[Mike Clasby]

Search “random Opacity” or “Opacity ON OFF”, there is a ton of previous posts with many different hold times and other parameters built in.

[Mike Clasby]

What wrong with a duplicate layer?

If you want just one showing, select both, then Layer>Precompose and “move all attributes”.

[Mike Clasby]

Using the new Motion Tracker

https://studio.adobe.com/us/tips/tip.jsp?p=1&id=487&xml=aft6ttmotiontracker

Keep motion in perspective

https://studio.adobe.com/us/tips/tip.jsp?p=1&id=100241&xml=aft65cornerpin

and if AE’s tracker can’t cut it, Mocha and Perspective Corner Pin Effect :

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/rabinowitz_aharon/Mocha_Tut_1.php
Give it that TV look:

Creating An Old TV Screen

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/rabinowitz_aharon/old_tv.php

or Pete’s Plugins has an AE freebie for TV Pixel:

https://www.petewarden.com/

[Mike Clasby]

No, but you can fake it in some cases with this from Dan:

https://www.motionscript.com/design-guide/threeD-corner-pin.html

[Mike Clasby]

If you want to mask off a certan area of a layer, duplicate the layer (Ctrl D), put a msk on the top layer, and add the effect to that top layer.

Is that what you want?

[Mike Clasby]

Ooops, I thought I was in the expression forum, so if you don’t know how to add an expression:

1) Copy the expression
2) Alt Click the Camera’s Position Stopwatch
3) Paste
4) Click outside the box

The numbers for position will now turn red (controlled by an expression). The keyframed x and z values will be used and your y will stay where yo tell it to.

[Mike Clasby]

You’re probably right it must be an interpolation thing.

First keyframe the camera move, then add this expression to the camera’s Position:

x = position[0];
y = 240 //my always maintained never wavering y;
z = position[2];
[x,y,z]

Choose the y you want to stay put.

[Mike Clasby]

Post a link or add a photo to your post of the stencil look you do want, one frame is enough, and you’ll get your answer.

If you mean you want the video to be showing as stenciled text, like my first impression with the word “stencil”, make the text above, then make the video a Track Matte (Alpha).

[Mike Clasby]

Reconsider the “no greenscreen”, it makes all those things mentioned relatively quick and easy, otherwise your left with Roto to separate your Hero from the background, search Roto. Otherwise you can do time freeze with a locked down camera, no camera moves whatsoever, with time-remapping (and roto, but only one frame), see this Andrew tut:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/kramer_andrew/timeFreezeCow/video-tutorial.php

Another Time Warp tut, good for slow downs and speeups, # 29. Speed Variation April 23, 2007, here:

https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials.html#all_tutorials

If you do go the greenscreen route, see this for making the colors of composited greenscreens match a scene, this is a killer tut:

https://www.creativecow.net/articles/aftereffects.html#coots_brendan

[Mike Clasby]

Dan’s tut, “Inverse Kinetics Redux”,

https://www.motionscript.com/design-guide/ik.html

is the closest thing to a magic bullet, IT IS MAGIC once you get it setup, but that is not an instantaneous thing. But complete submersion in his setup would make you a dancing whiz is less than 24 hours, so I guess that qualifies in “it has to be today”.