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s0crates22
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having problems disguising a cameramans reflection in video

Feb 10, 2013 3:56 PM

Hi everybody. This is my first post and I have a little problem.

 

 

I know this isn't that hard (that is what makes it so frustrating)

 

 

I've watched a dozen tutorials on the subject before finally caving in and asking for help.

 

 

I need to edit out the camera mans reflection out of a shot. So far I've:

 

 

1 - gone into Photoshop and edited a still of the video.  using healing tool I edited it to my satisfaction

2 - imported the file into AE (both jpeg and psd)

 

 

I've been able to layer them together and use the mask tool and it looks good, until my Subjects ARM moves and the edited reflection APPEARS IN FRONT OF MY SUBJECT (not hidden behind her in the background)

 

 

I just can't figure it out.

 

 

So, in short, I need to figure out a way so my subject can move in front of the edited reflection in the background without the edited selection APPEARING IN FRONT of my subject.

 

 

Sorry if this is confusing...

 

 

Thank you in advance

 

 

Brandon

476 Views   12 Replies   Latest reply: Dave LaRonde, Feb 12, 2013 11:29 AM
 
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  • Andrew Yoole
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    1. Andrew Yoole,
    Feb 10, 2013 3:09 PM   in reply to s0crates22
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    Are you able to post a frame of the offending footage?  It will be much easier to diagnose the problem if we could see it.

     
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  • s0crates22
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    2. s0crates22,
    Feb 10, 2013 3:26 PM   in reply to Andrew Yoole
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    MUFFINS 3 (0;00;05;07).jpg

     
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  • s0crates22
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    3. s0crates22,
    Feb 10, 2013 3:29 PM   in reply to s0crates22
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    So, just to the right of the women is the reflection in the mirror (guy in blue shirt... - it becomes more obvious as the video continues)  The woman on the right moves to her left and passes over the reflection, but I can't seem to get that right.    (also I will be editing the light to their left)

     

     

    Thanks

     
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  • Todd_Kopriva
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    4. Todd_Kopriva,
    Feb 10, 2013 4:34 PM   in reply to s0crates22
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    How much freedom do you have to make major changes?

     

    A couple of suggestions, just to get some ideas out there:

     

    - Create a relatively tight matte around the women and use the Camera Lens Blur effect to blur the whole background a bit.

     

    - Or place an explanatory graphic or picture-in-picture insert on the right side of the screen, covering the problem area.

     

    These kinds of crude changes can be easier than painstaking use of the Clone Stamp tool or other approaches.

     

    One subtle approach is to create a feathered mask around the camera man reflection and decrease saturation just there. If the blue if the shirt is desaturated, he'll blend in much better.

     
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  • Mylenium
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    5. Mylenium,
    Feb 10, 2013 7:28 PM   in reply to s0crates22
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    I don't see anything that an animated mask couldn't take care of. It may just require some pre-composing and of course it's gonna take some time, but the footage is well lit and the background not too contrasty, so even some minor inaccuracies won't be that much of a problem and barely show up...

     

    Mylenium

     
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  • s0crates22
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    6. s0crates22,
    Feb 11, 2013 10:57 AM   in reply to Mylenium
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    Thank you so much for responding so quickly.  That's very kind of you.  So an animated mask?  I will try that.  the problem is for me that I am still learning AE so the use and applications of masks is still very new to me.  I've been watching tutorials but they havent helped in connecting dots for my situtation. 

     

    For this type of animated masks do I need to layer the EDITED STILL IMAGE with the Footage and then use the mask to hide the EDITED SELECTION when she moves in front of it? 

    should I mask her or the edit?

     

    Thanks again Mylenium!  You rock!

     
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  • s0crates22
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    7. s0crates22,
    Feb 11, 2013 11:48 AM   in reply to Todd_Kopriva
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    Thank your for the quick response!  So if I create a feathered mask around the reflection and decrease saturation, will that EDIT POP OUT when her arm moves in front of it?

     

    Thanks!

     
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  • Dave LaRonde
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    8. Dave LaRonde,
    Feb 11, 2013 2:33 PM   in reply to s0crates22
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    if I create a feathered mask around the reflection and decrease saturation, will that EDIT POP OUT when her arm moves in front of it?

     

    Yes it will.  You'll need to duplicate the layer, remove the blur effect and the mask, put it above the repaired image, and isolate the unblurred arm as it moves.  AE's Rotobrush will help a lot, but look at the Rotobrush tutorials first before you try to use it: the tool isn't the most intuitive thing on the planet.  You can trim this duplicated layer's in & out points so it doesn't cover up your other work.

     
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  • s0crates22
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    9. s0crates22,
    Feb 12, 2013 2:15 AM   in reply to s0crates22
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    I finally figured out how to do it.  Thanks for the help!

     
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  • Dave LaRonde
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    10. Dave LaRonde,
    Feb 12, 2013 8:51 AM   in reply to s0crates22
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    Care to reveal how you did it?

     
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  • s0crates22
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    11. s0crates22,
    Feb 12, 2013 10:53 AM   in reply to Dave LaRonde
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    So I took a still front the video, brought it into Photoshop elements and doctored it up so the reflection became a blur and not recognizable as a Cameraman.  Then I went into AE and loaded my footage and my Edited Still.  Made a composition with the two, putting my footage on top.  Simply made a mask around the woman and then clicked on the MASK PATH button to create a keyframe (or some LINGO like that) and any time my subject would move in front of the reflection area I would move the mask over (thus animating the mask in the timeline). 

    I ended up not doing the light because it became VERY tedious work when the other girls hand would move in the front of the light - PLUS dealing with the problems on the other side of the video. 

     

    There is probably a simpler way to do it, in fact when trying to remember all the steps I took I did find a simpler way (before I made a few too many masks in my composition but I really only needed one, maybe two)

     

    Thank you so much for your help guys!

     
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  • Dave LaRonde
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    12. Dave LaRonde,
    Feb 12, 2013 11:29 AM   in reply to s0crates22
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    The tedium you avoided is known as "rotoscoping".  And it is tedious, painstaking and time-consuming.  People pay top dollar for the services of a good roto artist, and now you know why.

     
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