Simulating a car accident: precise cutting out of people in After Effects

In this tutorial, we will focus on the exciting task of cutting out a person from a video who is involved in an accident scene. You will learn how to cut out the person precisely and place them in the right position. Various techniques from Adobe After Effects will be used, especially the Roto Brush Tool. This guide will walk you through the process step by step.

Key Takeaways

• With the Roto Brush Tool, you can precisely cut out objects or people from a video.
• Converting a video clip into a still image can simplify the editing process.
• Careful planning and execution of the cuts are crucial for a believable outcome.

Step-by-Step Guide

First, focus on the person in the image who is supposed to be involved in the accident. Start by duplicating the person composition from your project to keep a copy of the current state.

Duplicate the composition by using the "Ctrl" and "D" keys. This allows you to make changes without endangering the original.

In the overall composition, take a look at the timeline and decide that it is necessary to convert the video clip into a still image. This conversion has the advantage of processing less information, making the image editing process easier.

The still image will help you better adjust the scene, as the car's movement will mask the blur and speed of the animation. Switch back to the person duplication to use this frame.

Now, go into the person composition and apply the key combination "Control + Shift + D" to split the layer. From this point onwards, you will convert the video clip into a still image.

Now comes the exciting part: cutting out the person. Use the Roto Brush Tool for this. Double-click into the layer view and start using the Roto Brush to select the person.

You can adjust the radius of the Roto Brush and work precisely using the Control key. If there is an area you want to subtract, hold down the Alt key to subtract that area.

Once you are satisfied with your selection, check this in the timeline to ensure that the cuts look good in both forward and backward motions.

Remember that at the beginning of the clip, the car may not yet be in the image. In this case, it is not crucial to cut out other elements in the image as long as the person is worked out neatly.

However, it is important to consider the shadow of the person, as it is offset in the underlying layer.

Once you are sure that the person is cut out precisely, track this still image clip over time. This will be the basis of your work in the next phase of editing.

And finally, when you reach the part where the person is really running onto the street, ensure that only the person is in the image to guarantee a believable representation of the accident scene.

Summary

In this tutorial, you have learned how to cut out a person from a video and optimize the editing using Adobe After Effects. You apply the Roto Brush Tool and can convert the original video clip into a still image. These techniques will help you create realistic scenes.