Discover the Basics and Best Practices of Rotoscoping in After Effects and Mocha

In the early days of rotoscoping, it was specifically useful to animators. They would use footage from live-action films to make character movements in animated films more realistic. This course on rotoscoping in After Effects software focuses on rotoscoping when it is used on live-action films and visual effects. A more specific description of rotoscoping is taking elements from live-action footage to put something behind them, or to use those elements in other scenes. 

While the capabilities of technology to replace manual tasks has significantly evolved, this does not mean that rotoscoping no longer requires some human assistance. In this rotoscoping tutorial, you will see the small mistakes that frequently occur, and how you can easily fix them. After finishing my lectures on how to rotoscope in After Effects, you will be able to improve your rotoscoping habits. 

The concept of rotoscoping 

Rotoscoping in After Effects means that you use Adobe After Effects program to perform the rotoscoping techniques. If you have never heard of this concept, this course is all you need. I start by explaining the meaning of rotoscoping and its role in the film industry. Rotoscoping, in a sense, refers to the procedure of taking some elements out of one scene, changing their attributes and appearance, and putting modified elements into another scene. 

This VFX course is especially targeted at people who are looking for industry-tested techniques for creating realistic visual effects instead of motion graphics. Visual effects refer to the changes that specialists make to the movies. For instance, changing the background or adding dazzling effects when Harry Potter casts a spell is one way of looking at visual effects. However, VFX artists also are in charge of more monotonous tasks, such as removing unnecessary objects from the set like wires. 

Software to use for rotoscoping 

In this rotoscoping tutorial, we will be using a popular combination: Adobe After Effects and its package called Mocha AE. If you do not currently have these software applications, you can download After Effects for a free trial. Mocha AE should be automatically included. While there are many programs, some very studio-specific, rotoscoping in After Effects is a solid decision for both beginners and advanced roto specialists. 

Since the rotoscoping in After Effects combines the use of many different tools, one of my lectures is dedicated to introducing beginners with the program’s interface. After that, we can start talking about edges, points, and some complex cases when mistakes often occur. 

What will you find in this course? 

Besides the theoretical foundation that we are going to build, we will also work on two separate projects to reveal rotoscoping in its full glory. After all, learning how to rotoscope in After Effects is all about practical cases when you can get your hands dirty.

The theory is a necessity as well since you need to have some knowledge before attempting to work on real projects. Therefore, I hope to provide a balanced learning experience for you! Since mastering rotoscoping in After Effects requires some effort, I will introduce you to best practices that you can start using from day one. 

To make this VFX course even more fulfilling, I include some bonus lectures about becoming a visual effect supervisor and how to land a job in Hollywood.