[Gollux] "Can you offer any tips on work flow improvement, or more likely point me int the direction of resources to help improve AE workflow?"
Obviously I have the bias of thinking about things from the NP2 perspective - but since you asked.....
Here is a tutorial...
http://www.gridironsoftware.com/Default.asp?Page=NucleoPro_Tips
Irrespective of NP2 though - keep in mind your layers, your nested comps and types of footage. In everyday use, there is a ton of re-rendering - potentially of the same frame over an over again. This causes you to wait before you see what you have done.
Naturally you can reduce resolution etc., but the more detailed the frame, the more it is necessary to render at higher resolution - just to see what you are creating.
Therefore - try to eliminate repeat renders of the same thing. Take layers that don't need tweaking and turn them into footage. If nested comps may need re-working, proxy them, and make the change as you go.
Is it possible to turn vector art into a raster image? AE is a raster program, and every time you ask it to convert footage (i.e. using an illustrator file) it wastes time. If you are finished scaling, or dealing with text (benefits of vector art) - can the vector be "pre-rasterized" by turning into a different footage type (like commit to disk)?
Obviously every project is different, and only you can be the ultimate judge of workflow, but my view (and that of GridIron) is "make the computer work for you" rather than - "you work around the limitations" of the computer.
Steve
GridIron Software Inc.
