[halen]

Hello!

It would be nice to have some simple camera movements (just some simple zoom in or out) in some paintings, but just now, I don't have 3d programs or experience available - except blender. I saw one mapping tutorial with blender with approximately 12346587 steps in it and now I'm looking for faster, easier ways to do simple camera movements in some situations.

I found out that with After Effects is possible to make some simple movements and use Photoshop layers as "cards" - so the questions are:

1) Is there some easy way (other than just the feeling) to match distance between layers and camera lens to the painting? (or anything needed to make moving and perspective realistic enough)

2) Are some real mattepaintings made with "cards" or is there always 3d when moving the camera?

[Midgardsormr]

Originally Posted by halen

1) Is there some easy way (other than just the feeling) to match distance between layers and camera lens to the painting? (or anything needed to make moving and perspective realistic enough)

If I understand your question correctly, you're asking how to get better precision when placing objects in 3d space?

You can set up different views in After Effects. At the bottom of your composition viewer, there is a drop-down that says "1 view." If you switch it to "2 views" you will get the standard composition (camera) view and a top view where it's easier to see your objects in z-space. To the left of that box is one that says "Active Camera." You can use that to change a viewport to any orthographic view or to look through any camera in your composition.

I usually like to zoom way out of the top view so I can see my camera and lights. You need not restrict your objects to the black box of the composition space in the orthographic views. As long as they are in the camera's angle of view they'll be visible.

[halen]

Originally Posted by Midgardsormr

If I understand your question correctly, you're asking how to get better precision when placing objects in 3d space?

Something like that. If there are some maths or tools that could help to get precisely the distances between cards and the angle of camera view in painting, I'd be happy.

I've been photographing for a while, so I can make some kind of an educated guess about camera focal length (or get it from the plate), but z-distances between cards are just guessing. Here is quick illustration about what I mean:



Points of interest marked with red arrows... ;-)

Originally Posted by Midgardsormr

You can set up different views in After Effects. At the bottom of your composition viewer, there is a drop-down that says "1 view." If you switch it to "2 views" you will get the standard composition (camera) view and a top view where it's easier to see your objects in z-space. To the left of that box is one that says "Active Camera." You can use that to change a viewport to any orthographic view or to look through any camera in your composition.

I usually like to zoom way out of the top view so I can see my camera and lights. You need not restrict your objects to the black box of the composition space in the orthographic views. As long as they are in the camera's angle of view they'll be visible.

Thank you. Getting those views helps, but still thinking that if there is some trick to get those distances.

[Kman]

Hi halen,

I used this tutorial from videocopilot.net to get a subtle camera move working. I had never did one before and it worked out pretty well. Hope this helps.

http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/3d_compositing/

Cheers,
Joe

[halen]

Originally Posted by Kman

Hi halen,

I used this tutorial from videocopilot.net to get a subtle camera move working. I had never did one before and it worked out pretty well. Hope this helps.

http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/3d_compositing/

Thank you. I't a nice tutorial, but covers just about the same things I figured out, but nothing about the z-distange between layers. In some cases maybe it is enought just to move them "far enought" and nobody will notice slight errors in those 2 seconds that matte is visible.

I also refreshed my memory with Dylan Cole's reel from he's website and for example in those Daredevil shots layers are quite a lot closer and z-distanges might be more important (than just moving those far, far away mountains).

But these are just my thoughts. I was looking for some maths, (thumb)rule or something to make it as good as possible in some easy way, because it should be possible to calculate relative distances from perspective/camera lens info, but maybe it's just trial and error and experience.