How is this effect called?

[Sweetamber]

I just wacht a show on TV with Jamie Oliver and I saw this effect. Do you know how is called ?
And do you know a tutorial for it?
The effect is in the last 5 seconds of this clip on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLwUewNzR_g

[DB83]

I suspect that is a Venetian Blind Wipe (or similar).

To do these you need a video effects editor/NLE such as After Effects or Final Cut Pro (for the mac). Other NLEs such as Vegas or Ulead have similar transistion effects.

You may also checkout VideoPad which has some transition effects. I do not use it so do not know if it has this one.

[budwzr]

That's a custom animation.

They placed a still on the timeline, then took a snap of it. Then sliced the snap in a graphics editor, animated the slices on the timeline, then blended it back into the original still.

It's straightforward, but does require some skill on the users part.

[Brainiac]

You can also import the still into After Effects, replicate it multiple times, create a mask for each copy and then animate each copy as required.

But budwzr's way is bound to be less expensive

Brainiac

[budwzr]

But budwzr's way is bound to be less expensive Brainiac

And you don't have to bother with masking , which would be a hassle.

You'd have to create multiple Parent/Child relationships.

I like easy.

[Brainiac]

That's what I LOVE about video editing - there are many ways to accomplish a task!

Brainiac

[budwzr]

Yep, and the "best" way is usually the simplest. I'm surprised how many people complicate things, and become mystified, when they should be simplifying things and becoming enlightened.

[Brainiac]

Agree about the "best" way usually being the simplest. The only thing I would add is that a person's skill level/experience plays a large part in how they approach things. More experienced editors usually come up with the simplest way to accomplish a task.

Brainiac

[budwzr]

More experienced editors usually come up with the simplest way to accomplish a task.

What got me thinking in simplicity is that my NLE has all kinds of simple objects like solid color squares, colored gradients, checkerboards, etc. and I realized these are building blocks that pros use to create complexity.

Then it hit me, that all of the preset FX can be done manually! Wow!

And that's when I realized that some of the members here that use script-based editing software are way more advanced then me, because they know how to build complexity from chained basic text commands. Zero automation! Now that's some serious skill and knowledge.

[poisondeathray]

But budwzr's way is bound to be less expensive Brainiac

And you don't have to bother with masking , which would be a hassle.

IMO it's easier/faster doing it Brainiac's way - you don't have to fire up an image editor, export the assets, re-import . The "cuts" are made by the mask so it's a 2 birds/1 stone deal.

[budwzr]

"Fire Up"? hahaha. That's rich. Obviously you're referring to the slowness of the Adobe Creative Suite.

An image editor can cut all the strips at EXACTLY equal sizes. Trying to line up 4-5 masks would be tedious.

[poisondeathray]

"Fire Up"? hahaha. That's rich. Obviously your referring to the slowness of the Adobe Creative Suite.

Touche!

But if you were using the Adobe suite, you don't even have to export or reimport, the programs are connected with dynamic link

Do you want to "race" to see which method is faster?

devil's little brother =>

An image editor can cut all the strips at EXACTLY equal sizes. Trying to line up 4-5 masks would be tedious.

Easy to do in AE! get with the program!!

[budwzr]

Hahaha, I can't right now, I'm on the way out. Can we do it later?

Love that little brother, hahaha. Nice!

P.S. Don't be building a project ahead of time, and swapping in a still later, that's cheating.

[poisondeathray]

Hahaha, I can't right now, I'm on the way out. Can we do it later?

P.S. Don't be building a project ahead of time, and swapping in a still later, that's cheating.

Later? hahaha so you can start working on it now ?


Trust me, if you know how to use AE, you can use a script to automatically divide up a layer into masks. There is no contest.

But I agree with you guys , there are many ways to do it. None of them are necessarily "best"

[budwzr]

Easy to do in AE! get with the program!!

I can create a grid in CorelDraw and powerclip the image into it, then ungroup it, and voila!

[Brainiac]

Ok guys, I recreated the last 5 seconds of the video COMPLETELY in After Effects. It took me longer than it should have due to the fact that I didn't plan it out on paper, nor did I use scripts (have yet to learn how.) It was a good learning experience.

http://www.mediafire.com/?n7wm71mlsl72acw

Brainiac

[CoralMan]

And that's when I realized that some of the members here that use script-based editing software are way more advanced then me, because they know how to build complexity from chained basic text commands. Zero automation! Now that's some serious skill and knowledge.

