a storyboard or design from a senior designer and render a ready-for-distribution video. You should be familiar with Photoshop, Bridge, and Adobe Media Encoder. Exam description The exam has two parts: 70 multiple-choice questions, covering a range of topics listed below A short survey that we use to gather information about your product experience Please note that the survey must be completed to qualify for earning the certification. The certification exam has a time limit of 75 minutes, and includes a timer to mark the remaining time. Exam scoring The certification consists of achieving the minimum passing score, which is 62%, on a multiple choice test. After completing the test, candidates will be immediately provided with the official score for the exam. Scheduling exams The ACE: Acrobat XI exam is delivered through an independent testing, Pearson VUE. First time candidates can view the step-by-step online scheduling guide here: http://www.pearsonvue.com/reg_ guide/. Exam preparation The following are typical tasks that you should already be able to perform: Understands the delivery requirements of the job Importing and correctly interpret footage sources Create composition; arrange and animate layers Create an efficient composition hierarchy with precomps Preview and navigate compositions Comfortable using each tool in the Tools panel

Motion track and stabilize footage Work in 3D space inside After Effects Render compositions; understand Render Queue options Can use scripts and create basic expressions Exam topics include: Browsing, Importing, and Interpreting Footage Browsing and importing from Bridge Importing footage Importing projects Using the Interpret Footage dialog Managing Projects and Compositions Using workspaces Organizing the project panel Creating a composition Using Grids and Guides Working With Layers in the Timeline Using the Footage panel Adding layers to a composition Sorting layers and stacking order Moving, aligning, and trimming layers Time stretching and time remapping Frame blending Sequence Layers keyframe assistant Audio and layers Animating Layer Properties Interactively transform layers in the Comp panel Scrubbing parameter values in the timeline Animating transform properties Anchor point Understanding keyframe interpolation Graph Editor Motion blue Keyframe assistants and panel Targeting, revealing, and searching for properties Caching and Previewing Standard and RAM previewing Using the work area Understanding RAM and disk cache Creating Transparency and Blending Understanding Alpha channels Masking Track mattes Keying Blending modes

Stencils Other transparency mode options Working With Effects and Layer Styles Searching fro and applying effects Previewing and applying animation presets Creating animation presets Modifying effect properties Using adjustment layers Working with compound effects Applying layer styles Working in 3D Space Moving and rotating layers in 3D space 3D views Working with 3D cameras Working with 3D lights Layer material options 3D renderers (Classic vs. Ray-traced) Fast previews Creating and Animating Text Creating text layers Creating text animators Creating cascading animation Text on a path Per-character 3D Randomizing text animations Text animation presets Working With Shape Layers Creating a shape layer Multiple shapes and shape groups Shape operators Advanced strokes Using the Paint, Roto Brush, and Puppet Tools Paint tools Roto Brush tool Puppet tools Stabilizing and Tracking Footage Warp Stabilizer Point Stabilizer Point Tracker 3D Camera Tracker Mocha Tracking and integration Parenting, Nesting, and Precomposing Parenting Parenting with null objects

Nesting compositions Navigating composition hierarchy Precomposing Edit this, Look at that (ETLAT) Render order Continuous rasterization Collapse transformations Working With Color Color depth Using color profiles and lookup tables Broadcast safe colors Color Finesse plug-in Using Scripts, Plug-ins, and Basic Expressions Installing and applying scripts Format plug-ins Basic expressions Essential expressions Expression controllers Rendering and Exporting The Render Queue Render settings Output Modules Using render templates Adobe Media Encoder Issues that affect image quality Other issues Exam preparation checklist I have a minimum of five years experience with After Effects. I have two or more years experience creating motion graphics. I can execute a storyboard or design from a senior designer and render a ready-for-distribution video. I am familiar with Photoshop, Bridge, and Adobe Media Encoder. I can complete the tasks outlined in the Exam preparation section without assistance. I have read and studied the topics listed in this exam guide. Sample questions Try out these sample questions to get a feel for the types of questions on the ACE exam. Please note that your performance here does not indicate how you will do on the actual exam. To fully prepare for the exam, closely review the topic areas and objectives in this Exam Guide. In After Effects, you choose File > Browse in Bridge, and locate an Adobe Illustrator file you want to import to After Effects. What happens when you double click the file? A) Adobe Illustrator launches and opens the selected file B) The file is imported directly into the After Effects Project panel C) Adobe Illustrator launches and opens the selected file, while simultaneously importing the file into the After Effects Project panel

