Getting good car winshield effects.

[Amadou]

We have a lot of interior car against blue screen scenes (NIGHT). I'm trying to get the best windshield reflections and textures. Does enybody know where I can find windshield textures and how I can make the best possible windshield reflextions? These a city streets. Thank you.

 

[OddBirdman]

Since a windshield is nothing but a surface reflecting the world around it you could take your driving footage you are going patch in over the blue screen, skew it to the shape of the windshield, and then fisheye it some manner, place it over the spot where the window is and then drastically reduce the transparency, so it appears to be on the window. I have no idea if this will work or not. You can also consider the scene in 'National Lampoon's Vacation' where they are driving through Chicago, the gun shots go off, and he says "Roll 'em up." If you pay attention the windows don't go up because there weren't any side windows in the car they used.

 

[Amr Rahmy]

based on this thread and a few earlier ones you made (i recognize the avatar), you got visual effects all wrong. you don't film something first, then try to figure out how to do the effect in post, especially with very limited or almost non existing composting and effects background.

you need to know what you are doing and planning to do before you film anything.

at least grasp the basics of composting and most the tools in after effects with a tutorial course on after effects (try lynda.com, they usually have trial membership options).

you need to understand what the effect is made of, what is added to it, what is subtracted, how it's selected, how it's masked, what is distorted, why is it distorted, how it's blended, ...etc.

you would probably plan to capture the city at night, and your own reference for the windshield at night, distort the city footage to appear mirrored on the virtual windshield that you would make in photoshop or a 3d modeling application. can you do all that with a simple plugin in after effects, probably, but it seems you want to create a movie filled to the bream with visual effects and you won't learn much and struggle next time you want to make something without a plugin to help you.