Narrative Motion Graphics Lesson I: Tracking Tools Grad Student VFX Presentations

GRAD STUDENT VFX PRESENTATIONS! STARTING TODAY: Prepared presentations! State your name and the topic of your tutorial. Show a finished version of your tutorial, so we understand what is intended. Show where to find your steps document and any needed materials on Piazza (should be under VFX presentations). Go through the steps as efficiently and clearly as you can, staying around 10 minutes. Some people may try to follow along, but you do not have time to wait for them after each step. Answer questions at the end!

3D Footage Tracking 2a: Text EXERCISE : Track Footage to Composite Text Import panning or orbiting footage (camera needs to move, not just pivot). Drag onto Film Icon to make a comp. NOTE: If working on a laptop, set framerate lower to speed up your process: At bottom of viewport set FrameRate from Full to Quarter. Find 3D Camera Tracker (type into Effects / Presets). Drag onto your footage in the Timeline. Wait for all processing to complete.

3D Footage Tracking 2b: Text Choose 3-5 tracking points on the desired side by selecting around them or holding [Shift] to add. To increase the display of tracking dots see "Track Point Size“ in the Effects panel. RightClick the Target icon that defines your chosen plane. Choose "Create Text and Camera". The word “Text” appears in a new 3D layer and the scene. Hit Play to see it mapped to the plane we defined. More Texts can be added to the same or different Targets: Select the footage layer > Effects > 3D Camera Tracker to bring back the tracking- points, RightClick a target and choose “Create Text” (only one Camera is allowed).

3D Footage Tracking 2b: Text Adjustments DoubleClick the Text layer to type your message. In the Character panel set the font size, color, style, kerning, vertical and horizontal stretch.  Click away from the Text layer and back on it. Scrub the Timeslider to find a more straight-on view. Hit [w] to set Rotation Transforms to get the desired angles for X, Y, and Z. Hit [v] for the 3D movement gizmo. Move the Text object in 3D space to the desired location. If we stray far from the original location on Z, the tracking effect may degrade.  Optionally set opacity under Transforms or Animate > Opacity Turn on Motion Blur for the project and the Text layer.  Notes from this tutorial:  http://bit.ly/2D3UdUz

3D Footage Tracking 2c: Shadows Basic Text Shadows (faked): http://bit.ly/2ItR4ky Duplicate the Text layer. Select the duplicate Text and change color to black. Set opacity to 40% (Transforms or Animate > Opacity). Rotate in 3D space to imitate the ground plane. More Advanced Text Shadows (cast): http://bit.ly/2ItA5yK RightClick the same Tracking Target as the Text and add a "ShadowCatcher and Light" (just a solid layer set to only read shadows: Material Options > Accepts Shadows = “Only”).  The Text is black because the light is too far way: Open Position for the Text. Select the Position track and hit [Cmd/Ctrl]+[C] to copy the values, then open the Light position, select it and hit [Cmd/Ctrl]+[V] to paste the values. Hit [v] to move the light on the axes further away to see it shine on the text. Select and move the ShadowCatcher to see shadows cast on it. Open its Material Options to set Accepts Shadows = “Off” to make the surface visible. Scale it much larger (can drag sides). In Text layer Materials Options set Accepts Lights = Off, so it is just bright white. Parent the ShadowCatcher to the Text layer, and Move/ Rotate the Text into final position/orientation, as desired. Set ShadowCatcher Accepts Shadows back to “Only.” 

Tracking 3a: Tracking Moving Objects Track moving objects, like a person on the street, an eyeball or a fingers in a  close-up. Import footage, drag to film icon to make a Comp. RightClick to Pre-compose, select Move All Attributes into Precomp. Layer > New > Null Object for each thing you want to track (if you want to track all the fingers on two hands, that is 10 Nulls). Name each Null. Select the Precomp footage layer, open Animation > Track Motion (NOT 3D Camera Tracker). Hit [Track Motion]. For a close-up of fingers or an eye we can turn off Rotation and Scale-- we just want Position checked.  Hit [Options] to choose the Channel to track (look for high contrast: if light vs dark is good for the elements you want to track, then use Luminence). Also set bottom rolldown to "Stop Tracking" (instead of Adapt Feature) and confidence to 90% (so if it is not at least 90% sure it is doing it right, it will stop, we push it back into place, and it will keep going). Hit [OK]. Hit [Edit Target] to choose the Null for the element you want to track. Hit [OK]

Footage Tracking 3b: In the Viewport We get two concentric rectangles: an outer Search Region and an inner Feature Region. Move to the element you want to track (that matches the selected Null) and scale the Regions to the desired size (Feature should surround element, search should be a bit wider, to aide in tracking). Next to Analyze find and click the Forward arrow. It will track until it loses confidence. Nudge back on track if necessary and hit Analyze Forward again, or Backwards, as needed. Hit [Apply] and [OK] to apply it to the Null, and then scrub or play to see the Null attached to the track. Repeat for all desired tracked elements! To add images to the track, drag them (ideally as Pre-comps) to layers above the Null  they are meant to follow, position as desired over the tracked element, and parent-whip to the Null. NOTES: For a larger area that may turn, like the side of a face, we would want to track position and rotation, which creates two tracking regions, each with and outer Search and inner Feature rectangle. Creating a cool Iron Man hologram HUD? Try adding Effects > Stylize > Glow, and then change Blending Mode from Normal to Add. Set Glow Colors to “A & B Colors,” set colors below, increase Glow Radius. NOTE: An Effect and its settings in the Effect Controls panel can be copied [Cmd/Ctrl]+[c] and then pasted on selected layers [Cmd/Ctrl]+[v]. Enable motion blur for the project and then for each element layer.

HOMEWORK 10 Due on Piazza hw10 an hour before class next week: HOMEWORK #10: FINAL PROJECT: Pre-production: Draft a full storyboard as a series of still images (one or two per shot), timed in After Effects, with audio. I recommend you start with a series of note-card sketches, drawing with a large sharpy so you are not worried about details. Then create more detailed images digitally, and time them in After Effects to match your audio.