CS Next is CS 5.5

CS Next is CS 5.5 at PVC has details and links to videos and more. New features include Warp Stabilizer, Camera Lens Blur, stereoscopic 3D camera rig, light fall-off, source timecode, & more!

 Continuing updates on CS 5.5 will be available at AE Portal on PVC.

Good sources of news on NAB include ProVideo Coalition. PVC authors like Alex Lindsay, Adam Wilt. and FreshDV are doing video reports.

ISP 3D Stereoscopic: AE plug-in from Japan

ISP 3D Stereoscopic is an After Effects plug-in (Mac/Win) from Japan that uses a 2D adjustment layer to help create stereo 3D images in a single composition. The main stereo 3D output formats are supported: Side by Side, Top and Bottom, Line by Line, Anaglyph.

Noted for the sake of completeness, this plug-in (YouTube demo) seems to be designed for use on postcards-in-space, Vanishing Point Exchange spaces, text, particles, etc.

Fun in stereo 3D

It's been a fun few weeks for those following the saga of stereoscopic 3D. There's been:

• 3D No glasses by Jonathan Post (or EMS gone wild)

• Roger Eberts article on Walter Murch and stero3D, Why 3D doesn't work and never will. Case closed.

• 3D Makes People Sick on Watch TV Online

• Another overstatement that 3D won't work. (restating No Problem With 3-D) by David Newman, CTO of Cineform

• and the Bud Light 3D Test Commercial, (via Robin Kurz) below

Note: To keep things somewhat on topic, here links to Stereo 3D conversion tutorials for After Effects at AE Portal and The Art of Stereo conversion: 2D to 3D at Fxguide.

The Art of Stereo conversion: 2D to 3D

Fxguide has updated its "Art of" piece on stereo 3D with Art of Stereo conversion: 2D to 3D, by Mike Seymour. It looks at current post production issues, tools, some case studies, and adds a timeline of recent major 3D movies.

Art of Digital 3D Stereoscopic Film, an older article from 2008 is still available, along with others in the "Art of" VFX series noted here previously.

There's more in Stereoscopic conversion for After Effects using Mocha and other posts tagged Stereoscopic. You can get much deeper instruction in several dedicated classes on Fxphd.

Stereo 3D conversion tutorials for After Effects

Andrew Murchie noted new tutorials in the Enhanced Dimensions AE resource in New 2D to 3D After Effects Conversion Tutorials. He added Chris Heuer's Orlock the Vampire conversion with Mocha and AE, which won a Imagineer Systems' contest.

Chris also wrote a nice backgrounder, Nosferatu becomes Orlok the Vampire in 3D!, on the process for The Stereoscopic 3D issue of Creative COW Magazine.

For more of stereo 3D in After Effects and Premiere, see Stereoscopic 3D resources for After Effects and other AEP posts tagged Stereoscopic. Here's part 1 of Chris' tutorial from Vimeo:

Update: see also mocha: roto for 2D-3D stereo conversions, and many more on the Vimeo page of Ross Shain,

Fxphd Jan 2011 orientation week video

The latest fxphd term is open with courses on VFX, editing, motion graphics, compositing, roto/tracking, color correction, 3D, photography, 3D stereo, and more. Members have access to a variety of higher end software over the fxphd VPN, and for an extra fee some past classes.

The overview movie is out and provides a comprehensive overview of the new term, in QuickTime on the blog or via torrent.

Here's a look at stuff in the last term:

fxphd July10 Term Orientation Week Video from fxphd.com on Vimeo.

Gadget Stereoscopic Preview for After Effects CS5

Gadget Stereoscopic Preview is a new plug-in for After Effects CS 5 (Windows-only) that provides real-time 3D preview on a capable 3D display (NVIDIA® 3D Vision; Over/Under render on a 3D TV).

For more on stereo 3D, see Stereoscopic 3D resources for After Effects and some current but fragmented solutions on Adobe Forums (for example Stereoscopic Monitoring).

DSLR and 3D stereoscopic resources for Premiere

As part of an effort to head off new users going to Apple or Avid, Adobe posted useful DSLR video and 3D stereoscopic resource pages for Premiere.

The Adobe TV on DSLR shooting and editing has a range of useful basic info, which extends beyond to Richard Harrington's training initiatives. Essential resources not in the Adobe HDSLR list include resources like Prolost by Stu Maschwitz (pictured), Oliver Peters, and Camera Log from Adam Wilt.

See also AEP posts Realtime 3D stereoscopic editing in Premiere CS5, Stereoscopic 3D resources for After Effects, as well as posts labeled DSLR and stereoscopic.

Update: see also workflow guides for several high-end cameras and formats in Premiere Pro CS5 and After Effects CS5 from Todd Kopriva; it includes Canon DSLR.

