• Adobe After Effects

  Difficult roto job

  Posted by Jim Bachalo on September 8, 2011 at 1:50 pm

  Hi
  I need to lighten only the shadows of the face, torso and arms of some medium interview footage.

  See
  https://bitstream.ca/roto.jpg

  Why? It needs to match other footage that has substantially more fill and I can’t reshoot.

  Is there one best solution in AE? Played with rotobrush, track mattes, etc, but so far haven’t nailed it.

  Local is the new global

  Darby Edelen replied 14 years, 11 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Jim Bachalo

  September 8, 2011 at 3:06 pm

  Thanks Dave, will give that a try

  Local is the new global
• 

  Darby Edelen

  September 8, 2011 at 6:03 pm

  In addition to Dave’s suggestion I’d recommend looking at the Shadow/Highlight effect to brighten the shadows as that should allow good control over affecting the colors specifically in areas of shadow.

  You could duplicate the footage, adjust the shadows using Shadow/Highlight to your taste, then selectively mask the background out of that layer with a large feather so as to retain the separation between your subject and the wall.

  Just be careful of giving the subject a ‘glowing’ look. Depending on the accuracy required, and money being poured in, I would often prefer to create masks for this purpose that simulate a light cast on the back wall falling off. This doesn’t require as much accuracy around the detailed edges of the foreground.

  Darby Edelen

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