Setting up the project. Using motion stabilization

Using motion stabilization

Getting started

In previous lessons, you’ve used many of the essential 2D and 3D tools you need for motion graphics design. But Adobe After Effects CS5 also offers motion stabilization, motion tracking, advanced keying tools, distortion effects, the capability to retime footage using the Timewarp effect, support for high dynamic range (HDR) color images, network rendering, and much more. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the motion-stabilization and motion-tracking features to stabilize a handheld camera shot and to track one object to another in an image so that their motion is synchronized. Then you will use corner-pinning to track an object with perspective. Finally, you will explore some of the high-end digital effects available in After Effects CS5: a particle system generator and the Timewarp effect.

This lesson includes multiple projects. Take a peek at all of them before beginning.

1 Make sure the following files are in the AECS5_CIB/Lessons/Lesson13 folder on your hard disk, or copy them from the Adobe After Effects CS5 Classroom in a Book DVD now:

􀁴 In the Assets folder: flowers.mov, Group_Approach[DV].mov, majorspoilers. mov, metronome.mov, mocha_tracking.mov, multipoint_tracking.mov

􀁴 In the Sample_Movies folder: Lesson13_Multipoint.mov, Lesson13_ Particles.mov, Lesson13_Stabilize.mov, Lesson13_Timewarp.mov, Lesson13_ Tracking.mov

2 Open and play the sample movies in the Lesson13/Sample_Movies folder to see the projects you will create in this lesson.

3 When you’re done, quit QuickTime Player. You may delete these sample movies from your hard disk if you have limited storage space.

_ Note: You can view these movies all at once or, if you don’tplan to complete these exercises in one session, you can watch each sample movie just before you are ready to complete the associated exercise.

If you shoot footage using a handheld camera, you will probably end up with shaky shots. Unless this look is intentional, you’ll want to stabilize your shots to eliminateunwanted motion.

To stabilize footage, After Effects first tracks the motion in the shot. It then shifts the position and rotation of each frame as necessary to remove the motion. When played back, the motion appears smooth, because the layer itself moves incrementally to offset the unwanted movement.

As you start After Effects, restore the default application settings for After Effects. See “Restoring default preferences” on page 3.

1 Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS) while starting After Effects CS5 to restore default preferences. When asked whether you want to delete your preferences file, click OK.

2 Click Close to close the Welcome screen. After Effects opens to display a new, untitled project.

3 Choose File > Save As.

4 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the AECS5_CIB/Lessons/Lesson13/ Finished_Projects folder.

5 Name the project Lesson13_Stabilize.aep, and then click Save.

Дата добавления: 2014-11-20