How To Use Camera In After Effects

In this tutorial we'll get you up to speed with everything you need to know to get started with cameras in After Effects.

You may take heard of 2D or 3D, but have you ever heard of the term 2.5D? While this term may seem made-up it'southward actually a very important concept and the backbone for all animation piece of work in After Furnishings. At its core 2.5D is moving 2D objects in 3D space, kinda like paper mario.

Cameras are the hush-hush to unlocking this extra half-dimension in Subsequently Furnishings, and so in this tutorial and article we're going to have a look at using cameras in After Furnishings. Cameras allow Later on Furnishings users to move through their projects in pseudo-3D worlds and an agreement of what a camera is capable of doing is essential for condign a skilled AE artist. Let's-a-go!

Camera Tutorial for After Furnishings

If y'all enjoy watching tutorials more than than reading just check out the following video. The tutorial covers most of the concepts outlined in this article. If you lot accept whatever questions feel free to ship them forth. Remember there is no such affair as a stupid question, except these…

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Understanding Cameras in After Furnishings

Cameras in Later Effects piece of work in a surprisingly similar way to cameras in real-life. Concepts like sensor size, focal length, and iris shape are all represented in the various camera menus in After Effects. Still, Even if you lot accept a groundwork in physical camera work yous can definitely benefit from an overview of the various camera settings in After Furnishings. And then allow's start with the basics.

Creating a Camera in After Furnishings

Creating a new photographic camera in Subsequently Furnishings is super easy. All you have to exercise is create a new limerick and navigate to Layer> Create New Photographic camera. Click Ok and Nail. Your new camera is in the timeline. You can also create a new camera by striking the keyboard shortcut command+pick+shift+C on a Mac or control+alt+shift+c on a PC. (Why do the key names accept to be different?…)

Note: If the layers in your timeline are not ready to 3D you must check the 3D box before they will interact with your photographic camera.

The Camera Menu

Now you lot probably noticed when you created a new camera that a Camera Settings box popped up with bunch of settings that sound like they are from a NASA cockpit. Luckily for us understanding these terms isn't exactly rocket-science. Hither'southward a breakdown of what they mean:

One Node Cameras

• Pros: Easy to Empathize, Easy to Use, Works Well with the Camera Tools, More 'Life-Like'
• Cons: No Point of Interest, No ability to orbit

The get-go setting that you'll meet in the top left is a little box that says One Node or Two Node. A node is simply a point of movement for your camera. Past default Later on Furnishings will select a 2 Node camera, but a I Node camera is a little easier to understand so we'll start with that one.

A one node camera operates in a very similar way to a camera in real life. You lot are able to adjust the pan, tilt, and zoom, forth with the focus altitude. I node cameras don't have points of interest, only they tin be parented to a nada object for further control.

2 Node Camera

• Pros: Great for Orbits, Bang-up for Shots with a Single Focus,
• Cons: Difficult to Control with Complex 3D Motility, Needs to Be

Paired with Cypher Object for Maximum Efficiency. A Two Node photographic camera is a camera with a point of interest. Unlike cameras in real-life a Two Node camera revolves around a single point in 3D infinite. This makes complex movements like orbits and arcs possible. Whereas Ane Node cameras are typically used to simulate realistic photographic camera movements Ii Node cameras can be helpful to create photographic camera movements that wouldn't exist possible in any other fashion.

Ii Node cameras are the most popular blazon of cameras used in After Furnishings, but when you're new to Later Effects they can be kinda catchy to work with so be prepared to troubleshoot a fleck when you kickoff working with them.

ONE NODE OR Ii NODE?

Every bit we stated before the biggest departure betwixt One Node and Two Node cameras is the point of interest. On some projects like logo reveals you may have a specific atypical point that you are trying to work around. If that is the case a 2 Node camera is the fashion to go.

If you're working on a project that needs to look more realistic or just needs simple 3D motility without a lot of circuitous arcs or orbits the Ane Node is the way to go. It completely depends on your project, but if y'all demand the maximum amount of control possible y'all demand to utilise the following method…

THE NULL OBJECT APPROACH

If you're new to parenting I promise yous're getting plenty sleep. If you're new to parenting in After Effects you're in luck. Afterward Effects parenting allows you to connect two different layers' transformation data together. This ways as yous move or scale an object in the parented layer (child) will do the exact same matter. There is a million and five unlike means in which you tin use parenting to your advantage in Afterward Furnishings, simply 1 of the most unique and helpful ways is to parent a camera to a 3D Null Object. To parent a camera to a null object follow these quick steps:

• Set your Null Object to 3D
• Grab the Parent Squiggle on the Camera
• Drop the Connectedness Indicate on the Goose egg Object'due south Proper name

After yous do this you will find that your camera, whether 1 Node or Two, now has the ability to be moved in 3D space by moving the null object at the aforementioned fourth dimension. This will allow you to more hands add camera shake to Ii Node cameras and create complex photographic camera movements like angled tracking shots more easily. However, because the cameras in After Effects were congenital without the need for a null object y'all need to be mindful that any adjustments fabricated to the null object will global change the angles and positions of your photographic camera in the composition. But exist prepared to make a lot of adjustments in the beginning.

