Mistakes in transferring motion
Suppose you are satisfied by the quality of motion tracking in PatchMaker: everything looks like it should do. However, after transferring motion from PatchMaker and previewing it in AE, the result is quite different: there is no coherency in motion, or the motion is too sweeping (remember that this is not likely to occur when you export the whole PatchMaker project, but when you export transformations only). Please check up if the following conditions are met during transfer:
Check
up
frame rate
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Make sure that the frame rate defined by the PatchMaker composition property Export|Framerate corresponds to AE settings. Examine the value in the composition properties followed by 'fps'. Open the Interpret Footage dialog for the source footage of the layer which you apply transformations to. Check the value in the field Assume this framerate, and, if necessary, correct it. If this condition is not met, the transformations may lag or advance the actual motion.
Check
up
pixel aspect
ratio
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Repeat the above operations for another composition property, Export|Pixel aspect ratio, that should match corresponding settings of the composition and the layer source in AE. In the composition properties, this property usually follows the resolution. In the Interpret Footage dialog, see the Pixel Aspect Ratio field. If this condition is not met, the motion may loose precision.
Check
up
resolution
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If you don't apply transformations to the same footage you have used in PatchMaker, make sure the resolutions of the footage in PatchMaker and AE match. Violation of this condition leads also to distortion of transferred motion.
Check
up
first frame
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When you paste the motion from clipboard, check up if prior to execute the command you set the current time indicator to the first frame for which the motion is determined by PatchMaker. If this condition is not met, all transformations will be shifted in time.
AE quality
setting
Regardless of the way you transfer data, the motion of the AE layer, to which transformations are applied, may seem correct at each individual frame, but unpleasantly trembling from frame to frame. Make sure that the quality switch of the given layer is in the Best Quality state rather than the Draft Quality state:
As applied to the transformations, the best quality setting activates subpixel quality that eliminates the apparent trembling.
