Return-Path: Received: from host6.canaca.com ([66.49.160.142] verified) by media-motion.tv (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.2.10) with ESMTP-TLS id 4890797 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Sun, 04 Nov 2012 23:26:20 +0100 Received: from 207-195-100-23.regn.static.sasknet.sk.ca ([207.195.100.23]:58361 helo=[192.168.1.42]) by host6.canaca.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES128-SHA:128) (Exim 4.80) (envelope-from ) id 1TV8gu-0005nV-Q0 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Sun, 04 Nov 2012 17:29:17 -0500 From: Jack Tunnicliffe Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="Apple-Mail=_AC811A16-4C63-44E2-AF9E-99088D900A97" Message-Id: <45AA37F8-59A5-429F-BA52-03C4CD03E913@javapost.ca> Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 6.2 \(1499\)) Subject: Re: [AE] pulling a better difference matte? Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2012 16:29:23 -0600 References: To: "After Effects Mail List" In-Reply-To: X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1499) X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - host6.canaca.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - media-motion.tv X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - javapost.ca X-Get-Message-Sender-Via: host6.canaca.com: authenticated_id: jack+javapost.ca/only user confirmed/virtual account not confirmed X-Source: X-Source-Args: X-Source-Dir: --Apple-Mail=_AC811A16-4C63-44E2-AF9E-99088D900A97 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Assuming you gave the old roto brush in AE a try? It's pretty good in = CS6. Jack Tunnicliffe Java Post Production www.javapost.ca On Nov 4, 2012, at 4:19 PM, Teddy Gage wrote: > Hello, I'm working on an indie film and they have presented me = with some "interesting technical challenges," to put it diplomatically. = The current shot I'm working on is two actors getting riddled with = bullets, with no practical effects or greenscreen. I am adding blood, = bullet holes, dust, smoke and glass. they are flailing about like rag = dolls then go down. It lasts about five seconds. There are rows of = shelves behind them with glass bottles that stay intact throughout the = shot. In a separate shot, the director then pulled the bottles off the = shelves using strings, and the two shots need to be composited together. = If only the actors had been shot on greenscreen, this would be easy. But = there are enough changes between shots that a difference key only gets = me about 50% of the way there. However this ancient effect is not = 32-bit, has awful controls, and it's almost impossible to get a clean = difference matte; half the background is pulled into the effect and I = cannot cleanly separate the actors. >=20 > Of course, I could roto actors out of the scene, then lay them on top = of the glasses breaking, but I'd like to avoid this. Are there any tools = that are better for pulling out a motion matte from a static background = other than difference matte? Or is there another way to do this I'm not = thinking of?=20 >=20 > The approach I currently have going is to pull a difference key of the = bottles flying off the shelves from the static shot, then to roto the = actors' arms etc. in just the regions where they intersect with the = bottles. This way it appears the bottles are being shot up behind the = actors, as they should be. This at least saves me from having to do a = full roto of each actor against the background. Would love to hear any = other suggestions, thanks > TG >=20 > --=20 > Animator & Editor > www.teddygage.com > Brooklyn >=20 --Apple-Mail=_AC811A16-4C63-44E2-AF9E-99088D900A97 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1

Jack Tunnicliffe

Java Post Production

www.javapost.ca

On Nov 4, 2012, at 4:19 PM, Teddy Gage <teddygage@gmail.com> = wrote:

Hello, I'm working on an indie = film and they have presented me with some "interesting technical = challenges," to put it diplomatically. The current shot I'm working on = is two actors getting riddled with bullets, with no practical effects or = greenscreen. I am adding blood, bullet holes, dust, smoke and glass. = they are flailing about like rag dolls then go down. It lasts about five = seconds. There are rows of shelves behind them with glass bottles that = stay intact throughout the shot. In a separate shot, the director then = pulled the bottles off the shelves using strings, and the two shots need = to be composited together. If only the actors had been shot on = greenscreen, this would be easy. But there are enough changes between = shots that a difference key only gets me about 50% of the way there. = However this ancient effect is not 32-bit, has awful controls, and it's = almost impossible to get a clean difference matte; half the background = is pulled into the effect and I cannot cleanly separate the actors.

Of course, I could roto actors out of the scene, then lay them on = top of the glasses breaking, but I'd like to avoid this. Are there any = tools that are better for pulling out a motion matte from a static = background other than difference matte? Or is there another way to do = this I'm not thinking of?

The approach I currently have going is to pull a difference key of = the bottles flying off the shelves from the static shot, then to roto = the actors' arms etc. in just the regions where they intersect with the = bottles. This way it appears the bottles are being shot up behind the = actors, as they should be. This at least saves me from having to do a = full roto of each actor against the background. Would love to hear any = other suggestions, thanks
TG

--
Animator & = Editor
www.teddygage.com
Brooklyn

= --Apple-Mail=_AC811A16-4C63-44E2-AF9E-99088D900A97--