This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Outputting your project
You’ll render your movie to complete the project.
Choose File > Export > Add To Render Queue.
In the Render Queue panel, click the blue words Best Settings.
In the Render Settings dialog box, choose Half from the Resolution menu, and make sure Use Comp’s Frame Rate is selected in the Frame Rate area. Then click OK.
The Render Settings dialog box is cropped with the upper sections displayed. Half is selected from the Resolution menu and highlighted. Use Comp’s Frame Rate is selected in the Frame Rate area and highlighted. All other options are at their default settings.
Click the blue text next to Output Module. Then, at the bottom of the Output Module Settings dialog box, choose Audio Output Off, and click OK.
The Output Module Settings dialog box is cropped with the lower section displayed. In the upper right, Audio Output Off is displayed in the menu. In the lower right, a cursor is selecting OK.
Click the blue text next to Output To. In the Output Movie To dialog box, navigate to the Lessons/Lesson09/Finished_Project folder, and click Save.
Click Render in the top right corner of the Render Queue panel.
The Render Queue shows the Chickadee composition selected. In the Render Settings section, Custom: Best Settings is displayed. In the Output Module section, Custom: H.264 is displayed. In the Output To section, Chickadee.mp4 is displayed. All other options are at their default settings. In the upper right, a cursor is selecting the Render button.
When the project has rendered, save and close it.
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Congratulations! You’ve separated a foreground object from the background, replaced and modified the background, and animated some text to complete the movie. You’re ready to use the Roto Brush tool on your own projects.
Extra credit
Tracking faces
The face-tracking feature in After Effects makes it easier to track a face or specific facial features, such as lips or eyes. Previously, tracking a face required roto brushing or complex keying.
Choose File > New > New Project.
Click the New Composition From Footage button in the Composition panel, and then navigate to the Lessons/Lesson09/Assets folder. Select the Facetracking.mov file, and click Import or Open.
Select the Facetracking.mov layer in the Timeline panel. Then, select the Ellipse tool, hidden by the Rectangle tool in the Tools panel.
Drag an elliptical mask roughly covering the face.
Right-click the Mask 1 layer, and choose Track Mask.
In the Tracker panel, choose Face Tracking (Outline Only) from the Method menu.
A face tracking timeline panel shows the source name. Top of the stack is the file, face tracking dot m o v which is selected. The mask property below the source name is expanded and the option of track mask is selected from the listed options. The track mask option opens the tracker panel which is shown beside the timeline panel. The tracker panel shows a list of options under the method menu. The option, position, scale, and rotation are checked and the option, face tracking (outline only) is selected.
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The Face Tracking (Outline Only) option tracks the entire face. The Face Tracking (Detailed Features) option tracks the outline plus the lips, eyes, and other distinctive facial features. You can export detailed facial data for use in Character Animator, or you can use it in After Effects to apply effects or to match it with another layer, such as an eye patch or a hat.
Click the Track Forward button in the Tracker panel.
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The Tracker tracks the face, changing the mask’s shape and position as the face moves.
Press the Home key to return to the beginning of the timeline, and then move the current-time indicator across the time ruler to see how the mask moves with the face.
In the Effects & Presets panel, search for Bright. Then drag the Brightness & Contrast effect onto the Facetracking.mov layer in the Timeline panel.
Expand Effects > Brightness & Contrast > Compositing Options in the Timeline panel.
Click the + icon next to Compositing Options. Choose Mask 1 from the Mask Reference 1 menu, and increase Brightness to 50.
The masked area of the face brightens, but nothing else does. This setting is too bright, and the edge of the mask is too abrupt. You’ll make it more subtle.
Reduce the Brightness to 20.
Expand the Mask 1 properties. Change the Mask Feather property to 70, 70 pixels.
In the face tracking timeline panel the mask 1 property is selected and the expanded view of the property shows the following options, mask path is set to shape, mask feather is set to 70.0, 70.0 pixels, mask opacity is set to 100 percent, mask expansion is set to 0.0 pixels. Below the option of mask 1 is the effects option. Under the effects category the option, brightness, and contrast are reset and the properties under the brightness and contrast option display the following options, brightness is set to 20, contrast is set to 0, use leg, ports H D R) option is set as off. The corresponding composition panel showing the clip of the young boy shows just his face outlined excluding his ears.
Save the project to the Lessons/Lesson09/Finished_Project folder. Then close the file.
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You can use the face tracker to blur a face, brighten it, or add any other effect. You can also invert the mask to affect everything but the face.