How To Fade Audio In Adobe After Effects

by

Adobe After Effects is an effective tool for accomplishing various video post-production tasks. One of its notable features is the capability to manage and alter audio. In this blog post, we will guide you on how to fade audio in Adobe After Effects, which is a frequently used function in video editing.

Setting up your Project

Before you can fade your audio, you’ll need to import your audio file into your After Effects project. To do so, navigate to File > Import > File and select the audio file you wish to use.

Adding the audio to your timeline

Once your audio file is imported, you can drag it onto your timeline to add it to your composition. Place the audio layer at the point where you want the audio to begin.

Fading in the Audio

The process of fading in audio involves gradually increasing its volume from zero. To achieve this in After Effects, you need to keyframe the audio levels. Here’s how:

1. Select the audio layer on your timeline.
2. Press 'L' twice on your keyboard. This will open the audio’s waveform and parameters.
3. Click on the stopwatch next to 'Audio Levels' to create a keyframe.
4. Set the Audio Levels value to -48 (or lower) decibels to start from silence.
5. Move the playhead to the point where you want the fade-in to end.
6. Change the Audio Levels value back to 0 decibels.

You should now see two keyframes on your timeline that represent the start and end points of your audio fade-in. The audio will gradually increase in volume between these two points.

Fading out the Audio

The process to fade out audio is pretty much similar to fading it in, but in reverse. You’ll need to create a keyframe where you want the fade-out to begin, and another where you want it to end. Here’s how:

1. Move the playhead to the point where you want the fade-out to begin.
2. Click on the diamond shape next to 'Audio Levels' to create a keyframe at this point.
3. Move the playhead to the point where you want the fade-out to end.
4. Change the Audio Levels value to -48 decibels or lower.

Voila! You have now successfully faded out your audio. You should see two more keyframes on your timeline, representing the start and end points of your audio fade-out.

Conclusion

Fading audio in and out is a crucial part of video post-production, as it smoothes the transitions between different audio segments and improves the overall flow of your video. With the above steps, you should be able to easily achieve this in Adobe After Effects. Happy editing!