Using 3D Z-Depth to color correct in After Effects

[Kevin Camp]

you might try an effect like colorama or a gradient overlay layer style to the depth matte to colorize it. then place it over the other layers and set it to use a blending mode like color or hue (or maybe others) and the opacity to get the look you want.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Ron Coy]

sounds like a job for expressions.

Though, I don’t know how you would get the z info to color a 2D layer in varying z space… I’m trying to wrap my head around just the concept, I know nothing about writing expressions myself, but I can usually figure out what needs to relate to what in these situations. I just can’t figure out how you could make something further from the camera a different gradiated color from something in the foreground, without some kind of 3D aware plugin or camera effect.

[Brian Charles]

It may be possible to use the Depth Matte or ID Matte, though in your case I’m not sure how.

I know that 3DSMax file exported with RLA data can use the above to achieve DOF and other effects

Depending on how you’ve exported your 3D file it may contain the information you require to achieve the effect your want.

[Brett Lewis]

I think that you might be trying to create varying colour haze using a depth channel.

There is a plugin in after effects, I think its CC ramp or something that allows you to change black and white into a spectrum of colours. I would apply this to the Depth channel, then load a duplicate of the depth channel as a luma matte for the rendered image. this way the depth should be coloured. To fade the power of it you might want to duplicate the RGB as the bottom plate and fade the opacity of the depth CC ramp layer.

[Darby Edelen]

[Kevin Camp] “you might try an effect like colorama or a gradient overlay layer style to the depth matte to colorize it. then place it over the other layers and set it to use a blending mode like color or hue (or maybe others) and the opacity to get the look you want.”

I was going to suggest something very similar. I was going to say that you should use Color Correction > Tint to map your black and white to different colors (if you need a different color for grays try Color Correction > Tritone).

From there you could use the Color, Hue or Multiply blend modes depending on how you want to affect your footage… Color and Hue would preserve whites, where as multiply would cause the whites to take on the color they are being multiplied with. Multiply behaves a lot like an lens filter would on a real camera.

If you want to be able to adjust the way that the colors are mapped to different depths you can apply a Color Correction > Curves or Levels effect before the Tint/Tritone effect to change the distribution of blacks/whites/grays.

Also, be sure you render your depth information in 32bpc and work in 32bpc in AE if you want to maintain the utmost accuracy.

Darby Edelen
Lead Designer
Left Coast Digital
Santa Cruz, CA

[Dylan Usic]

This method sounds good. Maybe I should clarify exaclty what I am trying to do, I am creating a short film (3D animation) and I will be creating a 2 disc DVD. The first will be a normal viewing mode and the second disc will be a 3D viewing mode which can be viewed with ChromaDepth 3D glasses. With chromadepth closer objects must be red, further ones blue or black and the rest in between according to the order of colours in the rainbow. I was hoping to utilise the Z-Depth information with my 3D animations to achieve this look (so closer objects are red and further ones are dark blue) so I’ll see how it goes.

Thanks!