[Graham Quince]

As a fully paid up “renter”, I get your frustration at the pricing model, but my memory is a little hazy about CS6. I don’t think you can add output types to AE, but you should be able to render out your video as AVI with something like the Lagarith codec ( https://lags.leetcode.net/codec.html ) , then drop it into VLC or similar to convert it.

My main reason for paying for Adobe CC: I always have the latest version of the software instead of having to save for three years to buy the new one only for it to go out of date within the year.

[Graham Quince]

You’ve got your tunnel in 3D space in Blender,which you’ve rendered with a matchmove camera. So, now is time to stop thinking in 3D and think of the comp as containing two 2D videos, which you now have to blend together.

If this was a weather map, you’d do exactly as you just in 1.5). So just think of it that way.

In terms of help “sell” this effect, think about the contrast and the blurring on the object. Try to colour match the darkest parts of the tunnels to the darkest shadows you can see.

You might also want to replicate part of the cliff wall, so that the join with the tunnel is easier to hide. And think like a magician, by which I mean draw the eye away from any edges where your VFX meet reality.

Once you’ve got the tunnel blended into the shot, that’s when you start thinking in 3D again and add all the extra bits like barbed wire. Blender can export OBJ files, which you can import into either C4D Lite (or if you have the cash Element 3D from Video Copilot).

My last bit of advice, I have a 4-second rule for VFX. Anything after 4 seconds and your eyes start to pick up on the little, telltale details. I’m sure plenty of professsionals disagree with me on this, but it works for me.

[Graham Quince]

Sorry, I didn’t see your reply. (Checking the little forum box now)

Yeah, I’m really quite familiar with Element. It’s my favourite plugin (yes, I have a favourite plugin, don’t judge 😉 )

These two screenshots should illustrate what I meant:

[Graham Quince]

I’m going to guess that workstation doesn’t have the particular codec the other workstations do.

And no, there’s no hide warnings option (that I know of), but Adobe do have an ideas portal where you could request a console.

In the short term, can you convert the troublesome MP4 to a format your workstation will accept?

[Graham Quince]

Using several CC Particle World effects, with each effect’s Particle > Type setting to Textured Square, and each texture pointing to a different “mini-animation” you can explode the particles outwards.

Then drop this comp into another comp and time-reverse the explosion

[Graham Quince]

I spent $30 (?) on Pseudo Effect Maker on AE Scripts:

https://aescripts.com/pseudo-effect-maker/

I think it does exactly what you’re after, in that you assemble an interface of the Expression Controls as a single effect and then you can link all your other effects to it.

You still have tose “sub effects” visible, but you have a single space to for all the settings.

[Graham Quince]

Are the images for the screenshots set as custom layers in Element or are they attached to the iPad model in Scene Setup? I suspect it’s the latter as that would explain why the images are not swapping out.

Also – I’m sure there’s a good reason, but it’s made me super curoius why you’ve blurred comp names. Does it list a company? Or the original artist? (You don’t have to answer this 😉 )

[Graham Quince]

There’s lot of effects going on here:

• The animated glow on the bottle
• the bottle is a 3D model
• I think there’s then curved 3D walls models with the different textures on the inside which are wiped across. CC Glass would get you some of the way in just AE.

[Graham Quince]

Is there a reason why you couldn’t use the Text > Side options to colour the extrusion? Then you only have one text layer?

[Graham Quince]

If I’m following correctly, you’d like the Message and Show Line 1 to be larger than the rest of the text layer, unfortunately text expressions in After Effects cannot set to be different sizes.

But, if you make this a pre-comp, then use Essential Graphics, you could have the top two lines on one text layer and the rest on another. Bringing this pre-comp into your main comp, you’ll be able to update the text values.