Basic Patterns in After Effects

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Learn to create tiled patterns in Adobe After Effects. 4 Simple methods will have you making infinite patterns with your designs.
If you have any questions just let me know in the comments.
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[@jadesimonson8253]

One of the only people who makes bearable tutorials. I can't explain to you how much all of these videos have improved my skill set in such a short time. I am forever grateful!

[@AlanCrytex]

Damn, you've been putting so many tutorials recently and I appreciate it a lot

[@ECAbrams]

Trying to get back to 1 per week on the regular around here. It's a tough schedule to keep up so far so good.

[@Jasperi]

I advise that rather than just making the last frame the same as the first, you also crop the timeline by 1 frame so theres no frame doubling

[@MrMuffinLord]

I thought this was going to be completely about motion tile but it's awesome that you're looking at all kinds of different options. Had no clue about Repetile or Hextile but will definitely try to use them from now on instead of motion tile to see what they can do.

[@jpegweber]

Thank you so much for this! Your pacing is perfect, and the inclusion of multiple routes to the desired end product is appreciated. Keep kicking ass, Evan.

[@ECAbrams]

Like the Snoop song says: "Six million ways to pattern, choose one" :)

[@dundeedolphin]

I always enjoy your tutorials. Always informative and easy to follow. Thank you.

[@arsen_wasted]

7:52 "Let's never do that" ahaha

[@noahcarpenter4021]

This was an awesome tutorial and just what I was looking for. Definitely helped me out with saving time on some recent edits!

[@ColdSurf]

Thank you for existing.

[@BrownCookies]

Examples of pattern unit 1:18 Repeating pattern unit forever 4:02 Pattern Methods: MotionTile 5:30 CC RepeTile 7:00 CC HexTile 8:15 Form (Trapcode Form by Red Giant) 10:26

[@TheFreshster]

Thank you so much for this tutorial!!! This will improve my work a lot!!!

[@stemfourvisual]

Your tutorials are also tutorials on making a great tutorial. Many thanks.

[@VarunKumar]

This is a brilliant tutorial. God bless people like you who makes these videos. I hope you're doing okay during this pandemic. Love from India ♥️

[@palmerstonpictures]

Wow so good! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, it’s equally inspiring as it is informative

[@lukemayer8608]

Love these Tut's!

[@tithiwakhariya8636]

This was Amazing tutorial. Thanks a lot!!

[@danidimitrov3826]

Awesome tut!

[@JustinKingdp]

@ecaabrams I was fumbling around and i figured out if you put motion tile above repetile with transform above all and you can get the spacing benefits of transform on repetile's tiling effects!

[@GastHeer_]

Thank you very much! :D This helped me very much!

[@chalvlad]

Thank you . Nice tutorial.💪💪💪

[@VxV466]

Thank you, Thank you. Very helpful.

[@carriiiexu8212]

This is so helpful with my recent work！ thanks a lot . Plz keep posting more interesting tutorial.

[@alexd.3127]

Thank you, this is very useful!

[@ZJArt]

Thank you so much!

[@aleksandreroshkin719]

Awesome!! Thank you so much!!!

[@nirajfilms1040]

amazing patterns

[@goofusmeef]

Another option for looping instead of extending the pre-comp (like at 4:37) is when you turn on time remapping, go to the final keyframe, go back one frame, add another keyframe and then delete the final one. Then loopOut() works just fine as well

[@moonfruit1993]

When you talk about final keyframe, is this the final keyframe of the MAIN comp, or the final keyframe of the pre-comp comp IN the MAIN comp. This is getting me really confused and I can't get the loop right due to this.

[@drfunk1986]

I absolutely agree, im so fucking lost @@moonfruit1993

[@ZeykaFX]

worked for me, thanks

[@RUNawaYLEE]

I love you Thank you sooo much!

[@user-ev1rq7vy7x]

thx for the great tutorial

[@TeganBurns]

Thank you!

[@evgeniicherniak3332]

Awecome. Thanks a lot, buddy!

[@md.solaymanhossain4482]

i was awesome and very helpful. I need this too much

[@SlimeyNoCommentary]

nice,this video is very helpful keep upload videos like this which we can need it (:

[@adlychester1897]

thanks dude awesome!

[@JJDocx]

Thanks, I made a great animated pattern thanks to you :D

[@MarkSRiddle]

Lovely !

[@EricWhite1990]

you da man EC!

[@majdhassan1623]

Thanks ❤

[@FruitCake0x]

Good tutorial! I also enjoy hearing Canadians say 'out'.

