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Animating Latitude and Longitude points - how to do it? What tools?
This is my first go at asking a video production related question...
I have a programming / data science background.
I have about 30,000 spatial co-ordinates (i.e x , y coordinates) These have come into existence over about 15 years.  I want to animate this.
So, I need a programmatic approach - there are just too many points.
Also, when each point appears...I want it to initially appear at say 100% opacity and then over about 15 frames fade to about 30% opacity.
What tool is the best to do this in...?
I am not sure if After Effects has sufficient programatic control..?
What about Flash..?  (i.e Adobe CC Animate).
Eventually, I want this animated series of points to be a layer and I will stick it on top of a base map. And do some other stuff.  So eventually, the layers will be composited in After Effects.
What tool should I use to create this animation...?
Thanks,
Mark

The points should appear and disappear? In addition to micheals answer, see: http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/1187/is-there-a-tool-for-scientific-visualization-using-blender

I would do this in Blender, which uses Python as a scripting language.  This gives you a powerful way to "fly" through the data as it animates.
If you are happy with just a static perspective of the map with the points being animated, R has an extraordinary range of graphing capabilties that can be used to generate animations.

Thanks MT.   I have a Maya license.  I was thinking of using this but the result will be in 2D not 3D....

Yes, R is pretty cool.  But eventually I want the output in HD video.  At the moment...I am thinking that Adobe Animate CC might be the best.

I often use Processing for simple graphics or scripting projects, which would be difficult to achieve with After Effects expressions. If you prefer coding in C++ to Java, you could look at OpenFrameworks which is a similar tool. Both are designed to make it easy to experiment visually while using the data processing tools of a coding environment.
tomh mentioned the GeoLayers plugin for After Effects but, while it's a really nice tool, I'm not sure it's designed to deal with data sets like yours.

I would look at the After Effects plugin GeoLayers, or if you need something more advanced, maybe DEM Earth in Cinema4D instead.

Thanks very much @tomh I had a look at the plugs ins and their awesome.  But I am not sure whether they will help me solve my specific problem.  Basically, at a particular time (say 13 secs 24 frames) I want a specific point (say x = 13, y = 130) to display a dot.  Ideally, this do would have some type of basic animation such as fade in / fade out.  All this needs to be done programmatically as there will be perhaps 100,000 points.

@markthekoala, AE scripts (basically it's JS) are not limited to expressions. I wrote a simple point coordinates exporting script back in the day. Surely you can implement the reverse problem. The only open question is can AE handle 30000 layers in one composition.


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How do I use get audio from multiple screens using split-screen in Filmora
I am using Filmora to create videos and would like to have several videos put together via split-screen.  I am able to do this, but I would like the audio from each of those split screens to come through.  It appears that Filmora is only allowing audio to come from one of the videos.  Is there a way to have it come from multiple videos simultaneously?

The only way to do it is by using PIP function, but it looks bad and won't allow you to split evenly and symmetrically like the split screen functions.  And Synching is nearly impossible, or I should say, cumbersome.

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Grid plugin / script - name escapes me
I used to have a great free plugin or script for automatically laying objects out on a specified grid in After Effects... For example, I want to place 18 squares on a 3 x 6 grid of a specified size.  (I don't want to use Trapcode Form for this- I need each object as a separate layer in my comp).
Can anyone remind me?  I've tried googling for it, but no luck so far...

Would it have been Trapcode's Echospace?

No, it was a small pane that let you choose grid sizes, and then snapped a load of shapes to specific positions

Maybe gridder? http://aescripts.com/gridder/

Yes - totally was!  Thanks!  Please convert into an answer, and I'll mark as correct!  They need better keyword searching on aescripts - I did look!

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What software is used in Hollywood for special effects and video editing
I am totally new to this video stuff. What I want is to make a short amateur movie and make some visual special effects and maybe edit it.
So I'd love to find some program I could play with and do some nice things.
I found this  question . But answers there still look a little bit confusing to me.
So what software is used in Hollywood for special effects and video editing?
I've downloaded and installed adobe after effects but my feelings tell me that something is just not right with it and it can't be used in Hollywood films production.
UPD: I found this  reddit question so they say that The Foundry's Nuke is the most widespread software for special effects. I guess this is  its official website.

Why downvote????

related: http://video.stackexchange.com/questions/14973/which-would-be-the-best-vfx-software-for-an-absolute-beginner

Your question is being downvoted because it is too broad. When you say you want to "make some visual special effects" what do you mean? There are so many visual special effects and so many different programs to produce them that there's no way anyone can answer with any sort of completeness. BTW "your feelings" about AE are way off, it is used all the time in film production.

