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Inspiring
January 16, 2018
Question

How can I divide my composition into exactly three parts to the pixel?

  • January 16, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 9708 views

I am looking to divide a 5760 x 1080 comp three ways, vertically, in order to play a single video across three full HD projectors.  As such, I want to design the video so that each projection has a different image--but it would need to be exact, to the pixel.  I want to have the divisions be visible to me while I am working, so that I know where each section ends and another begins.  Can anyone help me out with how to do this?

Thanks!

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    3 replies

    Andrew Yoole
    Inspiring
    January 17, 2018

    All good advice above, but just an additional option to consider.

    You can design everything in a 5760x1080 comp as discussed. Create Guides to visually define the vertical join lines in your comp.

    But, if you're not doing any additional processing to the images before you render, you don't have to create additional comps for output.  You can do it straight from the Render Queue.

    Send your main comp to the Render Queue as normal.  In the Output Module section, click the checkbox to enable Crop.  Then define the dimensions you wish to render in a pass.  In your case, you will need to have 3 output modules, ones for each video frame.  So the dimensions will be:

    Output Module 1 (Left) :        Top-0, Left-0, Bottom-0, Right 3840

    Output Module 2 (Centre) :    Top-0, Left-1920, Bottom-0, Right 1920

    Output Module 3 (Right) :       Top-0, Left-3840, Bottom-0, Right 0

    You can save these Output Modules as templates so that you don't need to rewrite the numbers every time.  Plus, you can stack multiple Output Modules in one Render Queue item, meaning it only renders the main comp once, then distributes the data to each individual Output Module in one pass.

    Roei Tzoref
    Legend
    January 16, 2018
    I am looking to divide a 5760 x 1080 comp three ways,

    create a composition call it Part 1 and make it 1920x1080. put the main composition 5760x1080 inside it.

    drag it to the left hold shift and Ctrl to snap it to the left edge of the composition.

    note the X position parameter. it is 2880. you need to move it 1920 each time.

    duplicate part 1, open part 2. on the x parameter add after 2880 " -1920"

    duplicate part 2, open part 3. repeat the process.

    if you want a visual reference to your splits, then in the master composition add a solid layer, set is as a guide layer so it won't render (right click->guide layer) and add  the grid effect. set its anchor point to 0,0, size from: width slide, set it to 1920 and set the border to something you could see like this:

    Inspiring
    January 16, 2018

    Thank you Roei, this definitely seems like a good solution. I'm wondering though, is there a way to place some sort of marker at each division point rather than having three separate comps within a larger comp?  I really appreciate your advice and want to try this method.

    Roland Kahlenberg
    Legend
    January 16, 2018

    Roei has some good ideas. For me, I'd prefer if the design takes place in a single comp but the previews take place in a master comp set to 1920x1080; one for each of the three screens that make up the 5760 width.

    With a single screen for design, or even for the initial stage of design, you will have a better idea of what you're working with/towards. Use Guides to set demarcation points and use label colors in the Main Design Comp (5760x1080) to designate which of the three screens layers to into and of course use layer hierarchy as well to designate layers for their respective screens.

    Very Advanced After Effects Training | Adaptive & Responsive Toolkits | Intelligent Design Assets (IDAs) | MoGraph Design System DEV
    Dave_LaRonde
    Inspiring
    January 16, 2018

    Do your work in a 5760 x 1080 comp.  Then make double-dog sure about how this animation will be played back -- as one huge file, or three 1920x1080 file.

    Do you have delivery specs for this project?  What are they?

    Inspiring
    January 16, 2018

    There will be a series of videos, played on cue (one at a time) through Isadora software, using a Matrox triplehead2go splitter connected to 3 projectors.  All of the clips are played across three projectors.  Not all the videos are being designed to have different imagery per screen, but the But to be sure, the video is going to be played as a huge file--but the splitter divides the video into three 1920 by 1080 portions, one for each projector.