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what’s AE’s primary function, Motion Graphics OR Compositing
what’s AE’s primary function, Motion Graphics OR Compositing
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13 Replies
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It really depends on who you are… After Effects is being used for both. It’s pretty much the industry standard in motiongraphics, but it’s also in use at many posthouses for high-end visual effects and compositing.
Bar3nd
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Like Barend said it’s been used very succesfully for both. However if one examines the app itself, I think one would conclude it is optimised for motion graphics. For me it’s lack of being node based, not having a great tracker, and roto (mask) tools that are amazingly unintuitive makes me think it is not built to be a compositor for effects.
For me if it’s a simple comp, I’ll use AE. If it is anyhing remotely complex, I have to have node based.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
Chris,
For a complex comp, what programs do you prefer using and why?
(Sounds like an interview)
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Shake my friend, Shake. I’ve never used Digital Fusion, but anything node based like Shake, DF, Flame/Inferno, or Avid DS.
I’ve never used high end discreet, but Shake and Avid DS are by far my favorite to do effects compositing.
Why? Node based. The abilty to wire the basic fundamentals of a video stream in any way is the only way to do complex comps. In AE after you’re searching through 10 nested pre-comps, you quickly see why node based is the best solution.
That being said if you are doing motion graphics, I think a layered system (like AE/PS) is by far the best. I personally love Avid DS becuase it offers both.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
Hi Chris,
Just viewed the show reel of your site. Wow! Phenomenal Work. So is the majority of work done on those commercials by you? Or is it a team effort? In addition to doing the editing, compositing, etc. are you also the one that shoots the footage for the commercial?
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but you can view it node style in AE….
But you’re definately right, AE is good overall, but shake is definately much more high end in compositing…
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I got Digital Fusion with my Velocity system and couldn’t quite wrap my noodle around the interface. But that’s what I would consider more of a compositing application. Simply because I’d hate to have to do motion graphics in it 🙂
Cf
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Then again, for years AE has been the tool of choice when compositing in 3D space was needed. ILM, The Orphanage and many other shops have used AE on very big budget shows.
Now that both Digital Fusion and Shake have 3D space, Adobe will have to work hard to keep AE as a serious option for film compositing work, since both Shake and Fusion are more tuned to that kind of work – in regards to their memory management and caching, floating point processing and of course the node based approach.
On the other hand, Combustion has a very cool integration of a layer and node based UI, and V4 looks like a very good deal 🙂
In the end, you just need to make cool stuff. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you ARE the tool that you use.
Bar3nd
Forum COWmunity leader for:
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Thanks for the kind words. It is always a team effort. My role is to direct it. But the ad agency creatives, myself and the producers (production side/agency sides) all work to create an end product.
I only DP my own stuff on one project a year. Otherwise we have a few DP’s that we will use depending on the project. As far as post, the broadcast versions are mostly done by post houses with the ad agency guiding their way. I’m almost always off shooting another project by then. However, unless the end product somehow made it through the filter of client changes, ad agency points of view, or apathetic editors as a great product, I almost always re-edit and composite from scratch on my own time for our reel. Maybe 2 times a year I will take on doing post for a project if I think it will be simple and creative. We also do a few motion graphics projects a year. In our new building (if it’s ever finished) will have 2 post rooms where we will take on post full time (using freelance artists/editors).
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
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