• Adobe After Effects

  Why/when do you use a null object to control a camera

  Posted by Beau Brotherton on September 20, 2010 at 6:22 pm

  So this is something that I see a lot in tutorials and I have never had it explained. But why should you do this or when is it suggested to use a null object to control a camera?

  I use AE a lot, but for basic stuff, but I have a project coming up where I will be doing a good amount of movement. I’m going to be creating a coffee table look that has polaroids laying on top of the table. These polaroids will have video inside of them. Then I want to have a camera move and rotate around revealing the unseen sections of the table, etc.

  So would I use a camera controlled by a null here? I have gone through the AE Apprentice book but it never taught using nulls as camera controls…I don’t think.

  Thanks! 🙂

  -Beau Brotherton-
  FCP | AE | HVX200

  Drew Pertl replied 15 years, 10 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Todd Kopriva

  September 21, 2010 at 7:03 am

  There are some tutorials here that show how to move and animate a camera. Several of them show how and why using a null object layer makes working with cameras easier.

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• 

  Drew Pertl

  September 22, 2010 at 4:17 am

  Your definitely going to want to parent your camera to a null object. Here’s a link to video copilot tutorial that addressed this topic and includes a really useful plugin for this technique.

  https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/sure_target_2/

  Drew Pertl
  http://www.DrewPertl.com

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