We've all tried doing it and we've all come close to jumping out a window as a result. I've been trying to remove an unwanted object from a shot that pans and has talent moving in front of the object, argh.
Firing up AE and using it's tracking has eased the pain but even then lots of manual tweaking required and it doesn't matter if you're using AE or Vegas it is just plain tedious and frustrating but I did pickup a tip from someone who does this a lot and the tip seems as valid regardless of which app you use. It does seem to help reduce the number of keyframes reuqired and hence the level of angst.
1) Go to the first frame and position the thing.
2) Go to the last frame and position the thing.
3) Move the cursor back from the last frame until you find a point where the thing is as far from the perfect track and then moves back in the right direction. Correct this position
4) Move back along the timeline again repeating step 3)
5) Once back to the beginning check the whole event, if anything needs a tweak repeat from step 3)
From my own experience with rotoscoping I'll add a couple of tips of my own.
1) No tool is better than having a lot of patience. Don't under estimate how long it is going to take.
2) Break the task down into manageable chunks. That can mean more tracks / layers. If nothing else this can reduce the tedium, get one part of the problem solved in a reasonable timeframe, take a bow, have a break, do something else and then go back to the problem and tackle the next part of the puzzle.
If anyone has any tips of their own please chime in.
One ongoing source of frustration for me in both Vegas and AE is sometimes I want to move the whole mask and others I just want to move a node. In both apps there seems some method to the madness of how one selects the whole mask or just a node or just a path but the logic seems akin to the Uncertainty Principle :(
Bob.
Firing up AE and using it's tracking has eased the pain but even then lots of manual tweaking required and it doesn't matter if you're using AE or Vegas it is just plain tedious and frustrating but I did pickup a tip from someone who does this a lot and the tip seems as valid regardless of which app you use. It does seem to help reduce the number of keyframes reuqired and hence the level of angst.
1) Go to the first frame and position the thing.
2) Go to the last frame and position the thing.
3) Move the cursor back from the last frame until you find a point where the thing is as far from the perfect track and then moves back in the right direction. Correct this position
4) Move back along the timeline again repeating step 3)
5) Once back to the beginning check the whole event, if anything needs a tweak repeat from step 3)
From my own experience with rotoscoping I'll add a couple of tips of my own.
1) No tool is better than having a lot of patience. Don't under estimate how long it is going to take.
2) Break the task down into manageable chunks. That can mean more tracks / layers. If nothing else this can reduce the tedium, get one part of the problem solved in a reasonable timeframe, take a bow, have a break, do something else and then go back to the problem and tackle the next part of the puzzle.
If anyone has any tips of their own please chime in.
One ongoing source of frustration for me in both Vegas and AE is sometimes I want to move the whole mask and others I just want to move a node. In both apps there seems some method to the madness of how one selects the whole mask or just a node or just a path but the logic seems akin to the Uncertainty Principle :(
Bob.