[ contents ]

 

Project Setup

Open a new project in After Effects, and then drag your green screen footage and background plates into the project window. The project window is very much like a Bin in the Avid. It can hold media files, images, and sequences.
Before you can create perfect composites in After Effects using the Ultimatte Plug-in, you must first create a new composition. A Composition is similar to a sequence in the Avid. 
  • Determine the output format and frame size for your composition. 
  • Select the appropriate pixel aspect ratio for your output. 
  • Select the resolution you would like to work at. This allows you to work at half or quarter resolution until your final composite, when you can output to the full size frame. 
  • Input your ouputs frame rate. 
    • 29.97 fps for NTSC video 
    • 25 fps for PAL video 
    • 24 fps for film 
After creating a new composition, the Time Layout window opens. The Time Layout window offers direct manuipulation of all aspects of the footage on each layer. 
  • You can drag your foreground footage, screen correction and background plate into the Time Layout window. 
  • Layers toward the top of the Time Layout window are on top of the stack. 
  • Items toward the bottom are obscured by the footage above. 
  • Use the Transfer Controls to effect the way the layer is transfered to the layers below it. 
  • Use the Switches to turn on motion blur, audio, frame blending, and effects for a particular layer.
 
[ screen correction effect ]