Rotoscoping in After Effects

Here's a blog post about some resources by Pete O'Connell and Sean Kennedy about
rotoscoping in After Effects.

awsome stuff dude! i need all the help i can get in rotoscopeing..

Similar Messages

  • After Effects and Rotoscoping causes fps loss in info panel

    Hello,
    I am pretty new to after effects, so please take it easy on me if this is an easily fixed issue or if I am doing something wrong. Here is my whole process.
    I have a canon xl2, shooting in 24p with 2:3 selected. I then import the video from the camera to premiere using capture. This was filmed at 16:9.
    In PP I open a new project, I use DV - 24p Widescreen 48khz. I have the time code set to auto detect in capture.
    I then import the captured video to after effects. I am trying to get better at rotoscope brush, so this is where the problem is.
    I import the file, drag the source to the new composition icon, then double click the layer in the composition.  I select rotobrush and brush the object.
    I then select play, which will go thru and play the file, adjusting the rotobrush. As I view the file, my info panel is up and it begins by showing 23.976 (realtime). The preview panel is showing 23.98 fps.
    After a few seconds, the rotoscoping fails and the info panel shows my actual fps vs the file fps.  SO in red it shows something like 7.005/23.976 NOT realtime.
    I've tried to do some research on this, and I am not sure if everything is set up right.  I have read that its best to work on noninterlaced video in AE, i believe it is seperating.  In interpret footage it is showing under fields and pulldowns area: lower field first and then it is removing pulldown with WWSSW.  Showing a effective framerate of 23.976.  Under frame rate area i have selected [conform to frame rate] and 29.97 is in the window. Under pixel aspect i have widescreen 1.21.
    I know this is a huge wall of text, but I'd rather swamp you with info then not have enough.  Any ideas on what I am doing wrong? Why the fps drops out so much on the rotoscope? Also note, I am only losing fps after pressing play to have rotoscope find the edges itself.
    Thank you for any help on this matter.
    further info:
    Running window 7 pro - 64 bit, adobe CS5 production premium. At the moment its the trial version - get my copy in the mail tommorrow.
    PC is i7 920 oc'd to 3.6, 6 gigs ram, 7200 rpm HD with 64Mb cache, gtx480 with 1500Mb Vram. Using the latest Nvidia drivers. 
    I believe I am using OpenGL for rendering, but not positive.

    Ok, awesome.  Thanks a ton for taking the time to explain it to me and make sure that I understand the proper way to reference it.
    With all this considered, is there any reason why someone would do the traditional rotoscoping vs using the rotobrush to create a matte?
    To me it seems like the roto brush pretty much replaces traditional rotoscoping.  If thats the case, wouldn't it almost be considered a new rotoscoping method.
    Like in the past, people used to dig holes with shovels and by hand.  Excavating holes this way was hard and took alot of time.
    Over the years, technology made it possible to use a backhoe to dig holes, making it super easy. Both methods are excavating, one is just using an easier method.
    I guess thats where my confusion came in, I guess the way I look at it, due to never having done the traditional rotoscoping method, I just considered it the same thing.
    Anyway, I hope I dont look like a giant *** with my posts.  Cuz anyone willing to take time outta there day to help someone else in a courteous manner deserves all the praise I can give.
    Thanks again.

  • How can i find out if i have a bad codec affecting after effects?

    hi all, i'm having all kinds of problems with after effects cs4. the current problem i'm having is i'll be working on a project, it starts to slow down and become unresponsive, i try to save but then it crashes and everything i've done is lost. opengl is off but i don't think that's the problem because opengl isn't affecting any of my other programs like cinema 4d and i even tried taking out the opengl from the plugins folder but i was still getting opengl error messages with certain effects like the rotoscoping effect. i was wondering if maybe this might be a codec problem since i heard that ae loads codecs at start. how can i find out if a corrupted codec is affecting my after effects?
    after effects cs4
    amd turion 64 x2 mobile technology tl-62 2.10 ghz
    3 gb ram
    windows vista 32
    geforce go 6150
    total graphics memory: 1343 mb
    dedicated graphics memory: 128 mb
    system video memory: 0 mb
    shared system memory: 1215 mb
    i'm pretty much desperate to get this working as it's essential to my work flow and i can't afford to get a new computer right now (i should have bought a mac, now i know) so i'll try anything if you have any suggestions. thanks!

