The Art of Rotoscoping

Turn your video footage into a work of art. Learn the basics of rotoscoping to build creative effects and to isolate video elements for compositing or VFX.

Turn your video footage into a work of art. Learn the basics of rotoscoping to build creative effects and to isolate video elements for compositing or VFX. In this course, instructor and mograph artist Eran Stern starts by diving the history and origin of rotoscoping in film and video, providing the background for subsequent practical techniques. He shows how to transform video into natural art—from pencil sketches to Van Gogh paintings, claymation to chalkboard drawings, watercolors to graffiti, and ink blots, Legos, comic books, pastels, and much more. You can also find out how to use the same foundational techniques to isolate elements for compositing and visual effects work, and create simple character animations. Plus, explore the different software for rotoscoping, from Photoshop and After Effects to professional applications such as Mocha AE.

Introduction

• What is rotoscoping?
• What you should know
• Short history of rotoscoping

1. Converting Video to Art Using Photoshop

• Using filters on video
• Export video from Photoshop
• Popular looks
• Using Snap Art
• Applying Photoshop actions to video

2. Converting Video to Art Using After Effects

• Using Auto Trace
• The cartoon effect
• Continuum art looks
• Sapphire Stylize
• Creation art effects
• Transfusion: Style transfer suite

3. Turning Yourself into an Animated Character

• Introduction to Characterizer
• Capturing your face
• Picking styles and generating the puppet
• Animating and exporting the puppet

4. Exploring Roto Tools

• How to make rotoscoping easier
• Keying effects
• Rotobezier and holdout matte
• Improving the matte with effects
• Preparation for roto
• Dividing to multiple masks
• Tracking a mask
• Using the Rotobrush tool
• Refining soft edge

5. Professional Roto Tools

• Rotoscoping with Mocha AE
• Adjusting the shape
• Using Mocha Pro
• Introducing Silhouette

6. Challenge

• Challenge overview
• Creating "A Scanner Darkly" look

Conclusion

• Next steps