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newSchoolWorks.com › VoTechWorks › Technology & Design › Graphic & Digital Media › Capstone Project: Integrated Graphic & Digital Media Campaign › Lesson 3
TEC-DIGI47-07 · Lesson 3 · 52 clock hours · lab

Asset Production — Screen, Motion, and Social Content

Objective. Students will produce all digital deliverables—a minimum three-post social-media asset set, a 60-to-90-second promotional video with titles and an audio mix, and an animated logo or motion graphic—exported to platform-correct specifications.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by an industry-certified professional or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

Asset Production — Screen, Motion, and Social Content

This lab brings together Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and After Effects to produce every digital deliverable in your campaign: a social-media asset set, a short promotional video, and an animated logo sting. Each deliverable has strict technical specifications that mirror real platform requirements and the Adobe Certified Professional exam objectives.

Social-Media Asset Set in Photoshop

Platforms enforce specific pixel dimensions and color standards. Work in the sRGB IEC61966-2.1 color profile for every social asset; this is the web standard. Convert or assign sRGB at the start of each new document — do not assume Photoshop's default matches your system settings. Required assets for this campaign:

Use Smart Objects for every placed image or logo. Smart Objects preserve the original data, so you can scale, warp, or apply filters non-destructively — the pixel data underneath is never permanently altered. Right-click a layer and choose Convert to Smart Object before transforming. Keep all text on separate type layers rather than rasterizing until final export.

Export each asset using File > Export > Export As (not Save for Web, which is a legacy workflow). In the Export As dialog, verify the pixel dimensions match the platform spec before clicking Export. A file-inspector tool (such as Finder's Get Info on macOS or Windows File Explorer's Properties) can confirm final pixel dimensions after export — this is how your work will be checked.

Promotional Video in Premiere Pro

Your sequence must be 1920 × 1080 at 24 or 30 fps (match the frame rate your footage was shot at; do not mix fps within a sequence without intentional design reason). Include at least three camera angles or screen-recorded clips. Cut your sequence in the Timeline panel, then build a lower-third title card directly in the sequence using a title or text layer — no need for an external file.

Color Correction with Lumetri Color

Apply basic color correction in the Lumetri Color panel (found under Window > Lumetri Color). At minimum, adjust white balance, exposure, and contrast in the Basic Correction tab so all clips appear visually consistent. Color correction is a technical process (fixing problems); color grading is a creative one (establishing mood). Do the technical correction first.

Audio Mixing

Set your background music to no higher than –6 dB average in the Audio Track Mixer or by using the Clip gain control. Dialogue or voiceover (if present) typically sits between –12 dB and –6 dB, with music ducked beneath it. Use Premiere Pro's audio meters to confirm peaks do not clip (exceed 0 dBFS). Royalty-free music from a library such as the YouTube Audio Library satisfies licensing requirements; always confirm the track's license before use and keep a record of the license for your process document.

Export the finished sequence via File > Export > Media. In the Export Settings dialog, select Format: H.264 and Preset: Match Source – High Bitrate (then verify 1920 × 1080 and your target fps in the Video tab). The output container is an .mp4 file.

Animated Logo Sting in After Effects

A logo sting (sometimes called a logo animation or logo bumper) is a short, self-contained animation — here, 3 to 5 seconds — that introduces or closes a branded piece. Create a new composition in After Effects at 1920 × 1080, matching your video frame rate.

Animate the logo layer using at minimum three keyframed properties. Common choices:

Set keyframes by clicking the stopwatch icon next to each property. Use the Graph Editor to adjust easing — easing makes motion feel natural by controlling how quickly a value changes between keyframes. Easy Ease (keyboard shortcut F9) applies a smooth deceleration and acceleration to selected keyframes.

Record every keyframe and easing choice in your written motion log as you work, not after. The log is a required deliverable and demonstrates professional process documentation.

