Wind transparent person at DVinfo.net

Andrew Hoag · April 20th, 2008, 10:09 AM

I'm trying to create a clip of a woman standing in the middle of a field, with some wind picking up leaves, debris, etc., as it passes over the subject and she in turn begins to fade away.
Any suggestions? I've been playing around and haven't gotten much.

Giroud Francois · April 20th, 2008, 12:33 PM

you need to create masks.(usually black and white)
one mask will be small parts in the wind.(black parts flying on white background (for example)
another one will be the shape of the person standing in the field.
one will be black, the other one will be white.
then you superimpose the 2 masks to get flying black particles into the white shape of the person.
You can add some motion blurr/trail/ghost to have the black particles leave a grey trace on their trajectory.
after that, you can use this mask to erase the person, discovering the background behind (obviously , you must get it, because it could be tricky to recreate).
each particle will act like an eraser.
The problem is you need enough particle to erase the person or add a fade effect to help for total diseappearance.
frankly this kind of job must be planned from the start to make it possible.

George Kroonder · April 21st, 2008, 05:37 AM

Hi Andrew,

Yo ucan use Wondertouch particleIllusion or Trapcode Particular to create moving particles (leaves, debris) and composite those in.

You will need to mask and track the woman to have "stuff" move behind her (this will be time consuming). Greenscreening the woman may be an easier option in future shoots.

It would really help if you had a shot of the field without the woman in it so you don't have to recreate the background as she fades away. If the background is static even a still would work. Basically you fade/disolve between the shots.

You can also use the alpha channel functionality of PI or TP to create 'fancy' disolves.

George/

Ger Griffin · April 21st, 2008, 11:13 AM

I think also to help with something like this you need to give yourself a few angles.
Shoot it a few times. from a few different angles. a few cutaways of leaves and hands fading etc. will all ad to the drama of it.
And like George said , keep every shot during the 'disappearing' static and move the person out of it and shoot again for layer 2.
Then its just a matter of trying out different transitions & masking techniqes (Girouds sounds cool) until your happy with the result.
And its true, Plan, plan, plan. A good storyboard is your lifeline if you want to pull this off properly.
Also ( I keep adding to this), dont stylise a thing (film look etc.,) until your finished. Thats the Icing.

Ger

Andrew Hoag · April 21st, 2008, 02:44 PM

Wicked guys, I'll start with all your tips in mind and keep you posted.

April 20th, 2008, 10:09 AM	#1
Andrew Hoag Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Gaithersburg, MD Posts: 51	Wind transparent person I'm trying to create a clip of a woman standing in the middle of a field, with some wind picking up leaves, debris, etc., as it passes over the subject and she in turn begins to fade away. Any suggestions? I've been playing around and haven't gotten much.

April 20th, 2008, 12:33 PM	#2
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	you need to create masks.(usually black and white) one mask will be small parts in the wind.(black parts flying on white background (for example) another one will be the shape of the person standing in the field. one will be black, the other one will be white. then you superimpose the 2 masks to get flying black particles into the white shape of the person. You can add some motion blurr/trail/ghost to have the black particles leave a grey trace on their trajectory. after that, you can use this mask to erase the person, discovering the background behind (obviously , you must get it, because it could be tricky to recreate). each particle will act like an eraser. The problem is you need enough particle to erase the person or add a fade effect to help for total diseappearance. frankly this kind of job must be planned from the start to make it possible.

April 21st, 2008, 05:37 AM	#3
George Kroonder Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Utrecht, NL \| Europe 3rd Rock from the Sun Posts: 612	Hi Andrew, Yo ucan use Wondertouch particleIllusion or Trapcode Particular to create moving particles (leaves, debris) and composite those in. You will need to mask and track the woman to have "stuff" move behind her (this will be time consuming). Greenscreening the woman may be an easier option in future shoots. It would really help if you had a shot of the field without the woman in it so you don't have to recreate the background as she fades away. If the background is static even a still would work. Basically you fade/disolve between the shots. You can also use the alpha channel functionality of PI or TP to create 'fancy' disolves. George/

April 21st, 2008, 11:13 AM	#4
Ger Griffin Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 579	I think also to help with something like this you need to give yourself a few angles. Shoot it a few times. from a few different angles. a few cutaways of leaves and hands fading etc. will all ad to the drama of it. And like George said , keep every shot during the 'disappearing' static and move the person out of it and shoot again for layer 2. Then its just a matter of trying out different transitions & masking techniqes (Girouds sounds cool) until your happy with the result. And its true, Plan, plan, plan. A good storyboard is your lifeline if you want to pull this off properly. Also ( I keep adding to this), dont stylise a thing (film look etc.,) until your finished. Thats the Icing. Ger

April 21st, 2008, 02:44 PM	#5
Andrew Hoag Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Gaithersburg, MD Posts: 51	Wicked guys, I'll start with all your tips in mind and keep you posted.