Case study - Elements of Motion Graphics

2D elements

2D elements are displayed on both the X and Y axis and are usually 3 or 4 sided shapes. There are different types of 2D elements. The first is Shell. This is a linear element in one-dimensional that's values on the X and Y axis remain constant. Next is Solid. This one is a two-dimensional element which is a quadrilateral or triangular. The last is Plate. This is also a two-dimensional element but represents a solid on X and Y axis. 2D plates are also used in drawing and design as templates.

This is part of my viral advert project. I made this using 2D elements, only using the X and Y axis. The background is built up of 2D elements that have been layered in Photoshop to create a final 2D image. Then I added the 2D bear and animated him.

3D elements

3D elements are not literally three-dimensional, they create the illusion that an image has depth. This object is displayed on the X, Y & Z axis'.

Mattes

A Matte is the process of blanking part of an image so that it may be replaces with another. This is done using a mask to cover the area. It is used to combine more than one image to create one final image. They can be used to put an image of an object onto a second image of a background/landscape; creating one final image. It is used in special effects to mask particular areas that need to be masked. There are countless mattes in modern special effects, all layered.

Alpha Channels

This is a Channel mask; it can change the transparency of an edit. Alpha channels define an area as 8-bit grey images. The images are defined black, white and greys. A mask is created by duplicating a colour channel and editing it with a variety of tools, painting and filters. When modifying an Alpha Channel we need to go through the palette options and select Channel options. We give a name to the Alpha channel and alter the colour and opacity. You can then alter the specifications of the overlay to change what will be covered; Spot colour, unselected area or selected area.

Key frames

Key frames are represented by small diamonds in the timeline, when selected they are yellow. They are created to mark points of transformation. It is commonly used in animation. For example: The first point is placed at the beginning of the timeline and the object that will be put into motion is on the left side of the composition. Then 5 seconds into the timeline, another key frame is added and the object is dragged onto the right side of the composition. When this is played back the object appears to move from the left to the right giving it the appearance of motion.
This is a short piece of animation I made for my Viral Advert and it will also be used in a music video because they are both based on my final major project. The teddy bear in this video was animated using key frames. I had a puppet pin on each leg, arm and also one on his head and torso. Then using key frames I moved each limb in small movements to create the illusion of walking motion.

Layers

Compositions are made up of layers. Imported items will become separate layers, these can be video, still image and audio. There is a variety of file type; from Quicktime to PSD (photoshop document). Flat images can not be separated but PSDs retain their editable layers. You can also create more layers in after effects such as cameras, adjustment layers, lights, null objects, text and shapes.

My bear animation also uses many layers. The background image is made up of layered images using Photoshop. Then it was imported into After effects as a flat image. Then the bear layer was added on top.

Composite Modes

This is the different types of combining composites into one composition. The variations are determined on the colours and how they interact. 

First there's Normal. This is the default setting and just places a composition on another and the transparency of the top layer can be adjusted so that the lower layer can be seen.

Add - This focuses on the whites in both images and lightens all other overlapping colours. All white lines are preserved but the blacks become transparent. The order of image does not affect the result. 

Subtract - This is like an opposite to the Add mode. It darkens to overlapping colours, whites in the foreground turn black and those in the background invert. Blacks in the foreground are transparent and those in the background are preserved. The order of images is important because different effects are created depending on order. 

Difference - This is similar to subtract but instead of darker tones everything is coloured differently. The order of image does not affect the mode. 

Multiply - This focuses on the dark areas of both images, but midrange colour values are mixed evenly. Lighter areas of images become transparent to allow the darker image to show through. Blacks are very much preserved in both images. The order of image does not affect the mode. 

Screen - This focuses on the lighter areas of both images and mid-ranged colour values are mixed evenly. Blacks become transparent revealing the lighter areas of image through. The order of image does not affect the mode. 

Overlay- Both whites and blacks int eh foreground become transparent and interact with colour values of background image making an intense contrast. The order of the images is important and for the final effect. 

Hard light - Whites and blacks in the foreground block overlapping areas in the background image. Whites and blacks in the background image interact with the midrange colour values that overlap with the foreground image. The overlapping midrange values are dependant on the brightness of the background. The order of image is important for this effect. 

Soft light - This is similar to overlay. Whites and blacks in the foreground become transparent but they interact with the colour values of the background image. Whites and blacks in the background image replace overlapping areas in the foreground image. All overlapping values are mixed creating an even tinting effect. The order of the image is important for this effect. 

Darken - This focuses on the darkest areas of the overlapping image. Whites allow the other image to show through completely. The order of image does not affect the mode. 

Lighten - This focuses on the lighter areas of the overlapping image. The lightest pixels are preserved and whites from both images show through. The order of image does not affect the mode.