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Activity Forums Adobe After Effects reflecting light off windshield

  • reflecting light off windshield

    Posted by Ryan Gilding on June 30, 2008 at 9:51 pm

    I have a head-on static shot of a truck masked and compsited against moving background footage. The background footage is POV driving down a freeway at night.
    Basically we’re suppose to believe the truck is actually driving down a freeway. How do I get realistic looking reflections of the freeway lights to reflect off the hood and windshield of the truck?
    I’ve been playing with transfer modes but nothing seems to get it right.

    David Bogie replied 17 years, 10 months ago 4 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Mike Park

    June 30, 2008 at 11:57 pm

    I am guessing that you want the overhead lights to travel up the hood and then up the windshield as you pass by. I am assuming that you have a movie of the freeway as a background. You will probably need to mask off the hood and windshield in seperate layers. Next, turn your background into a 3d layer and position it so it flows over the hood in a proper manner. You will probably need to distort the footage to approximate the curve of the hood. Then, do the same for the windshield. Change the transfer mode to add and play with the opacity until it gives you the desired effect.

    One last note, the believeability of the shot would be enhanced with some dirt or grime on the windshield. Get a black and white photo of some dirt or grime. Place it below the movie layers and change the track matte to luma inverted. Then play with the opacity and color correction tools to make it match the footage.

    Hope this helps

  • Bill Kelly

    July 1, 2008 at 12:05 am

    This tutorial from videocopilot might give you some ideas.

    https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials.html?id=86

  • David Bogie

    July 1, 2008 at 4:56 pm

    go shoot some footage on the freeway. Use two video projectors to shine the clips on the sides of the car while shooting.
    Take a look at the pod interiors from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” All of those readouts and blinkies were done with little 8mm and 16mm film projections.

    bogiesan

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

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