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  • Matching photos of models to landscape for proper perspective in AE

    Posted by Palmer on January 31, 2007 at 8:39 am

    I have a 16/9 wide pixel landscape of a bridge across a narrow canyon. The bridge is situated diagonal and left of the orthogonal line to the center of the picture.

    Now I want to take a series of shots of a model aircraft for use in AE.

    The first pictures will need to be downward onto the aircraft. Then as the aircraft rises to the 50% horizontal line I will need a side view. Then the aircraft will roll left causing the underside of the right wing to show. And, as the aircraft turns away in the right half of the picture the perspective will to capture a quarter rear view of the tail of the climbing aircraft which will go off the screen in the NE quadrant of the picture.

    How do I go about getting the sizing and perspective correct to that I develop a series of shots which can be “flown” left to right through the picture.

    Palmer replied 19 years, 7 months ago 13,135 Members · 1 Reply
  • 1 Reply
  • Palmer

    February 1, 2007 at 4:37 am

    Thank you for your assistance. I am really too new at all of this to know how to proceed. In part, I was inspired by the “Aviator” movie which used model aircraft and AE.

    While I understand how to use transparent layers to move 2D images across a background using AE, I face a more complex problem here because of the changing perspective on the aircraft as it flys across the scene.

    The challenge is that as the aircraft emerges from under the bridge the view will be downward and about 45 degrees off the nose. As the plane is opposite the position of the camera (I was at the edge of cliff at the level of the deck of the bridge when I took the picture), I will need straight on abeam shots, and as the aircraft climbs out (over Puget Sound) I will need shots from beneath and behind the aircraft.

    I have been thinking that something like eight different perspectives against a blue background with the camera tripod in a fixed position using a pan head to pan and tilt on the nodal point of a 90mm macro lense. The real plane has a wingspan of 57 feet and at 1/48 that is about 14 inches. The shots would be converted to multiple frames sufficient to “fly” the plane at 400 mpg, and a bit of motion blur might hide the imperfections.

    You suggested a 3D application. That is an idea that I would like to explore. Please tell me more. Thanks. Palmer.

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