Chris Smith
Forum Replies Created
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I use AE to generate greyscale mattes for the DS. For text I just animate white over black or generate 3D stroke greyscale maps. Then drop it all into DS for the main composite. As far as glows and what not, I made all custom node trees for glows, power windows, trapcode starglow simulation, etc. Color Finesse is a good corrector trapped in a bad shell. I would take the DS CC over it any day (but would borrow the nice secondaries if I could). I’ll take the DS tracker any day over AE. I still find AE’s tracker pretty poor. That’s why I still use the Commotion tracker, even though that program hasn’t been developed for years.
But you could look at any high end system and it will lack luxeries that a simple program may have. But it doesn’t take away the fact that I now work Waaaaaay faster than I ever did when I was trying to get FCP, Shake, and AE to work together as one unit. I’m thinking of what I had to do in the last 2 weeks and shutter to think what a bear it would have been dealing with YUV/RGB conversions pull down/pull up issues of switching between all the different programs.
But like has been discussed so many times on this forum. Compositors are utensils of different types. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. But a McClaren that’s missing a navigation system doesn’t make the nav ready Acura a better car. my 02.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
I did bacteria like effects once. I used Maya but the same applies to any other 3D program. I created a bunch of randomly placed particles. Wrote a simple expression that made them move each with their own noise function. Then for the render assigned an instance of simple blob like geometry to them. Then lastly used Blobby Particles (Also called “Metaballs” in other apps) to make them fuse together when they got close to each other. Then lastly create a shader that gives the look you want. Here’s where you can make it look like electron microscope or just “realistic” as if the camera was down in their world. It looks quite creepy in the end.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
I did bacteria like effects once. I used Maya but the same applies to any other 3D program. I created a bunch of randomly placed particles. Wrote a simple expression that made them move each with their own noise function. Then for the render assigned an instance of simple blob like geometry to them. Then lastly used Blobby Particles (Also called “Metaballs” in other apps) to make them fuse together when they got close to each other. Then lastly create a shader that gives the look you want. Here’s where you can make it look like electron microscope or just “realistic” as if the camera was down in their world. It looks quite creepy in the end.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
I use a DS Nitris almost every day. I LOVE AE but for just “Art Cards” and mograph. When it comes to a serious finishing box that works as fast as you can think I would never dream of replacing the DS with AE. It’s not just the speed it’s the features. AE has no real color corrector, just a bunch of PS style tools which are a joke for super quick modern video color correction. The fact that AE is nodeless makes it almost useless to me for quick compositing. Layer based just doesn’t cut it outside of mograph.
Believe me I wouldn’t have dropped that kind of duck on a DS system if I thought that AE or FCP on any speedy box would replace it and I know AE like the back of my hand so it’s not that I’m not used to it.
my .02.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
Hi Rommel,
Welcome to After Effects. The reason this is happening is because an adjustment layer acts on all the layers below it. So the adjustment layer at the top of your list is overriding any adjustment layers below it. If you turn off the tup one I think you’ll find that the lower one does indeed color the particle layer below it.
To solve it, you’ll want to precomp each group (adjustment layer and particle layers) into their own comp. Or try just putting the hue/sat effect right in the particle layer itself instead of using an adjustment layer.
Anyhoo. If both groups (or more) are precomped, then just set the top precomp to something like the “Screen” transfer mode so it will show over the other precomp within your main comp.
Fro more info on precomposing, and transfer modes, check your manual or help files.
good luck.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
When you DO decide the easier route of using a real 3D program, Maxon may still sell a version of C4D 6 (4 versions back) for less than $100. You won’t need to really “learn” the program. Just hit the sphere primitive button, download a free rust texture or shader and the rest works almost like AE.
If you think you may do a lot of 3D work in the future, I can’t recommend the current C4D 10 enough. Especially with the ‘mograph’ module installed. It’s a whole new world.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
Unless you’re going for the “hyper real” video look, then render progressive. Normally ppl hate the look of interlaced video because it’s really 60 new movements a second where doing progressive is approx 30. Just like a film camera. It’s progressive obviously because it exposes an entire frame. So unless you’ve ever been to a movie and thought “I really hate this look, I wish it was way more hyper real looking like a soap opera or news”, then by all means render fields. But unless you’re trying to go for a retro 80’s switcher type of video movement, I would do progressive renders with motion blur turned on which will give you the most film like motion.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
The streaks are a preset in Apple’s Livemotion. The “light rays” are Trapcode’s Shine plug-in. But I would avoid both looks unless you’re going for a old clich
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zhenka, I had the same issues with it. I ended up just putting a 1 or 2 pixel gauss blur on the z dpeth map just to make the edges vague enough to be usable. Not an ideal solution though.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
Nice. I had, like you said, dismissed it because it caused more trouble than results right away. This works the way FCP’s native MB works which like this plug-in is only good for certain things, but most welcome. CC Environment has been around for a couple years though, just not 16bit.
https://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_read_post.cgi?forumid=2&postid=637442&archive=T
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com