How to attach an image to a video clip?

[Haugen]

Instead of attaching a text to my video, I want to attach a video clip.

I have a time-lapse with an information board on the right side (see image). On top of that information board, I have inserted my own clip. I want to zoom into the

clip, making a smooth transition to the next clip. But since there is some movement in my bottom layer, I need to attach the image to the board. I can only figure out how to attach a text to the board. Right clicking, after track camera let me add text, but it doesn't say anything about adding a clip. So how do I do it?

[Roei Tzoref]

Right clicking, after track camera let me add text, but it doesn't say anything about adding a clip. So how do I do it?

you can add text, solids or nulls. solids or nulls are the ones you want. this is easy. do this:

1. choose to create null from the selected points

2. activate the 3d switch for your video clip

3. reveal the parent column if it's not already there (F4) and now hold Shift as you parent your clip to the null. this will shift the position and orientation of your layer to where the null is. now you can un-parent if you want.

got it?

[Haugen]

Yep, that was easy. But now, when I want to zoom in to the video clip, the clip moves.

[Roei Tzoref]

I see. we can always trust on you to challenge us Haugen ! I remember the lawnmower scene

so you used the 3D Camera Tracker to place the clip on a feature that's in the video. now you want to zoom in the whole thing? that's where it could get complicated because you got 2D and 3D all in one composition. precomposing won't preserve the quality as you zoom in... hmm this is a tough one. I would suggest for now that instead of using a 3D camera tracker for the scene, use a 2D tracker (maybe mocha) for the board and then zooming won't be a problem.

in the meantime let me call in some experts to the rescue. there should be an expression or some sort to help here or some other workaround.

can we see the shot?

[Haugen]

Hehe, can't make it easy on you

I want to do what Rob Whitworth does in this video: Dubai Flow Motion on Vimeo, starts at 1:38.

And Geoff Tomkinson here: An Incredible Journey - Directors Cut on Vimeo  starts at 0:26, phone.

I can upload the time lapse sequence (H.264) and the video clip I want to zoom into. 

What I want to to, is to let the viewers believe that my next clip is actually showing on the board (it doesn't have to be realistic, so I can't fool the viewers) to the right. And after watching the time lapse clip for 6-7 seconds, I'm going to zoom into the board where my next clip is showing, not loosing any quality in the next clip.

I will give you the dropbox link when it's done.

[Roei Tzoref]

I see. I read this paragraph here at the hyperzoom website. The camera doesn’t actually move at all during the capture.

"All shots are produced with the camera on a static tripod or from a static hand held position.This lack of movement during the capture of the footage is essential to the three dimensional assembly of the final video and enables the virtual camera movement produced during post production to be completely independent of the action in the scene itself."

this means you don't need a 3D tracker for this because the camera isn't moving. that's your were shooting in the way they did...

bottom line is that you don't have to use 3D Camera Tracker of placing a video/image on a moving scene. 3D camera tracker is usually for perspective shots where the camera is moving. if that board is moving in the video, use a 2D Tracker. mocha is a great planar track. you can export the data as keyframes to a null and if you need pan and zoom you can then use the 3D switch to all the layers and add a camera same as we did with the lawnmower video

[Rick Gerard]

If the board stay in the shot for the entire time I would not use Camera Tracking because you can't zoom in using AE's camera. It's just not possible. Instead I would use this advanced corner pin tracking using Mocha:

[Haugen]

Dropbox - Zooming

Here is the two clips I want to use. A bit to late for me to start working on Mocha. Never tried it.

Thanks for the tips. I need to continue tomorrow. 

[Roei Tzoref · Accepted solution]

wait a minute. that camera is barely moving! there's only a slight shift there.

• you can very well stabilize that thing using Warp Stabilizer. no keyframes.

• after you do, scale your image to the board and use CC Power Pin to place it in perspective.

• now for movement, you could parent both layers to a 2d null and use position+scale, or set both layers to 3d and parent to a 3d null but the most control will be given by a 3D virtual camera: 3D switch both layer and add a camera. use this technique from this post: Re: Tell camera to follow an object?.. this guy Iet me tell ya'

of course this does some color matching and compositing work to make that screen believable... I'll leave it up to you.

[Haugen]

How do I keyframe the movement? When I move to front view, I move the whole image, not the camera itself, like in yours example.

[Roei Tzoref]

you can only grab the camera if you are clicking on the any of the axis when it's selected. I recommend you use the position parameters in the timeline as you watch it move in front view. don't forget to use along with X, Y the Z...

[Haugen]

I got it! I just took the operation to some new levels of complication.

It wasn't that hard. But with movement, which I will have for some other projects, I will probably go to Mocha for help.

Many thanks, both of you. So helpful!

[Roei Tzoref]

Glad you worked it out Haugen!

[Haugen]

So am I! I'm really thankful for you time you are investing (some day you might get something in return) in me!

[Roei Tzoref]

Sure! it's good practice for me. also, I need to see that my techniques are efficient. you see Rick here is monitoring the whole time and may suggest a different or better approach (like with the lawnmower scene). also, other users may find what we write here useful today, next week, next 5 years and it will help them. it helped me for years as I shamelessly lurked in here and in the COW grabbing answers without even registering or posting "thank you" or "it worked" or "it didn't". this is our legacy to all users that are using this software and our contribution. like I received help, now I am giving back when I can. and of course learning a lot - they don't just say the best way to learn is to teach.

[Haugen]

I getting better at marking an answer as both helpful and correct.

You and Rick have some different approaches. I learn from both of you. And I'm glad there are different ways to achieve the result I want. Ricks methods might be a bit more difficult for me, since I don't understand everything he does, But that's all about me. Need to understand After Effects better. Working with AE almost every day, so getting the hand of i.

[Roei Tzoref]

if you are into Ae Compositing there's no better training resource than Mark Christiansen. he has several compositing courses on Lynda, you should check those out.

[Rick Gerard]

Once you get the shot locked to the screen then you make sure collapse transformations is turned on, create a new comp, nest the comp with the added screen, then push in on the screen. The right combination of collapse transformations and a push in should preserve the resolution of the original screen so it does not completely fall apart as you move in.

You are going to end up with some weird parallax problems if you animate the position of the camera, but if you animate the zoom value and point of interest of the camera you should have a better looking shot.

[Haugen]

And when I zoom, I need the clip on the board to stay on the board.

[Roei Tzoref]

And when I zoom, I need the clip on the board to stay on the board.

that's the point

[Haugen]

It still moves. Can't get it to anchor to the board. And do I manually have to resize the videoclip to fit the board when I zoom?