Stereo-3D Scripts for AE by Chris Keller

Stereo-3D Scripts for After Effects by Chris Keller (below) is a more comprehensive tutorial on his scripts mentioned last year in Stereoscopic 3D Workflow scripts.

Other 3D stereo resources can be found in the roundup Stereoscopic 3D resources for After Effects and in posts tagged Stereoscopic.

Stereo-3D Scripts for After Effects from Christoph Keller on Vimeo.

Realtime 3D stereoscopic editing in Premiere CS5

Below from AdoveTV, Dave Helmly walks you through a complete workflow for 3D stereoscopic editing in Premiere Pro CS5. In a little over an hour, Dave covers various rigs, 3D viewing options, realtime editing, and export. He also covers Neo3D, a new 64 bit CS5 plug-in from Cineform, and Active, Passive and Anaglyph viewing, as well how to play your videos on a consumer 3D TV.

[update: DAV's TechTable added a note promising more]

For other background see Stereoscopic 3D resources for After Effects, 3D, Cineform, and CS5, and [later] Adobe's resource summary for CS5 Stereoscopic 3D production.



Also, here's the 1st of the 7-part version on YouTube:

Native After Effects 3D objects

Andrew Murchie of Enhanced Dimensions has added native After Effects 3D objects (the laptop and dice objects are new and the 3d glasses file is updated) to the Stereoscopic 3D downloads section of the site, which also includes support files and tutorials. The website says, "These items are free for you to use."

Update: of course these aren't 3D models but flat planes arranged in AE 3d space -- you'd need to import 3D models through Photoshop and import that into AE, or use try Zaxwerks Invigorator which supports a few formats.

News gap Saturday

RSS to Twitter delay, so let's call it Saturday...

Several tutorials, tips, scripts, and news items were mentioned around the web not discussed here at AEP. Here's some websites and resources with a different mix of news this week:

• "Say no to presets and tutorials! All works end up looking the same. Realize that your weakness *is* your strength." -- a Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind type tweet from Peder Norrby of Trapcode (@rymden). [Later, a discussion ensued at Trapcode Facebook, and Peder explains Your weakness is your strength at the Trapcode blog.]
  

• These sites has several items... @hashae, AE Tuts, Lester Banks, motion graphics eXchange

• Todd Kopriva notes several character animation tutorials (and more) from Robert Powers and looks at both the forest and trees in Tutorials for After Effects and 3D by Dave Scotland.

• Stereo 3D tutorials are coming to Video Copilot
• VFX Haiku video Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D: Stereo Workflow
• Nonlinear Disparity Mapping for Stereoscopic 3D tech on stereo framing & perception
  
• After Effects CS5 - 3D Stereoscopic by David Smith of Academy Class
• AFTER EFFECTS 3D stereoscopic camera tutorial by "The Great Zimm" aka "Adam Meyers."
  
• Several 2010 Christoph Keller tutorials are favored by many, for example, Stereo-3D Scripts for After Effects

• 3D Thursday is a new series of round-ups of inspirational pieces based on 3D (not stereo 3D) on Motion Design Love.
  

• After Effects filters for CS5 continue to be released, including Genarts Sapphire and sets from RE:Vision Effects, Video Copilot, and others. AE product manager Michael Coleman recommends keeping track of 64-bit plug-ins for After Effects CS5 with the recent list at the After Effects plug-in page on Adobe.com.
  
• Other updated CS5-compatible lists include Mylenium's list at his After Effects Plug-in Guide and Toolfarm's list of 64-Bit Plug-ins.
  

3D stereocam set-up in AE

Trapcode Sharelog continues to post interesting presets and projects, like Shine smokescreen. The latest is 3D stereocam set-up in AE by Jochem Drost, which was used to create this:

Trapcode particular 2 3d anaglyph from Jodroboxes on Vimeo.

Pixel Bender Anaglyph Filter + anaglyph tutorials

Lester Banks, Motionographer, and Mograph noted some 3D work by Stefan Voigt, who in video and blog posts discusses the basics of how stereoscopic 3D works in Photoshop and After Effects. His tutorials include How to create anaglyph stereo in After Effects and Create optimized anaglyph in After Effects.

Stefan has been using the Optimized Anaglyph Filter, a free Pixel Bender filter for After Effects and Flash from David Shelton. This filter has not been checked here at AEP against the built-in 3D Glasses effect. See Wikipedia for more on anaglyph images, and click the tag for more resources for After Effects

Here's Stefan Voigt, who also talks about stereo 3D rigs in Cinema 4D and 3DS Max on his blog:

Update: there's another, Anaglyphs With Pixel Bender & Depth Map.

