[Steve Roberts]

Here’s one option:
https://www.digitalanarchy.com/3Dassist/3Dassist_main.html

I’m not sure if the 3D Assistants Lite (with 6.5) will do the job.

Alternately, you could take one object and move its anchor point. Select the next one, and pickwhip its anchor point to the first layer, creating an expression. Select that Anchor Point property, then edit>copy expression only. Select the rest of the layers, then edit>paste. Next, create an expression for Y rotation for the first layer:

(index-1)*n

Where n is 360 divided by the number of objects. If you expect to change the number of objects, it might be good to use an expression controls effect to tie n to a slider, so you can change n in one shot, without having to change a bunch of expressions, which we will make now.

Select the rotation parameter with the above expression, and select edit>copy expression only. Next, select the other layers, and select edit>paste.

All the layers should now form a ring, where their rotation (place around the ring) is determined by their layer indeces (indexes). Layer 1 is at 0 degrees, Layer 2 at n degrees, Layer 3 at 2*n degrees, and so on.

Note that if you change a layer’s position in the layer stack or place other layers above, its index (or all indeces) will change and so will its rotation value.

Hope that works … I’m not at the AE box right now to test.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Here’s one option:
https://www.digitalanarchy.com/3Dassist/3Dassist_main.html

I’m not sure if the 3D Assistants Lite (with 6.5) will do the job.

Alternately, you could take one object and move its anchor point. Select the next one, and pickwhip its anchor point to the first layer, creating an expression. Select that Anchor Point property, then edit>copy expression only. Select the rest of the layers, then edit>paste. Next, create an expression for Y rotation for the first layer:

(index-1)*n

Where n is 360 divided by the number of objects. If you expect to change the number of objects, it might be good to use an expression controls effect to tie n to a slider, so you can change n in one shot, without having to change a bunch of expressions, which we will make now.

Select the rotation parameter with the above expression, and select edit>copy expression only. Next, select the other layers, and select edit>paste.

All the layers should now form a ring, where their rotation (place around the ring) is determined by their layer indeces (indexes). Layer 1 is at 0 degrees, Layer 2 at n degrees, Layer 3 at 2*n degrees, and so on.

Note that if you change a layer’s position in the layer stack or place other layers above, its index (or all indeces) will change and so will its rotation value.

Hope that works … I’m not at the AE box right now to test.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

How about quick trimming without recompressing?

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Maybe Trapcode’s 3D Stroke?

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Effect>image control>change color?
Applied to an adjustment layer to affect a bunch of layers below?

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Here’s mine:
C:Documents and Settings–Administrator–Application Data–Adobe–After Effects–Prefs
(double dashes mean slashes — COW doesn’t show slashes)

Don’t forget to save your render/output templates under the edit menu before deleting. Actually, I rename it to prefs.ng or whatever before relaunching AE.

So save templates, shut down AE, rename (or delete) the prefs file, relaunch AE.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

1. Just adjust the levels until you get white. Keyframe it, then adjust them until you get normal. If not, go to https://www.buena.com and download the Effect Essentials demo. Their “camera flash” effect is free. Also, search the cow for “camera flash”.

2. Effect>stylize>leave color. Set it to “hue”, not “RGB”.

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

I think you need to click on the “free” button at the bottom of the first page you come to.

Intuitive, yes. 🙂

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

If the camera created by pftrack doesn’t translate to AE well, then maybe you should contact the pftrack people. I’ve never seen a pftrack-related post on the AE COW, so maybe you’re the first to refer to it here. 🙂

Particular works well with AE’s 3D camera, so that’s why I think the problem lies with the pftrack-to-AE workflow.

If that’s not the problem, could you please describe the specific problem in more detail?

Steve

[Steve Roberts]

Not if you don’t tell us anything about your project, effects, source files, system, OS, defrag status and what you’ve done to try to isolate the cause. 🙂

Have you tried a new project?
Smaller source files?
Turning off effects?
Relaunching AE?
How many layers?
How big are the source files?
Which effects are you using?
Does it happen on every frame? If not, what is special about the frames where it does freeze?
Have you tried trashing your prefs?
Have you tried updating to 6.5.1? It might fix the spinning Beach Ball of Death … if you’re on Mac and seeing the BBOD.

Steve