Realistic Basics 3D Space Animation Production
Hello everyone, this is your instructor, Choi Ji-won
In this session, we will cover 3D space animation production
focusing on keying effects and the 3D camera tracker in After Effects
FOr today's learning objectives, first we will use keying effects
to remove the background of a moving subject
and gain a deeper understanding of keying in After Effects
Next, we will use the 3D camera tracker
to composite and produce a 3D space animation
to create a more refined and realistic animation
Keying Effects in After Effects
First, we will use keying effects to process an image
Then, we will use the 3D camera tracker
to create a scene
Since this is a slightly advanced technique
I will explain it as simply as possible
and guide you through a simple practice exercise
to help you better understand the process
First, we need to prepare some materials for practice
Let’s create a new composition
Name it "Keying Practice"
We have now created a composition
Now, let’s import a file into this composition
Press Ctrl + I to import
Let’s start by practicing with this bird image
Once you import it, in the Keying2 composition
you will see the Keying2 PNG file of the bird
We want to remove the background and keep only the bird
To do this, we need to apply a specific effect
Select the Keying PNG file and go to Effects & Presets
I have already searched for it
Type "key" in the search bar
Once you type "key"
you will see various keying effect options
Among them, look for "Keylight (1.2)"
Double-click on it
You can either double-click it, drag it into the composition panel
or drag it onto the file in the timeline to apply the effect
Once applied, the Effect Controls panel
will display various Keylight effect options
Since we want to remove the background color
we need to adjust the Screen Color
Find the eyedropper tool, then click on it
Your cursor will turn into an eyedropper
Now, click on the background using the eyedropper
The background will be removed
After removing the background color,
it’s a good idea to adjust the Screen Matte options in Keylight
Scroll down and find "Screen Matte"
Look for "Clip White" under Screen Matte
Find Clip White and lower its value slightly
I set mine to 90
Next, find Screen Softness
Increasing Screen Softness
will make the edges of the image smoother
By reducing brightness and adding softness
the cut-out edges won’t stand out as much
and will look more natural
This method allows you to remove the background
from JPG images and use only the subject
However, if the background is too messy
or if the subject’s color blends with the background
it will be difficult to separate them
So, when selecting an image
make sure the background color isn’t too similar to the subject
Checking this beforehand
will make your work easier
Next, let’s try another method
Go to Menu > Effect, then find Matte
Under Matte, look for Simple Choker which is the 4th option
Select it and apply it
Once applied, it will appear in the Effect Controls panel
You will see Simple Choker listed
Change Choke Matte from 0 to 1
Press Enter, and you’ll notice the edges become much cleaner
This helps refine the edges nicely
This prevents messy edges
So, make sure to clean up the edges properly
Now, we have successfully extracted an object using keying
Let’s try it again. Press Ctrl + I
This time, we’ll extract this leaf
The background color is different this time
This leaf has a clear contrast
to make it easier to extract
The process is the same, but let’s apply it again for practice
Repeating the practice will help you memorize it
Select this file for keying
If Effects & Presets is already active,
go to Effects & Presets and find Keylight (1.2)
Instead of double-clicking, let’s drag it this time
Dragging it will bring up the Effect Controls panel on the left
In the Effect Controls panel
what was the first thing we adjusted to remove the background?
We adjusted Screen Color and used the eyedropper tool
When we clicked the eyedropper, the cursor changed to a dropper
Move to the Composition panel
and click on the background color of the file
What happened? The background disappeared
However, the edges still look slightly unnatural
Some white background remains, and the edges need refinement
To refine this picture
what did we do before?
We went to the Effect menu
Then, we selected Matte
We clicked on the fourth option, Simple Choker
As soon as we clicked, the Effect Controls panel
displayed Simple Choker
Which setting should we increase
to smoothen the edges?
It’s Choke Matte, which I’m hovering over now
The Choke Matte value is currently 0, so I’ll set it to 1
See how it smoothens more? Now, I’ll increase it to 3
It looks even softer
What if we set it to 10?
