This time I worked on a rotoscope training covering the Roto Node of Silhouette Roto and Paint software.
Silhouette is my favorite rotoscope software, and I present not only software skills but also the needed rotoscope techniques to create great mattes.
Chapters Descriptions
Introduction
User Interface tour and overview, learn how to setup projects, sessions, and load media files. Explore the user interface layouts and performance settings that will affect footage playback and rotoscope speed.
Drawing Shapes
Extensive explanation about Silhouette’s shape types: b-splines, x-splines and bézier. Drawing techniques, using the reshape tool, adjusting curve tension and point modes: cardinal, corner, b-spline and center. Navigating the viewer with tools and shortcuts: zoom, pan.
Intro to Rotoscope
In depth review of the Project window. Discussion of strategies to break down subjects into shapes for rotoscope. Working with the Viewer modes and inputs to help on shape drawing, rotoscope evaluation and to avoid background color contamination.
Animating Shapes
Using the reshape and transform tools to manipulate shapes: moving, rotating, scaling, skewing, and corner pinning. Setting the anchor point and using special transform tool modes to manipulate groups of shapes and points. Planning the animation, optimal keyframe positioning in time and dealing with keyframing interpolation. Introduction to the “back and forth” technique.
Point Tracking
Review of the Object List: creating and manipulating layers. Techniques to create and use Silhouette’s excellent point tracker. Applying 1, 2 and 4 point tracking data to layers, refining problematic trackers, manipulating the transform matrix of layers and using the layer stabilization feature.
Planar Tracking
Use of Silhouette’s Planar tracker. Evaluating the planar tracker results. Pre-processing plates to improve planar tracker results. Extracting point trackers from shapes.
Finishing the Rotoscope
After learning the tracking techniques, the rotoscope continue and the project is finished. Discussion of other useful rotoscope techniques, tips and tricks: Using the Multiframe tool, animating shape opacity, layer stabilization, extracting trackers from shapes, breaking keyframed shapes into smaller pieces.
Hair
How to deal with hair and other thin rotoscope subjects. Working with open shapes and stroke width. Open shapes drawing techniques, and manipulating/animating complex groups of shapes.
Rendering
Rendering the mattes to be used on any compositing software. Discussion of render settings and node parameters that affect the render output. Rendering Slap Comps for previews and dailies.
Exporting Shapes
How to export shapes from Silhouette. Detailed export/import overview to After Effects, Nuke and Shake. Using Silhouette Actions.
Chapters Descriptions
Introduction
User Interface tour and overview, learn how to setup projects, sessions, and load media files. Explore the user interface layouts and performance settings that will affect footage playback and rotoscope speed.
Drawing Shapes Extensive explanation about Silhouette’s shape types: b-splines, x-splines and bézier. Drawing techniques, using the reshape tool, adjusting curve tension and point modes: cardinal, corner, b-spline and center. Navigating the viewer with tools and shortcuts: zoom, pan.
Intro to Rotoscope In depth review of the Project window. Discussion of strategies to break down subjects into shapes for rotoscope. Working with the Viewer modes and inputs to help on shape drawing, rotoscope evaluation and to avoid background color contamination.
Animating Shapes
Using the reshape and transform tools to manipulate shapes: moving, rotating, scaling, skewing, and corner pinning. Setting the anchor point and using special transform tool modes to manipulate groups of shapes and points. Planning the animation, optimal keyframe positioning in time and dealing with keyframing interpolation. Introduction to the “back and forth” technique.
Point Tracking Review of the Object List: creating and manipulating layers. Techniques to create and use Silhouette’s excellent point tracker. Applying 1, 2 and 4 point tracking data to layers, refining problematic trackers, manipulating the transform matrix of layers and using the layer stabilization feature.
Planar Tracking Use of Silhouette’s Planar tracker. Evaluating the planar tracker results. Pre-processing plates to improve planar tracker results. Extracting point trackers from shapes.
Finishing the Rotoscope After learning the tracking techniques, the rotoscope continue and the project is finished. Discussion of other useful rotoscope techniques, tips and tricks: Using the Multiframe tool, animating shape opacity, layer stabilization, extracting trackers from shapes, breaking keyframed shapes into smaller pieces.
Hair How to deal with hair and other thin rotoscope subjects. Working with open shapes and stroke width. Open shapes drawing techniques, and manipulating/animating complex groups of shapes.
Rendering Rendering the mattes to be used on any compositing software. Discussion of render settings and node parameters that affect the render output. Rendering Slap Comps for previews and dailies.
Exporting Shapes How to export shapes from Silhouette. Detailed export/import overview to After Effects, Nuke and Shake. Using Silhouette Actions.
If you work with Rotoscope in Silhouette, check out the scripts that I’ve developed for Boundary Visual Effects. They are free and will help improve your day by day rotoscope tasks.
Post production work, I did the artistic rotoscope over the actor and also designed backgrounds.
Silhouete Roto & Paint was used for rotoscope and the shapes received further effects (wiggle/fx) in After Effects.
New post production work: 2d tracking/placement of the signs graphics and hands rotoscopes.
Credits
Client: Gazeta do Povo
Agency: Heads
Post House: Temple Frame
Director: Verginia Grando
Photography Director: Luis Fernando (Xanxe)
Art Director: Flavia Romanó
Audio by U-Dog
This was a tricky keying job that i have done recently.
The sequence on video is: final result, original footage, rotoshapes.
Due to non-optimal lighting, the video noise made almost impossible to key with usual off the shelf keyers. Luckily the cloths were all black, so it was time for some single channel keying (green color channel, lowest noise) with additional roto on needed areas. Feet area and lower mic pedestal were not given much attention because they would be off frame.
I did roto work on 4 shots for this Amil advertisement.
For the first 2 shots, the roto was used to enhance the “artifact” with glow and color correction. On the last 2 shots, the roto was used to compose the man in scene with other elements like matte paintings and 3d CG.