[@ECAbrams]

noo doot aboot it

[@myforever13]

I already think this is awesome and I've just seen the intro

[@ECAbrams]

haha. Then the intro is working perfectly :)

[@infectadosYzombies]

Hola, es un gran tutorial, lo aprecio muchisimo :p. Bastante ilustrador y con mucho valor.

[@thearabicdp]

A thousand likes for you sir 🤩

[@karinkaras4380]

Great video!

[@greatbad5618]

this was very helpful!

[@elgato_cc]

Thank you sr =)

[@radekleber]

I feel spoiled by your tutorials 💃🏼💃🏼

[@KIMBEAUX]

Thanks for posting again! Can you do a tutorial for the animated texture in your intro at 1:12?

[@md.abdulmomintutul4546]

Thank you

[@rosenxmaria1572]

thank you so much

[@sharpywilliam4513]

You should make a short tut on a few tips when making the kind of shapes and animations in the patterns too!

[@ECAbrams]

But what to call these short tutorials? lil' tuts? Short Shape Sesh?

[@mollieshutt9935]

Thank you so much for making this video! I can't wait to try these tricks. One question, Could you explain how you made the square files that you used to create the patterns?

[@ECAbrams]

For sure. I've got one tutorial up about one of those now :) It's a short one I promise.

[@geeleeggan]

When I try using CC RepeTile like you do, it does NOT repeat the way it does in your video. Did it break in CC 2020?

[@moboxgraphics]

I know this idea isn't super unique, but we just make a similar video on this today and now I see you did one last week :/ HOWEVER, the CC RepeTile is awesome! Learned something new today. Thanks Evan!

[@sonjob577]

谢谢您，很好，就是不清楚那个旋转的球怎么做的！给您大大的赞👍爱你

[@Andrew-pp2ru]

Thanks

[@drLazyEvil]

8:20 CC HexTile (just adding as future reference)

[@RexArtTv]

(0:09) How did you animate those swarlly lines like that?

[@alexnowell]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3icm6Z4jsaLnLs

[@JUANPABLOSANTAMARIA]

Love the tutorial! But I.m having the blinking empty frame issue , and can't solve it like you did at the video. Could you please give me any suggestion? Im getting crazy!

[@dandabrowski6535]

You're the Binging with Babish of After Effects

[@KAMIKAZEE3421]

✓ Bald ✓ Soothing Voice ✓ Knows what they're doing Yep.

[@ECAbrams]

This channel also doubles as an ASMR experience?

[@ECAbrams]

Also: beard, artisanal apron, very clean kitchen. :)

[@jordankennedy7780]

This is so accurate haha

[@mabelkuan2311]

exactly ! hahahha

[@LalitaM14]

5:22 "We are amazing" loved it jajaja

[@AlexeySeverin]

Great tutorial! There's at least one more way: Repeat. You add it to layer's contents. However these methods all seem faster and simpler, for example in order to copy objects both horizontally and vertically you would actually need to Repeats.

[@ECAbrams]

and whatever you repeat would have to be shape-layer contents ;)

[@AlexeySeverin]

@@ECAbrams Yes exactly. So yeah you can still use it, in case your Effects panel is broken or something. :D Btw it's actually "Repeater", not "Repeat"

[@dnisfilms]

Hey Evan ! How did you animate that little squiggle at 2:00 ? Thanks ! Love your tutorials

[@SuperLightGlow]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3icm6Z4jsaLnLs

[@woktossed]

Hey, great tutorial as always :) I was wondering how you get the orbiting circles to auto orient to the camera so they remain flat. I downloaded the project file and still can't figure it out...thanks!

[@ECAbrams]

It's funny you use the words "auto orient". I just took the little circles that are orbiting and went transform> Auto orient> and chose "toward camera" so they always try to face the camera in their scene. It's a quick way to cheat some "spheres" into a scene.

[@woktossed]

ah perfect, thanks. So simple.

[@FordeHaveMercy]

How do you do these but using logos/images?

[@DanielWoolfolk]

This is awesome, thanks. Anyone know why my time-remapping is greyed out on my shape layer?

[@ECAbrams]

I'm glad you enjoy it. Time remapping is greyed out for your shape layer because shape layers don't have time. Comps and footage have time. But shape layers, text layers, adjustment layers, they do not have a time property to remap.

[@DanielWoolfolk]

ECAbrams ohhhh ok thanks!

[@Berserker_BG]

Wow, I never knew there were so many methods of tiling.