For video editing the Hollywood standard is AVID, however smaller production houses and indie filmmakers tend to use Adobe Premiere. The nice thing about Premiere, in your case, is that it dynamic links with After Effects where you can do motion graphics, composting and basic visual effects such as green screen removal among other things. To explain these keywords would be outside the scope of this website, but dynamic link basically means you can seamlessly go from your edit to your vfx without rendering intermediates.
Nuke is difficult to learn, and requires you to have a foundation in visual effects. Nuke is not an NLE, so it only does visual effects. The benefit of using it is due to its collaborative nature as well as node-based non-destructive structure.
This all probably sounds like garble to a starter, so I would suggest starting to learn Adobe's creative software, and follow some tutorials from http://www.videocopilot.net/.

Editing and Visual Effects (Special Effects aren't done in a computer) are two very different disciplines. Its possible to edit in a VFX package, but your best bet is two different pieces of software. As for "what software is used for hollywood VFX", the answer is that Nuke, After Effects and Fusion all have hollywood credits to their name. You can get a huge amount done in each of them, but since Fusion is free, you can start with that.
Now, that being said, none of those packages can really pull off all types Hollywood VFX since they only handle one part of the process. Another big part is CGI, for which you will need yet another application, as well as a ton of time an experience. Blender is a safe bet. Infact it can do pretty much everything you need, as this short film was created nearly entirely with it.


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How to import 2D position data into After Effects
If I have a .csv file of x / y coordinates, representing positional data of an object in an animation, what's the easiest way to apply that to a 2D null in After Effects?
Eg:
Frame,Xpos,Ypos
1,33,360
2,34,361
3,38,370

I ask because I'm trying to track movement of an object from a D3.js without having to endlessly motion-track objects.

Found the answer here.
Copying any positional keyframes out of After Effects generates a text file like this:
Adobe After Effects 8.0 Keyframe Data

    Units Per Second    25
    Source Width    100
    Source Height   100
    Source Pixel Aspect Ratio   1
    Comp Pixel Aspect Ratio 1

Transform   Scale
    Frame   X percent   Y percent   Z percent
        100 100 100

Transform   Position
    Frame   X pixels    Y pixels    Z pixels
    0   960 540 0
    1   980 540 0
    2   980 520 0
    3   1000    520 0
    4   1000    518 0
    5   630 498 0

End of Keyframe Data

To manipulate it, just modify the text, copy the text, and paste it back into AE.  Works like a charm

I was oing to suggest scripting, but this is much easier. A neat hack


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Stick a layer position on another top left corner of a square layer in After Effects
I was wondering about a expression that sticks a layer position on to the top left corner of a square solid in After Effects, so that when the scale of the solid changes, the stuck position follows the corner around. Can someone help with this?

Is there a reason you want an expression, rather than using parenting?

yes there is. I need the object move along with the corner of the other. The object master will scale up and down with the expression sourceRecAtTime and the object child will need  stick on its left corner.

only position not scale.

Ok, my answer should work for you.

The position of any point on a layer in terms of its location in the composition frame is given by the layer space transform function toComp(). Since the top left of a layer is the origin in After Effects, from the point of view of the solid its top left is going to be [0, 0]. So we find the position of the point [0, 0] on the layer in terms of the comp thus:
thisComp.layer('<name of the solid>').toComp([0,0])

Apply that to the position property of the layer you want to stick to the solid.

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Particles flowing around a masked area
I want Particular in After Effects to animate a flow of particles moving from left to right and bouncing into the perimeter of the mask space around the EXPO logo. Is this possible to create in Particular and if so please tell me how to do it?

Many thanks.

You could do this using the built in Foam particle render - it does have basic collision avoidance
https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/simulation-effects.html#foam_effect
You would get a better effect with a physics-based simulator, in 2D using Newton, in 3D using Cinema4D or Blender.


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How to cut a part of a video to make two horizontal black bars on the top and bottom
I wanted to remove a part of the video itself not removing a clip from it if you know what I mean, like making to horizontal black bars on the top and bottom or something similar I wonder if someone could tell me how.
I am using Adobe Premier Pro CC 2015.

The specific effect you are referencing is CROPPING, which logically affects ASPECT RATIO in the context of FILM FORMATS.
Along those lines, the "widescreen" format that many associate with cinematic imagery originally came from the use of anamorphic lenses (which resulted in a characteristic anamorphic aspect ratio.
Anamorphic lenses impart more than just an aspect ratio to the image, but that's beyond the scope of this answer.  Nevertheless, because people have become used to viewing video in this "widescreen" format, it's become popular to clone this effect on YouTube videos etc.

