Understanding 3D Camera Tracking: Part 8

Understanding 3D Camera Tracking: Part 8

What You'll Be Creating

1. Project Setting

Step 1

Open After Effects.

Open After Effects

Step 2

Go to Composition > New Composition to make a new composition. Set the Width and Height values to 1280 and 720 respectively. 

Set the Frame Rate to 25 and Duration to 12 seconds. Click on OK.

Composition > New Composition

Step 3

Press Ctrl-I to open the Import File window. The live action footage is in image sequence. Select the first frame, turn on the JPEG Sequence option and click on Open.

Import File window

Step 4

With the image sequence selected, drag and drop it inside the composition. You'll see the footage in the comp view.

Timeline

2. Camera Tracking in After Effects

Step 1

With the image sequence layer selected, go to Animation > Track Camera.

Animation > Track Camera

Step 2

As soon as you apply the 3D Camera Tracker effect, the system starts analysing and solving the footage. You'll see the progress in the comp view. 

Since the 3D camera tracker system analyses the footage in two steps, hence it might take some time to complete.

3D Camera Tracker

Step 3

Once the tracking is done, you get several track points on the footage.

Track points

Step 4

These track points would help to generate the dummy 3D plane/null and the camera. You need to select several points as shown in the following image.

Track points

Step 5

With the indicated points selected, secondary-click the mouse and select Create Solid and Camera. 

Create Solid and Camera

Step 6

You get a solid layer and 3D camera in the timeline. This Null layer is the placeholder and sticks with the footage and follows the camera.

You get a solid layer and 3D camera

Step 7

With the solid layer selected, go to Effect > Distort > Corner Pin.

Effect > Distort > Corner Pin

Step 8

With the upper left corner pin selected, drag and put it to upper left corner of the photo frame.

Upper left corner pin

Step 9

With the upper right corner pin selected, drag and put it to upper right corner of the photo frame.

Upper right corner pin

Step 10

With the lower left corner pin selected, drag and put it to lower left corner of the photo frame.

Lower left corner pin

Step 11

With the lower right corner pin selected, drag and put it to lower left corner of the photo frame.

Lower right corner pin

Step 12

Due to tracking and the adjustment of the corners of the solid layer, the solid layer keeps the photo frame covered throughout the video.

Solid layer fits in the window

3. Replacing Solid With Graphics

Step 1

I want a movie clip to play on the monitor screen. So, I have chosen a movie file. If you want to place just an image, you can choose a still image of your choice. 

Import the movie file in the Project window.

Project window

Step 2

With Alt key pressed, drag and drop the movie file on to the solid layer in the timeline. It replaces the file in the composition.

Replace the solid

Step 3

Scale the proportions of the file to make it fit into the TV screen frame.

Scale the proportions of the file

Step 4

Enable motion blur for both the files and the composition.

Enable motion blur

Step 5

Hit the Play button and you will see the foreground movie clip going perfectly with the background footage.

Hit the Play button