Blurring out Liscence Plates

[Justin Productions]

You came up from Windows Movie Maker to AE 6.5? Is your AE a copy?

Justin Productions
Tangerin01@hotmail.com
Adobe After Effects 6.5 Professional

[Ryan Hill]

The steps are:
1) Learn about masks
2) Learn about adjustment layers
3) Learn about the blur filter
4) Create an adjustment layer with a blur filter applied, then mask out the license plate

[Deadittex]

or…
1.)There is a square selection tool in your tools pallet select this … Click draw a box with it around the licence plate. The care will diiappear leaving only the license plate… Don’t fret all that you dis was cut a whole in the layer Called a mask… go to the timpling use the arrow (twirl) to popent the layer inside you will see a new catagotry under Transform called maskes … Twirl this open look for where it says add and change it to subtract… no you see your image with the license plate cut out and the rest of it intact. on the mask there should be two settings you should adjust here first find where it says Mask sizeand adjust that until the whole cutting out the mask is the as tight to the area you want blured as possabl feather and adjust that until you are satisfied with the softness of the edge. . .Now click on the mask so it is highlighted, command X to cut it off that layer…

2.) command Y or Control Y if you are a “PC loser” (sorry just a thing.) A color pallet should appear. Pick the color you want your blur to be.. click okay.
– The entire screen will turn this color as you have added a solid … not to fear just make sure the solid is highlighted and click Command (or control) V and ta-da your mask is now cutting out the size of the licence plate on the solid… ((For some reason, I can’t explain the mask here is off set from its position on its original layer, I have never known why this happens but just reposition it if it happens. ))

3.) Between your twirl menu’s and your actual keyframable things you will see a box that should say ‘normal’ these are your transform modes… this is one way to create a neet blur when Applied to your masked solid layer… or you can fo to your effects menu and like this effects > distort (this may be the wrong sub menu it may be blur I don’t have the App right in front of me) what you are looking for is Gaussian Blur. Applie this effect and adjust it til its blurry enough.. Keep it horizonntal and vertical or it looks weird; cool for somethings but not I think for what you are trying to do. That done, go back to your Values and adjust Opacity until it looks perfect.. (key stroke T when the lauyer is highlighted brings up that value.. )

okay so one frame is done. Problem is you have to move it, (the Blur from frame to frame as the Car moves.) Pain in the arse, right? Wrong .. What your goning to do next is called a four point track … basically your going to tie the corners of your blur to intersecting area’s of high contrast on the moving car… This should work out real well… Problem is since I don’t have the App right infront of me … I don’t wanna try to tell you how … Sorry … Perhaps someone else can pick it up from here.. or tell me where I can get a good Tracking plug in ..

I hope this has been more helpful then

The steps are:
1) Learn about masks
2) Learn about adjustment layers
3) Learn about the blur filter
4) Create an adjustment layer with a blur filter applied, then mask out the license plate

[Katsumbhong]

The program came with the computer I purchased from a friend.

[Ryan Hill]

Whoops. I forgot step 1.5, learn how to keyframe the position of masks.

Now, whether you want to do a four point track like DeaditteX said or something simpler depends on how unobtrusive you want this to be. If you’re willing to have people notice, “Oh, they blurred out that license plate!” you can do it much simpler by just keyframing the position value of the adjustment layer, then you need to only track one point instead of four.

[Deadittex]

I ony mention the four point track, because to be quite frank… Key framing position on a car would be a pain in the glutiuos maximus, that is assuming the car is in motion through the shot … tracking seems the way to go there.. …. …. … … is all ..

[Justin Productions]

If I’d were you I would of thank DeaditteX. Thx DeaditteX for putting time in your post, now that’s a true hero.

See.

Oh boy…where is our world going.

Justin Productions
Tangerin01@hotmail.com
Adobe After Effects 6.5 Professional

[Deadittex]

Hey …. no probem, I was board at work any way, no thanks are required, just some one tell me were I can get a good Plug in for tracking… ?

[Andrew Fleming]

hey i was wondering if you could possibly make a tutorial, ive tried to do what i can with what you said, but im just too new at after effects, thanks =)