multiplane camera techniques for 2d cartoons in AE

[Tim Kurkoski]

The setup for this isn’t too complicated. Make all of your layers 3D, then change their Z-depth so they’re spaced out appropriately. Then add a camera layer, though this is optional, depending on how you want to animate the layers.

Due to the perspective issues, depending on how far apart you make the layers, you’ll either need to make sure that the bottom layers are larger than the top ones, or that you use a camera with a longer lens.

To create the sense of motion, you can zoom in and/or move the camera layer. Optionally, you can move the layers closer to the camera. To create proportional movement without a camera, pre-compose the layers, make the pre-comp a 3D layer, turn on the collapse transformation switch, and animate the Z-depth property of the anchor point.

Be careful about the resolution of your source layers. Zooming in too much could get too close and make jaggies.

[Leesa Dean]

Thanks so much, Timothy. That makes it seems REALLY easy (I was worried I might have to take a calculus course or something, in order to learn it.)
And I think the zooming in and just creating a motion path with the camera through the space will be fine. I’m not looking to do anything really fancy–just show movement through an environment from a character’s perspective–like him walking through a nightclub–or the camera going through the sky past office buildings to focus in on a particular window.
Thanks again.

[Mark]

I would suggest going to the CreativeCow, not Calf AE forum and clicking on Andrew Kramers face. He has a video tutorial (possibly only on his website videocopilot) that does a very nice job explaing cameras.

Mark

[Leesa Dean]

Thanks! I actually just checked that out yesterday. It’s awesome!