Another tool in AE that we learned how to use was the liquify tool. It is a versatile filter that can be used for a number of interesting effects, and we covered the basics (which is only scratching the surface!) We were provided with a clip to work with, and it was a relatively short video of an actor playing the Joker. There wasn’t a lot of movement involved, but enough to see the effect of the tool, and the length would make it easier to render out. Following the instructions, I began by going into ‘effect’ at the top […]

Stop trick pixilation is a technique used for making objects appear and disappear as well as transform, in a seemingly impossible manner. It works with frame manipulation and continuity, generally by splicing two different shots together via editing. The reason this effect is hard to notice is because of a phenomenon called persistence of vision which traditionally refers to the optical illusion that occurs when visual perception of an object does not cease even after the rays of light from the object have stopped entering the eye.     We were tasked to try and recreate this in groups. With […]

We had another go with the Sony cameras and green screen and this time we were shown some examples of interesting shot types. We also had the benefit of a light stick, which could create different colours and things like flashing lights and fades. We were asked to take all of the things we learned, along with the new light, to create some interesting shots with texture, colours and different angles. However, the footage from that day has still not been uploaded. When it is, I will add it to this post, but for now, I am going to use […]

Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes (or morphs) one image or shape into another through a seamless transition. Traditionally such a depiction would be achieved through dissolving techniques on film. Since the early 1990s, this has been replaced by computer software to create a more realistic transition. The method we learned involved the reshape effect, and allowed us to morph one face into another in After Effects.     In After Effects, import two faces and align them as best as possible on top of one another, toggling the opacity to match the facial […]

Our introduction to the Sony cameras involved going to a nearby park and working in groups to capture some creative shots. Of course, we went through many rules and safety instructions to make sure everything would go as smoothly and safely as possible. Be careful with the equipment Do not use it outside of its intended use It must be used in a way that is not harmful to anyone Any breakage/incidents/loss/thefts should and will be reported to confetti immediately Wear masks, sanitize and don’t touch the equipment and then your face Be mindful of traffic and in case of […]

Rotoscoping is the process of cutting around or tracing objects and characters to remove them from footage or edit them and is usually used because chroma keying isn’t available or sufficient. It can be quite tedious, so patience and control are needed.   To try it out for ourselves, we used a short video of a man walking and learned colour grading, rotoscoping and degrading.   Demo  Bring in the footage into After Effects. Drag it over the shapes icon and make a new composition.  Go into layer, new, and click adjustment layer. This places a holder, so you can […]

Firstly, let’s answer the question – What is a LUT? LUT stands for lookup table. It is a file that transforms one range of colours to another range of colours, and are mostly used in films and video edits to give them a unique look and feel. Most recently, they have started to be used in photography as well, as they are quite versatile and some people believe them to be like filters, or tools used to enhance the photos.   My LUT Do you want a professional way to change the colour of your Haloween video? Do you want […]

Motion tracking is a technique that involves recording and replicating the motion of objects and cameras in the scene. It’s quite versatile and it can be done in After Effects. A tracker is a tool used to track an object or point in footage. What can usually be seen on the green screen are crosses, which are references or anchor points to put the footage in, called markers. You select a pattern or area of contrast for the tracker to reference (markers help with this) and the tracker looks for that specific pattern in every frame and image, by referencing […]

This masterclass was a lesson on composting, which is the process of combining visual elements from seperate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously called “chroma key”, “blue screen”, “green screen” and other names. Some of the techniques included in compositing are CGI, rotor scoping, 2D/3D mapping, motion tracking, and more. We were to do compositing green screen footage as our lesson. Things I learned: Incrementally saving work is better than saving it in the end. Multiple versions lock the project, create […]

There is so much to explore in Adobe Premiere Pro, so we did a second lesson on video editing techniques! The starter included five words, culture, home, travel, energy, and relax. We were asked to think about what those words meant to us, and a lot of images and memories appeared in my mind, as each of the words were linked to personal experiences. For the next task, we were to choose one of the words as a theme, and I chose energy because I was reminded of my trip to Bulgaria, where I went hiking one of the many […]