[Richard Herd]

[Susan Lan] “where do you get it from?”

I got it from Adobe in 2008 (or so). They had it hidden inside a bunch of files that installed with After Effects. At the time, they were trying to help provide “brain storming” type of things, but the only thing I found useful was the Expression Sampler.

[Susan Lan] “hasn’t got camera movement but shapes movement, right?
“

Yes, but also the “shapes movement” are expressions applied to various layers that then follow the leader layer. The shapes layers are actually solids, but they can also be keyed-footage (like Selena). You can also of course keyframe animate the Delay parameter, from say, .1 to 0 over 15 frames, so layers appear to jump together.

You’ll notice the layers FOLLOW the original layer. They are behind it. You can change that to LEAD THE LEADER by changing the { – delta } to a { + delta }. You will probably need some layers as -delta and some layers as +delta. Then animate back and forth from 0.

[Richard Herd]

[Danny Mayson] “Exactly same footage, camera motion, perspective.etc”

Was the footage shot with a motion control gadget?

[Richard Herd]

Here is the scale expression:
delay = effect(“Follow”)(“Delay”);
include = effect(“Follow”)(“Scale”);
basedOnIndex = effect(“Follow”)(“Based On Index”);

if (include == 1){
try{
L = effect(“Follow”)(“Leader”);
if (basedOnIndex == 1){
delta = Math.abs(L.index – index)*delay;
}else{
delta = delay;
}
L.scale.valueAtTime(time – delta)
}catch(err){
value
}
}else{
value
}

Here is the x Rotation expression:
delay = effect(“Follow”)(“Delay”);
include = effect(“Follow”)(“Rotation”);
basedOnIndex = effect(“Follow”)(“Based On Index”);

if (include == 1){
try{
L = effect(“Follow”)(“Leader”);
if (basedOnIndex == 1){
delta = Math.abs(L.index – index)*delay;
}else{
delta = delay;
}
L.rotationX.valueAtTime(time – delta)
}catch(err){
value
}
}else{
value
}

Here is the y rotation expression:
delay = effect(“Follow”)(“Delay”);
include = effect(“Follow”)(“Rotation”);
basedOnIndex = effect(“Follow”)(“Based On Index”);

if (include == 1){
try{
L = effect(“Follow”)(“Leader”);
if (basedOnIndex == 1){
delta = Math.abs(L.index – index)*delay;
}else{
delta = delay;
}
L.rotationY.valueAtTime(time – delta)
}catch(err){
value
}
}else{
value
}

Here is the z rotation expression:
delay = effect(“Follow”)(“Delay”);
include = effect(“Follow”)(“Rotation”);
basedOnIndex = effect(“Follow”)(“Based On Index”);

if (include == 1){
try{
L = effect(“Follow”)(“Leader”);
if (basedOnIndex == 1){
delta = Math.abs(L.index – index)*delay;
}else{
delta = delay;
}
L.rotation.valueAtTime(time – delta)
}catch(err){
value
}
}else{
value
}

Here is the opacity expression:
delay = effect(“Follow”)(“Delay”);
include = effect(“Follow”)(“Opacity”);
basedOnIndex = effect(“Follow”)(“Based On Index”);

if (include == 1){
try{
L = effect(“Follow”)(“Leader”);
if (basedOnIndex == 1){
delta = Math.abs(L.index – index)*delay;
}else{
delta = delay;
}
L.opacity.valueAtTime(time – delta)
}catch(err){
value
}
}else{
value
}

[Richard Herd]

The expression is also on the following properties:

Position,
Rotation,
Scale,
Opacity,
Based on Index.

Each of those mentioned above are Effect > Expression Controls > Checkbox Control, but you will need to re-write the expression (pickwhip it probably) to a new instances of expression control effects.

In addition, you will need an Effect > Expression Controls > Slider Control.

[Richard Herd]

Adobe built this expression (even though its more than an expression) so the Expression effects are built into the interface. We will have to cheat that:

Here is the expression on the position property:

delay = effect(“Follow”)(“Delay”);
include = effect(“Follow”)(“Position”);
basedOnIndex = effect(“Follow”)(“Based On Index”);

if (include == 1){
try{
L = effect(“Follow”)(“Leader”);
if (basedOnIndex == 1){
delta = Math.abs(L.index – index)*delay;
}else{
delta = delay;
}
L.toWorld(L.anchorPoint,time – delta)
}catch(err){
value
}
}else{
value
}

[Richard Herd]

Because it’s not one expression. There are a bunch.

Here is another link to a similar project. Fingers crossed!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2S2b7kN6I8iX2VLZ1ZESURuUnM

[Richard Herd]

Sorry it took so long to listen.

That’s a good podcast.

Turning to machines is an old issue. Marx raises it in Chapter 15, section 8 https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch15.htm#S8

But that’s too hard to read. This is a bit more accessible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lpijzd2fBw

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[Richard Herd]

Try precomposing the camera and layers you want together. In this way, you’d have 2 (or more) precomps, and inside each precomp would have all of the camera moves, etc.

Shift-select the layers you want and then choose Layer > PreCompose

toggle the “collapse transformations” to get different results for your precomp — experiment a bit. Collapse Transformations is the weird looking sun-looking switch in the layer panel, next to the layer name.

[Richard Herd]

Try opening it with after effects, not text editor.

.aet is an After Effects template.

[Richard Herd]

Regarding the typography:

For me, this type of treatment takes quite a bit of time. I like to build each title card first in Illustrator, and then outline the text and copy-paste the paths into a solid layer. One bit that is a giant pita is to set the “correct” mask points to the first vertex: right click a point on the mask > Mask and path shape > Set First Vertex.

Then set a key frame for that mask path, and copy/paste to a new location to set a keyframe. Then copy a new mask onto that keyframe. Suppose you want to turn an “F” into a “Z.” You’d copy the mask.

Remember also that AE’s render order is SMET (Source, mask, effects, transform), so scaling a layer will “ruin” the mask.

I’m all ears if someone has a better way.