I’m using Mocha Pro in After Effects 2026. I’ve had terrible trouble trying to track a mustache to the mustache area of a clean shaven face with really bad results. I’ve seen so many tutorials on Youtube about tracking tattoos, face paint, blood, and what not, but I can’t find any tips when it comes to tracking something like a mustache on a man…

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Sure. Let me know if you are missing any elements that you would need, like the map?

Hi Vasyl, I was just wondering if you might know how I can achieve this reveal effect in After Effects. It appears at 00:31 seconds in this Johnny Harris video. It looks like some kind of animated mask showing Japan’s occupation of China. This might work better for me than Turbulent Displace:

https://youtu.be/TOJQkhzpLyQ?t=31

Thank you so much in…

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Vasyl, do you know if there’s a way to stop Wiggle Paths from moving? Another reason I like Turbulent Displace is that I can get it to stop moving at the end of my animated camera move on a map. But Wiggle Paths keeps the layer’s path moving indefinitely. Is there a way to stop it? Perhaps with an expression, once the camera stops moving over the…

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Vasyl, thank you so much for taking the time to make those two videos. I very much appreciate all your help. I thought I needed that duplicate copy of the red state in order for it to act as a track matte to the invasion layer. If I only have one red state layer and it acts as a track matte to the invasion, wouldn’t the red state layer no longer…

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Oh I’m so sorry. Please find the After Effects zip package here…

Hi Vasyl. Did you get the project file? I included in the zip file. Let me know if you received the two files. Thanks so much again for all your help.

Sorry I forgot that I had to Compress and Zip the file! My bad! 🤣. Here it is…

Not sure why but my option to attach AE file for upload is greyed out…

Creative Cow won’t let me upload my project file. It doesn’t seem to recognize “prproj” extension. But here’s the map. How do I send you the project file?

Hi Vasyl. Sorry I forgot. I’ll do that now. I guess it’s just the project file and the map that you need correct? How should I send to you? As a zip file? And to what email address? Thanks again! 😀

Hi Vasyl. It looks like both ways work now, thank you again for that very helpful suggestion!

Hi Vasyl, thank you so much for your help. I tried the Wiggle Paths, and it does give some variety to the invasion layer. But I very much prefer Turbulent Displace, as it looks more organic and natural. But you’re right. That does work, thank you!

But I did find a workaround for Turbulent Displace when it comes to rasterizing a moving invasion…

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This is a problem I’ve never been able to resolve in After Effects. This is my method I use for illustrating invasions on maps:

[1] Start with a base layer vector map and remove the ocean color using the “Linear Key”:

[2] Duplicate this map layer twice. This first copy right above the base map will serve as a matte for all other map layers…

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I’m only able to import video if I select uncompressed Ycbcr which is crazy as I end up a huge file with a 1GB per second data rate and it’s over 1TB for 60 minutes. But there seems to be no other way to import video using AJA Control Room than to select uncompressed which does not make any sense. So these are the specs for the video file I end up…

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Hi Matt, thanks very much for your help. I’m sure then that it must be something I’m doing wrong but I’ve checked all my settings in AJA Control Panel and AJA Control Room, and I can’t seem to find what is preventing me from capturing video using Apple Pro Res. Here is my set up:

It seems AJA Kona LHi is not compatible with Apple ProRes. It can ingest and upconvert uncompressed video, but does not support or does not recognize any Apple ProRes codec.

Am I mistaken?

UPDATE: For some bizarre reason, using Apple ProRes I’m able to upconvert from 480i29.97 to 720P59.94 but not to 1080i29.97

Not sure what I’m doing wrong here, but when I use my Kona LHi card to upconvert 480i to 1080i29.97, I’d like to select Apple Pro Res as my format. But when I do that all I get is a Quicktime file with audio and no video. The issue doesn’t occur when I use 8 bit YCbCr but that produces a video file 10 times the size like 500GB for 1 hour movie…

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Hi Michael, thank you very much for your help as well. I purchased my WW2 clips from Buyout Footage on Mini-DV tapes (480i29.97). They have a number of titles in HD 1080p24 but it was expensive enough to acquire them in standard video. So as I can’t afford to buy the HD version, I initially upconverted them to 720p59.94, but I decided instead on…

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Got it thanks Frank. The only problem is when I put a checkmark in the “deinterlace” column, it changes the fps timecode of the clips from 29.97 to 59.94:

Hi Frank, sorry to bother you with this, but I’m not seeing a de-interlace option in Final Cut Pro. Can you help me locate it? Thanks very much in advance. This is what I see in my inspector window when I select an upconverted (from 480i29.97) 1080i29.97 clip:

I have some 4:3 standard video footage that I’m upscaling to 1080. Regarding aspect ratio, is it ok to use anamorphic instead of 4:3 pillarbox? Even though this will result in the footage being horizontally stretched on output. I can correct this in Final Cut Pro using an adjustment layer and setting the X Scale to 75%.

This might sound…

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Sorry, I may have asked this question in the wrong forum (Final Cut Pro). Final Cut Pro is my NLE, but I’m using the AJA Kona LHi as hardware to upconvert some standard video 480i29.97 mini-DV tapes to full HD. The only thing I’m unsure of is whether to upconvert to 1080sf29.97 or 1080i29.97. My source footage is interlaced, but the vast majority…

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Hi Frank, thanks very much for your help and feedback. But as I have the Kona LHI card, isn’t it better to upconvert to 1080 with that hardware than not doing so? As I will be editing and delivering a 1080 project.

I’m going to be editing and mastering a documentary in a 24fps timeline in Final Cut Pro (10.5.4) because the vast majority of my footage is 24fps. But I have a bunch of old newsreels I acquired long ago on Mini-DV tapes in standard video (480i29.97). Using my AJA Kona LHI card for hardware upconversion, should I select 1080sf29.97 or 1080i29.97.…

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