Elements for Editors

As motion graphics artists, we’re often asked to supply elements for an editor to use in a final composite or program. These might include single frames of text, titles that build on in stages, or a fully animated title. If the production is a corporate video, chances are that the elements need to build in sync with a voiceover. However, final audio is rarely finished by the time we have to create our elements – at best, we have a scratch track. This puts the responsibility on the editor to time these elements over the final version. The image these go over may be live video, or a loopable animated background which you might also be hired to create.

All these variables add up to the need to supply individual elements to the editor, so he or she can decide on how the animation should build and sync to the script.

2D Texture Mapping

We find it useful to employ both 2D and 3D programs in our work - not just to create different looks, but also because techniques learned in one can provide inspiration for a new approach in the other. One example of this is in the area of texture mapping - making a computer-generated object or surface appear to have a physical texture, with real paint or decals applied to it.

In 3D, advanced users wouldn’t dream of leaving a surface untextured; they would apply treatments to make it appear more realistic (or surrealistic, if that’s what the scene calls for). Then why do so many 2D artists settle for plain, solid-colored text? Sometimes, this is the best approach to clearly convey a message - but it can be interesting to consider texturing our 2D objects as well.

There are a series of three tricks we employ to add texture to our text - especially if it is supposed to look like it has been applied to another object in our composite. Let’s take the challenge of making some text appear painted onto a the side of a building to see how we would apply these techniques.

Luminance Ranges in Video

It would seem like a simple concept: “black” is the darkest color you can have; “white” is the brightest color. However, not all video hardware and software think this way. Quite often, systems can go “darker” than black and “brighter” than white, allowing safety margins for certain situations.

This means that some systems uses different values for black and white than others. This can cause a lot of problems for a video editor or artist who uses a variety of tools during a production, because images may shift in relative brightness and contrast for no apparent reason. Compounding this problem is a lack of accurate information about how to manage these shifts. But if you ignore them, the results can range from washed-out images to illegal color values.

Therefore, you will need to take it upon yourself to be aware of the black and white definitions that different systems are using, and to translate between them as needed. We will also discuss the oft-confused analog concept of “set up” and how it relates to these digital values. It initially requires a bit of a mind-twist, but will pay off in the long run. We will be using After Effects for some of the examples later in this article, but these concepts apply to all systems - so read on…

Braving the 3D Elements

Adding a 3D program to your motion graphics toolset can greatly increase your creative options. However, many are daunted by learning an entire new set of skills. Relax: No one expects you to create a pod race or Jar Jar Binks your first month out. Instead, think of 3D initially as a way of generating graphical elements to composite into your 2D creations. We’ll cover a handful of basic tricks well within the skills of most beginning 3D users.

Spinning Gold

In a perfect world, clients supply gorgeous video clips for you to use in the graphics they’ve hired you to create. When that doesn’t happen, there are a few tricks in our bag for adding punch to these clips. Our goal is not to add “effects” or to make video look like film - but rather to make your client say “How did you make our video took so great?” We covered tinting movies using various tint and tritone effects in Getting Behind The Color Wheel, and those techniques can be combined with the tricks contained in this column.

Getting Behind the Color Wheel

Ever composite a number of clips, only to have the result like an explosion in a paint factory? This month we’ll search out a variety of plug-in effects for adjusting color and applying tints to video clips. I’m using Adobe After Effects, but many of the same effects are available in other programs.

Timing Video to Audio

In the days of yore, editing video and audio used to be considered two different disciplines. Today, most desktop and non-linear video editing programs also edit audio with the same tools and capabilities. As a result, video editors are all but expected to also edit their own audio.

For most, this means just mixing together narration, music, and the occasional sound effect. However, if go one step further and make your video edit decisions based on the audio - and vice versa - you will end up with a final program that is tighter, and more compelling to watch, than if you just let the respective cuts fall where they may. The same goes for 2D and 3D animation: Allowing audio to inform your timing decisions results in a stronger overall experience.

Don’t know anything about audio or music? Hang on and we’ll give you a crash course in the next two pages. Already have a good idea of how audio and music work? Jump ahead to the section titled Cut Time on Page 3 and we’ll go over a few tips and tricks to keep in mind, followed by a brief case study. As with any artistic discipline, rules are meant to be stretched and broken - but they give you an important head start.

The Magic Tempos

Vibrations in a sound’s wave happen at a much faster pace than frames happen in video or film. Likewise, a musician may pick a tempo where the peaks of these vibrations - the beats in the music - don’t land on nice, even frame boundaries. However, there is a way to determine tempos that exactly line up with frames. If you can get your composer to use them, your job spotting the audio will be much easier later; you can even animate at these paces without hearing the music, knowing it will line up later.

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