[Steve Roberts]

You could use the Color Key effect, clicking the little eyedropper tool (in the effect) on a non-red colour. Then you expand the Color Tolerance until you start taking out the red, then you dial it back.

If you still see non-red colours that are near the ink cloud, apply Color Key again to the same layer, choosing a different color this time. Keep doing that until a fair amount of area close to the red is clear. Then you can draw a very rough, very simple (few points) mask around the red cloud and animate the mask shape to cut out what’s left around the red cloud. Try to keep it simple — don’t make too much work for your self.

Does that make sense?

(there are other keyers in AE, but that may be the simplest.

[Steve Roberts]

When a video camera shoots “24P”, it shoots 23.976 frames per second. But videotape runs at 29.97 fps, so the camera takes those shot frames and splits them up to make 24 into 30, basically. This is called adding 3:2 pulldown. Nothing is lost. Some frames are unchanged, but some are split, where every other line is interlaced every-other-line with the next frame.
This looks like film transferred to video, which we’re all used to seeing.

But we often remove pulldown so we editors and MG artists are not working with interlaced frames and copies of frames — it’s just easier to work with.

When software removes pulldown, it reassembles and restores the frames so they now run at 23.976 fps (close to 24) within the computer. Each frame is “progressive” (not interlaced), as the video was originally shot.

The purpose of 24P is to make video that has the same frame rate as film, to give a filmic look. It doesn’t make each frame look better than “video”, it makes it run differently.

[Steve Roberts]

720×480 is 16×9 if the PAR is 1.2 instead of .9.

[Steve Roberts]

Unfortunately, the only advice you might get from us would be to switch to XP, since professional graphic apps don’t work well with Vista.

Or you could Google “vista” “after effects” “CS3”, and find links like this:

https://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb402213&sliceId=1

Anybody else?

[Steve Roberts]

You need to look in the software that authors the DVD. It’s the last app you use before burning. It should have some sort of switch for “letterbox” or “pan-scan”. You want “letterbox”.

[Steve Roberts]

The PC has to have a Firewire port. It may be built-in, or be on a Firewire card. If it doesn’t have one, you have to buy a Firewire card and install it, or (recommended) get someone else to capture the clip and give you the movie on a data DVD or portable hard drive.

[Steve Roberts]

The only morph-like changes in AE have been the Puppet Tool and Liquify. I tried morphing with the Puppet Tool and it was a real chore, taxing the system. I don’t think it was designed for that.

Liquify is much better, in my opinion. Give it a go.

[Steve Roberts]

Re:Flex is good.

[Steve Roberts]

Assuming the camera has firewire, there should be a firewire utility that came with your PC. I think Windows Media can capture. Follow its directions. If you don’t have any software on your PC that can capture, look on the Internet. There should be a few DV capture utilities out there.

[Steve Roberts]

You can do the with 3D stroke, with “advanced>adjust step” set to a really high value.