[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

Two things I can think of:

One is Layer Styles tend to mess up 3d space in AE, since Layers that have them on tend to be treated as 2d layers in the rendering order, thus appearing on top of any layers that are under that layer in the timeline.

The second is if you have an Adjustment Layer or any other 2d layer in between 3d layers- that breaks the 3d space as well.

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

It may be obvious from the previous answer you got, but just in case is not, to get the flare and flare reflection parallel to the text you need to position your flare in the middle of your solid and then move the solid’s position up and down- as long as the solid is large enough, you should be able to get what you are after.

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

Precompose the displacement map layer and use the precomp. This way you can tweak the alignment of your displacement map.
For true 3d displacement Free Form can help, or even better FreeForm Pro.

Here’s a tutorial on 3d displacement using Free Form:

https://library.creativecow.net/jelescu_tudor/3D-from-2D-image_AE/1

Here’s an example of displacement and animation on photos using FreeForm Pro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BphBKInCXvI

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

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[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

…and your problem is?!
When asking for advice, please be specific and give as much information as possible. The problem may be clear to you but remember you are talking to people who have no idea of your project or what you are trying to achieve. To put it bluntly, if you want folks to take time to answer you, take time to describe your problem.

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

There’s some good info at this link (linearize color space – 4rth chapter):
https://help.adobe.com/en_US/aftereffects/cs/using/WS61A9D13D-919A-4010-A3A2-00477A81FDB0a.html

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

RED, Alexa or film – this is what will provide the color information you need.
A good colorist and even AE can be used for grading like the one you refer to.

Decent HD footage can be graded to look better, different, but not like that.

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

I suggest splitting your questions in different posts and uploading stills. Makes it easier to give advice.
Of the top, I can suggest Particular and making the person dancing disappear using particles emitted from the shape you roto.32 bit project, glow and some time effects could help as well.

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

Here’s my plug: AquaPack and FreeForm Pro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXGMOE7PtwY

https://library.creativecow.net/jelescu_tudor/FreeForm-Pro_Aqua-Pack_1/1

https://library.creativecow.net/jelescu_tudor/FreeForm-Pro_Aqua-Pack_2/1

https://library.creativecow.net/jelescu_tudor/FreeForm-Pro_Aqua-Pack_3/1

Of course there’s always Psunami.

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

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[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

Particular is applied to a 2d layer. If you put that layer in between 3d layers it will break the 3d space- thus a number of problems. Here’s a link that may help:
https://www.redgiantsoftware.com/videos/getting-started/item/246/

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist

[Tudor “ted” jelescu]

Clarify one thing please: you say 720p, but then the frame size 1920×1080…? Which is it 1280×720 or 1920×1080?
You can render out of AE either using the render queue or using Adobe Media Encoder.
What I do is to render an uncompressed version from AE (QT Animation)- for audio, make sure you have the Audio option checked in the Render Settings. I then use Encoder to compress that file. You can find several presets for YouTube. H264 preset works great for YouTube.

You can open the AE project in Encoder, select the Comp you want rendered and choose the preset. This way you can compress and render at the same time, using the Variable 2 pass option that Encoder has and the AE renderer does not offer.

Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
Senior VFX Artist