    >how can i find out if a corrupted codec is affecting my after effects?
    You remove them all! ;-) I think you are going about this the wrong way.
    a)If you ever installed any third-party CoDecs manually, they will be listed in the "Add or Remove Programs" section or have an uninstaller.
    b)If those CoDecs were auto-installed e.g. via a web-browser, they will leave traces in the extension lists or even appear as separate entries somewhere as well.
    c) If the CoDecs were part of a program, then by all rights, you really should know which programs those are and know how to remove them.
    Failing that, simply uninstall Quicktime completely. Reinstall it from scratch. Likewise, manually download a full install of Windows Media Player and reinstall it using the "Repair" option. Everything else is pure specualtion - AE may scan your CoDecs on startup, but if you never import any footage using them, they will not be initialized and not cause trouble.
    And honestly: That Mac talk is not worth a dime. Final Cut Pro alone comes with 30 or so extra CoDecs, many of which have been known to be just as troublesome to use with Adobe products and you can encounter the same situation easily any time...
    Mylenium

  • Premier After Effects... How does one places the whole movie clip into AF?

    After years of using Premiere, I’m looking at using After Effects. Premiere does most of what I need (I don’t need moving graphics and titles) but the masking and rotoscoping seems to be better in After Effects. I’ve started a great video by Tom Green at school. This is probably silly question- I don’t understand is how does one places the whole movie clip into AF? I only see 30 seconds or so of the 5 minute clip on the timeline in AF.

    Ahh, thanks. I simply add more minutes (the length of the clip) into the "new composition".
    A new problem: When I try a dynamic link with premiere AE says “Failed to connect to adobe Premiere Pro Dynamic Link”, but PP will link with AE. I just installed AF last week. Do I need to uninstall and reinstall them (along with the rest of the Creative Suite)?

  • After effects error: rendering error while writing to file. Disk full.

    Hi,
    I tried to render a video in AE CC 2014, with RGB + Alpha as I wanted to keep the background transparent (rotoscoped) so that I can then use it in Premiere.
    I chose to export in Quicktime, with uncompressed 8bit.
    After it rendered it for a little while I had a window pop-up saying
    After effects error: rendering error while writing to file "E:...blabla". Disk full. The file may be damaged or corrupted. (-1610153463).
    I read a thread posted in the forums but i do not understand the solution provided there.. What is a POD??
    I have a Win7 Ultimate, x64. Plenty of disk space, and 16 Go ram.
    Please help, I canoot go further in my project with this bug...
    Jaywaii

    Is the drive you are rendering to formatted FAT32 by any chance? If so you can only render up to 4Gb for one file. Try rendering out a TIFF sequence instead. Litte tip - push the LZW compression tickbox in format options for a lossless compression, this will keep you file size way down.

  • After Effects CS5.5 does not render any type of file, corrupted message.

    Hey guys,
    About 2 days ago I was working on my file as usual (with no changes whatsoever to my software or hardware) and After Effects suddenly refuses to render my video and does not even go past one single frame, it will not render movies, image sequences, anything, it does not render period.
    when I click on stop it gives me this message:
    I have not changed any settings on my computer or After Effects and rendering this specific file worked fine before this random occurence a couple days ago, other files render work so something is wrong with this file specifically.
    The project I am working on is a rotoscoping animation, I have used the Rotobrush on some MOV files, along with Particular Trapcode, and some effects such as Glow and Blur, nothing fancy.
    Here's my technical info , hopefully it's enough detail:
    After Effects CS5.5
    Mac OSX 10.7.4
    Memory 16GB 1333 MHz DDr3
    3.1 Ghz Intel Core i5
    MOVIE FILES INFO:
    50fps
    1280x720
    h.264
    Linear PCM
    16-bit little-endian signed integer, 4800HZ (stereo LR)
    File sizes range from 1.33Gb to 500mb (I can't compromise on quality as this is a big project)
    Is there anything else you need to know? my deadline was yesterday and this is for a live show next week, any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Also audio's not a big deal as I'm not using it, here are some screenshots of my project settings.

    At first the problem came back but then I disabled the 'media cache' option in Preferences as advised above, seems to work for now.
    I keep having to turn this option on and off if I want it to render, there must be some way around this.

  • New to Adobe After Effects (CS4)

    I'm relatively new to AE and have a very basic question:  Can After Effects import and work with long files - 1+ hours or more?
    I have always thought of AE as a tool for small clips less than 10min. but I'm new to this and really do not know.
    I am working on a research project with Harvard University and the University of Michigan.  They are studying educational practices in classrooms around the country.  These "observations" are conducted remotely using a Web Interfaced Camera.  The files I am being given are lower quality ASF files. 
    In some cases the identity of certain students must be masked - I can do this work in Premiere Pro.  In other cases the entire video needs an "identity concealing" treatment - these are the files I'm hoping to edit within AE.  I'm looking at using Toonit's Rotoscoping filter for this.  When I use Toonit in PPro it is a very slow (many hours) process.
    Also, any advise on working with ASF files would be very helpful.