If you are going to do this I would recommend changing your timeline aspect ratio rather than using a "crop bars" overlay on a normal 1080p ratio for example.
This is because people on widescreen monitors or mobile devices in landscape mode will be able to view the video using the screen's entire real estate. If you use the "crop bars" overlay then they will get a smaller image.

The 2.4:1 aspect ratio is a common widescreen format.  A 1920 x 800 timeline setting gives the anamorphic appearance nicely. (Using horizontal dimensions divisible by 8 or 16, which both 1920 and 800 are, make for more friendly encoding of macroblocks used by H.264 and H.265.)  On platforms like YouTube, the crop bars will automatically be added for normal 1080p display purposes.

The first section of your answer (re: anamorphic aspect ratio) is insightful and correct, but your elaboration is overstated.  Instead of saying "This is actually achieved ..." you could say "Anamorphic lenses combined with rectangular image frames tend to have aspect ratios ranging from 2:1 to 2.4:1 or more, and were widely associated with Widescreen formats.  Nowadays large image sensors allow 2.4:1 crops in camera (though that does not, by itself, provide other signatures of anamorphic lenses, such as oval bokeh or less depth of field."

The second part of your answer, about timeline aspect ratio is right on.

The 3rd part of your answer, the specific ratio 1920 x 803 is NOT good advice.  Many codecs perform best when horizontal and vertical resolutions are divisible by 8 or 16.  803 is not such a number.  A 2.4:1 aspect ratio for 1920W gives 800H.  800 is a very, very evenly divisible number.

@MichaelTiemann thanks for the feedback - I wasn't aware of codecs performing better on divisble numbers (still learning) I just opened up an old project to see what the size was (I may have even extended the height in error somehow). I did begin to go into more detail in the first part when I was typing my answer but found myself waffling. Your explanation would be much more succint and relevant. (Happy for you to edit my answer and mark as wiki?)

It's not even a matter of performance. H.264 can't encode videos with odd numbers of pixels. Many encoders will silently add or subtract a row to cope with this.

In adobe Premier CC if you go to the effects panel and search for crop you can add the effect to your clip and then control how much you want to crop from the top and the bottom i usually set mine to 11% top and bottom.

There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to do this and various different ways, such as cropping the top and bottom, or using a PNG image to the correct format you want to show, you could also even make the timeline the aspect ratio you want to use and expand the image up to fill the area.


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How to change the transition point between two clips in iMovie? (I.e. how to perform a rolling edit)
Imagine I have a single clip, [clipA]. I now want to transition from normal colors to black and white. So I split the clip, and I add the black and white filter to the second clip [clipA1][clipA2]. Imagine the transition point is at time 1:20. Everything is great, and I continue editing. The clip transitions gracefully at 1:20 from normal color to black and white. [clipA1 0:00-1:20][clipA2 1:20-2:00]
Now imagine I want to change when the two clips transition point so that instead of doing a smooth transition at 1:20, it does it at 1:30. Naively, I may attempt to drag the transition point:

Problem is it only edits one clip when you drag the transition point and so I now have [clipA1 0:00-1:20][clipA2 1:30-2:00]. So there's a very drastic jump in the video from 1:20 to 1:30.
I could attempt to manually tweak clipA1, but I was hoping there is a GUI way to do this, similar to how in Final Cut Pro, I can tweak the transition point in multi-cam clips:

Update: In Premiere, they call this the "rolling edit" tool. As you drag one clip to the increase it's duration, it'll decrease the other the exact same amount.

I'm assuming this question is for iMovie, from the tag?

There doesn't seem to be an easy way to do this either in iMovie nor in Final Cut Pro (except for Multicam clips).
Even these two methods will sometimes fail when they should have succeeded because the two clips might have gotten so out of sync that iMovie no longer recognizes them as two versions of the same clip.
Method 1 - rejoin clips
One way you can do this is to:

Select both clips
Join the clips
Re-split them somewhere else
Re-apply all the filters you had

Notably, this seems to be the only way to do it in Final Cut Pro as the following method only seems to work in iMovie...

Method 2 - dragging clips
Another way to do this is to drag the clip as you did normally. Notice how there is now a "break" between the two clips:

Drag the other clip until this "break" disappears:

This functionality does not seem to be available in Final Cut Pro, so this appears to be one instance where iMovie actually helps you more than Final Cut Pro.