The Photographic camera Settings in After Effects

In the scary Camera Settings box you'll encounter a bunch of numbers permit's break down each ane:

FOCAL LENGTH

As you probably know, the focal length on a real camera lens tells a photographer how zoomed in they will be to their subject. The same is true in After Effects. By default the active photographic camera view in After Furnishings is 50mm so if you select the 50mm camera equivalent in the dropdown menu you will see that nil changes when you create the camera. A smaller focal length will create a wider angle lens and a larger focal length will create a more 'zoomed' or 'telephoto' lens. Neato-speedo.

Pic SIZE

Film Size is non the about essential concept to lock-in when we're talking near cameras in After Effects. This is mainly considering a estimator generated photographic camera and a physical camera are totally unlike things. In the real-world picture size is important for understanding crop-factors, bokeh, and even depression-light sensitivity. In After Effects none of these concrete limitations exist so you should but continue the film size at the default 36mm which is After Effects' full-frame equivalent.

ANGLE OF VIEW

Angle of view is exactly what the name implies. The wider the angle of view the wider your photographic camera. You'll notice how your zoom and focal length will likewise exist adjusted as yous change the bending of view.

ZOOM

Zoom is another way of saying focal length. If you adjust the zoom your angle of view and focal length will follow. Like baby ducks.

Depth of Field in Later Effects

Depth of Field is an optical result that blurs out your foreground and background. It's pretty darn essential if y'all desire your projects to expect life-like in Later on Effects or any other Move Design application.

To enable depth of field you tin can either click the 'Enable Depth of Field' button. Below y'all volition encounter settings for Aperture, F-End, and Blur Level. All of these settings can be adjusted after yous create your camera by clicking the little dropdown bill of fare in the timeline next to the photographic camera, and selecting 'Camera Options'. Past default the blurring consequence for depth of field volition not be very intense in Later Effects. Still, by adjusting Discontinuity and Blur Level you can punch in the right amount of blur for y'all. Here's what each one does:Aperture: Similar to a camera in real-life Aperture adjusts how shallow your depth of field is. The larger the Discontinuity the more than shallow the in-focus area will be. Blur Level: Blur Level is a nifty slider that allows you to adjust how much mistiness is applied to your out of focus areas. If only real cameras had this feature…

Tips for Working with Focus Distance in Afterward Furnishings

As the proper name implies Focus Altitude has to practice with the physical altitude in which your camera is focused at whatsoever i signal in fourth dimension. Merely like in existent-life it tin can exist catchy to focus manually in After Effects. And so there are a few tools that you take at your disposal.

1. SET FOCUS Altitude TO LAYER

One of the fastest ways to make sure your Focus Distance is focused to the right layer is to snap the focus using the 'Set Focus to Layer' feature. To practice this select the camera and layer you desire to be in focus and navigate to Layer>Camera>Prepare Focus Distance to Layer. This tool volition allow you lot to apace get the perfect focus for any layer.

2. LINK FOCUS Distance TO LAYER

Like to Set Focus Distance to Layer, if you link your focus distance to your layer your camera will focus on the selected layer. Still, Link Focus Distance to Layer takes it one step farther by writing an expression that will tie your focus distance to the selected layer for the entire composition. This means as the layer moves your focus distance volition move also. Peachy!

The Photographic camera Tools in Afterwards Effects

To move a camera in Later on Effects you need to use one of the iv camera movement tools. Each i does something specific. To activate a photographic camera tool hitting the 'C' primal on your keyboard and bicycle until you have the right layer selected.

THE ORBIT TOOL

With a I Node camera the orbit tool merely pans and tilts. Retrieve of videotaping (is that term obsolete?) a racecar as it speeds past. With a Ii Node camera the orbit tool volition orbit around a point of interest. This makes the orbit tool incredibly powerful if y'all are working with logos or 3D text. The anchor point is not afflicted when you adjust the unified camera tool.

TRACK XY TOOL

The Track XY Tool will track your camera and anchor bespeak along the 10 and Y axis. This tool does the same thing for Ane Node and Two Node Cameras.

Track Z TOOL

The Rail Z tool pushes the camera forwards and backwards in Z-Infinite. Hooray!

UNIFIED Camera TOOL

The Unified Photographic camera Tool basically combines all three of the tools higher up into a single tool. Using your mouse you can speedily move between the orbit tool, Track XY, and Runway Z tools.

• Left Click: Orbit
• Right Click: Track Z
• Middle (Bicycle) Click: Rails XY

This is the fastest way to adapt your camera.

If you've fabricated it this far it's safety to say that y'all are ready to first working with cameras in Later Effects. Just retrieve to point the camera in the right direction.

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Source: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/cameras-after-effects

Posted by: clarknoreed.blogspot.com

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