CS5 roto for dimensional workflow + new tutorials

Roto tools in After Effects CS5 could help speed "dimensional workflow" for 3D stereosopic projects with faster ways to change depth of field. Ok, that's not just for 3D.

Nor is it as realistic as methods taught in fxphd's April term course Nuke 2D to 3D Stereo Conversion. For related developments on the higher end, see fxguidetv: Flame/Smoke 2011 Releases or fxguidetv #079.

Anyway, RealVision.ae has ideas on how CS5’s Rotobrush and Nuke Ocula tools assist in 2D to 3D conversions. And Imagineer Systems profiled the use of mocha as a VFX tool in the "Dimensionalization workflow" of In-Three; see In-Three: 2D-3D workflows. George Lucas called some of their work "shockingly good," so check out In-Three's basic technical docs for ideas, and In-Three on the Workflow Behind 3D Conversions on Studio Daily.

Other discussions of 3D in CS5 and in AE were noted previously in 3D, Cineform, and CS5. And here's some fun via Tim Sassoon from a recent thread on the AE-List on 3D and its hype, 2D Theatre by Hungry Beast -- and something more like the future via the Twittersphere:





Update: Andrew Murchie has launched a four-part series of After Effects tutorials showing how to convert 2D footage to 3D. Each one focuses on a different technique with an increasing level of complexity. 2d to 3d After Effects tutorial, the first tutorial, covers a simple channel offset technique that will get you converting 2d to 3d.

Update 2: fxphd has an April term class, Nuke 2D to 3D Stereo Conversion.

3D, Cineform, and CS5

Note: this web page is OLD, and the info likely outdated after 5 years and several app and codec releases. Please don't take the info too seriously -- now it's just an archive.

_________________________________________

FreshDV has a discussion on 3D with David Newman from Cineform, embedded below. While 3D may be more of a niche in the end, there is interest in it now. For other background see Stereoscopic 3D resources for After Effects and Downloads for stereo 3D.

freshdv_nab10_cineform
Also, here's an excerpt from Adobe Conversations from the NAB Show Floor at PVC, by Dave Helmly aka DavTechTable, who's working a full workflow video on 3D:

Attendee commenting on 3D:
“I had no idea Adobe had a 3D workflow for Premiere Pro and After Effects. Being able to render effects and transitions and keep those processes as true Left and Right eye (Stereo) on a single timeline has a leg up on the competition. Their Export process was clean and simple, the whole process was really not that much different than editing standard video.”

My response:
The credit here really needs to go to the mind-blowing development team at Cineform who always seem to keep Adobe Premiere one-step ahead in the latest high-tech trend in video. They’ve been a longtime developer partner for us and know our SDK inside out. Their new CS5 NEO3D plug-in works fantastic in 64 bit. I’ve been working on our 3D CS5 workflow story for while now with Cineform and I must say that what Cineform brings to Premiere and After Effects arrived just in time for all of the new 3D content that needs to be created to support the new 3D channels launching soon. This is a MUST SEE at NAB (I suggest heading to Cineform or NVIDIA to see it in 3D), as the attendee noticed, you can render the timeline in left and right eye in a single pass. Other workflows require you to export each eye separately and then Mux them back together and re-import--not fun!

Premiere does all of this in 1 step. You can even edit in CS5 with your 3D glasses on.I’ve been testing different monitoring solutions ranging from NVIDIA 3D VISION Active glasses (very clear) and various Passive 3D display monitors. (If you saw me on the plane coming to NAB , then you saw me with my paper anaglyph glasses from Shark Week a few years ago editing 3D in CS5 on my laptop). Cineform supports switching to and from all these modes including AJA SDI support. Cineform even has our Titler working in 3D!

I recently setup my first 3D Stereo camera rig using a pair of Canon cameras to shoot my hometown of Annapolis Maryland in 3D. I worked through the simple Cineform NEO 3D and CS5 workflow switching LUTs on the fly and was sold on the future of what 3D video will bring to the CS5 Editor. This is first new high-tech feature that can be used in a wide range of areas ranging from an event video to a Kiosk in a local mall or car dealership to broadcast and film. Seeing my footage in 3D that was shot hours before changed my opinion of this market entirely. There is money to made here for any editor looking for a leg up on the competition. Watch for a full workflow video coming to Adobe TV or my YouTube Channel (DAVTechTABLE).

Downloads for stereo 3D at Enhanced Dimensions

Andrew Murchie of Enhanced Dimensions has added another section aimed at After Effects users to the Stereoscopic 3D downloads section of the site, including support files for various S3D tutorials plus AE 3D scenes or objects free for use in non-commercial videos.

There is a dust-up over 3D hype, covered in The Movie Studios’ Big 3D Scam at Gizmodo, Michael Bay And James Cameron Skeptical Of 3D Conversions: "The Jury Is Out" at Deadline.com, and Fight over 3-D screens heats up with high-pressure tactics at the LA Times, but development continues at some level even for After Effects users.

