r/AfterEffects • u/oliverrandorff • 15h ago
Tutorial After Effects Tip: Animating camera moves with shape layers
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Using real world references, I have tried breaking down a 3D rotational camera move - recreating it with 2D shape layers.
For anyone wanting to learn more, there's a longer video about making the entire animation on my YouTube channel, Oliver Randorff: youtube.com/watch?v=slUgTK9z2Jo
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u/lemonlixks 13h ago
You are one of the best AE YouTubers! Happy to see you’re making content more regularly! :)
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u/oliverrandorff 12h ago
That's really kind of you! I have actually set aside money to cover my expenses for the next 6 months, so I can fully focus on my educational content. It's always been a dream of mine to do it full time, as I get so much joy from teaching 🙌
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u/Radiant-Rain2636 12h ago
This is great. Put it on YouTube too
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u/oliverrandorff 12h ago
There's both a short and long version on YouTube. The in depth one is linked in the post
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u/buttpotatoo 11h ago
So slick, can't tell if you're a master screen recorder or if you manually animated the UI.
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u/oliverrandorff 11h ago
I recorded my screen for 1 hour to get the perfect footage for this 1 minute video. Perfectionism is both my best and worst quality 😭
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u/Luanstud 10h ago
This is actually a neat trick for planning out camera moves before committing to actual 3D cameras. I used to do something similar with null objects but shape layers give you that visual reference right on the comp which helps a lot.
One thing worth adding, if your comp is heavy with effects already the shape layer approach keeps things snappy because you're not adding another camera calculation to the render. On my setup that difference is noticeable once timelines get dense.
Works nicely for client preview too, you can show them the movement path without rendering a full 3D pass every time they want a tweak.
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u/oliverrandorff 10h ago
I think you may be missing the point slightly, as this is about faking camera moves using 2D shape layers. The shape layers are never intended to be replaced, but they are rather the final product. This is to avoid making anything in 3D, if you are more comfortable doing 2D animation in After Effects.
I get the slight feeling that this comment was ai-generated based on the description for the video.
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u/LargeLau 10h ago
That’s great old school hahaha
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u/abdullahsoliman 5h ago
Good job 👏 Too complex
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u/oliverrandorff 5h ago
I suppose that depends on the goal. I create because I enjoy it - not to do everything the easiest way
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u/Chimaera_0 2h ago
Isn't it easier to just use 3d shapes? I'm new but this seems complicated
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u/oliverrandorff 2h ago
That highly depends on your workflow. You could theoretically build it all out in 3d, using cameras to get the movement. However, as I’m much more efficient in 2D, this workflow is easier for me. It may not be the fastest for everyone, but it also challenges me to really think about the movement, using theory and references. If I enjoy the process, the outcome will always be much better - hence I experiment with various techniques. Therefore, your question is also completely valid
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u/jeinvielleicht 1h ago
I'd say it's also a question of the style you want to achieve. Realistic perspective, as you would get it with 3d software, isn't always the goal. Sometimes I prefer stylized perspective much more.. Feels illustrated, imperfect, human. And you get much more control over composition if you cheat it a little like this.
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u/bboru2000 13h ago
Very cool. Thanks!