The edges become even softer
If you want to smoothen or soften the edges
you can use higher values
but I set mine to 30,
and the edges completely disappear
Instead of manually entering values
hover over the number field
and you’ll see left and right arrows
Drag the arrows left or right
until you find the best effect, then stop
I stopped at 3.4 for a subtle effect
By visually checking the edges
you can set a more accurate value
Now, we’ve successfully extracted the leaf using keying
Since this is the second exercise, let’s try another technique
In the Timeline panel, select the keyed layer
Enable the 3D Layer icon
Once 3D Layer is enabled
you’ll see a marker in the Composition panel
If there’s a marker in the Composition panel
it means something has changed in the program panel
When I open Transform under Effects, something looks different
Now, the Rotation is divided into X, Y, and Z axes
That’s the biggest change
Let’s try moving the new Z-axis
See how it moves this way
The X-axis moves like this
And the Y-axis moves this way
By converting layers into 3D
we can see that it creates spatial depth
However, it still looks somewhat 2D-like
Since we’ve set this up, let’s scale it down a bit
I’m going to animate it
I want the leaf to fall from right to left
I want to create a falling effect
First, I need to set the position to the right edge
Let’s move it farther back
Adjust it like this
I set my Position values to (364.5, 114.5, 151)
But I’ll move it a bit more
I changed X to 418.5 and added a keyframe
I’ll keyframe the rest as well
I’ll set keyframes for X, Y, Z axes, and Rotation
At 4 seconds, I’ll change the Position
I’ll move it to the left edge
I’ll also lower it slightly
By adjusting it directly in the Composition panel
you can visually create a natural motion
Let’s preview just the position animation
The leaf falls like this
But what about the texture of the leaf?
It’s not stiff, right?
So, having it fall like a paper plane
feels a bit unnatural, so
I think it needs rotation adjustments mid-fall
So, at about one-third of the way down
place the indicater there
Let’s make some changes
Adjust it slightly, then preview the motion
While it’s moving, tweak the X, Y, and Z axes
How does it look after adjusting them?
It now looks like it’s moving through space while falling
Next, since we’ve adjusted the 1/3 point,
let’s make another adjustment at 2/3 of the way down
The position should continue falling naturally
Let’s lower the Y-axis slightly
Next, let’s adjust the rotation
I’ll rotate it more significantly Try experimenting with this
It looks like the wind is blowing, right?
Let’s leave it to fall like this
Now, we need to fine-tune the final motion
If it just falls at an angle, it will look unnatural
To enhance the falling effect
let’s tilt it to reveal more of the top surface
Try adjusting it in different directions
This will help you understand how to create realistic depth
You’ll need to develop this sense through practice
The only way is to keep experimenting
I’ll make more adjustments and lower the position
This is how I adjusted mine
Let’s review it again
It falls, spins, and lands like this
It still looks a bit artificial
It’s quite artificial, but we tried to
make 3D spatial changes
and created this motion
Adding a blur effect should make it more realistic
So I’ve applied some blur
How can we make this even more natural?
Using the Puppet Pin Tool could help
I’ll add only two pins
I placed two pins, and now the Puppet tool is active
With the pins placed
we divided the motion into thirds, so let’s add a small shake at 1/3
Then, another shake at 2/3 of the way down
Finally, a shake at the end
This is how I added the motion, let's take a look
I didn’t overcomplicate the effect
so I didn’t animate the whole leaf
As it falls, the stem weakens
causing it to bend while falling
What do you think?
The 3D concept isn’t just about creating space
but also about how objects move within that space
So if we want to place an object in space
integrate it into the environment
and give it motion
we can use keying techniques
to make objects blend naturally
On top of that, by enabling the 3D Layer option
we can use the X, Y, and Z axes for rotation
to enhance realism
We also need to fine-tune the Position across X, Y, and Z axes
to make it precise
Depending on the texture and weight of the object
we can use the Puppet Pin Tool appropriately
to add realistic deformation to the movement
This helps enhance the animation’s realism
So, 3D animation in After Effects
is not as complex and dynamic as Unity or Unreal Engine
but it focuses on animating 2D graphics
and transforming them into illustrative motion graphics
This approach has its own unique appeal
So, practicing these techniques
based on your interests would be helpful
3D Camera Tracker
Now that we’ve learned how to convert objects into 3D
let’s create one more
We’ll be applying 3D Camera Tracking to a scene
Press Ctrl + N and name it "3D Camera Tracker Practice"
Create a new composition
Next, let’s import a file
Press Ctrl + I and import the Still Life file
Import the Still Life file
Once imported, let’s play the footage
There are objects on a table
and the camera zooms in and out
It’s a short clip of the camera moving closer and farther
We’ll be adding tracking functionality to this video
First, right-click on the Still Life.mov file
Right click and select Pre-compose
Name it "Still Life.mov Comp 1"
Make sure to check "Move all attributes into the new composition"
Check this box
Follow these steps and click OK to create the new composition
This will create a new composition
Now, let’s go back to the main composition
where the pre-composed file is located
Once you’re here
we’ll return to the Effects panel
Earlier, we used "Key" effects
but this time, search for "3D Camera Tracker"
You’ll see one result appear
It will show up under Perspective in 3D Camera Tracker
Double-click to apply it
If nothing happens, what could be the issue?