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My export preview and video doesn't match the timeline in Adobe Premiere Pro
I've edited several videos over the last month or so on Adobe Premier Pro and exported them at 1280 x 720 with zero issues.  Now all of a sudden my aspect ratio looks all buggered up when I go to export my video.  Everything will look fine on the timeline but there's a ton of extra space around the video when I preview and export.  Not sure what the heck I did.

Check your Sequence settings, you may set higher resolution that the most of the content is. Also your videos may to not fit well: right click - Set to Frame size.


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Does HDR content have anything to do with codecs?
I am new to video codec(encoding/decoding) stuff. I am trying to understand the difference between H.264(AVC) and H.265(HEVC) HDR video content. I thought HDR video 'means' it has 10 bit color depth and H.264 does not support 10 bit HDR content. I would appreciate any clarification on this matter. Thank you.

h.264 does support 10 bit content, as of 2005. In fact the High 4:4:4 Predictive Profile goes up to 14 bits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Feature_support_in_particular_profiles

10 bits is necessary, but not sufficient for HDR.

You can do HDR with almost any modern codec. All it means in practice is that the boundary between the highest and lowest intensities in the image goes beyond what a non-HDR image could portray; if the colors linearly mapped to your monitor on a computer went from 0.0-1.0, then HDR could go above 1.0 (and potentially below 0.0) and be rendered in a convincing way with the right software.
H.265/HEVC (and its royalty-free competitor AV1/VP9) are more about encoding efficiency; H.265 can create files which are roughly half the size of H.264, but due to its licensing fees, the web and world-at-large has been very slow to adopt it.
The chief differences between H.264 and H.265 (the new stuff) are that H.265 supports up to 8K UHD as a resolution, which I don't believe H.264 did (and almost no one will use for the foreseeable future, if I'm reading the video market right); and has a more advanced compression scheme at the same quality level. This doesn't mean that the video will come through higher-quality, but that it will take less space to provide it with the same quality. It's a disk thing.
On the other hand, while H.264 is widely supported, H.265 is proprietary and supporting it requires paying a reasonably hefty licensing fee, which is part of why everyone isn't using it already. (It is quality, it's just proprietary.) For this reason, H.264 is still a very popular standard. While H.264 is generally 8-bit, either one can support a wide range of bit depths in theory.
H.264 can theoretically support up to 12-bit planar, which is usually plenty; unfortunately a lot of decoders (x264 included) have packed that into ten bits and sacrificed fidelity. I've seen people do 14-bit, I'm just not convinced that it mattered. This is still usually more than enough; but bit depth has little to do with HDR, as any range of bits can be HDR if it's just mapped to the appropriate intensities. If you need 14-bit, you will probably want to go with the more modern H.265, just on the basis of the reasons why you might need 14-bit... I think VP9 also supports this, but I'm not sure. The only drawback of VP9 that comes to mind is that you would have a marginally slower stream speed, but it's good enough for Netflix.
That said, a trained human eye can still only distinguish up to about 12 bits; for the everyman it's actually a lot lower. So, unless you're doing medical imaging or radio astronomy, this may be academic.

No, HDR has nothing to do with 10 bit, 8 bit can also be HDR, in both files and in displays, Nvidia/Windows supports that.
HDR is PQ or HLG transfer and those transfers are HDR.
H.264 supports even 14 bit. That is not a problem.
You should see that PQ transfer the file tagged with in Mediainfo. That means HDR is in use. Same about AVIF images.

Yes, it has to do with the codec. If you want to compress HDR10/10+ content, in H264 or HEVC, there are SPS & PPS markers that indicate what the HDR10 settings are within the elemental bitstream.
The metadata merely indicates standard being used : HDR10, HDR10+. While the video is simply 10-bit YUV 4:2:0 or YUV 4:2:2 typically.
After being received over the network, a decoder can extract this HDR metadata and pass it to the display for actual rendering (with full HDR effects).
The HDR10 is a specification that acts like an umbrella for the metadata coming from various properties like HLG/PQ, Brightness Nit Values, Color Primaries etc. etc. However, HDR10 is static metadata, while HDR10+ or Dolby Vision are dynamic in their metadata meaning it can change from one frame to another.


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How to switch to camera view in After effects?
I'm unable to rotate my camera because I don't know how to switch to camera view.

There's a camera drop-down at the bottom of the comp window. You can select the active camera there.

Pro Tip: Hitting the escape key will toggle between the two last used cameras.


