How to produce the layering effect

J

jmlau

Well-known member
Hey,

So this might be in the forums already but I'm not sure what the official title of the effect is so I wouldn't even know what to search...

Here is a video example (not made by me):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyB_U9vn6Wk&hd=1

At the beginning when the girl sits on the bench and the title screen "Love Language" is covered, how is it done so that the part covered by her is gone but the rest of the title is still there? I don't think it's a frame-by-frame "erase" of that section of the title, as that would seem too tedious.

Also, when the biker rides through the title and makes it disappear, would that just be a fade/wipe that is time with the biker?

Thanks.
 
Is there a tutorial somewhere about this? Or an "official" name to this effect that I can search?
 
jmlau said:
At the beginning when the girl sits on the bench and the title screen "Love Language" is covered, how is it done so that the part covered by her is gone but the rest of the title is still there? ... Also, when the biker rides through the title and makes it disappear, would that just be a fade/wipe that is time with the biker?
Click to expand...

It's a keyframe-animated use of the Right Crop control in the motion tab, both for the girl and for the bike. This is a pretty poor attempt at this effect, too, as the straight edge of the crop makes it pretty obvious.

jmlau said:
I don't think it's a frame-by-frame "erase" of that section of the title, as that would seem too tedious.
Click to expand...

You need to understand that effects like this, when done professionally and done well, are tedious. You can't get everything you want in post production with a point-and-click plug-in. To do it right, it has to be done with excruciating detail.

For this type of effect to be done the right way, it would use frame-by-frame masking (aka rotoscope) to cover the text and to keep the edge right up against, and in the shape of, her sweater sleeve.
 
C2V said:
You need to understand that effects like this, when done professionally and done well, are tedious. You can't get everything you want in post production with a point-and-click plug-in. To do it right, it has to be done with excruciating detail.

For this type of effect to be done the right way, it would use frame-by-frame masking (aka rotoscope) to cover the text and to keep the edge right up against, and in the shape of, her sweater sleeve.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have done rotoscoping before. I didn't think there was an "easy way out" or a "shortcut" but I thought that rotoscoping wasn't used as often as it is.
Thanks!
 
jmlau said:
Thanks. I have done rotoscoping before. I didn't think there was an "easy way out" or a "shortcut" but I thought that rotoscoping wasn't used as often as it is.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

The easy shortcut is to pay a lot of money for software like Mocha that can automate the roto for you. Or to hire a roto artist.
 
5 minutes in After effects just animating a feathered mask gets you 75% of the way there with this effect, it's just a shame the last 25% is a real pain in the arse and takes a hell of a lot longer. (Manually rotoing or using keyer wizardry - which doesn't always work with certain types of footage)
 
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