Saturday, December 25, 2010
Rotoscoping and Keying
with Adobe After Effects
Richard Harrington - RHED Pixel
www.RHEDPixel.com
www.RichardHarringtonBlog.com
twitter.com/
rhedpixel
Saturday, December 25, 2010
facebook.com/
RichHarringtonStuff
linkedin.com/in/
richardharrington
youtube.com/
rhedpixeltv
Richard Harrington
RHED Pixel (www.rhedpixel.com)
Adobe Certified Expert & Trainer
Apple Certified Trainer
Avid Master Editor
Project Management
Professional
Teach courses on digital media
production and web content
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Author of Several Books
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Podcasts
Video Made on a Mac
Understanding
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop for Video
Photoshop CS4 Sneak Peek
Final Cut Help
Aperture 2 Quick Tip
Producing Video Podcasts
MacBreak Work
Saturday, December 25, 2010
About You
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Photoshop Version
After Effects Version
Photoshop CS5
After Effects CS5
Photoshop CS4
After Effects CS4
Photoshop CS3
After Effects CS3
Earlier
Earlier
About You
Motion Graphic Artist
Compositor
Editor
Multimedia/Web Design
Production
Educator
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Agenda
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Agenda
Alpha Channels Defined
Acquiring Footage for Chroma Key
Keying in Adobe After Effects
Storing Transparency in Exported Files
RotoBrush Strategies
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Shooting
Chroma Key
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Acquisition Format
The footage of many consumer-grade cameras is
heavily compressed in order to save on storage costs
A bigger image does not mean better chroma keying
Avoid shooting formats like DV or HDV
Avoid SD cards or DVD as footage heavily compressed
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Progressive vs. Interlaced
Video footage is traditionally interlaced
Allows smoother image quality on CRT-based devices
First implemented in the 1930’s as cathode ray tubes
became brighter (and subsequently flickered more)
Cameras are readily available to shoot progressive
A progressive format is highly desirable
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Turn off All the
Autos on Camera
No auto exposure
No auto-white balance
No auto-focus
If left on, the footage will
constantly be changing as your
subject moves
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Lighting Essentials
Minimize variation in colors for
the backdrop
Evenly light the background to
avoid hot spots
Use well-lit subjects that don’t
cast shadows on the backdrop
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Lighting Essentials
Place the foreground far enough
away from the backdrop
Light with softboxes or
fluorescent lights
Match the foreground to
background
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Shooting Essentials
Keep your subject and your
camera as far away from the
screen as possible
Avoid fast movement
Use shallow depth of field
Use a Garbage Matte
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Alpha Channels
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The Role of Transparency
Transparency plays a key role in the success of both
animation and interactivity
By embedding transparency into graphic elements, you
can composite different elements together
This allows for flexibility as it allows elements created
at different times to be composited together
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The History of
Alpha Channels
Evolved in the late 1970’s at
the New York Institute of
Technology
Continued to be refined at both
Lucasfilm and Pixar
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The History of
Alpha Channels
By correctly employing alpha
channels embedded into
footage layers, transparency
data can travel seamlessly
between Adobe Photoshop,
After Effects, and Flash
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Creating
Alpha Channels
One common technique for video
footage is to use chroma key
technology. By shooting
elements against a blue or green
screen, the background can be
easily removed. The technology
is hardly new, making its first
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Keying in
After Effects
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Using Keylight
The technology used in Keylight uses a core algorithm
written by the Computer Film Company
Has been used on numerous feature films including
Harry Potter, Mission Impossible, and Sweeney Todd
Keylight has won the Academy Award for Technical
Excellence and is a one-stop-shop for keying,
despill and color correction
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Using Keylight
When applied, you choose a color to key out
The effect then does two things:
First it erases all of the pixels that match the color
Second it removes that color spill from other pixels
It will remove the backdrop and greatly reduce any
green reflections on the foreground
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Exporting with
Transparency
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Export to Video
Be sure to include an alpha channel
For best results, choose a Straight Alpha Channel
Render to a codec that support embedded alpha
channels like Animation or ProRes 4:4:4:4
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Exporting with
Transparency to Flash
Only the On2 VP6 supports the use of an alpha channel
Use tight composition with square pixels
Choose Composition > Add to Render Queue
Click the Best Settings to customize Output
Specify a lower frame rate
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Exporting with
Transparency to Flash
Click OK to store the Render Settings
Click Lossless to open the Output Module Settings
Change Format to FLV and click Format Options… button
Click the Preset list and choose FLV – Same as Source
(Flash 8 and Higher)
In the Basic Video Settings area, check the box next to
Encode Alpha Channel to include transparency
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Exporting with
Transparency to Flash
In the Advanced Settings area click the Quality list and
choose Best for the highest quality (yet slowest) encode
Lower the data rate to 1000 k
Click OK to store the Format Options & Output Module
In the Render Queue, Click Render to create the file
The resulting file is now ready to use in a Flash project
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Roto Brush
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Roto Brush
Isolate moving foreground from their backgrounds
dramatically faster using a revolutionary approach.
Just identify foreground and background elements, and
let After Effects do most of the work in creating
transparency around your foreground elements.
Fine-tuning selection edges is fast and easy, even when
you need precise results.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Roto Brush
The Roto Brush tool is ideal for projects that don't have
a budget for rotoscoping, or to get high-quality
preliminary results that you can refine further.
Can be a processor intensive effect
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Questions &
Answers
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Resources
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Author of Several Books
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Video Made
on a Mac
Focusses on Integration of
Adobe and Apple Software
For Video Pros and new users
Emphasize on saving time
Includes 5.5 hours video
Saturday, December 25, 2010
After Effects for Flash
Flash for After Effects
Released at NAB
Explores CS4 features
Emphasis on interaction
between Flash and AE
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Podcasts
Video Made on a Mac
Understanding
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop for Video
Photoshop CS4 Sneak Peek
Final Cut Help
Aperture 2 Quick Tip
Producing Video Podcasts
MacBreak Work
Saturday, December 25, 2010
•
•
•
•
Portable Training
For iPod touch/iPhone
Videos, Quizzes & Files
99¢ Special during
Photoshop World
• tinyurl.com/upapp
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Richard Harrington
RHED Pixel (www.rhedpixel.com)
Technical Questions via
Creative Cow
All Resources link from
www.RHEDPixel.tv
Available for consultation
Feel free to grab a business card
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Richard Harrington
twitter.com/
rhedpixel
facebook.com/
RichHarringtonStuff
linkedin.com/in/
richardharrington
youtube.com/
rhedpixeltv
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Contract# GS-07F-0053V
541–1 Advertising Services
541–4B Video/Film Production
541–5 Integrated Marketing Services
Contract# GS-07F-0054V
541–4ECommercial Photography
541–4B Commercial Art and Graphic Design
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Rotoscoping and Keying
with Adobe After Effects
Richard Harrington - RHED Pixel
www.RHEDPixel.com
www.RichardHarringtonBlog.com
twitter.com/
rhedpixel
Saturday, December 25, 2010
facebook.com/
RichHarringtonStuff
linkedin.com/in/
richardharrington
youtube.com/
rhedpixeltv