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  1. Member
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    Jun 2014
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    Australia
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    Hi everyone, first post here. I have long wanted to get into making video/animation. Mostly interested in abstract backdrops for my music, so I'm starting out trying to make a clip involving rotating mandala & kaleidoscopic type imagery. Fairly basic to many experienced hands I'm sure, but it's my chosen starting point. I have uploaded a very basic starting point to give readers an idea of what I'm working towards. With plans to make 20 or more of these types of videos to transition into each other for the final outcome, the workflow is ridiculously time consuming.

    I have created this as follows:

    Cropped photograph, and created a still image using four panels, flipped horizontally, vertically.
    Created 35 reproductions each with a 5º rotation. This is the time consuming part !
    Added them to the Premiere sequencer, rendered as a single video
    Added the video to the Sequencer and increased the speed by 9000%
    Duplicate this video track, reversed the playlist.
    Dropped the opacity on both to 50%

    I'm asking myself whether there's a better way? rotating the 35 images in photoshop is quite laborious. The only 'rotate' tips I have found are how to rotate a video file for a permanent position, not to dynamically keep the image spinning.

    Just learned batch processing in Photoshop also, but as it isn't the same action I can't seem to utilise it... as the images are each a different rotation... 5, 10, 15, 20 degrees etc.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T4a4LcUhaA&feature=youtu.be
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  2. Member
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    Jun 2014
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    Australia
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    Oh wow, that's great. Many thanks, I'll work on learning how to use that feature for my goal. I already have my still image spinning madly !

    Appreciate the reply.
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  3. Since you have photoshop and premiere, it's not out of the question you also have after effects which is an even stronger tool for the kind of abstractions you are making here.

    The trick is to do a lot of experimenting reading and learning -- and anyone who makes 5 degree variations in a still (while slightly misguided) demonstrates the determination to do all three.

    One of the trickier aspects is determining which aspects to keep baked-in -- such as your four-way kaleidoscopic split, and which to keep dynamic -- such as rotation. Hint: The answer varies from case to case.

    So, no real specific advice or technique here, just a vote of encouragement. Good luck.
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  4. Member
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    Apr 2003
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    United States
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    Agree strongy with smrpix abour After Effects. Do not be afraid to experiment. Some of my best work has come from experimenting.
    AE can seem very daunting at first but once you get into it, the possibilities are far reaching.
    CS6 and CC have an effect called CC Kaleida that is worth exploring.

    Brainiac
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  5. Member
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    Jun 2014
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    Australia
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    Thanks for your encouraging words, smrpipx. The 5 degree shifts were my own great idea in approaching this project, imagining that's how an old fashioned animation would be done..... just prior to posting here, I was actually contemplating ONE DEGREE shifted panels for a smoother transition. Fortunately, I won't need to travel down that path, and can get on with being creative rather than a process line worker.

    Maybe I do have After Effects, and will have to check tomight (although I know it's not installed, it might be on disc). I got CS years ago, it's version 5 I believe, but only have been using photoshop, and in a very simple capacity to crop photos and adjust colour balance. Due to illness that has plagued me for many years, I have previously considered Premiere too daunting to learn, but at this stage of my life I am on top of it all, and the desire to embrace my creative urge is very strong.

    Can you lovely people explain... is After Effects a software that runs independently, or a 'plug-in' for the Premeire suite?
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  6. Originally Posted by KarmaShaman View Post

    is After Effects a software that runs independently, or a 'plug-in' for the Premeire suite?

    I got CS years ago, it's version 5 I believe,
    Separate software title, although if you bought a bundle/suite (like the Creative Suite CS5) , there is something called "dynamic link" that allows you to "connect" both together - you can make changes in one and have them reflected in the other
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