How to Edit Head rotation in 360 degree?

[OPTIMISTIC100]

Hey Guys, hope you're doing well. I'm a complete beginner in the editing world. One of the biggest issues I'm facing is I can't edit the rotation of the Head in 360 degrees. I've tried all the possible ways, used and on the whole internet there's not even a single tutorial, tried Chat GPT but failed to edit properly. I'm totally new to the after effects, if possible please explain to me in detail.

Description - I will be sitting on a chair, and my head should rotate 360 degrees and my body should be still. Help me out with the problem at the earliest. Thank you in advance!  

[Rick Gerard]

I call this kind of project a Process Shot. You use a process to combine two or more shots into a believable composite. They have been creating Process Shots for almost as long as they have been making movies. It only took a few weeks after the movie camera was invented for someone to paint a piece of glass with one part clear and the other black, then make an inverted painting on another piece of glass so what was black on the first one was now clear on the second. This created a Matte and an Inverted Matte. They put the Matte in front of the camera, shot a scene, then replaced the Matte with the Inverted Matte, rewound the film, and reshot the scene with something different in the frame. Here's the workflow for creating your Process Shot.

Put the camera on a tripod, frame up the shot with you in the chair, then shoot several seconds with you sitting in a chair, trying not to move your shoulders and neck. Then you need another shot of just the chair. You need a third shot with you at the same distance and angle from the camera, with you sitting on a chair that rotates so you can spin around completely. Removing the background will be easier if there is a green backdrop behind your head so you can key instead of rotoscope your head.

When you have the three shots, you stack them up in After Effects with your spinning around in Layer 1, sitting in the chair in Layer 2, and the shot with you not in the shot is on Layer 3.

Start with Layer 2 and 3 visible; draw a Subtracion Mask around your head so you end up with a shot where you have no head. 

The next step is to Key the shot and use a mask on Layer 1 so that just your head and neck are showing. You then Motion Stabilize the shot so that only your head and neck are showing. Mocha AE is the best way to Track and Stabilize your head.

The last step is to carefully line up the Motion Stabilized top layer with your body, carefully mask and blend where your neck and body join, and then do the final polish with color correction, feathered edges, and any distortion effects needed to make the scene believable. 

The project will be fairly simple if you carefully plan all three elements of your Process shot. If you hold the camera in your hand, it will be tough.

When you have the three shots, the Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background plates, drag some screenshots to the reply field of the forum so we can see what you are dealing with and we can give you some specific suggestions. 

In the meantime, search Owl Kitty on the net or on YouTube and look at a few of the behind-the-scenes videos. You'll see what can be done using a simple greenscreen, motion tracking, and color correction.

[OPTIMISTIC100]

Thank you So much for the guidance, I'll surely reply to you if I need furthermore Guidance. I will post some screenshots of myself recording on a chair, sitting still, and a blank background with the chair. Proper Suggestions are needed as I'm new to the After Effects software.

[Rick Gerard]

If you start with the Learn Workspace (Window/Workspace/Learn) and spend about 20 minutes going through the exercises there, you will get a good understanding of the UI, layering, setting keyframes, and the basic workflow. You could also spend some time with the User Guide. You can also make use of the Search Help field in the top right corner of AE. That's a good place to look first when you have problems with an effect or any part of the UI.

[OPTIMISTIC100]

I'm facing a problem.Please provide me some tips. I've attached a video and a screenshot for your reference.

[Rick Gerard]

You have to motion stabilize the head so that the center of the body does not move. Mocha AE is your best tool for that. You will probably have to do the stabilizing before you create the mask. 

[OPTIMISTIC100]

Thank you for the suggestion, I will get back to you if I face any problem further.

[OPTIMISTIC100]

I'm facing a problem while using stabilize motion, also give me some tips on how to stabilize motion with tracking face as my head is rotating, bit confused on where to put the marker for tracking. Please Check the attached file for your reference. Thank you in advance.

[Rick Gerard]

Motion Stabilizing the rotating head is going to require manual keyframing because the shape and the texture change so much. It should only take a few keyframes moving the layer only on the X-axis to keep the head lined up with the center of the body.

When you get that far, you will have to figure out the best way to add an extension to the neck so that you can warp it into place. Creating a spinning head isn't going to be a 10-minute project. 

I would shoot the shot of you sitting still, wearing a solid-colored shirt with a collar so you can easily create a mask with the shirt. The layer with your body sitting still should not show any skin. The shot of you spinning in the chair should be shot against a green screen so you can easily remove the background, and you should wear a t-shirt with a very low neck or no shirt at all.

When you get the head stabilized so that your neck stays pretty much in the center of the shirt, you will need to figure out how to distort the neck to look like your head is spinning. It may take a couple of copies of just your neck, some puppet pin or mesh warp and some blending to make it believable. 

So to review: Start with a background plate that does not have you in the shot. Add a static shot with you not spinning around. Remove the head and maybe part of the neck with masking, and remove the background. A headless layer with part of the neck and or at least a high collar is required for this shot.

The next layer is just the spinning head. Create that layer by keying and masking so that you have a spinning head with a lot of the neck and maybe part of the shoulders.

You may require a neck and shoulders shot that you can distort and blend with the head layer to simulate the twisting of the neck. 

It may be advantageous to put the headless body layer between the head and the distorted neck layer.

Manual keyframing of the head and twisting neck layer will be required. 

I hope this helps. Preparation, careful positioning of you in the chair so that the center of rotation is as close as possible to the middle of your neck will help. 

I downloaded a greenscreen shot of a kid spinning, Used Time Remapping to give me the bottom layer that I could mask, put a shape layer as a temporary neck below the body, animated a mask on the top copy of the keyed shot to give me the head, then just set a couple of keyframes to keep the head lined up. It took about 10 minutes. 

This shot needs a lot more work, but it should give you an idea of the basic workflow. It only took a few mask keyframes to isolate the head. The Head layer was parented to the Null, and the position of the null was animated with only four keyframes. 

[OPTIMISTIC100]

Sorry for the late reply, I have tried all possible ways to edit. For your reference I have attached a video Link, I wanted to edit it like that. Here it is - https://youtu.be/55vEXksvq54

Does the guy in the video used Green Screen? How to edit exact same rotating head video which I've mentioned. Sorry for the disturbance, it's just that if I learned to edit the video I'll be extremely happy. Thank you in advance. 

[Rick Gerard]

Did he use Greenscreen? Yes.

The shot of the head rotating was done without a shirt.

The black t-shirt gives a great edge for a procedural matte or a simple mask. 

The shot of the rotating head was motion stabilized on the center of the neck. Additional masking was probably required. There is a strong possibility that stabilizing the neck required manual keyframes. The rotating head was also speeded up (time remapping), and motion blur was added.

As I said in the beginning of this thread. The most important part of this effect is planning. 

[OPTIMISTIC100]

That's really a great tip. I'll try without shirt, and I'll manually use a green cloth. I guess it will work. This time I might get the result. Thank you.

[OPTIMISTIC100]

I'm facing problem after using stabilize motion, used track motion also. Used tracking motion with Mocha AE and applied it. Where I went wrong, and I've added a manual green screen in the background. Is that okay? Please check the attached files for reference and please Suggest Some tips regarding the same.Thank you in advance.