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After Effects

Create offset in time and Z position with Expressions

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Written by Stefano Virgilli Saturday, 20 June 2009 06:23

Set up a composition with a video on top and a null object underneath.

Apply 2 effects> Slider Control to the Null object and rename them Time and Space.

Now enable Time Remapping for the video form the menu Layer.

Alt Click the stopwatch of time remapping and type the following expression:

time-(index*thisComp.layer("Null 1").effect("Time")("Slider"))

 

Now make the video 3D. Alt Click the stopwatch of position and type the following expression: 

value+[0,0,index*thisComp.layer("Null 1").effect("Space")("Slider")] 

Now make sure that the video is the first layer on top. Make several copies of it.

Add a camera underneath the stack of layers and rotate around.

You will notice that the copies are lying behind the top layer, spaced by the amount of pixels stated in the Space controller.

Change the Time controller as well to delay the beginning of the video. 

   

After Effects expression wiggle

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Written by Laurine Virgilli Sunday, 03 May 2009 01:20

Expressions are capable to animate an object without necessarily make use of keyframes.
One of the most simple expressions, and also one of the most useful, is Wiggle.

To apply an expression, select the proprieties one by one and go to Animation> Add expression. The shortcut is Alt+click on the animation stopwatch.
One the expression have been added, press Enter on the numeric pad or click any area outside the expression, to close the expression editor.
To temporary disable the expression, click the = icon on the left side of the expression.

- To randomly wiggle position use:

wiggle(5,50)

where 5 is frequency (times per second)
and 50 is magnitude (how many pixels movement)

- To randomly wiggle rotation:

wiggle(5,50)

where 5 is frequency (times per second)
and 50 is magnitude (how many degrees movement)

- To randomly wiggle scale:

wiggle(5,50)

where 5 is frequency (times per second)
and 50 is magnitude (how much in percentage)

- To randomly wiggle position and scale, just horizontal movement:

w = wiggle(5,50);
[w[0], value[1]]

where “w” is the short name for wiggle(5,50)
[0] is x, horizontal
[1] is y, vertical
“value” commits the actual value
to start a new row, just press enter on the keyboard

- To randomly wiggle position and scale, just vertical movement:

w = wiggle(5,50);
[value[0], w[1]]

where “w” is the short name for wiggle(5,50)
[0] is x, horizontal
[1] is y, vertical
“value” commits the actual value

- To equally animate scale on both x and y (horizontally and vertically) use the following expression:

w = wiggle(5,50)[0];
[w,w]

Where “w” sets a unique value for wiggle, and the array [w,w] apply the same value to both x and y

The same expression applied to position, makes the layer moving diagonally only.

   

Dolly Zoom cinematic technique in After Effects

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Written by Laurine Virgilli Sunday, 03 May 2009 01:18

Dolly Zoom is a cinematic technique in which the camera moves closer or further from the subject while simultaneously adjusting the zoom angle to keep the subject the same size in the frame.

The effect is achieved by using the setting of a zoom lens to adjust the angle of view (often referred to as field of view) while the camera dollies (or moves) towards or away from the subject in such a way as to keep the subject the same size in the frame throughout.

In the first video I have created a digital Dolly Zoom effects using After Effects. There are three pre-composed sets of shapes, each 500 pixels away from another. Green, Blue and Red. The camera movements are all 500 pixels. The zoom movements 500 pixels as well.

 

 



Here some cinema examples from Vertigo, Jaws, Poltergeist, Goodfellas, and The Fellowship of the Ring:


 
This is a YouTube video on how to create a cheap dolly at home:
 
 
 

Interesting links and references:

MediaCollege.com

Wikipedia

 
   

After Effects CS4 New Features: Photoshop 3D (lynda.com)

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Written by Laurine Virgilli Sunday, 03 May 2009 01:15

Many animators create their initial artwork in Photoshop and bring it into After Effects to animate and now with CS4, you can use this same workflow for 3D objects. Chris Meyer walks you through the multi-step process, from importing a supported 3D model file format in Photoshop, editing the model materials and textures, and saving it out as a PSD file, to finally importing and animating the 3D model in After Effects. (Source Lynda.com)

 

 

 
   

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