D) Bridge displays a dialog box where you can choose to open the file in Illustrator or import it into After Effects You have 10 ordered, stacked and edited layers in one composition. You want to copy and paste them to another composition, ensuring that the layer ordering and stacking remains intact. What should you do? A) Select the first layer, hold down Shift and select the last layer, choose Edit > Copy, switch to the other composition and choose Edit > Paste, and the layers are added to the composition in the opposite stacking order B) Select the last layer, hold down Shift and select the first layer, choose Edit > Copy, switch to the other composition and choose Edit > Paste, and the layers are added to the composition in the same stacking order C) Choose Edit > Select all, choose Edit > Copy, switch to the other composition and choose Edit > Paste, and the layers are added to the composition in the opposite stacking order D) Choose Edit > Select all, choose Edit > Copy, switch to the other composition and choose Edit > Paste, and the layers are added to the composition in the same stacking order, but all starting at 0 seconds Which statement about the Anchor Point property of a layer is true? A) The Anchor Point coordinates are relative to the layer B) Anchor Point coordinates are determined by the Position values C) The Anchor Point coordinates are relative to composition D) Anchor Point coordinates are determined by the Rotation and Position values Correct answer: A Which option will use the transparency of a layer in a composition to cut out all the layers below it in the timeline? A) Adjustment Layer B) Track Matte C) Stencil Alpha D) Luminescent Premul Correct answer: C You have a composition containing many layers, with an Adjustment Layer on top that has a Gaussian Blur effect of 20 pixels applied, thus affecting all of the layers below. What happens visually when you set the Blending Mode of the Adjustment Layer to Screen? A) The white pixels of the area within the Adjustment Layer are removed, and the remaining pixels are added to the pixels beneath B) The darker pixels of the area within the Adjustment Layer are removed, and the remaining pixels are added to the pixels beneath C) The darker pixels from the combined layers below the Adjustment Layer are removed, leaving only the lighter ones from both layers in the area within the Adjustment Layer D) Nothing, blending modes to not affect Adjustment Layers

Which four items can you adjust and animate ONLY when Depth of Field is enabled in the Camera Settings Dialog box? (Choose four.) A) F-Stop B) Focus Distance C) Focal Length D) Blur Level E) Angle Of View F) Film Size G) Aperture Correct answer: A, B, D, G When creating text on a path which will let you control the position of the first type character in pixel values? A) Force Alignment B) First Margin C) Last Margin D) Grouping Alignment What is necessary to give text and Shape layers geometry options? A) The renderer for the composition must be set to Ray-traced 3D B) Pixel based layers must use layer masks for transparency C) The renderer for the composition must be set to Classic 3D D) Layers must have transparency and their 3D layer switch enabled Correct answer: A Which Roto Brush option controls where the search region will tighten slow-moving areas more than fast-moving areas? A) Motion Damping B) Motion Threshold C) Reduce Chatter D) Smoothing Correct answer: A Which feature does the 3D Camera Tracker provide in After Effects? A) Analyzes 3D layers and creates a 2D background layer in the composition B) Overlays 3D track points onto 2D footage C) Overlays 2D track points onto 3D footage D) Analyzes 2D layers and creates a 3D background layer in the composition Adobe Systems Incorporated 345 Park Avenue San Jose, CA 95110-2704 USA www.adobe.com