If the file isn’t selected in the timeline panel
the effect won’t apply
Click on the file and double-click the effect
A message "Analyzing in background" will appear
This is Step 1 of 2
It is analyzing the background
This will take some time
The blue progress bar indicates the analysis process
Once it’s done, what appears?
You’ll see dots in the scene
These dots represent automatically detected spatial data
Usually, we select about three points to use
Let’s select three clearly defined points
We’ll pick around three points
Don’t just click randomly
Hold Shift and select three tracking points
Make sure the angle isn’t too tilted
It’s best if they form a flat surface
Once you’ve selected them, right-click
and you’ll see "Create Null and Camera"
Select this option
Now that we’ve created a Null and Camera
select Track Null 1 and review it
When you select Track Null, it follows the movement
The object we selected
is being tracked accurately by the camera
You can see it tracking properly
You guys should check your screen too
and make sure the camera is following correctly
The camera tracking is working smoothly
Let’s composite the object we created earlier
We’ll copy and bring in the keyed object
The object appears too large
The leaf isn’t fully visible on the screen
For now, don’t worry about the starting position
Go to Transform and adjust the scale
We’ll increase the size
Let’s scale it up
Now, let’s push it further into the distance
Change it like this
I wanted to create an animation of it falling from afar
but it’s starting to look somewhat surreal
I placed a 2D object into a realistic space
to see how it integrates into a 3D environment
The 3D object moves independently
and the 3D background also moves separately
giving a true sense of spatial depth as it falls
After falling, it lands softly on the desk
blending into the still-life composition
But using just one object feels a bit plain, so let’s add another one
Just like before, let’s take the keyed objects
and duplicate them with Ctrl + C, V
This time, let’s make one float lower in the frame
You can adjust the position in Transform
but I’ll do it directly in the composition panel
Feel free to adjust the placement based on your judgment
Try adjusting it
From here on, the way you structure the scene
will define the narrative of the video
Right now, both elements appear at the same time
so maybe I should alter the trajectory a bit
However, if the motion is too identical
I’ll slightly adjust the rotation of the second object
to make it different
We shouldn’t randomly alter motion without purpose
So let’s carefully adjust scale, position, and rotation
We adjusted these at the 1/3 and 2/3 points earlier,
so let’s check how it looks now
See? Changing the rotation slightly
just at one keyframe along X, Y, and Z
already makes the motion feel more organic
Let’s adjust the speed too
How do we change speed
By shifting the keyframes slightly backward
This creates a subtle speed difference between the two leaves
For the last leaf, I’ll also make a small adjustment
It will look more natural if it falls at a different angle
Let’s move its position upward
What if they overlap slightly?
Let’s try it this way
Now, we have a refined animation
Close the panels
We’ve used 3D camera tracking
to center the camera around the objects
We then brought in a 2D object
converted it into a 3D layer, and added motion
If you practice this with your own footage and PNG files
it will help you remember better
In this session, we used the keying effect
to remove backgrounds from objects
and utilized 3D Camera Tracker
to composite and animate a 3D environment
We realized that After Effects can be used
to create realistic 3D environments
more effectively than expected
Let’s review today’s lesson as we wrap up
Thank you!
Using Keying in After Effects
Softening Object Edges
Insert the desired image, then double-click to open it In Effects & Presets, click on Keylight (1.2)
In Keylight, click on Screen Colour’s eyedropper tool and select the image background
In Screen Matte, adjust Clip White and Screen Softness values to create smooth edges
Go to Menu - Effect - Matte - Simple Choker, then set Choke Matte to 1 to refine the outline
Creating Depth and Space Convert the layer to a 3D layer, enabling X, Y, and Z axes
Enable Position, X, Y, and Z axes modify the values to add movement
Adjust the X, Y, and Z axes values at midpoint and endpoint to create depth
Apply blur effects and use Puppet Tool for natural motion
3D Camera Tracker
Applying Tracking Function
Import the desired file, right-click on it and select Pre-compose
Search for 3D Camera Tracker in Effects & Presets
The tool will generate multiple tracking points on the video Hold Shift and select three tracking points
Right-click and select Create Null and Camera
Choose Track Null 1 to see how the camera follows the tracked object
Placing a 2D Object in 3D Space
Copy and import a keyed object into the scene
Adjust the Transform - Scale value Modify the positioning and movement axes of the 2D object within the 3D space