Auto generation of "picture videos" (slideshows) based on PIM data

Question

hi all,
i am interested in your opinion on how to best auto - generate product videos based on PIM (product information management) data. i saw this pretty impressive example:
http://www.cliplister.de/fotoclips/
where it says:
Cliplister hat ein Verfahren entwickelt, mit dem in kürzester Zeit aus  Fotos und Texten hochwertige Videos produziert werden können. Bereits  mehr als 100 der größten Markenhersteller und Shops nutzen diesen  innovativen Dienst heute.
(they have developed a procedure which makes it possible to create highquality videos based on pictures + texts within a very short time. more than 100 brands and shops are using it already)
my question is: does anyone have a clue on if / how this could be achieved using after effects (they told me that all you need is the data - pictures + text - plus one custom made template - then you can create thousands of videos like the ones shown in their samples automatically, even puling in diferent languages files and thus create them in different languages
i would rather have a system like this set up internally as it allows for better flexibility - change templates whenever you need to , add more languages / products as they come in etc.
i would be interested to know how this can be done using after effects and / or - if someone knows exactly how to do that - if anyone is interested in providing basic setup plus inhouse training for us (could be webex or so) as a paid service for us

Answer 1

Slide shows can be a tedious and frustrating process. I've spend hours setting keyframes, making adjustments, and then going back to make adjustments after the client has added his input. There had to be a better way.
There is. I created an animation preset that adds expressions to opacity, position, and rotation based on layer in and outpoints. I have a starting position effect control for point control, z position slider, and rotation angles for x y and z as well as a setup check box and ease checkboxes for each of properties and a slider to set the length of the transition. Using this preset there is no need to set any keyframes. It's as automated as I can make it.
Here's my procedure:
Set up an action in Photoshop to size the photos to about 2X the composition width, make sharpness and color corrections, and whatever other adjustments need to be made in the slide show. I picked 2X because it's the most common in my workflow but you can use any size you want.
Run the action as a batch on the images and place them as copies in a new folder.
Import the images to AE.
Drop them all in a timeline
Trim them to the desired timing (4 seconds for example)
Make sure the images are in order with the first image at the bottom and the last image at the comp
Make all layers 3D
Apply the preset to all images
Place the CTI at the out point (4 seconds) of the group of layers
Start at the bottom image, solo the layer, click setup, and adjust the final position of the image using x, y, z position, x y z rotation.
Move to the first frame, use the first position expression controls to set the starting position
Preview the move
Uncheck Setup, then repeat for all other layers
If any images should be on for a longer time adjust their out points
Make sure that your composition is long enough to hold all of the images (10 images @ 4 seconds means minimum comp length = 40 seconds)
Select the bottom layer, then shift select the top layer
Set the blend mode to Alpha Add for all layers
Use the keyframe assistant to sequence the layers with the same overlap as the transition slider (default for me is 24 frames)
Preview, fine tune
Render
Using this technique I recently created a 7 minute slide show with about 90 images in about 30 minutes.
Here's the preset. I've been wanting to do a tutorial before releasing it but I've been too busy to get to it. Just unzip it, drop it in your User Presets folder or browse to it and enjoy. I hope it helps.