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Activity Forums Adobe After Effects Levels modification using a Z-depth Sequence – Possible?

  • Levels modification using a Z-depth Sequence – Possible?

    Posted by Adam Leonardi on September 8, 2011 at 9:34 am

    Hi Guys – I’ve skimmed through the help and I can’t find this one anywhere, maybe I’m begin thick!

    I am “after effecting” my 3d animation fly through sequence, it is going well except a few things,

    at the start of the animation the cam is in the air, so you can see the Horizon line, the render it self is a clay white render, but not 100% white so you can see the horizon line when it drops off onto the white background. I have also rendered a Z-depth sequence, the animation but in black and white, which fades from 0%-100% so I can control DOF and other effects – So I want to use this sequence so I can control how bright / levels of the horizon line, my objective: to remove the Horizon line, or fade it so the transition is smooth from model to background.

    Does anyone have an idea how to do this? – I’m sure it’s a simple thing, but I obviously haven’t mastered AE yet, more stumbled my way through 🙂

    Thanks
    Adam

    Adam Leonardi replied 14 years, 11 months ago 2 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • Ben G unguren

    September 8, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    If you can turn your z-depth map into alpha information, then you can use it as an adjustment layer for the rest of the image. A quick way to do this is to apply the “Shift Channels” effect to your z-depth layer, and set the Alpha to Luminance.

    You will have to Precomp your newly-alpha’ed layer (including the effect) in order for the adjustment layer to recognize the alpha when passing effects to layers beneath it, e.g.:

    COMP1, LAYER1: Z-Depth map w/Shift Channels effect (Possibly “Invert” effect applied before Shift Channels if you need to switch which part is visible)

    COMP2, LAYER1: Nested Comp1, Adjustment Layer switch enabled, LEVELS EFFECT applied
    COMP2, LAYER2: 3D Render, now having levels effect applied to it based on luminance of the z-depth

    Hopefully that makes sense… good luck!

    Ben Unguren
    Motion Graphics & Editing
    http://www.mostlydocumentary.com

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  • Adam Leonardi

    September 8, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    Outstanding, amazing, thank you thank you thank you, works a treat, also helps me understand AE better! Hopefully post some screenshots when it’s done!

  • Adam Leonardi

    September 9, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    Also since I don’t want to start a new thread, maybe I should explain the scene I am doing to explain exactly what I’m trying to achieve.

    we are designing an urban space that will facilitate concerts outside etc.. the animation is the object with a 3d animated crowed jumping, clapping etc.. I have some 3D spot lights that are “sweeping” over the crowd. whilst the 3D CAM is doing a 360 over the space (bopping up and down gently / smoothly).

    What I want to do now is add some sort of coloured lighting to these spot lights, and to give some atmosphere, as at the moment it looks to fresh, with no fog / cloud / beams of light. can anyone point me to a tutorial or ideas of where I should go to sort this?

    Cheers guys

  • Ben G unguren

    September 9, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    You should start a new thread — it will get more views. Maybe take a look at Trapcode Lux:
    https://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/all/trapcode-lux/

    Ben Unguren
    Motion Graphics & Editing
    http://www.mostlydocumentary.com

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  • Adam Leonardi

    September 22, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    Mmmm I seem to be having problems again, I’m almost finished with this animation, all I want to do is darken the ending using a Alpha sequence as the guide to how dark bits are.

    So I applied the “set chan” and change to luminance for alpha. and put that in a COMP, then on the main colour sequence I comp’d that (inside I gave it a levels modifier, and it isn’t working? Can anyone tell me what I need to do again, I’ve done the above suggestion step b step, and it’s not working 🙁

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