Hey Midnightrider,
Download the trial version of Ae, if you don’t have a full version already. It is a must know application in our industry.
You might have seen already how simple the use of the “.aec” file is for moving footage from C4D to Ae. There is certainly not a big problem.
But you have seen that of course in the link provided above. It’s pure fun to work with.
=====================================
So, perhaps a few words what is needed after that, which is then purely on the Ae side of the work, if you like to dive deep into it.
Then invest $25 into one month of Lynda.com training. Chris and Trish Meyer have plenty of outstanding well done material there. I know, the opinions about Lynda are widely mixed. Not so much (if at all) about the Meyers. They deliver since way over a decade solid training. If you take only their Ae training for that single month, it is a very good investment already.
I have done here a Multi-pass training, a long series. It does not reflect at all the Physical rendering, which I think is problematic for multi-pass work in many ways. So, I don’t even consider an update there. Yes, it is possible, but there is a long list of problems, that can’t be solved, e.g., the depth path if a “shallow depth of field” is rendered. The same is true for all effects which creates blur to the main images, which can’t be contained in the “informations” passes. (But keep in mind that the Physical render can provide material, that is not achievable in Ae compositing at all, if done without cheating!
Standard problems for the standard rendering are explained in my series in detail.
The main problems are not so much in the connections between both applications, it is the compositing knowledge. A good compositor can tell you, after s/he knows the details about a project, what s/he needs very quickly. (The Art and Science of Compositing, Ron Brinkmann, which is considered the must know book in that area. It might help a lot to understand the needs of a compositor. Should not be missed in any shelf! You find an excellent course with him as well on FXPHD!)
(As it was announced yesterday: ADOBE and MAXON have established a Strategic Alliance. Which will certainly allow for a lot of improvements in the future. Certainly a winning idea, which I certainly love to 100%)
Compositing is based on a deeper knowledge about many areas, as I have discussed that in my Integration 101 series. There more theoretical—but the practical “translation” will change in the future with each new option.
The experience and knowledge of a great compositing artist can’t be underestimated. If you are at Lynda, check Steve Wright’s stuff as well (NUKE), he was one of my first “hands on” teachers in California, I learned Shake from him (many years ago). His Books are excellent as well. If you know someone with Ae, and s/he is a great compositing artist, s/he will tell you what s/he needs, as I mentioned above. Ae is a great and a little bit underestimated application. It is not just to put some layers on top of each other and flip (Yikes) through the blend-modes, hoping something cool shows up (...sorry about my rant here. Speaking of blend modes—you will find here a series about that as well, of course in depth, with the math behind it, so the “flipping through” them can be avoided.)
Mark Christiansen has written a long series about the Studio-use of Ae, he would be my next suggestion. He is more in the feature-film world at home (like Steve Wright, but well, they are not the same, good to know both), and his compositing tips have certainly depth. He teaches from time to time at FXPHD, I took as well a course from him.
As we talk here about C4D at Cineversity, we have of course the option to expand to Ae as a long time partner application. However, I think there is certainly some kind of natural limitation. If you go along my “JET Making Of” series, you might notice that I have done 95% of my compositing work in Ae, and I go through my list (Integration 101!) more than often there.
I use After Effects in production since 1996, and focusing on my time in the USA, so far nine personal awards for the work that I have produced with After Effects. Just to give you my background, and why I do not share more links, as I think you aim for quality, not for questionable freebies. Compositing is a craft that needs attention and knowledge, but certainly a good “eye” and calibrated equipment. It will make a difference to your work, if you got someone who knows his/her stuff. I learn this craft since over two decades by now and never stopped adding knowledge to it. Hence my suggestions above, which I think can be though of classics already. Good Luck.
All the best
Sassi
