Adobe After Effects Help Thread

[shinjipierre]

Still havent figured out how to do those fixed length effects properly

Mmm, maybe you could do it with a text animator per syllable, or a selector per syllable.

The annoying fact about fixed length effects is that they kind of "overide" themselves, so yeah, I don't think one can do it without really separating the syllables. I think the selector per syllable may work and would be ok to work with, but one would have to code it ^^.

Some friend of mine has improved Shinji's script

Well, why don't you share ? I would put it on my website if it's really improved (and better coded than my crap )

[_Anakyn_]

Nah, it's not really improved yet, it's only got the inverse effect selector #1. I've gotta ask him to do some fixes. Once I find the time to ask him, I'll share it, of course ;D

I was asking that because (I think it was you, dj_tjerk) I got this .aep. It contains a few layers and two huge expressions. The romaji is contained in one, only one sentence, but the effect is with a fixed length. With your permission, dj_tjerk, I'm sharing it so you can take a look and solve the mistery.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/4cbfwo

[dj_tjerk]

Yeh.. that's that expression selector (i think still bugged, though i fixed little things many times after that). And the big disadvantage is that you have to paste the opacity/size/whatever into that animator, and that you can use the expression selector just once (since it's pointing to a certain null layer with sliders).

[_Anakyn_]

Take a look at this:

if (textIndex == 1) {
	if (time < 1.05 + timeShift) {
	   amount = 0;
	   }
   else if (time >= 1.05 + timeShift && time <  1.05 + timeShift + timeUp) { 
			amount = 100 * ((time - 1.05 + timeShift)/(timeUp)); 
	}
   else if (time >= 1.05 + timeShift + timeUp && time < 1.05 + timeShift + timeUp + timeDown) { 
			amount = 100 - 100 * ((time - 1.05 + timeShift + timeUp)/(timeDown)); 
	}
	else if (time >= 1.05 + timeShift + timeUp + timeDown) {
			amount = 0;
	}
}
 else if (textIndex == 2) {
	if (time < 1.31 + timeShift) {
	   amount = 0;

See the 1.05 and the 1.31? This is part of the expression on the text layer. These numbers are exactly where the syllables start. I think there's no way doing that grabbing the pickwhip and taking it wherever the layer or property. Was it done with a script? If it wasn't, dj_tjerk, how the heck did you that? D: Awesome expression, btw

[dj_tjerk]

As i said.. that's a script generated expression yes.. and the expression wasnt flawless.. i guess it still isnt.. but it works. Ofcourse I'm still looking for ways to do that thing better, or to make working with it easier (like.. a function or something.. i donno). Keyframe style 5 starts at line 977 (almost at the bottom) in this script, if you wanna look at how it's generated.. Still think Adobe should implement something like a 'fixed length' selector though, just for us kara people :P

[_Anakyn_]

True, SUCH a tedious way to do it... -_- Let the pr0s talk. Shinji, Paul, what about doing a fixed length kara in one same sentence, not layers by syllables like Paul's script? Is it possible?

[shinjipierre]

Well, I did a sample in 15 minutes, I think it's what you want to do...

1 second before the syllable is sung, position -40 and opacity 0.

http://naru.easynetonline.net/yaoith..._length_01.avi

Didn't do the whole sentence, though, too lazy. And if it's what you want, I'll provide the aep and you code it yourself, i'm not bothering myself with that unless someone wants to pay me for all the hard work

[_Anakyn_]

I'd be very glad if you can provide me this .aep ^_^ The fact is, I want to do in AFX things that can practically only done in SSA. Why? Dunno, don't ask me why, I just want to be different. Once I get my new laptop I'll share with you my presets, which are not many, but some of them are cute

[MoonLight-]

hi,

i screenshot this pictures from School Days which subed by Conclave.

the text,, how do I hide the text behind the original character like the pic?
actully, it'd be annyong to use Mask >_<

[pichu]

HAH, I made that sign using mask... Right now, I favor over keying. (About 80% or more of the signs I made involve keying, and about 30% of the signs are mixed [mask + key] - mixing them gives the best results)

Simple Color Keying Tutorial:

1. Precomp all the layers you created/typesetted.

2. Duplicate the bottom video layer

3. Move that layer to right above the precomp, and check on SOLO button, so that you can observe only the top video layer.

4. Add Effect: Keying->Color Keying (Color Range would work too but it gives less degree of freedom to tweak) on the top video layer; depending in the situation, you can choose other keying... The common keyings I found useful in anime are: Color keying, Color Range, Luma Key (for light sources and fogs), and Difference Matte (for known static images).

5. Under Color key effect, handpick the color of the hand or the object, and tweak it... I'd set edge feathering and edge thin too because of the border colors.

6. Duplicate that effect and change the color key to the hand shadow color instead... You can add more effects to make the keying better like simple choker, etc.

7. Finally, set track-matte to Alpha Matte for the typesetting layer/precomp.

Alternatively, you can color key the background paper... Also remember to take care of the shadow colors while you're at it; they get annoying from time to time. This time, use Alpha Invert Matte instead.

--

Sample Work:

http://pichu.org/stuff/tosho03_title.png - Luma Key for fogs and bricks
http://pichu.org/stuff/moyashimon_logo_demo.avi - Color keying for separating the germs out, and Color keying + mask for hiding the logo behind the balls towards the end (mask the white one since it's too close to the background color, white).

[mad_cracker]

OMG, lol. That´s too much work. You could use one mask only and keyframe it. It's just a hand, there's nothing complicated to mask.

