-
Question about rendering with scale and camera zoom
Suppose I have an .mov file, “A.mov” in a composition “compA” and I set the scale of the A.mov layer to 10%. Now suppose I put compA into another comp, “compB”, and in compB and add a 3D-camera that zooms in on compA to the point that A.mov appears to be at its original scale.
Here is my question: When compB is rendered, will I lose detail in A.mov, or does AE do something clever with its internal representations of the footage so that the scale change and the camera motions effectively cancel eachother out?
Thanks for any advice you can offer — I know I could just figure this out by testing it myself but I am curious in general about how this works so I thought I’d ask.
Cheers,
-mike -
8 Replies
-
You would lose resolution unless you turn the ‘collapse transformations’ switch on for the “compA” layer in compB.
Of course, when you do that, the layer inside compA would need to have its 3D switch enabled or you would end up with compA’s contents not reacting to the camera.
Read more about collapse transformations here:
https://help.adobe.com/en_US/aftereffects/cs/using/WS064964FC-424C-4e5a-A5C3-2160B3DFBCA4a.html
Darby Edelen
-
Thanks! That’s very useful. I have one more question — is the 3D Camera move considered a “Transformation” for this purpose or does this only refer to changes in Transform properties?
-mike
-
Any cameras or lights inside compA will be ignored in compB if compA has its transformations collapsed. The lights and cameras will need to be in compB.
Darby Edelen
-
Thanks again. So just to make sure I understand, if the footage is scaled to 10% in compA, a camera is applied in comp B zooming in, and Collapse Transformations is specified for compB, are the camera and the scale “collapsed”?
-mike
-
I like to think of a nested comp with collapsed transformations as a “portal” into the other comp. As though all the layers in the comp were being contained in that layer. When collapsed transformations is disabled, it’s more like a snapshot of the comp, but you can’t go into it…..
For instance, if you made something funky with 3D layers (like a 3D box) and nested it in a new composition, then made a 3D camera spin around it, you’d have a flat image of a 3D box spinning around. But turn on collapse transformations and you have… a 3D box. The layer is acting as a portal into the other comp….
Ben Unguren
Motion Graphics & Editing
http://www.mostlydocumentary.comSome contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Vimeo framework” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
-
I see. So to preserve the original resolution of A.mov in the scenario I described, I want to collapse transformations on the nested comp (compA). Is that correct?
Thanks again!
-mike -
Yes. And you want to make sure that your layer in the nested comp has 3D enabled, as Darby already mentioned
Ben Unguren
Motion Graphics & Editing
http://www.mostlydocumentary.comSome contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Vimeo framework” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
-
Thanks to both of you! I will give it a shot.
-mc
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up