    > I'm relatively new to AE and have a very basic question:  Can After Effects import and work with long files - 1+ hours or more?
    Yes.
    >  I'm looking at using Toonit's Rotoscoping filter for this.
    Why? This is very basic work that can be done in After Effects with no additional software.
    For each shot, use motion tracking on a person's face, apply that motion-tracking data to a solid layer, use that layer as an adjustment layer, and apply the Mosaic effect to the adjustment layer. This gives you a rectangular blocky/pixelated region over the person's face. If you want to be more refined, you can draw a mask on the adjustment layer to match the shape of the face and get into more detailed rotoscoping.
    If you were using After Effects CS5, I'd recommend using Roto Brush to do much the same thing.

  • CS6 workflow (Photoshop, After Effects, Premier Pro)

    Hello, I'm new to CS and have been learning quite a few different programs over the past few months regarding post-production.  I've primarily been using Photoshop, After Effects, and Premier Pro.  I have noticed there are tons of different ways to work within and across these programs through the CS package.  Because there are so many ways to accomplish an end result, I was unsure what is the right way to edit or manipulate video footage.  For instance, if I plan on using after effects to do color correction using color finesse, or matte painting and rotoscoping, what order should I open the files and change them?  Should I start in premier and then use AE, or should I change in AE and then import into premiere?  I noticed not all AE changes are accepted in Premiere. Same question goes with any changes to footage in photoshop as well.  Any advice would be great or at least a direction to look to get resources to help with my workflow.  Thank you.

    You'll get way more feedback in either PP or AE forums than you will here.
    Bob

  • After Effects, Photoshop, Premier Pro CS6

    I'm new to CS and have been learning quite a few different programs over the past few months regarding post-production.  I've primarily been using Photoshop, After Effects, and Premier Pro.  I have noticed there are tons of different ways to work within and across these programs through the CS package.  Because there are so many ways to accomplish an end result, I was unsure what is the right way to edit or manipulate video footage.  For instance, if I plan on using after effects to do color correction using color finesse, or matte painting and rotoscoping, what order should I open the files and change them?  Should I start in premier and then use AE, or should I change in AE, export as a rendered file format, and then import into premiere?  I noticed not all AE changes are accepted in Premiere, which would require me to render in AE first correct? Same question goes with any changes to footage in photoshop as well. Renders always downgrade the quality somewhat and by the time I'm done applying the effects and final edit, I don't want my project to be rendered two or three times before the final render. Any advice would be great or at least a direction to look to get resources to help with my workflow issue.  Thank you