[@ECAbrams]

Oh, and there are more than we cover here. This is only the basic stuff. Up next, how to make tiles when animation goes among and between the tiles.

[@somilsingh7198]

One Question : If i tell u something i want to learn will u make a vid on that or something similar? if so then how to invert color of a circle when it passes over another circle.

[@ECAbrams]

I'll put that topic on the list.

[@somilsingh7198]

Suggestion try making a dynamic animation with "that thing" so we all can learn something new too.

[@NDCanton]

Do you have a tutorial for that flowing wave line seen at :08?

[@ECAbrams]

Not yet ;)

[@NDCanton]

Thanks for the reply! I figured out a workaround, because there are a dozen roads to the same solution in After Effects, but I'm looking forward to learning if there's a simpler way. Keep up the great work!

[@sagarn2494]

Even i was trying to create it tried it using wave warp even i am wondering if @ECAbrams have any other way around?

[@ECAbrams]

oh yes, many ways. #spoilers there will be a tutorial about how to do it with shape layers coming up soon. The core of the idea is revealing a zig zagged shape as it moves to seem like it stays in place.

[@sagarn2494]

ECAbrams Thank You So Much! Just saw your tutorial for it and learned something new.

[@sherjf]

can we have tutorial of how to rotate a circle around another circle like in 1:30, thanks in advance

[@ECAbrams]

I'll drop that on the list of future things. It'll be a short one. Maybe I should do a "short ones" series of little baubles.

[@PYROMANIZAC]

I'd also like to know how to do this!

[@user-sx4fp9cn7z]

I'm looking forward to it!

[@CyclonX]

Great tutorial; what's the song playing in the intro? :)

[@justinereyes7608]

"We got this motion. We are amazing" that got me

[@JayBaggio]

Thank you very much. What about the repeater for shape layers? is that no good?

[@ECAbrams]

Repeater is good. Just get the hierarchy right. And the relative complexity of what you can do inside that single shape layer may feel limited or cluttered. But it's an option for sure.

[@FokinRony]

I have a question. Is it possible repeat the sprite with different color?

[@ECAbrams]

Depends which method you're using, and how you want the colour to be different. Can you elaborate?

[@chiarouchka1507]

why does the motion tile effect not work at all on mine? it takes into account all the composition's space around the object, like i can't see the repetitions directly into my composition cuz its "too big" i dont know how to say it :(

[@ECAbrams]

It may be that the layer you're looking to tile is too big. Try cutting down the size of that tile unit composition or layer and see if that helps?

[@tenniset]

I assume we can also use trapcode particular instead of trapcode form to achieve the same purpose?

[@ECAbrams]

You can achieve a similar look and function. Form is for particles that persist over time. If you want particles that expire or change over time particular is the way to go.

[@tenniset]

Thank you. Know you from adobe tutorials. Yours look helpful and advanced. Will keep checking others.

[@drfunk1986]

I cannot seem to enable time remapping. Every time I click on a shape layer, it's faded out and cannot select it

[@ECAbrams]

You'll need to use time remapping on a comp layer or footage layer. Shape layers don't have a time property in the same way as other layers. Text layers and adjustment layers also don't have a time property. Does that make sense?

[@variable_nd]

4:37 - I am having this loopOut blinking issue and extending the shape layer past the end of the comp doesn't fix the blinking. Any idea what could be causing this? I found a work-around but would like to know the actual solution for future reference.

[@ECAbrams]

Interesting. What work around did you end up using?

[@variable_nd]

@@ECAbrams Thanks for the reply! In the main comp, I moved the second Time Remap keyframe ahead one frame.

[@JUANPABLOSANTAMARIA]

​@@variable_nd Hello... Im having the same issue with the blink but can't find a way to fix it :-( Please any help guide? Is it something about the fps or what? Can't find the solution or more info about this problem anywhere. THANK YOU!

[@daniela-gs]

is there a video where you teach how to make the compositions that you're using? u-u the shapes?

[@ECAbrams]

I think I have a few tutorials on here about those. I might have only done 2 or 3 of them though.

[@supppl8]

I'm still getting the blinking after extending my layer. Anyone have an idea why this would be? Thanks in advance.

[@ECAbrams]

You may have the blinking frame cached. Perhaps try a purge of the cache.

[@supppl8]

Will do, thanks!

[@alisonloke]

Awesome vid! Is there a way for the patterns to have multiple colours at once?

[@ECAbrams]

Is the idea to have some of the pattern units be one colour, and some be another colour?

