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After Effects Tutorial for Times Square2

Overview
This guide will walk you through the steps on how to use the After Effects Project file for use with Times Square2.
The Project File has many compositions contained within it for various uses.
The main working compositions, located in the Work in Here folder, are Reuters-Working Comp and NASDAQ-Working
Comp. These should be the only compositions where animations for the signs are created and manipulated.
There are many other compositions contained in the Project File created for rendering specific tasks. Located in the
Render Me folder there are two folders, ## FOR PROOFING ## and ## FINAL RENDER FOR SIGN ##, which are used
for proofing and rendering final animation sequences. The proofing compositions can play two distinct roles during the
production of an animation. First, they may be used during the workflow process as an accurate representation of the
animation on the buildings prior to rendering. This is helpful, given the unique physical characteristics of the Reuters and
Nasdaq signs, to see how things move on the building itself. Secondly, it may be utilized as a renderable object upon
completion of production for the client’s review during the approval process.
In order to get the animation onto the Reuters and Nasdaq signs, there are compositions located in the ## FINAL
RENDER FOR SIGN ## folder that must be used properly. For the Reuters sign, look in the MGLs-Reuters folder to find
the compositions TOP and BOTTOM. For the Nasdaq sign, look in the MGLs-NASDAQ folder to find the compositions
NASDAQ 100% and NASDAQ 79%.
Working closely with the Times Square2 production team is an imperative. Please contact us at 646.223.8000 before
doing any final rendering.

Reuters-Working
Comp
This composition is where
all the animation takes place
for the Reuters sign. On the
timeline of this comp there
are two layers. Layer 1 is a
guide layer which masks
out the signs for reference.
This layer will not be rendered
for final output. Black Blocker
is a solid layer to fill in the
background. This can be
changed as needed for
the project.

1 For more information on the Times Square2, please visit timessquare2.com.

 THE ULTIMATE OUTDOOR DISPLAY
IN THE WORLD’S ULTIMATE LOCATION

NASDAQ-Working Comp
This composition is where all the animation takes place for the Nasdaq sign.
On the timeline of this comp there are two layers. HD720_Adjtool.psd
is a guide layer which masks out the windows for reference. This layer will
not be rendered for final output. Black Blocker is a solid layer to fill in the
background. This can be changed as needed for the project.

3D-Views Compositions
Within the 3D-Views compositions are several nested comps for differing sign
sets that have all been manipulated for perspective. All of these compositions
are smaller in size that the full size of the Working Comps and the actual sign.
It is rare that these will ever need to be changed, but there
is one circumstance worth noting. If the length of the
Reuters-Working Comp or NASDAQ-Working Comp changes
in length of time, then the corresponding nested comps within
the main 3D-Views composition will also have to change along
with the 3D-View composition itself.

3D-VIEWS/Reuters folder: Within this folder there are four

compositions with four different views of the Reuters sign.
The 7th Ave composition is a view of the Reuters sign from
7th Avenue. The Look-Up composition is a view of the
Reuters sign from the corner of 43rd Street and 7th Avenue.
The Military Isle composition is a view of the Reuters sign from
Military Island. The Original 3D View composition is an old
image of the Reuters sign that gives another perspective similar
to the Look-Up composition.

2 For more information on the Times Square2, please visit timessquare2.com.

 THE ULTIMATE OUTDOOR DISPLAY
IN THE WORLD’S ULTIMATE LOCATION

3D-VIEWS/Nasdaq folder: Within this folder there is one composition, 3D-NASDAQ. This composition is a view of the
Nasdaq building from Military Island.
Both Signs
composition: This
composition is a
view of the both
the Reuters and
Nasdaq signs
from Military
Island.

Rendering the Output

The Reuters sign: The TOP and BOTTOM compositions, located in the MGLs-Reuters folder, are the ONLY two comps
applicable for use with the Reuters sign. This is a screenshot of the render window for the TOP comp. The QUALITY
should be set to BEST, the RESOLUTION set to FULL and check that the TIME SPAN is correct for the agreed template
length as well as the Frame Rate (30 FPS). In the OUTPUT MODULE of the Render Queue, the output may be set to either
Sequenced Bitmaps or Targa Sequence. Either are applicable. For the TOP output, the OUTPUT TO field should be set
to Top_[####].
bmp or Top_[####].
tga. Each frame of
this render is about
5MB, so plan ahead
before rendering.
When rendering the
BOTTOM please assign
the OUTPUT TO field
as Bottom_[####].
bmp or Bottom_[####].
tga. We have custom
programs that chop
these files and create
proprietary movies for
each sign. This naming
convention is vital to
the success of the
animation.

3 For more information on the Times Square2, please visit timessquare2.com.

 THE ULTIMATE OUTDOOR DISPLAY
IN THE WORLD’S ULTIMATE LOCATION

The Nasdaq sign: The NASDAQ 100% and NASDAQ 79% compositions, located in the MGLs-NASDAQ folder, are
the ONLY comp applicable for use with the Nasdaq sign. The NASDAQ 100% comp should be used for any animations
that are between 30 and 40 seconds. Use the NASDAQ 79% comp for any animations that are 45 seconds and over. The
QUALITY should be set to BEST, the RESOLUTION set to FULL and check that the TIME SPAN is correct for the agreed
template length as well
as the Frame Rate (30
FPS). In the OUTPUT
MODULE of the render
queue, the output
may be set to either
Sequenced Bitmaps
or Targa Sequence.
The OUTPUT TO
field should be set to
Nasdaq_[####].bmp
or Nasdaq_[####].tga.
Depending on which
size you output, each
frame of this render is
between 3.5MB and
7MB, so plan ahead
before rendering.

Delivering the Output

Please plan your render accordingly, allowing time for redos, mistakes, bad files, copying time, burning time and delivery
time. Working closely with the Times Square2 production team to help plan the animation will reduce mistakes and redos.
There are time, file size and frame rate restrictions dependent upon the design of each template. We request test files far
in advance to ensure that there will be no problems as the deadline draws closer.
The Reuters sign: Each comp, TOP and BOTTOM, outputs frames at about 5MB each. For a 30 second animation there
will be 1,800 frames (900 for TOP and 900 for BOTTOM). Once the render is complete, these files can be written to a
DVD or copied to an external firewire or USB drive for delivery. Once the finalized files are received, there is a two day
production time per animation on the backend to get the animation onto the sign. Programming for dynamic content may
increase the backend production time.
The Nasdaq sign: Once the render is complete, these output frames, about 3.5MB and 7MB each depending on which
size you render, can be written to a DVD or copied to an external firewire or USB drive for delivery. Once the finalized
files are received, there is a two day production time per animation on the backend to get the animation onto the sign.
Programming for dynamic content may increase the backend production time.

4 For more information on the Times Square2, please visit timessquare2.com.