[pichu]

Originally Posted by mad_cracker

OMG, lol. That´s too much work. You could use one mask only and keyframe it. It's just a hand, there's nothing complicated to mask.

HUH? Keying is way easier than masking... You don't even need to set keyframes for keying; you only need that when the colors change but that's easy to deal with too... Sometimes there are too many frames to set keyframes. (and I'm not talking about 10 kf's; sometimes i have to deal with 30-50 frames of masks) Live and learn.

Then again, I take advantage of both all the time. -_-

And, I think the hand moves or twists too -- I can do keying for that scene in under a minute. Animated masking requires precisions, hence taking a much longer time.. Also, I think the person is asking an alternative way of doing it without masking as you noticed about his expression when saying 'mask' :/

[dj_tjerk]

Meh... I usually try keying first, but I've had many many many cases where it didnt work.. even difference keying doesnt always work.. And for goodlooking stuff (but very time consuming), masking is the way to go :P (or a mix, like if certain parts are/aren't visible.. just remove/add those with a mask.

[shinjipierre]

I'd be very glad if you can provide me this .aep

http://naru.easynetonline.net/yaoith...ara/projet.aep
Here you go.

Keying->Color Keying

What the hell, you're still using that ? Use keylight.

HUH? Keying is way easier than masking... You don't even need to set keyframes for keying

Good thing you only work on animes, ahaha. Didn't have the same luck with the last short movie I worked on... a flickering, grainy, DV quality, camera traveling, 1min40 long shoot on a bluescreen. Gonna rememeber that for a long while ^^.

http://pichu.org/stuff/tosho03_title.png - Luma Key for fogs and bricks

Don't bother using luma key, just use the "fog" layer on multiply next time.

http://pichu.org/stuff/moyashimon_logo_demo.avi

As for that... what's the point of copying the whole thing ? Try to be more artistic, you've completely broken the composition of the title by doing that.

[dj_tjerk]

Seperate selectors is one way to do it yes.. but the whole reason i ever made an expression is because i thought i could link the 'amount' of a new expression selector with say, position and color changes, to the amount of the expression selector that had that script generated expression.

I never had problems with linking expressions to properties that already have expression applied to them, so i wasnt that wrong in thinking that'd be possible.. I just guess the amount property is special~ (/me looks angry at people at Adobe)

I guess it should be somehow possible to make an expression that links to a variable amount of script generated range selectors, however, i don't think that's one's idea of 'simple and easy'.

Also, for za noobs in here (that want to use keylight of course), it's included in After Effects CS3, and the bugfix patch is freely available at The Foundry's site. The amount of changeable settings in keylight scared me off though, guess i should read into it >_>

[pichu]

Originally Posted by shinjipierre

http://naru.easynetonline.net/yaoith...ara/projet.aep
Here you go.



What the hell, you're still using that ? Use keylight.

Yeah I used keylight a few times... It works better in real-life videos than anime. But for as simple as one single color source, colorkey is fine--since this is anime we're speaking: celshades and stuff.

Good thing you only work on animes, ahaha. Didn't have the same luck with the last short movie I worked on... a flickering, grainy, DV quality, camera traveling, 1min40 long shoot on a bluescreen. Gonna rememeber that for a long while ^^.

Yep... that's why I mentioned about Anime ;p

Don't bother using luma key, just use the "fog" layer on multiply next time.

NOT when I'm not going to create the fog. The fog is already there. :/

As for that... what's the point of copying the whole thing ? Try to be more artistic, you've completely broken the composition of the title by doing that.

*has no artistic skills*

[shinjipierre]

Seperate selectors is one way to do it yes.. but the whole reason i ever made an expression is because i thought i could link the 'amount' of a new expression selector with say, position and color changes, to the amount of the expression selector that had that script generated expression.

The thing is that my example can be coded in the script I already did quite easily... so...
Maybe your expression works, though.

[dj_tjerk]

coded or not.. it's about the ease of use after that.. now you can say my 'expression selector' and your range-selector per syllable have the same ease of use, sort of.. You can't just copy that animator to every other layer, because then the timing is way off..

[_Anakyn_]

Originally Posted by shinjipierre

The thing is that my example can be coded in the script I already did quite easily... so...
Maybe your expression works, though.

How do you code it, dude? D: That's what I don't know how to do >o< Any clues? I'm still "learning" scripting, I'm too n00b to create one on my own.

[pichu]

Originally Posted by _Anakyn_

How do you code it, dude? D: That's what I don't know how to do >o< Any clues? I'm still "learning" scripting, I'm too n00b to create one on my own.

There is a big problem with fixed length selector, if you haven't noticed it. For instance, if you want an effect to have a constant duration of 0.5s for every syllables, it's possible that the next effect starts before the last effect ends. The workaround, of course, is to duplicate all the syllables per layers, as that is the only way you can overlap some of the effects. (note: my first few karaoke involved fixed-length effects using syllable per layer style--but it takes too long to render and way too many layers (think: 1000 layers per project)) However, this is too time consuming, and that the effect may not turn out what you want it to be, especially when dealing with blendings. Another workaround is that you can avoid by using ONLY text animators. If that is what you want, I can write a simple script for you to use... It will generate range selector's keyframes from Keyframe style1 and from your designed text animator (you need to create such a text animator first with your effects and expressions, because I wasn't sure if you can insert "Effects Selector" later on) via multiple range selectors (each will designate as one syllable; it will be multiple ranges because some syllables will overlap with each other) -- based on the parameters you choose.

But do tell me what do you want, since I've never used any of the scripts before

As for syllable per layer, I can't really make it based on the existing scripts; they'll be more work than writing my own from scratch. Note: .ass-style karaoke.