Exporting the Sting

Workstation Safety and Ergonomics

Long production sessions involve repetitive mouse and keyboard use. Adjust monitor height so your eye level meets the top third of the screen. Take a short break at least every hour to prevent repetitive-strain injuries. Manage headphone volume — sustained listening above 85 dB can cause hearing damage; keep monitor levels at a comfortable, accurate mixing volume. Keep workstation surfaces clear of food and liquids near equipment. All electrical concerns at the workstation should be reported to the instructor; do not open workstation cases or modify power connections.

Connecting to the Exam

The Adobe Certified Professional exams for both Photoshop and Premiere Pro include objectives covering color management, non-destructive editing workflows, export settings, and sequence setup. Demonstrating these skills in this lab directly prepares you for those exam tasks.

Key terms10

sRGBA standardized RGB color space designed for screens and web use; the correct color profile for social-media and digital video deliverables.
Smart ObjectA Photoshop layer type that encapsulates source content so it can be transformed, filtered, and scaled non-destructively without permanently altering the original pixel data.
Export AsThe current recommended Photoshop export dialog (File > Export > Export As) that lets you set file format, pixel dimensions, and quality for web-ready files.
Lumetri ColorA Premiere Pro panel used for color correction and color grading, offering controls for white balance, exposure, contrast, curves, and creative looks.
dBFS (decibels Full Scale)The unit used to measure digital audio levels, where 0 dBFS is the maximum possible level before clipping; audio should remain below 0 dBFS, with music mixed at or below –6 dB average.
H.264A widely used video compression standard (codec) that produces MP4 files suitable for online platforms; the required export format for the promotional video in this lesson.
KeyframeA marker set at a specific point in time in After Effects or Premiere Pro that records the value of a property (such as position, scale, or opacity) so the software can calculate smooth changes between two or more keyframes.
EasingA technique applied to keyframes that controls the rate of change between values, making animation feel natural by gradually accelerating into or decelerating out of a motion.
ProRes 4444A high-quality Apple QuickTime codec that supports an alpha (transparency) channel, making it the preferred export format for a logo sting that will be composited over other footage.
Logo StingA short (typically 3–5 second) branded animation used to introduce or close a video, featuring the company or campaign logo with motion and sound.

