[Mathew Fuller]

You should ask. You did ask.

Unfortunately the answer was most likely before you started your project not after. And frankly without diving deep into your project on my own machine, it’s nearly impossible to answer your question because there are simply too many variables.

Look into using slider controls etc. on a null object, and expressions from multiple layers to use those controls, so you can control multiple layers with as few keyframes as possible. It also keeps your keyframes on one layer “The Null Object” instead of having keyframes all over the place.

For example it is quite possible using expressions to control the position of one layer, the scale of another, and the rotation of another with one slider control.

https://aenhancers.com/

Check out this forum. Lots to learn over here. It will get you going on understanding how to simplify your workflow with a few simple ideas. It’s a rough start…. but once you get it… you get it.

Start in the “Expressions” Forums… not scripts. Expressions are used in comps. Scripts are separate files (.jsx) you run through the AE menu.

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

It seems recently, a lot of people think a script or some magic shortcut should be able to solve all of their problems after the fact.

Not true.

If you want flexibility, and the ability to easily adjust your comps as the project changes, you need to think of how to best accomplish this before you lay your first keyframe on the first layer.

Quick changes and easy fixes don’t come without a price… that price is time spent before making you project… making sure you are doing everything in a way that makes sense down the line, and requires the least amount of BS to adjust.

That being said. This isn’t always possible, and sometimes you have to just bite the bullet and make big changes, that take time.

You are currently in a 20 layer project at the moment. No insurmountable adjustments I would imagine… But if you make a poorly conceived project when you get into hundreds of layers with precomps inside precomps inside precomps… you will hate yourself later.

Good work takes time, patience and knowledge. I have spent 60 hours on 5 second shots. And I have spent 5 hours on 60 second shots.

I know when you watch tutorials they go quickly, and the person showing you how to do it just jams through the project, and it seems like magic…. but the part you are missing is the time they spent figuring out the most economical way to do it before they recorded said tutorial.

Keep this in mind moving forward.

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

Here’s my pointers.

Get a subscription to Lynda.com. It has organized courses rather than just random tutorials from everything AE, 3ds max, Maya etc..

Don’t get overwhelmed. Pick a software like AE or a 3D package and stick with it. You won’t know what every button/effect/setting does for quite some time. But you don’t need to. Basically just don’t get intimidated. I have been using 3d Max since 1999, and I still haven’t learned everything it can do. I learn it as I need it, and my knowledge base goes up.

I have been making a living as a VFX artist and designer for 14 years. It takes time to get going, but it’s well worth it.

I worked as a the VFX lead at a post house for 5 years before leaving (on good terms) 3 years ago. Only now am I able to freelance from home… it takes contacts and time.

Worry about getting jobs later… just hunker down, and do the tutorials.

Last thing. Don’t try and fly through tutorials at the speed of light. Take your time. If you have finished a tutorial and it looks how it should… but you don’t understand what you just did on a fundamental level… do it again.

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

Maybe try just using a regular spherical map with ocean and sky, using the horizon plugin from trapcode/red giant.

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

1. Learn the FREE “Sure Target 2.0” Plugin from videocopilot.net. This can solve 90% of your problems most of the time.
https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/sure_target_2/

2. If you make your keyframes HOLD keyframes while placing your positions keyframes, then turn them all back to animated keyframes at the end you will get less funky twists in your motion path.

3. Sometimes it is easier to simply attach your whole scene to a null, and animate the scene rather than the camera.

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

My parenting tutorial might cover what you are talking about.

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/fuller_mathew/AE-Parenting-Possibilities/video-tutorial

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

Not sure why that is happening.

But you can adjust all of them at once from 1.33 to 1.0 pxl.

ctrl+alt+G and change the settings in the intemperate footage dialog. Close that out.

With the same image selected in the Project window. Press ctrl+alt+c.

Now select all the other images at once and Press ctrl+alt+v.

This pastes the intemperate footage settings from one image/video to all selected.

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

Click on the layer with the paths also known as masks. Press “M”. This opens up the mask control you need.

Animate the “Mask Path” parameter.

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

Apply this Expression to the Rotation channel of any layer you wish to control,
Set LookAt, below, to the name of the layer you wish the layer to look at.
If the controlled layer is not initially pointing straight up, enter an offset amount in degrees, below, to adjust the direction it is
looking.

LookAt = “ball”
offset = 0
diffx = position[0] – this_comp.layer(LookAt).position[0];
diffy = position[1] – this_comp.layer(LookAt).position[1];
if (diffx == 0) {
diffx = 1 }
sign = 1 + (-1 * (diffx / Math.abs(diffx))) * 90;
radians_to_degrees(Math.atan(diffy/diffx)) + sign + offset

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com

[Mathew Fuller]

This generates perfect circular motion centered around the original position of the layer. I recommend that you map the radius and
cycle inputs to Expression Control sliders, and the phase input to an Expression Control angle.
Apply this expression to the position of the layer.

radius = 75; // the radius of the circle
cycle = 1; // number of seconds to complete a circle; higher value = slower
if(cycle ==0){cycle = 0.001;} //avoids a “divide by zero” error
phase = 27; // initial angle in degrees from bottom
reverse = 1; // 1 for ccw, -1 for cw
x = Math.sin( reverse * degrees_to_radians(time * 360 / cycle + phase));
y = Math.cos(degrees_to_radians(time * 360 / cycle + phase));
add(mul(radius, [x, y]), position)

My Work:
https://www.morecompletefx.com