Or you just have an old CPU, little RAM, and only freeware editors. Then you start using Avisynth to get the job done. But it's slooooooower.

[budwzr]

Ok guys, I recreated the last 5 seconds of the video COMPLETELY in After Effects. It took me longer than it should have due to the fact that I didn't plan it out on paper, nor did I use scripts (have yet to learn how.) It was a good learning experience.

http://www.mediafire.com/?n7wm71mlsl72acw

Brainiac

Looks pretty good.

[Brainiac]

Thanks, budwzr.

Brainiac

[poisondeathray]

Haha - Is that a "little Brainiac" spawn ?? awesome hair-do!

Scripts are an awesome tool in AE, there are hundreds scripts that can help simplify your workflow and do cool things, many of them are free

Don't worry, it's not like manually entering expressions or avisynth, most of the scripts have a GUI and buttons to push . Visit aescripts.com when you have time

Anyways, one way to automatically divide, mask, duplicate layers in 1 click, try a free script called "rd: slicer" . It even creates a parented null so you can animate the whole thing or in layers

http://www.redefinery.com/ae/view.php?item=rd_Slicer

[Brainiac]

Yeah, poisondeathray, that IS a "little Brainiac" spawn; he is my now 5 year old son.

And thanks for the tips about scripting in AE.

Brainiac

[budwzr]

The problem with scripts is you may not do that effect ever again. So you end up with a lot of scripts and it becomes a whole project to keep track of them.

Personally, I don't "do" the same show twice. It's always fresh.

Sure, it's worth it for complex projects though.

[budwzr]

Thanks, budwzr.

Brainiac

Yeah, the only comment I have is the motion is too linear. If you right-click a keyframe you'll find "ramps" that can help create that final polish we all strive for.

A good "bling" idea might be to slow the landings so the pieces all come together at the end at the same time, like a waterfall, or what you might see if the waterfall was suddenly stopped at the top, and all you see is the tail following the stream.

I didn't do one myself because I think PDR is all set up with a deluxe version. I'm not falling for that one.

[poisondeathray]

The problem with scripts is you may not do that effect ever again. So you end up with a lot of scripts and it becomes a whole project to keep track of them.

Personally, I don't "do" the same show twice. It's always fresh.

Sure, it's worth it for complex projects though.

Ahhh young jedi - But don't you see the utility of this (or any script function)? You don't have to animate it the same way, or divide up masks the same way. This one basic script is just a tool for simplifying a task - a time saver - it's up to the user to use it in creative ways. Didn't you say earlier , the "best" way being simpler? I can't think of an easier/faster way. In photoshop you batch automate tasks too - it's a similar idea. Many scripts are like that, they just speed up workflow - they are smarter ways of doing tedious tasks. As for organizing scripts - It's not too hard to keep them in a folder . I've collected a bunch over the years, and they are useful at certain times. Like the OP's example, it reminded me of something I did a few years ago, so I dug up the script. Some of the more complex scripts are seriously powerful, they even rival very expensive plugins

But even if I wasn't doing this in AE and using a different program, I would still use the host program to do the masks and animation. The reason is project design . I try to build maximum flexibility in project design. It's much easier to swap layers if you want to change something later. Let's say brainiac wanted to put green lantern there instead. If you used an image editor, you would have to re cut, re export, re import, re place each individual layer... Doing it in the host application, it's 1 click to replace the single source image.

[budwzr]

Yeah, I guess you're right. What was I thinking? It's a new year, with a new attitude. Thanks for the wake-up call.

(Still Budz?) (Peaz in a Pod?) (Amigos?) (Istanbul, not Constantinople?)

[Sweetamber]

Brainiac your are the Man! Great Job! Thank you all for your interest!

[Ethlred]

Find a Venetian blind.

Paint his eyelids green which will blind him if he is not already so that makes sure.

Oh I was using the wrong kind of venetian.

So paint the SLATS green. Try to find one with flat slats instead of curved. Shoot a plate of the slates as you rotate them from open to closed. Use the plate as a mask for the source.

OK I have never used a video editor of any kind but it really ought to work.

Catch it and paint it green.