[Mark Samuels] "Everyone just keeps sending me the same links that Ive already seen. I appreciate the help but I read it all umpteen times and none of it makes much difference at all particularly as a lot of it is focused on pcs and not macs."
Nothing on the
Improve performance [link] page is PC-specific. Most of it deals with advice on managing the preview quality vs. render time tradeoff.
[Mark Samuels] "So what kind of computer is it they are talking about because from what Im hearing it aint fast on any computer."
AE is not real-time at full quality on any computer. Depending on your work and your system, you can get quite a bit of speed by adjusting the quality down for preview, by pre-rendering CPU-intensive effects, and by using proxies.
[Mark Samuels] "I also noticed the following "keep the source footage files for your project on a fast local disk drive" Macs don't even have the option of different disks to choose from."
Sure they do. I've got a Mac Pro with 4 internal disks and 2 external RAIDs. If disk speed is a problem (which is not likely the case in your two-layer scenario), you could attach some very fast external storage to your MBP via the ExpressCard or Thunderbolt connection.
[Mark Samuels] "Ive got all the settings how Im supposed to and still the preview is way slow. Perhaps this is just how it is. Im really not sure how one is supposed to sync footage to sound though when its all so jumpy and slow."
You're not supposed to sync footage to sound in AE. That's an NLE's job. Premiere Pro or FCP would be a better fit here. AE just isn't real-time. Knowing that, you must design your workflow accordingly. Do real-time work in an NLE, do graphics/effects/compositing work in AE.
You could try Apple Motion instead of AE. Motion is built for real-time. Personally, I find Motion a bit limiting, so it's not worth the tradeoff of flexibility for speed for me.
If you do want to work with audio in AE, you must break the editorial habit of playing something, then slapping the spacebar for all stop at the point in time where you want to make a change.
Here are my standard tips for working with audio elements in AE. Perhaps this will help speed up your workflow a bit:
- Select your audio layer, and tap LL -- the 'L' key twice -- to reveal its waveform.
- Preview audio in AE by hitting the period key on the numeric keypad. While AE is previewing audio, hit the asterisk key on the numeric keypad to add markers in real time.
- To scrub audio in AE, hold down Cmd and Opt on a Mac (Ctrl and Alt on Windows) while dragging the CTI around the timeline. To scrub audio and video together, hold Cmd on a Mac (or Ctrl on Windows) while dragging the CTI.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at
Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
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