-
Animated mask tips and workflows
Hi,
I’m working on a big project that requires a massive amount of animated masks. I’ve developed a sort of workflow to cut down on time, but can’t help but feel that someone else has developed better, more time saving methods on animating masks. Do any of you guys have any prefered workflows or tips to save time?
Thanks in advance,
Vincent
-
1 Reply
-
I’m assuming you’re rotoscoping, that is, you’re drawing masks that match the shape of things seen in footage.
You want as few keyframes as possible. To that end:
– only change the mask’s shape, rotation or position at points of inflection, which are the points where a movement changes direction. Set keys at those points, then let AE interpolate between. There’s no need to set keys at every frame, or every 10th frame, or some other arbitrary timeframe. Set keys at the points of inflection.
– if a mask doesn’t need to actually change shape, draw it, key the shape, then drag it around to set shape keys by changing the mask’s position.
– consider using multiple masks for a task. If somebody’s standing in place and moving his arm, consider using one mask for the static body, and one for the moving arm.
– remember that mask points move in straight lines between keys. So rotating masks change shape. Try it, if you haven’t already. If you need something to rotate, consider making a shape on a solid, rotating the solid, and using it as a track matte over the thing you want to mask.Anybody else?
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up