For more, see some nice intros on Gizmodo (Giz Explains and How 3D Works) and an AEP roundup, Stereoscopic 3D resources for After Effects.

Update: 5tu tweeted about a more reasonably-priced iPhone stereo 3D calculator app than RealD Pro Stereo 3D Calc -- IOD calc, which calculates the inter-ocular distance needed for each camera setup based on measurements from set.

Also, Toolfarm noted a Cineform tutorial on Muxing 2D CineForm clips for 3D "for those getting started with 3D. This explains how to take separate Left and Right eye CineForm AVI or MOVs and multiplex them into a single CineForm 3D clip."

Update 2: another angle at NewTeeVee, Is Hollywood Overestimating the Appeal of 3-D?

Update 3: also, Samsung Issues 3-D TV Warning as 3D TV may cause physical and perceptual after effects -- and that's beyond the 5 Reasons 3D TV Won't Take Off noted by The Wrap.

Stereoscopic 3D resources for After Effects

In a thread on the Adobe forums, Troy Church of Adobe collected some After Effects tutorials for stereoscopic 3D (via Todd Kopriva):

• Stereoscopic 3D in After Effects - video training from DigitalTutors.com (preview)
• Stereoscopic 3D workflow in AE - AE scripts and Vimeo video tutorials by Chris Keller
• 3D Movie Making: Stereoscopic Digital Cinema for Script to Screen by Bernard Mendiburu from Focal Press
  
• Intro to Stereoscopic - class from fxphd.com
• the easiest way if the more expensive - Stereo 3D Toolbox plug-in from Noise Industries, and they have a couple of videos that show how to set up a simple stereoscopic composition structure

See also Rick Gerard's response in that thread.

A few more resources can be found in previous AEP posts:

• Andrew Murchie After Effects tutorials (he updates)
• Stereo3D Toolbox from Tim Dashwood
  
• stereoscopy scripts for After Effects by Chris Keller (for his updated tutorial see Stereo-3D Scripts for AE by Chris Keller)
  
• Spatial View Stereo 3D plug-in for After Effects
  
• HD Stereo AE script by INTelegance

For background see Fxguide's The Art of Digital 3D Stereoscopic Film, and check out Twitter streams like steroclub and hashtag #stereoscopic. A pretty cool pre-vis tool with 3D for filmmakers is FrameForge Previz Studio.

Adobe started a resource page for Stereoscopic 3D in the Production Premium suite; see also AEP posts Realtime 3D stereoscopic editing in Premiere CS5 and DSLR and 3D stereoscopic resources for Premiere. The catalog of AEP news notes for AE and Premiere is organized under the tag

Update: Gizmodo has some nice intros on 3D; here's a picture from one:

Update 2: Later, Gizmodo has more The Movie Studios’ Big 3D Scam.

Update 3: the dust-up continues at the LA Times in Fight over 3-D screens heats up with high-pressure tactics.

Update 4: Gadget Stereoscopic Preview is a new plug-in for After Effects CS 5 (Windows-only) that provides real-time 3D preview on a capable 3D display (NVIDIA® 3D Vision; Over/Under render on a 3D TV).

Also, Post magazine December 2010 has an overview Outlook on 3D Stereo which includes comments by Jim Geduldick of Final Cut User and AENY.


Update 5: Be sure to see the FAQ by Amir Stone, Understanding Stereoscopic 3D in After Effects, and stereoscopic 3D in After Effects CS5.5 by Todd Kopriva and AE Help updates.

Fxguide's 'Art of' Tracking, Keying, Roto, Optical Flow, HDR, 3D Stereo, & more

Fxguide's 'Art of' series is still pretty good. Here's what's easily found in the series:

• The Art of Tracking
• The Art of Keying
• The Art of Roto
• The Art of Wire Removal
• The Art of Optical Flow
• The Art of HDR
• The Art of Digital 3D Stereoscopic Film
• Matte Painting: 1, 2, 3, 4

Covering some of the same ground is "classic" VFX training resurrected for now on Vimeo, the out-of-print Masters of Visual Effects.

Basic stereoscopic 3D in After Effects

In Basic Stereoscopic 3d After Effects Tutorial (2 parts) "Enhanced Dimensions' Andrew Murchie introduces you to the basics of creating stereoscopic 3D images and animation for deployment as Anaglyph (Red-Blue glasses) and the cross-eyed side-by-side format (as used by YouTube 3D)."

To check out several other AEP posts on the subject, click on the tag Stereoscopic


Basic Stereoscopic 3d After Effects Tutorial Part 2 from Andrew Murchie on Vimeo.