Now that you're more comfortable with how 3D layers and how the camera works in 3D space from Part 1 of this tutorial, you can explore other ways to enhance your still images.

Depth of field and camera focus can help to create the illusion of depth and space in your composition. You can change the focus from the front layer of mountains (layer 2) to the raven as you move the camera in. As in the first tutorial, the composition "mountains" is my finished attempt, "work comp" is what you'll be using to try it on your own.

You will need:

• AE 7 Professional
• Knoll Light Factory Download Demo

Instructions

Twirl down the Camera 1 layer, and turn depth of field on. Don't worry if everything has turned blurry. In your composition window, select your top view if it isn't already selected. I find it's always easier for me to have the top view on when adjusting camera position and focus distance. If you have your camera layer selected, and adjust the number for depth of field by dragging the number back and forth, you'll see a small line moving that shows you what is in focus. The reason it's blurry now is since it is only focusing 100 pixels away from the camera.

You can either drag the value to change the focus distance by eye, or enter the z position number of layer 2 to focus on that particular layer. Since layer 2's z depth is at 710, I changed the focus distance to 710 on the camera. (Note- this only works if the camera position is at 0 for z depth. Once we move the camera in, we need to adjust for the reduced distance between the camera and the layer RAVEN).

Blur level is the amount of camera blur that is applied to the depth of field. The higher the number, the shorter the distance from the focus distance line that is in focus (Note that a higher blur level will also increase preview and render times). I wanted to make the blur a bit more extreme, so I changed it from 100% (default) to 200%. I also turned on motion blur for all layers except the sky. Not only does motion blur apply to layers that are moving independently at speed, but it also affects the layers in relation to the camera. Even though my layers are static, the camera move is quick enough to cause the layers to blur.

Other Goodies/Ideas

Add some plugins- In the first tutorial, I had a simple lens flare effect to simulate the sun. In this tutorial, I wanted to play around with a few third party plugins that are useful to create this sort of effect. Red Giant's Knoll Light Factory in particular has some very nice lighting features, including a "disc" that I used to simulate the sun, and "chroma hoop", which I used as a sort of vignette. It's interesting to experiment with these LF plugins when using the sun as a light source. As another "final touch", I added an adjustment layer (layer/new adjustment layer) to the comp with the "photo filter" effect (under color correction). I chose the default warm filter, as it accentuated the reddish hues of the landscape nicely, and placed the layer at the top of my composition, so that it would affect all of my layers below it.

Motion within layers- It's always nice to have some subtle motion elements within your composition, especially if you're working with mainly stills. My raven needed more "life" than the static placeholder I had originally. Thanks to Thomas Birks from Postworks Michigan for supplying me with a 15 frame sequence of a raven flying (ala Eadweard Muybridge)! I simply placed this in a separate comp to loop, and replaced my static shot with the animated one. There is an easy shortcut (and very, very useful) to replace a layer in your timeline with a different element in your project, yet keep all your keyframes and effects intact. Select the layer you want to replace (raven), and then select the item in your project window (RAVEN comp). Hold the option key down, and drag the new item over the old. Viola! You still have all your keyframes, effects, and layer information intact. If scale or layer positioning is different for the new object, you may need to adjust.

Camera Techniques

There are many techniques to move the camera around, this is one way I've found that works for me, depending on what I'm working on. Other people would say they prefer different methods. Another way that has been brought up in our forums is to create a null layer that the camera is parented to. This is especially useful when doing tracking/dolly shots when you want to keep the camera pointed at a particular object, or rotating the camera around an object. That way, you don't have to worry about the point of interest going nutty on you when you perform larger moves. Once you're comfortable working in 3D space, experiment with a few different options to make the camera work for you- and your life easier!