Worked examples4

1. You need to create a LinkedIn header image at the correct pixel dimensions and verify the exported file is right.
  1. In Photoshop, go to File > New. Set Width to 1584 px, Height to 396 px, Resolution to 72 ppi, and Color Mode to RGB Color / 8 bit. Confirm the color profile is sRGB IEC61966-2.1 (check Edit > Color Settings or the document profile shown at the bottom of the window).
  2. Design your header using text layers and Smart Objects for any placed images or logos.
  3. Go to File > Export > Export As. In the dialog, set Format to JPEG or PNG. Confirm the width reads 1584 px and height reads 396 px in the Image Size section. Click Export All and save the file.
  4. After export, right-click the saved file and check Properties (Windows) or Get Info (macOS). The image dimensions listed should read exactly 1584 × 396 pixels. If they do not match, re-export with corrected settings.
Answer: The exported LinkedIn header file is 1584 × 396 px in sRGB, confirmed by the file inspector.
2. Your background music clip is currently peaking at –2 dB in the Premiere Pro audio meters. Calculate how many decibels you need to reduce it to meet the –6 dB ceiling.
  1. Identify the current peak level: –2 dB.
  2. Identify the required ceiling: –6 dB.
  3. Calculate the reduction needed: –6 dB – (–2 dB) = –4 dB. You must reduce the clip's level by 4 dB.
  4. In Premiere Pro, right-click the audio clip and choose Audio Gain. In the dialog, set Adjust Gain By to –4 dB, then click OK. Confirm the audio meters now peak at or below –6 dB during playback.
Answer: Reduce the clip gain by 4 dB so the track peaks at –6 dB or lower.
3. You are setting up a 3-second logo sting in After Effects at 30 fps. You want to animate opacity from 0% to 100% with the fade completing at the 1-second mark. Identify which frame numbers your two opacity keyframes should be placed on.
  1. Determine the frame rate: 30 fps.
  2. The first keyframe (opacity = 0%) is placed at the beginning of the composition: frame 0 (timecode 0:00:00:00).
  3. The second keyframe (opacity = 100%) should be at the 1-second mark. At 30 fps, 1 second = 30 frames, so this keyframe is placed at frame 30 (timecode 0:00:01:00).
  4. In After Effects, expand the layer's Transform properties, click the stopwatch next to Opacity to enable keyframing, set the value to 0% at frame 0, move the playhead to frame 30, and set Opacity to 100%. Apply Easy Ease (F9) to both keyframes for natural motion.
Answer: Keyframe 1: frame 0 (0:00:00:00) at 0% opacity. Keyframe 2: frame 30 (0:00:01:00) at 100% opacity.
4. Your promotional video sequence is set to 24 fps and you want the total exported file to be exactly 90 seconds long. How many total frames will the exported file contain?
  1. Identify the duration in seconds: 90 seconds.
  2. Identify the frame rate: 24 fps.
  3. Multiply: 90 seconds × 24 frames/second = 2,160 frames.
  4. Confirm the Premiere Pro sequence Out point is set to 0:00:01:30:00 (1 minute 30 seconds, 0 additional frames) at 24 fps, which equals 2,160 total frames.
Answer: A 90-second sequence at 24 fps contains 2,160 total frames.
In class: In Adobe Photoshop, students create a cohesive social-media asset set (at minimum: one square post, one Story/Reel vertical, one LinkedIn or Twitter/X header) using Smart Objects for non-destructive editing, correct sRGB color profile, and resolution appropriate to each platform; assets are exported via the Export As dialog to verified pixel dimensions. · Students edit and finish a 60-to-90-second promotional video in Adobe Premiere Pro: sequence includes at least three camera angles or screen-recorded clips, a lower-third title card built in the sequence, royalty-free or original music mixed to no higher than –6 dB average, and color correction applied via Lumetri Color; sequence is exported as H.264 MP4 at 1920×1080, 24 or 30 fps. · Using Adobe After Effects or Premiere Pro's built-in motion tools, students animate the campaign logo (minimum: three keyframed properties—position, scale, or opacity) into a 3-to-5-second animated sting and export as a transparent-background ProRes 4444 or as an H.264 looping clip; students record a written log of every keyframe and easing choice as part of the process document.
Materials: Adobe Photoshop (current version), Adobe Premiere Pro (current version), Adobe After Effects (current version), royalty-free music library (e.g., YouTube Audio Library), screen-capture software, headphones or studio monitors, export-settings reference card (instructor-authored), Adobe Certified Professional Photoshop and Premiere Pro exam objectives (Certiport)
Check: Each digital deliverable is checked against a 20-point screen-production rubric (correct color profile, export dimensions verified by file inspector, video duration within spec, audio levels within –6 dB ceiling, motion log submitted); 16/20 required on each sub-deliverable; any export failing a technical spec is corrected and re-checked within 24 hours.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

Setting project requirements — Photoshop
1. Which color profile should be assigned to every Photoshop document created for social-media platforms?
Non-destructive editing — Photoshop
2. A designer places a client logo into a Photoshop document and needs to scale it multiple times during revisions without losing quality. What is the correct action?
Exporting and saving — Photoshop
3. In Photoshop, which export path is the current recommended workflow for saving a web-ready PNG at verified pixel dimensions?
Exporting and media management — Premiere Pro
4. You are exporting a promotional video from Premiere Pro for online playback at full HD. Which combination of settings is correct?
Audio editing — Premiere Pro
5. A background music track in a Premiere Pro sequence is peaking at –3 dB. By how many decibels must the clip gain be reduced to meet a –6 dB ceiling?
Color correction — Premiere Pro
6. Which Premiere Pro panel is used to apply white balance, exposure, and contrast corrections to video clips?
Animation and motion graphics — After Effects
7. In After Effects, you want a logo layer to accelerate smoothly into its final position rather than move at a constant speed. Which keyframe interpolation method should you apply?
Exporting and rendering — After Effects
8. A logo sting must be exported with a transparent background so it can be composited over video in Premiere Pro. Which export format preserves the alpha channel?
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