Add a way to change effect render priorities

[jaydude-wb]

E.g. Add Grain is of no use, when it comes before layer motion blur.

For a good composite, Grain is essential, an Motion Blur is too, but when grain is blurred, it is gone.

So, please make Ae more flexible by allowing the user to change the order in which things are rendered.

I know, precomping is a work around in a lot of cases, but it can make  a workflow quite messy and inflexible, esspecially when 3d and tracking are involved.

[Rick Gerard]

If you apply Blur, then Grain, the grain will render after the blur. Motion Blur renders before effects are applied. Here's an example of a rotating ellipse with Directional Blur, then Grain and Motion Blur On and Off.

The Grain is there even with Motion Blur turned on.

[jaydude-wb]

Thanks Rick - you are right!

I'll try to reconstruct the situation wher it did not work....

[jaydude-wb]

This was the case: I had a Shape Layer with Layer Styles applied. To Add Grain, I had to precomp that Layer. 

Then Grain was added in the Main Comp, where the animation takes place. And that is where I have to choose for either of those two:

-use motion blur, which results in a blurred grain

-use continuos rasterizing, skips the motion blur

To recreate the situation:

1 create a main Comp

2 create a shape

3 add a Layer Style e.g. Gradient Overlay

[4 Add Grain (which does not show up, due to Ae's habit to render Layer Styles over all effects)]

[5 remove the Add Grain effect]

6 precomp the Shape Layer

7 animate the precomp in the main Comp

8 activate motion blur

9 Add Grain (and see how it blurs...)

10 activate Collapse Transformations / Continuous Rasterize) and see how the grain becomes sharp, but Motion blur is skipped

[Rick Gerard]

Try turning on Motion blur in the nested comp.

If that fails, share your AEP or at least embed screenshots so we can see what is animated where. It's all about rendering order.

[jaydude-wb]

Of course, when the animation takes place in the Nested Comp and the grain is added in the Main Comp, it will work. But that is not a  workable solution in some cases. My point is that 'Grain' is not just an image effect, it is a compositing tool, that should render after motion blur, just like in a camera.

In fact, Ae, should be ablle to render effects that apply to the footage, and effects that apply to the camera / canvas.

Just like audio apps have the ability to add effects pre and post fader.