moving image problems

[tobydobson12]

hello, Is it possible to lasso/copy 10 seconds of a moving image(in my case my son walking)and then paste it on another backdrop image, ie a cartoon animated still image. if so, how do i do this without outlining each frame. Thanks

[Rick Gerard]

I'm a little confused. What is a moving image? What do you mean when you say lasso/copy? It sounds like you are looking for an After Effects equivalent of the lasso tool or the Magnetic Lasso Tool in Photoshop. The closest thing after effects has to the Magnetic Lasso Tool in Photoshop is Rotobrush. 

If the image of your son is a movie or an image sequence, then Rotobrush is probably your tool of choice. The most efficient tool depends on the shot and may involve a combination of procedural mattes, manual rotoscoping, and Rotobrush. If the image of your son is a still image then the best way to eliminate the background would be to use the masking tools in Photoshop.

If you are new to After Effects I strongly suggest that you start with the User Guide and get a handle on the basics before jumping into a project like replacing a background. You also need to be warry of YouTube tutorials by enthusiasts that present sometimes poorly thought out recipes for specific effects. Most of the new ones are just that and need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Show is the image or video of your son walking and we can give you a lot more specific advice.

[tobydobson12]

Sorry, my explanation was vague, I was trying to only copy my son walking for about 10 seconds and wanted to replace the background. I will try what you suggested. Thanks for your help and time, much appreciated 

Sent from my Huawei phone

[Rick Gerard]

Show us a frame, or better yet, the video you want to use and we can suggest the most efficient workflow. Using Rotobrush on a 30-second clip is going to be tedious and frustrating, but well planned and carefully shot footage can be pretty easy to work with. 

This shot: 323698662

is going to be pretty easy to work with.

This shot:347323673

is going to be incredibly difficult to work with. Shot 1 - about 20 minutes with a procedural matte handling most of the masking. Shot 2, maybe two days and 15 or 20 layers. Here's what about 5 minutes and two effects layers accomplished. I've highlighted the additional work required to complete the matte.

If you have AE 2020 and want to take a look at the project file all you have to do is download the first clip. 

I have a tutorial series on compositing that is coming out. I will be posting links to the article and the tutorials when they are ready.

[tobydobson12]

Thanks for your help, you're completely right, my background is very busy, I think I'll prepare and coordinate better, I'll start again. Thanks again for your help

Kind regards

Sent from my Huawei phone