Jim Kanter
Forum Replies Created
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1. Create a master comp and put all the individual movies comps in it.
2. Make sure the child comps are all aligned at the start of the master comp.
3. Select all layers and add opacity keyframes to fade in each layer for 1 second (or however long you want)
4. Line up all the layers so they end simultaneously and add keyframes to all fade out at the same time.
5. Make sure the child comps are in the layer that corresponds to their appearance in the master timeline
(1st clip is layer 1, 2nd clip is layer 2, etc.)6. Select all layers and choose Animate > Keyframe Assistant > Sequence Layers… and make sure that overlap is turned off.
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
Well, since it is an animated sequence, study the interplay of light and shadow on a face then recreate it using colored overlays onto your animated character.
For a feature film I once was asked to add gun muzzle flashes in a night-time sequence. Trick was to figure out how shadows would fall and use transfer modes and colored shapes to simulate it.
To show the killer’s face (he was a black silhouette) I built a head in Poser, gave it the right perspective and lit it correctly then traced over it to get the right highlight shapes. Worked like a charm.
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
Title sequences are wonderful opportunities for MG design. Check out the opening titles for any of the James Bond movies for ideas. Also, watch the end titles of THE INCREDIBLES.
Search the web and watch demo reels from designers and production companies to get ideas. Lots of ’em out there.
Maybe you have some friends who are making an indie film that could use some mograph work.
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
Adobe’s Classroom in a Book is a good place to start.
Trish and Chris’ books are good if you want “under the hood” understanding as well as a detailed set of tutorials covering a wide range of tools and techniques.
Antony Bolante’s Visual QuikPro Guide is a very useful reference, but not especially friendly as a tutorial set for beginners.
Angie Taylor has a nice book out on AE.
Also, don’t forget about some of the DVDs out there. Watching something being done is frequently easier to understand than reading words and looking at screen grabs.
Plenty of tutorials here on the COW as well as on the ‘net.
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
Try adding motion blur. Fast moving pixels with sharp edges tend to “stobe.”
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
Calibrating the monitor and the printer are the only way to make sure that the colors match accurately.
Are you on Mac or Windows?
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
Then you need to make a mask in the shape of the person. You can do this by making a copy of the footage of the person and roto the clip to show just the person. Then select the particle system, add an image mask and drag the roto’d person element into the mask.
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
Could you be more specific? What do you mean by your “subject and not the rest of the clip?” Are you trying to contain the particle effect in the area of someone on screen?
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
Always place the text within the Title Safe area. It is a more critical space.
Action safe can still have some pixels cut off, not a concern when a couple of actors are bouncing around the frame (for example, during a fight scene) but losing a letter or two from text can make a BIG difference.
Imagine how the message would change if the “o” in “hello” is dropped.
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com -
4:3 frames have pixels where the height is 90% (0.9) of the width of a square pixel; 16:9 are approx. 120% (1.2) of the width of a square pixel. Stretch the image size vertically by that much and it should work correctly.
Be sure to work on a duplicate of the original image and check the results on a broadcast monitor.
Jim Kanter,
Digital Film Institute
http://www.dfilminst.com