[Mike Clasby]

My 2 cents. Here’s an old post, some of which may work:

https://www.creativecow.net/forum/read_post.php?postid=109246737417785&forumid=2&highlight=lip%2Csync&archive=_2004|5|4

Magpie, uses 10 mouth shapes, each for a different sound. You could make each mouth in Photoshop on it own layer, import as a comp and in AE swap them out at the correct time (sound).

There was a good post awhile back on this, semi-automated with nulls and expressions, but I can’t find it now. And I recall a guy did a cartton about a footbal anouncer posted here with demo movie and details.

I’m currently animated a talking cartoon goat, there is a closed mouth and an open mouth, then I distort the shapes with effects to get the look. Luckily he only says 10 words. I had him blink just by flashing on a closed eyelid layer for a few frames, it’s kind of eerie, in a cool way.

Good luck.

[Mike Clasby]

My 2 cents. Here’s an old post, some of which may work:

https://www.creativecow.net/forum/read_post.php?postid=109246737417785&forumid=2&highlight=lip%2Csync&archive=_2004|5|4

Magpie, uses 10 mouth shapes, each for a different sound. You could make each mouth in Photoshop on it own layer, import as a comp and in AE swap them out at the correct time (sound).

There was a good post awhile back on this, semi-automated with nulls and expressions, but I can’t find it now. And I recall a guy did a cartton about a footbal anouncer posted here with demo movie and details.

I’m currently animated a talking cartoon goat, there is a closed mouth and an open mouth, then I distort the shapes with effects to get the look. Luckily he only says 10 words. I had him blink just by flashing on a closed eyelid layer for a few frames, it’s kind of eerie, in a cool way.

Good luck.

[Mike Clasby]

Make the text layer 3D (click the little cube box).

Make any layers (solids, etc) that you use for a floor, 3D, and under materials (twirl down the layer) enable accepts shadows, etc.

Add a light (Layer>New>Light).

Then its a good idea to change from “Active Camera” to “custom view 1” (or other view, check it out), in the window that shows the comp.

Then its a matter of changing the position and rotation of the camera to get it where you want (positive z values I believe). There probably is a way with more control by creating a null and parenting, but you’ll need to search posts for that.

The best tutorial I know of on lights is here:

https://www.creativecow.net/show.php?forumid=2&page=/articles/gerard_rick/Projection_tut/index.html

Hey, I need to take the time to do this one, I need to know how to do gobos. I like that word.

[Mike Clasby]

I too am particle-challenged, but I wouldn’t write Particle Illusion off so quickly. Word in the dark alleys of the Cow (PI forum) is that PI will be a plugin for AE this summer. Anyway, if you’re a cheap student, downoad the PI-SE (lite version, 2.0, not the newer 3.1) and you can have fireballs with trails in notime. The SE demo is fully functional and NOT watermarked for 30 days so you can actually produce something useful. Do 2 of the 4 tutorials and you can do what you want. Also good tutorials at their site for getting AE position keyframes if you need that info. Basically you’ll make the effect then bring it into AE to put it on top of your footage.

Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of Fire.

[Mike Clasby]

After fooling with sinedots, I think that is it. You can get some nice color changes with some of the Colorama presets (like solarize red) and/or with Adjust Hue/Saturation-colorize. I’m glad you asked your Q, I just rediscovered a lost toy, one I didn’t appreciate long ago. Thanks.

[Mike Clasby]

I think it might be that old freebie, Sinedots with some blur on it, but then maybe not. Check out Sinedots at:

https://www.philipp-spoeth.de/index.html#Photoshop/PhotoshopIndex.html#Sinedots/sinedots.html

[Mike Clasby]

Came just in time. I’m new to making backgrounds but’ll need some soon, and now I can pick these apart, Oh boy.

[Mike Clasby]

If you have AE6.5 you might try Perspective>CC Spotlight. You can throw multiple spots on the layer, and contol the darkening, or use them as gels (Custom for each player if you like). Tracking data pasted to the “To” parameter (where the light shines on) works fine.

I’d set up the “From parameter for each light. The light changes shape as they move depending on the From-To controls, after a few minuted fooling around you’ll get a feel for it.

[Mike Clasby]

Copy those Tracking Keyframes.

Here’s the most important part.
You need an exsisting mask to paste the keyframes onto.

So make at least one point with the Pen tool (or more) or use the Rectangular Mask Tool or the Elliptical Mask Tool to draw a mask, any mask, in the layer you want to copy the Tracking keyframes onto.

Select the layer. Hit “m” on the keyboard.
The Mask and Mask Shape (below it) will drop down below the layer. Select (highlight) the Mask Shape, and Paste those position keyframes. Presto, you should have a mask in the shape of those tracking keyframes. It just worked for me. No tracking keyframes if you paste onto a MASK SHAPE. Good luck.

[Mike Clasby]

Copy those Tracking Keyframes.

Here’s the most important part.
You need an exsisting mask to paste the keyframes onto.

So make at least one point with the Pen tool (or more) or use the Rectangular Mask Tool or the Elliptical Mask Tool to draw a mask, any mask, in the layer you want to copy the Tracking keyframes onto.

Select the layer. Hit “m” on the keyboard.
The Mask and Mask Shape (below it) will drop down below the layer. Select (highlight) the Mask Shape, and Paste those position keyframes. Presto, you should have a mask in the shape of those tracking keyframes. It just worked for me. No tracking keyframes if you paste onto a MASK SHAPE. Good luck.