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  • Help with photo mosaic effect

    Posted by Bill Paterno on April 16, 2008 at 1:50 pm

    I have a job coming up where I need to create an animated photo mosaic with thousands of photos that create an image of the world (i know, a bit cliche…but its what I have to do)

    The only solution I have found is a combination of using macosaix and card dance. However, this piece I am creating is a bit longer and it needs to slowly build the mosaic….at least in the beginning, and then ramp up towards the end. Ideally, I would like to be able to build certain parts ie continents first.

    Unfortunately, I have not found an answer yet. I am even open to buying a third part plug-in if it will help get the effect I am looking for.

    Thanks in advance,
    Bill

    Kate Raisz replied 15 years, 8 months ago 4 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Kevin Camp

    April 16, 2008 at 2:48 pm

    i think you can do this one of two ways….

    first, since card dance can use an image map to determine how the cards move, you could build an animated image map where the image resolves in the shapes or patterns that you need. then when card dance uses that image map, it will bring the cards together in a similar shape or pattern.

    another way might be to use multiple mosaic layers, each with card dance. but remove portions of the mosaic layers to create the shapes or patterns that you need (i would probably do this in photoshop), then offset the way they come together, so parts resolve earlier than other parts…

    Kevin Camp
    Senior Designer
    KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

  • David Bogie

    April 16, 2008 at 8:11 pm

    Brian Maffit’s original training pieces for Card Dance included something I didn’t know you could do: Place four different grayscale images in one layer using the oft neglected Set Channel. So you can use one layer as the driver for four different Card Dance parameters. ANimate a spinning spiral on the red channel, a simple ramp on the blue channel, a lightning bolt shape on the green channel, and three blurry blobs on the alpha channel.

    bogiesan

    This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”

  • Kate Raisz

    September 16, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    Hello Bill:

    Did you find an AfterEffects solution to creating the photo mosaic? We need to do the same thing — create a map of the world from thousands of still photographs.

    Thanks,
    Kate Raisz
    42 Degrees North Films
    Boston, MA

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