unwanted cropped effect in composition, using transform effect.

[Andy George]

Hi Jeremy,
Can you provide more details about how you are
achieving the “rollover” effect. I’m not sure how the
transform effect would do this on it’s own, unless your
applying it to multiple similar offset layers.

[Jeremy Buttell] “In other words, it seems to be cropping the image about 10-15% outside the composition window.”

Do you mean the image is cropped inside the composition window?
If it’s being cropped outside the window how can you tell?

If I had to take a wild guess I would say that your problem is coming from
something that has been precompesed. Can you provide some more details about
how your composition is set up?

Thanks

-Andy

[Jeremy Buttell]

Yes, it isn’t a perfect solution as I’d have to duplicate the layer that’ll receive the transform effect.. the idea would be the appearance that the one shape is continuing to move through a different portion (sort of a teleport) of the composition. In my setup, it isn’t a single layer that’s doing this, that would be ideal though, saving me some time.

As far as the composition setup. All elements in question are AfterFX generated – the primary one being a rectangle shape. I’m animating it traveling bottom to/through and well beyond the top of frame. I’m then duplicating the layer, then applying the transform offset effect. I’m not specifying any compression/rasterization that I’m aware of.

I’m trying another idea to get around this, though still not entirely ideal, where I have a master offset defined (just using a dummy layer’s xform properties). For the shapes that I want to inherit this xform, I’ve added a simple expression that points to the master offset dummy layer. This of course still requires that I duplicate layers for this apparent continuation/rollover. Once I finish doing the animation, I’ll just duplicate everything, then apply this offset. I wish there was a more elegant solution, but this is the best thing I can think of with my limited understanding of after effects.

Regardless, I’d like to know why the image gets cropped when using the transform ‘effect’ ….or probably any other effect. I mean, I’m pretty certain it crops it for performance, but it typically seems like a preference one would have access to.

thanks for the reply.

[Joey Foreman]

Sounds like Motion Tile would be more appropriate for what you’re doing – if I do understand what you’re doing – which I’m not sure I do.

[Andy George]

Hi Jeremy,

Ok I understand. Your first method would work if you precompose the animated
layer into a comp tall enough to accommodate the animation. Then in your main
comp just duplicate the precomp, and offset the duplicate in time and space.

Here is a cs4 example-

https://www.chiselindustries.com/Client/rollover.zip

Easy enough as long as you don’t have to do it 100 times-

[Jeremy Buttell] “Regardless, I’d like to know why the image gets cropped when using the transform ‘effect’ ….or probably any other effect. I mean, I’m pretty certain it crops it for performance, but it typically seems like a preference one would have access to.”

I don’t know the inner workings well enough to be supremely confidant about this but
hopefully someone will correct me if im wrong.

I would assume your correct in thinking that after effects does not calculate what’s
outside of a camera’s or 2D compositions boundaries, although Since precompositions always render first,
the information is going to be available wherever it sits in your main comp.

-Andy