[Jeff Kay]

MOV is not a format it is a wrapper.

There is no codec for video that includes alpha which is going to be small in file size. All of the alpha containing codecs are intended as intermediaries which typically have less compression of frames as well as having no I-frames; both of which will dramatically increase file size over standard delivery codecs.

[Jeff Kay]

I get where that previous thread was coming from and in a strict since this effect properly done would be a summation of dx/dy’s. But I don’t see why we couldn’t cheat.

Precomp the flare (you may need to greatly extend the duration of this comp)

Put Timewarp on that comp in your main timeline

Get audio keyframe data. (top menu bar) Animation -> Keyframe assistant -> convert audio to keyframes. Take a look at these values to get a range of what its going to be spitting at you.

For the speed value inside of timewarp.
ease(\\link to audio keyframes\\,\\~smallest value from keyframes\\,\\~highest value from keyframes\\,\\minimum speed you want the flare to move\\,\\maximum speed you want the flare to move\\)

You will have to fill in all 5 values inside of the ease expression. Its important to remember that timewarp takes speed from % so a value of 50 is 50% and this speed is relative to how fast the flare is animated in the precomp.

[Jeff Kay]

Is it consistently cutting off at the same point or does that point vary?

If its consistently the same point, then what is the file size of the partial sequence and what is the format of the drive that it is being rendered to?

As a work around, you should be able to render out the part that you are missing and stitch those two together.

[Jeff Kay]

What is the deliverable format?

What formats have you tried?

Is there a format that will successfully push out the video?

Has everything you tried been a subset of quicktime?

A lot of support has been pulled from quicktime. If you really want to to have a particular codec in a .mov and it isn’t a direct render option, then push it out in whatever container it can be and then rewrap it as .mov.

[Jeff Kay]

As Walter said, ultimately confirm delivery with the client.

The software and hardware that drive ribbon boards can vary greatly from manufacturer and venue. My offhand guess is that their pipe isn’t 18560 wide. Either they have duplicate video being sent down the data chains, or they would play video that is [for example] 3712×200 and the video controller knows to send the top 40 pixels to the first part, the next 40 down to the second, and so forth. In either case this is information that is absolutely mandatory to even begin asset creation.

[Jeff Kay]

You have a little more room to push it with shift edge, take back the feathering if you need to.

Not sure where your refine edges are, but the shift edge entry there hasn’t been touched.

If its just 20 frames consider doing the roto again. I’d use standard roto for the arm and then edge refinement only along his body. Then for Roto Brush Matte (affects everything but the edge along the body) leave feathering at zero and Shift Edge until the arm is gone. Use the Refine Edge Matte controls (which should only affect the edge along the body) to get the blending correct for the scene.

[Jeff Kay]

Its ultimately the adjustment layer of the item in the back that is having the effect on the one in the front as you surmised.

I don’t have an elegant solution for all situations, but I do have a quick and dirty that can add a little more dynamics to the comp.

Assumption: the camera is facing directly down the Z axis and each subcomp is used exactly once.

Enable expressions on the blur value of each adjustment layer within your subcomps. Tie that value to the Z value of rotating item in the main comp. I imagine the expression will look like comp(“maincompname”).layer(“sprite_antinecendio”).transform.position[2]*[modifier] If the negative Z axis is the foreground this modifier will be negative and very like a very small number (-.01 -.05). You could also link that modifier to an expression control to give you master control over the blur without having to edit each expression.

Blur can’t go below zero so it will return all negative values as 0 blur. In doing so you will set the items that are in the back of the rotation to have zero blur thus not impacting your front element. This will also mean that the further forward the item is the stronger the blur on the background items (I’d consider a zoom blur over fast blur for this). If you wanted a binary on/off, then I guess use an if/then expression to set the blur to either the full value or zero.

[Jeff Kay]

When creating the text layer, instead of simply clicking, click and drag to create a bounding box.

[Jeff Kay]

I can’t replicate this unless I crank up the complexity. Try taking the complexity down (if its this, then it is not a jagged edge you are seeing, it is the increasingly finer adjustments due to increased complexity).

[Jeff Kay]

AE’s 3D space is often referred to as 2.5D as it is often lacking when trying to do “real” 3D things. My initial thought is that this wasn’t done in AE and trying to do it in AE is going to be a whole lot of extra unnecessary work (like trying to use AE as an NLE).

If you are insistent, then it looks like its mostly just write on effects in 3D space. If you are okay with your final being a bit more flat (postcard 3D which is what AE does), then it shouldn’t be too difficult. But there are a lot of subtle movements that will be very difficult and time consuming to fake in AE rather than a proper 3D environment.