[@alisonloke]

@@ECAbrams Yup that's the idea!

[@ECAbrams]

@@alisonloke That brings us to a bit of a conundrum. In many array systems, like we see in cinema 4d for example, each element of the array is addressable. We could say "number 12, be red" or "every other instance, be red" or even "every n instances vertically AND every n instances horizontally be something". So, in a particle system that would be more possible. But when working visually like we do often in Ae, we would be better off to almost create two overlapping patterns that mesh into each other which variance. Or using a checkerboard and adjustment layer to modify some elements that way. Does that make sense or help get you started?

[@alisonloke]

@@ECAbrams Yea it does! I'll try to mess around with it, thank you!

[@mariososterneto1191]

MEU DEUS EMPIRICUS CALA A BOCA!!! QUANDO NÃO É VCS É O iFOOD O TEMPO TODO. PELO AMOR, EIM KZbin

is loopOut() the same as loopOut("cycle")?

[@ECAbrams]

Essentially yes. The argument "cycle" is the default for loopOut(). So the expression assumes the "cycle" unless you drop in something else. Like how random() will get you a number between 0 and 1, but if you drop in some arguments you can change that range.

[@leviambs]

7:49 lmaooo

[@kresnamurti7189]

how to make the pattern?

[@TheVk30]

10:09 "very trippy, very strange things" me: thats the corona virus bro

[@TutTutOpenSesame]

Mine still blinks after I extended the timeline

[@EmrldDesigns]

The 80s!

[@ECAbrams]

up next... hypercolor?

[@FreakStyler]

For some reason for me RepeTile is not working correctly. It only repeats on the edge. A bit like HexTile. But it also doesn't work when precompose either. I couldn't get it to work in any way. It seems like a bug.

[@ECAbrams]

Could it be the size of the comp you're repeating?

[@FreakStyler]

@@ECAbrams is there a minimum maximum to the size? 🤔 It's like 1000px 😅 but scaled down

[@jonfreeze]

loopOut() didn't work for me. It still stops at the original timing of the tile. :(

[@ECAbrams]

what are you applying the loopOut() to?

[@jonfreeze]

@@ECAbrams Actually I got it to work. I didn't realize that when I went to edit the original tile that I had to drop that new tile in each time. Also I had to quit and restart After Effects in order for it to loop correctly with the updates.

[@RappersDlight]

Is there another way to randomly sample time without the $200 plug-in

[@ECAbrams]

depends what you mean by sample time I suppose. We can use a combination of effects like the time displace that uses a map to offset in time. Then you just need to generate the right layer to shift areas in time. Does that help?

[@RappersDlight]

@@ECAbrams I'll give this a try! Thanks for the quick feedback

[@MsRockstella]

yassss

[@dullbatarang165]

The time remap kept putting the endpoint of the animation to the very end of the timeline, even if my element's animation didn't go that far. I had to manually delete the endpoint, place it where the animation needed to end and loop again, and then type in the time code for where my element's animation ended. Manually moving it closer just made the animation finish super fast and not repeat. It makes sense with the way the timeline works with effects, but as a newbie it had me befuddled, so this comment is for any who were having trouble with that. If anyone knows why it does that or a better way to fix it, let me know!

[@ECAbrams]

When you turn on time remapping we're revealing the time property and the keyframes that are presets so that a layer will play back at normal speed. If a footage layer or a composition has 1000 frames there will be a key at frame zero and frame 1000 spaces 1000 frames apart so it will plack back normally when the time remapping property is revealed. If you want to avoid this, you will need to change the duration of your pre comps before you time remap to only have the number of frames you want to use.

[@souju8755]

that sound track sounds like the one from samurai champloo

[@ECAbrams]

I did really enjoy that show when it was on.

[@heather8901]

instagram.com/p/B5OHky2neo8/ can I use adobe after effects to make something liek this?

[@ECAbrams]

yes, absolutely. \

[@Some.guy2-r2j]

oh I never had a problem, EXCEPT THAT YOU NEVER SHOWED US HOW TO MAKE THE PLANET GLOW!!!!!

[@sanism]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaWWeZ6ahq13p6s

[@ralpholiver2889]

Dislike for the plugin use, not mentioned in description (y)

[@Money_Decoded_]

It's a bit harder to follow for a complete beginner. Great work though..

[@ECAbrams]

Sorry about that. Let me know if any concepts don't stick for you and maybe I can help you out.

[@dukunvisual7255]

alah

[@sheldondrake8935]

ok, guess I better start sending you money.