Animate: Leaf blowing off tree

[Dale Miles]

Heres an example of what ive hand animated so far,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6gNuW5VVBs

I dont want to animate them all due to the client might not want this exact option. so an automatic way would be awesome 🙂 or easier than 1 by 1.

[Joseph W. bourke]

Dale –

Since you’ve already done 3 or 4, why don’t you just copy and paste the keyframes to all of the other leaves, then just put some random values on rotation and position?

I would also show the client where you’re going with this before you finish all the work. I have years of experience with clients not knowing what they didn’t want until they saw it. Just a few stills from the project organized into a storyboard would give them where you intend to go, and maybe save you some time.

Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com

[Dale Miles]

Hi Joseph

Thanks for the reply, luckily the client isn’t mine directly but a friends she’s doing the GFX design for him and knows I did animation at uni (several years ago and not since)

Still I’m currently working on a portfolio as I’m wanting to get into this field and I’ve had the opportunity with a couple of real world jobs which I will be using for my portfolio, the upside of this Is that I will be learning techniques for real situations, other than following the same old tutorials on explosions and lens flares that dominate the internet for after effects.

I’m not overly fussed if this isn’t what the client wants, as I will use it in my portfolio anyhow.

Would an expression be the best way to do the random values?
My concern in this is that there are only 2 key frames, the start and end. the bends in the middle are adjustable using the pen tool but they do not show as key frames so how would these be randomised (to say within a X amount of space (e.g. I would not want the leaves to blow off the top of the screen and not go below the text)

I’m very new to animating within after effects, I’ve followed tutorials on character animation and the puppet tools etc, and camera movement in 3d space.

I’m hungry to learn more.

[Joseph W. bourke]

An Expression would probably be the best way, since it would control the extent of the parameters used to position the leaves. In this way, you would be sure that the randomness doesn’t get out of control. I’m sure someone will weigh in here who can give you more specifics.

Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com

[Dale Miles]

I think I’m going to be looking up some tutorials on expressions.

Luckily the client got back to my friend and decided that he wanted the leaves to complete the logo as per the design.

So I brought over the mid leaves and animated them backwards to set leaves on the branch, matching rotation and scale. Seemed to work quite well.

He also wanted a few leaves to drop to the floor.

Here’s the final draft for the client.

Comments?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5qgLwbWD9Q

[Joseph W. bourke]

Nice work! The only thing I notice is that the leaves which stay in the air over the logo somewhat detract from the readability and standout of the logo. As the leaves which aren’t part of the logo “park”, I would also reduce their opacity so that they’re not competing with the logo text.

Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com