    Let's define some terms first:
    Shot: A continuous block of unedited footage from a single point of view. Also called a Take.
    Sequence: Two or more shots that that have been trimmed or cut together to tell a story.
    Scene: A continuous block of storytelling either set in a single location or following a particular character. The end of a scene is typically marked by a change in location, style, or time.  A scene can be a single shot, a simple sequence, or a combination of many sequences.
    Movie: A completed project that tells a story. A movie can be 10 seconds long, or 10 hours (re: Andy Warhol)
    The best use of After Effects is to work on a Shot, Scene or sometimes a Sequence, to composite elements, add graphics, or adjust the look (color grading) of a Shot or a Sequence. After Effects is probably the most difficult tool you could ever choose to edit a long form movie.  Dynamic link is very useful in the early stages of developing sequences. Once the sequences are approved, I will usually render the sequence to a production codec for use in the NLE. I'll talk more about codecs later.
    The best use of Premiere Pro (or any NLE) is to organize shots into a sequence or scene, and then to organize the scenes into a movie. Most amateurs try and cut a long form (over 10 minutes) movie in a single timeline. Professional editors organize each sequence in their own timeline (notice that Premiere Pro calles timelines Sequence 01, Sequence 02 etc.) and then combine those sequences into Scenes or a movie by combining the sequences into the final movie in a single timeline. In the end, this is a more efficient way of working on any project involving more than just a few shots.
    Photoshop may be used to work on shots, but it is entirely unsuited as an editing tool. Photoshop and Illustrator are primarilly used to create elements like graphics or backgrounds that are used in After Effects or Premiere as part of the story.
    The best workflow is the one that carries you to project completion with the fewest number of steps in the least amount of time. In nearly every case this means that you trim your shots into sequences in your NLE. The next step is to modify shots or sequences in a compositing program like After Effects. If you are working on individual shots in After Effects, it is almost always a good idea to give them handles. I handle is a few extra frames at the beginning and end to allow for fine tuning the edit in your NLE. Good rule of thumb is to add 30 to 60 frames.
    Let's talk now, just for a second, about rendering. You are a little misinformed about rendering.
    There are two types of codecs used to in production. The first is a production codec. This would be something like ProRez, or Animation, or even JPEG 2000, at the highest quality settings. To be classified as a production codec the rendered files must be lossless, or nearly lossless. Production codecs take up a lot of DriveSpace. Some of them will not even play back in real-time on any system. Many production houses use image sequences as their standard production format. You can render, remember, and then render again from into production codecs with no loss in quality. All you need is enough storage space to hold the files. Every production codec that I use is at least 10 bit color depth.
    The second type of codek is called a delivery codec. These are highly compressed, playback in real time on inexpensive systems, and should never, I repeat never be used in the production pipeline. Anything in the MPEG class of codecs is a delivery codec and should not be used in the production pipeline.
    Come to think of it, there is a third type of video codec. These are acquisition codecs. They are the codecs used by the various camera manufactures to record video. AVCHD, is a very low data rate codec used by consumer cameras. Other cameras from the consumer level to the pro level may use various forms of MPEG encoding. These "acquisition codecs" are not suitable for use downstream in the production pipeline at all. What I mean by that is, you should never render some original footage back to the original acquisition codec. The only exception to this rule are professional cameras and recording systems that record in lossless or raw formats right from the start.
    One last thing. Don't forget sound. Professional polished productions always use specific sound editing programs to complete the audio track. While you can do a fair job in most NLE's, you can do a much better job in something like Adobe Audition. Cutting, editing, or adjusting sound and AE should be limited to reference audio or scratch tracks only. After eEffects will do a good job of rendering a lossless audio track from a clean original, but it's one of the most cumbersome and ineffective audio editing tools ever designed. Oh wait, AE is not an audio editing tool, so it's okay with me.
    I hope this helps you along your path.

  • After Effects - What do I need to learn to get to the next level?

    Hi all. I'm a designer recently dabbling in after effects and hoping to add it to my contracting arsenal. I've a (long!) background in 3d/video/general design and was wondering what are the "meat and potatoes" work you guys find yourselves doing? I'm not a total newb and I'm comfortable with the interface...But when I use after effects I use it as a glorified flash style animation/powerpoint/video editing tool and I want to move to the next level.
    There are loads of resources out there - this forum, video copilot and the rest - but what kind of tasks would I be expected to do if i rock up at an agency as a contractor and tell them I'm an afx guy? Should I be looking at compositing, green screen/keying, colour correcting et al? What would you say are the five things I need to be able to do as a minimum if I want to advertise myself as a middleweight afx designer? I know its a vast program with almost limitless potential but i'm just trying to narrow things down a bit to sensibly ground myself in the software and start to really nail down some fundamentals.
    I realise this is probably a frustratingly vague post but some real-world pointers from guys in the biz would be invaluable. If you were interviewing me, what would expect me to be able to do?
    Cheers guys

    You said it yourself: Too wide and too far a field. If you were to do VFX, obviously rotoscoping and tracking would be more important than other stuff, if you were to get into broadcast design fast turnarounds on stylized graphics matter more. Beyond that my general observation is that most "AE artists" don't really have a handle on their workflows and from sloppy naming conventions to awkward constructs to create simple blending modes I've seen too much. In my view the latter is more important than anything else - you have to know how AE "ticks" and adapt your workflow is rather than trying to bend and mold the program. When you know that, you can do anything reasonably quickly. E.g. in my projects I've always isolated steps by using lots of pre-comps. People will then sometimes accuse me of over-structuring my stuff, but in the crunch, I only have to exchange the logo in a single comp, not delve into the other 20 again. That's the kind of stuff I always go for.
    Mylenium

  • Premiere Pro/After Effects -learning proper workflow?

