After Effects Compositing: 3 Advanced Matching and Looks

Introduction

• Welcome

1. Basic Color Correction Tools

• Understand what Curves can do like no other color corrector
• Advanced adjustment with multiple objects and Curves
• Set guide layers to solve workflow problems
• Set guide layers to freely add a nonrendering reference
• Create a color look with Curves

2. Working with Light

• Add a light-wrap effect to composite into a backlit scene
• Study a reference; then bend the rules of lighting
• Automate the light-wrap process with rd_LightWrap

3. Understanding Artifacts of the Camera

• Understand lens distortion
• Composite into lens distortion
• Recognize and fix rolling shutter distortion
• Match the softness of natural edges

4. Motion Through the Camera Lens

• Shutter speed vs. frame rate
• Match motion blur: Animated keyframes
• Set up the retime shot
• Match motion blur: No keyframes
• Use Time Remap
• Fix sloppy precomps with the Preserve frame rate when nested option

5. Taking Advantage of High Dynamic Range

• Understand why After Effects has three bit depths
• Know the fundamental differences between HDR and LDR
• Work in HDR, even when beginning in LDR
• Be deliberate when establishing and breaking the 32-bit-per-channel pipeline
• Freely work in HDR and render in LDR
• Avoid the 32-bit-per-channel slowdown
• A brief word on color spaces and linear light

6. Introducing Color Grading

• Determine a starting point: Make it flat
• Know your color-grading options and approach
• Create cinematic color contrasts with Mojo
• Customize a film look with Looks
• Create a film look with common lens "flaws"