Creating a Mogrt with an automated blur adjustment layer?

[VFXbear]

I'm designing a broadcast package, and it requires animating a blur over the background underneath the title animation.
In After Effects, everything looks great, but as soon as I export the Mogrt to Premiere, only the title animation works.
The adjustment layer to blur the background is apparently not recognised.  
My suspicion is that the Essential Graphics Mogrt is rendered as an autonomous clip, therefore ignoring any adjustment layers that would apply to footage outside of the Mogrt.

Since this Mogrt is to be distributed to and used by several different production companies, having them animate the blur in Premiere themselves is NOT an option, as this would result in random and different end results, depending on how they feel fit to apply the blur.

Is there a way to automate this process, preferably linked to the timing of the Mogrt?

[R Neil Haugen]

Fascinating question, I've never thought of trying to add an AL to a mogrt in Ae. I'm asking around about how to accomplish this, as it would be great to learn how to do this myself.

Neil

[VFXbear]

I've tried several tests, and each time the Adjustement Layer is ignored in the Mogrt.
It definitely would be a great addition to have Premiere recognise these, as it would also allow for the correct interaction of i.e automated color adjustments, animated masks, etc.
I'll upload a quick test Mogrt and its original AE file here in a minute, so people can try it out for themselves.

[VFXbear]

Here's a ZIP with the test AE file and resulting Mogrt.
It's just a simple Fast Box blur animated off over time (02:00 to 03:00).
Test File 

[ah_photo]

Ha! I just asked this question myself last week on the AE forums, as I'm doing something similar as you. While I didn't test it as a MOGRT yet, I tested it as a Dynamic Link and that didn't work (and I'd assume that DL would be the most 1:1 option available)

I interpreted that answer as, no it can't be done, unfortunately. It doesn't seem like adjustment layer effects can passthrough (a la collapse transformation). 

Would be a great feature for an upcoming AE/PR release. In the meantime I think my plan is to just save either a PR Graphic Template (if Adjustment Layers can be saved into a PR MOGRT) that I apply as a third layer (so from top to bottom: AE MOGRT, PR MOGRT (Adjustment), VIDEO). Or just save as an Effects Preset in Premiere and apply to the Video. Still haven't decide what I'll do yet, but there are some options at least, despite them being not as intuitive.

[DaciaSaenz · Accepted solution]

Its true... an adjustment layer INSIDE a Mogrt will not work on a video track OUTSIDE the Mogrt in PR. Tiny Inception AE nested within Premiere to render Mogrts can't "see" what's outside the Mogrt. 

The ability to feed the Mogrt custom media so that Adjustment Layers and Effects from within the Mogrt will apply to the footage is currently the most requested feature. I can't really say more than that 😉 but to say that we're LISTENING. I will have more news for you in the coming months that will bring joy to Mogrtlandia. 

For now, you have to pack the footage in the Mogrt itself... which is not ideal. But you could hook up a couple of media options to a Dropdown Expression Control and give your editor a couple of options to choose from. 

Cheers,

Dacia

[R Neil Haugen]

Thanks for popping in, Dacia!

For those who don't know, she's one of the most knowledgeable staffers on mogrts in Adobe-land. And capable of thinking outside anyone's box with ease ...

Neil

[VFXbear]

Thanks Dacia!!
Great news if this is in the pipeline! YAY !!

So as a current workaround, is there a way to create a timed gaussian blur (similar as an adjustment layer) that I could provide to the operators?
Or maybe a possibility to see Markers (set in the AE comp, applied to the Mogrt clip view, possibly with info on them) so the operators know where to start/stop the blur?
Currently the only way I can think off is to write a comment in the Essential Graphics pane, telling them the IN and OUT point of the underlaying blur, correct?

[tonytony87]

Hello all! It's the year 2023

3 years after this comment. It does say you guys are listening so im wondering if a solution was implemented ?? I have an up coming project that needs this exact solution and was wondering if Adobe has stuck to its promise and delivered a solution?

[Dan W. Cole]

See Dacia's November 2020 follow up below

Exciting news update!!
Its now possible to add videos to the Mogrt from within PR so that any of your effects and blend modes will be applied to the video you feed the Mogrt.

This feature is now in public beta in AE and Premiere Pro.

Here’s more info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akp8aXF-iwM&feature=youtu.be

Let us know what you think!

By @DaciaSaenz 

[benjaminj78587040]

Hey, just wondering if there are any behind-the-scenes updates on this. It's been a couple years! I just tried my own test of an adjustment layer within Mogrt, and no dice.

[benjaminj78587040]

I'm really stupid and didn't read the whole thread before my comment. And apparently I can't delete it now. Ok thanks bye 🙂

[DaciaSaenz]

Exciting news update!!
Its now possible to add videos to the Mogrt from within PR so that any of your effects and blend modes will be applied to the video you feed the Mogrt.

This feature is now in public beta in AE and Premiere Pro.

Here’s more info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akp8aXF-iwM&feature=youtu.be

Let us know what you think!

[R Neil Haugen]

Well, Dacia, that's pretty awesome ... and much needed!

Now if we had a set of selectable shapes ... sigh. 😉

Neil

[VFXbear]

AWESOME !!! Can't wait to try this out !!

[DiogoMP]

Hi Dacia!
As AE adjustment layers still don't work on MOGRTS in Pr in 2024, I tried to use replacement media to replace the media (with all of the effects and animations needed) with a Pr adjustment media but to no avail.
Is there any way I can have a MOGRT work as an adjustment layer in Pr?
Cheers!

[DaciaSaenz]

The Mogrt cannot "see" what is happening outside of it, i.e. the Premiere timeline. You'll need to add the media directly into the Media Replacement Control in the EGP / Mogrt itself for all of the effects to work. 

You also need to make sure that you've added the right layer to the EGP in AE when creating the Media Replacement Control. If you've added a bunch of effects then it needs to be a PreComp of the layer that gets added to the EGP so that the Render Order of Operations can do what it needs to do and you can see the post-effect render output in Premiere Pro. 

Cheers,

[doublebawlashukla]

Well i tried to do the same for a project and i found a workaround solution for the time bieng. I basically created an "Add media" section within the MOGRT to be able to add the media in premiere pro so that the adjustment layer effects such as "fast box blur" or any other effect in question can easily recognise the underneath footage and the effects would be applied.

although this is just a workaround till the adobe listens to us and adds this feature in mogrts.

[simon0815]

nice workaround. But I think not usefull for lowerthirds. Or is it possible to adjust the time, when the lower third would apear? In and out? (I have to try it, but I'm not optimistic.) And not handy when a VJ journalist has to do it 😉