Immersive Visual Effects / Task 2 / Production

25.10.2024 - 20.12.2024 (Week 5 - Week 13)
Elysa Wee Qi En / 0355060 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Immersive Visual Effects
Task 2 / Production

LECTURES

Week 6 / Green Screen

• Use the Keylight effect to edit out the green screen 
• Refine the settings to fix minor issues like green peeking through hair
• You can first mask out the subject 
• Render as a PNG sequence that you can edit and import again 
• You can use green screen graphics on YouTube etc. and key out the green screen to use in the project

Week 7 / Motion Tracking

• When importing composition from Photoshop, choose 'Retain Layer Size'
  
• Make sure they're editable layers

3D Camera

• Activate the 3D layers
• Activate the top view to look at the active camera and top view at the same time
• Top view makes it easier to see the placement of the objects
• Use 50mm camera 
• Create new null object and change it to 3D 
• Can rename it to 'camera controller' 
• Will control the camera with its own settings
• Parent the other layers to the 'camera controller' 
• Parent the 'camera controller' to the Camera layer

For AR projects:

• Can play with parallax by using 3D camera 
• So when the object (in my case, book or phone) is moved or tilted, the objects will be in different layers

INSTRUCTIONS

Fig. 1. Module Information Booklet

Task 2: Production

After creating the proposal, it was time to move onto bringing our ideas to life. 

I started in Photoshop to separate the characters into multiple layers, and to redraw the background layer. This is necessary so that when the characters are animated and moving, there aren't any empty spaces in the background image. 

In the process I also redrew and recoloured parts of the bottom right of the image, as the original image had some wear and tear on the book cover. 

Fig. 2.1. Process of redrawing background (31/10/2024)

Fig. 2.2. Redrawn background (2/11/2024)

There were also some instances where I had to redraw parts of the characters. This happened most notably when separating Clifford from the girl on him:

Fig. 2.3. Redrawn characters [1] (2/11/2024)

And when I restored the lineart and colour of the child in the bottom right:

Fig. 2.4. Redrawn characters [2] (2/11/2024)

After separating the characters into layers and recolouring what needed to be recoloured, it was time to move on to animating everything. 

Fig. 2.5. Importing the Photoshop project into After Effects (2/11/2024)

I started by animating Clifford, as he is essentially the main focus of the image. Below are some of the keyframes used to animate him. I animated multiple parts of him including his tail, paws, head and nose.

Fig. 2.6. Animating Clifford [1] (19-22/11/2024)

Fig. 2.7. Animating Clifford [2] (19-22/11/2024)

Then, I moved on to animating the other characters. I started with the boy on the bottom right and his dog, then the other two girls. 

Fig. 2.8. Animating the other characters (19-27/11/2024)

The animations of the boy and his dog ended up mroe subtle than the other animations. Clifford's are easily visible due to his size, but I think that the animations of the two girls are more obvious than that of the boy and his dog. I'm unable to really fix this due to time constraints, but it's something to take note of for future projects.

With that, my animation was complete and I was able to move onto the next task.

FINAL Production Submission

Fig. 3. Final Full Book Cover Animation (26/12/2024)

FEEDBACK

Week 7
Specific Feedback:
- Good progress
- Next time can consider looking for larger vector renders of the elements in Google Images
- Higher quality can mean more room to play around
- More animations can be done as well of the dog walking around for example
- Split everything into layers and animate it separately
- Can use Puppet Tool to animate

Week 9
General Feedback:
- An immersive experience can be in many forms, as long as it's interactive
- Make sure the video loops cleanly
Specific Feedback:
- Find a reference video to layer at the back of the animation, so you can map over it
- Try out the app first to figure out how it works, then can take your time on the animation
- Can consider making the dog walk or jump

Week 10
Specific Feedback:
- Ok to switch apps, make sure to log it into the blog
- Counts as technical problem-solving 
- Can look into Adobe Express 

Week 11
Specific Feedback:
- Focus more on the AR part of the work and not the animation, this isn't animation class
- If animation cannot be made smooth, can try and do a stop-motion style as well 
- Try out the AR app with the progress you have so far and then finish the animation after 

REFLECTIONS

Experience
I have had prior experience of using the puppet tool in After Effects in a different module, but this module allowed me more room to experience it for myself and test the limits of the tool. It also gave me the chance to experiment and see what animated movements work best, or what looks good. And of course, it gave me experience in animating with the puppet tool in the first place, like in animating Clifford's tail. Also, I got to experience using Photoshop to redraw the background image where I cut out the characters. Overall, this format of animating a still image is something I have wanted to try for a while, so I'm glad this module gave me the chance to try it out and gain new knowledge and experiences for future projects and/or hobbies. 

Observations
For an image this big, or with this many animations happening separately, subtle animations are easier to miss and not as noticeable. Therefore, I should make sure all the animations are visible even from a sufficient distance. By that I mean, the animations for each character should be noticeable even when viewing the bigger picture, so that each character will receive an equal amount of attention and not any part of the animation will be unappealing compared to the others. This also means ensuring quality and interest all around.

Findings
When animating with the puppet tool, sometimes you'd need to put some pins in certain areas of the image to stop that part from moving. Like for example, when I needed to make the leg of the child in the bottom left move, I had to put a pin in her dress to keep it from morphing or moving when I moved the leg. This trick is simple, but useful in ensuring the characters don't look weird.