    I'm just beginning with video editing in Premiere Pro/After effects. I have used more basic apps such as iMovie and GoPro Studio. I understand the principles of post production for still images as I am a veteran photo retoucher. But as I want to produce videos with more professional productions values, my plan is to learn these Adobe apps from the ground up -and properly.
    2 questions:
    1 - Is it correct to assume that most video/audio editing will be performed in Premiere Pro with After Effects used primarily for special affects & enhancements beyond the scope of Premiere Pro? It seems that many features are "Shared", so I want to direct my training efforts in the most appropriate directions.
    2 - Would Lynda.com be the best resource for training? I see that some of their offerings are not always for the most current versions of some apps.
    There seems to be a jumbled assortment of basic training videos from Adobe. Some are intros from Lynda.com while others are from Adobe and go back to CS6.
    Note to Adobe: I would like to see more complete & integrated ADOBE training materials offered for the various CC apps, which would be updated in reasonable relation to newer versions of the various CC apps. I would be willing to pay for quality training materials created by working industry pros.

    1 - Is it correct to assume that most video/audio editing will be performed in Premiere Pro with After Effects used primarily for special affects & enhancements beyond the scope of Premiere Pro? It seems that many features are "Shared", so I want to direct my training efforts in the most appropriate directions.
    premiere pro to edit. they have added some audio features to premiere, but if you do need more advanced audio editing, you can use adobe audition.  the same can be said of premiere and after effects. they seem to keep slowly adding AE features into premiere pro, but when you need to take it beyond the basics, you then need AE.  i would say AE is for visual effects, composting, advanced motion graphics & titling, and fixing video problems with a clip when you cannot in premiere. AE has some tools like the clone tool (photoshop) and rotoscope that premiere doesn't. while you can do some of the same thru different methods in premiere, its just more advanced in AE.
    2 - Would Lynda.com be the best resource for training?
    most of the information on lynda can be found thru others tutorials on youtube and adobe, and blog type websites etc.  however, you could spend a month digging thru the random and unorganized, repetitive information on the web, or just watch a series geared specifically towards the subject you want to learn.  time vs money. i have watched some lynda videos and the essentials courses for adobe products are very well done imo.

  • After effects cs6  explosion  help

    Hi ,
    I am trying to create a boat explosion in front of two people for which i have shot the boat scene(without people) and two people converstaion seperately. Then I have created the exoplosion in after effects. Now I need to join these two videos and make the explosion  appear in front of those people. What best can i do to achieve this. I have tried rotobrushing the people scene, but takes too long and leaves me with rouch edges.
    I hope my question is clear. Please suggest me to get what i want ?
    Thanks,
    Raghu

    if you want the explosion to appear to be between the people and the boat then you need them on different layers. It sounds like you starting down that path but your production planning and execution was lacking.
    Rotobrush or rotoscope by hand is probably your only option unless there is some way to generate a procedural matte or color key all or most of the shot with the people in the scene. A screenshot or sample frame from the shot of the people would give us an idea of the easiest way to create the matte.
    Here are some resources on rotoscoping by hand. Scott Squires has the best explanation of the technique ever. Be sure and also watch part 2 of Scott's tutorial. Here's my short and quick explanation of a very workable solution.
    There are lots of resources for Rotobrush, which can do an amazing job in skilled hands on the right kind of footage. Just type Rotobrush in the Search Help field at the top right corner of the After Effects project window and check out those tuturials.

  • The Lightsaber Effect - After Effects CC

    Hello, my name is Jay,
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    - Jay Newman
    - JayDoesGames2014

    After Effects Help | Tracking and stabilizing motion
    Also, since your light sabers are undoubtedly going to be going behind things, you'll need info on rotoscoping.
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  • After Effects CC trial troubles?

    hi. i have been playing around with making a rotoscope layer in after effects cc trial.i had to find out if i could create a good tracking mask without using a green screen. i spent aaaaages trying to get something i was happy with and now when i render out it only exports my background layer???... did i just waste all that time or am i missing something obvious here? tried some other things and they rendered out... is the trial limited to some stuff??? please help!

    hello again.
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    also. pretty spectacular product u got here! how could u not wanna own it!

  • Final Cut vs After Effects vs Shake

    Hi everyone
    I have been using Final Cut Studio on an Intel mac for a short period and while fcp and Motion cover most of my needs I do need a little bit more on the animation side.
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    Xavier

    Importing graphics from photoshop and illustrator and then manipulating them with live video is the majority of my work.
    <
    Then your only serious choice is After Effects.
    <div class="jive-quote">Very rarely see a studio or serious motion graphics artist who doesn't, but its an expensive option... < </div>
    This is not true at all. AEpro7 is much less expensive than any previous version and it's packed with tons of new stuff and filters for which you are not paying any additional charges. An it incorporates beautifully into CS2's Bridge functionality.
    bogiesan

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