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How to manage colour in After Effects to get precisely a desired colour in h264 output
I am working on a video for the web only.
It is going to be on a webpage (never on broadcast), delivered as an h264 file.
The web page background is hex code FFF1E5 (RGB 255, 241, 229).
My background colour in After Effects is a solid with colour FFF1E5.
How do I generate an h264 video file with a background precisely this colour.
Not a little bit off. Exactly this colour.
Because I've tried adjusting colour Working Space in Project Settings until I'm 0000FF in the face...
The link supplied in the highest rated answer in this similar question is broken.
My usual workflow is:
export as ProRes 422 (or 4444 - same problem) from After Effects CC2020
Convert to h264 in Media Encoder CC2020

In which colorspace are you working? Just an idea: Have you ticked the checkbox "Preserve RGB" under the color-management tab in the Output Module?

Ah, I hadn't tried that... Wish it was all in one place! But it's still not working...  Just tried : project setttings = 8 bit, no working space, assume working gamma = sRGB. In the output module I chose ProRes 4444, and Colour Management = preserve RGB. Converted to h264 in Media Encoder, and opened the mp4 in Chrome.  It's still wrong!

Huh that is strange. Have you tried converting the 4444 to h264 using ffmpeg or handbrake? I'm assuming the error might be in the conversion through the media-encoder.

Just tried doing the h264 conversion in Handbrake using the technique in previous comment - same issue

That's so very strange... I'll do some googling around and ask at my workplace. Maybe someone knows how to deal with this issue. Until then, good luck!

Appreciate it! It's an odd one, but should be easy to replicate the fault I hope

Since I cannot use hyperlinks in comments, here is the gist of my research:
This answer on a reddit post suggests, that the reason for the color-shift is the way illegal and legal colors are handled. So maybe the "broadcast colors" effect can help limit the color-range to the legal range? I'd recommend giving that a quick shot.
If that doesn't work, it should certainly do the trick to use Resolve and select video-levels instead of data-levels and encode the 4444 to h264 from there.
Please do report back and good luck!


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Loop images until the audio ends
I have an audio file 2 hours long and 30 still images related to the audio. I would like to display each image consecutively for about 45 seconds while the audio is playing in a repeating fashion. When the last image has been displayed, I want to just start over from the top and keep repeating the images in a circle until the audio ends.
For testing the technique purposes I am using this command with shorter audio, only 2 images, and shorter durations. The music plays, the images display and transition as desired but how do I get them to repeat? It just displays the two images and stops. How do I get the images to loop continuously until the audio ends?
I'm using ffmpeg on Linux Mint 20.
ffmpeg -version
ffmpeg version 4.2.4-1ubuntu0.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2020 the FFmpeg developers

ffmpeg -i "/home/ron/fftest/Overture.mp3" \
           -loop 1 -i "/home/ron/fftest/Picture1.jpg" \
           -loop 1 -i "/home/ron/fftest/Picture2.jpg" \
           -filter_complex \
             "[1:v]trim=duration=6,fade=t=in:st=0:d=1,fade=t=out:st=5:d=1[v1]; \
              [2:v]trim=duration=6,fade=t=in:st=0:d=1,fade=t=out:st=5:d=1[v2]; \
              [v1][v2]concat=n=2:v=1:a=0[v]" \
           -shortest -movflags +faststart -map 0:a -map [v] -c:a copy \
           /home/ron/fftest/Overture.mp4

Assume you have an audio file, which is named as "audio.mp3";
you have images file pattern as "Picture01.jpg", "Picture02.jpg", ... "Picture30.jpg"; and you want 4.5s image duration. Then the command is
ffmpeg -y -loop 1 -framerate 1/4.5 -i Picture%2d.jpg -i audio.mp3 -shortest -acodec copy -vcodec mjpeg result.mp4

Good luck!


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How can I merge a large collection of video-audio pair of clips without having to repeat the work for each individual pair in Premiere Pro?
I have a  large collection of video clips, each with its corresponding audio clip that I want to merge. I need to automate the process by having each video clip merge with its respective audio clip, then have all the merged clips exported as mp4 file. How do I do this in Adobe Premiere Pro 2020?

What format are the seperate audio/video files? Are the audio files currently in sync with the video?
I did this recently with some old source files that had originally been authored for DVD, the source files were .m2v / .wav pairs of files. I used TMPEGEnc Smart Renderer to merge all the source files into one big .mpg file (no re-encoding in this step with that tool, so no quality change), and then fed the resulting file into Handbrake to get an MP4 file. For a one-off, you can likely just use the trial version of Smart Renderer.
For Premiere it would basically be the same, import all the source files, create a sequence, and then drag the video & audio files onto the sequence as appropriate, and export to H.264 Format. Smart Renderer worked easier for me, as the files were mostly prefixed with number order, and the video/audio files had matching names, so I could literally just import a folder at a time into the project, and not have to rearrange anything to get the correct pairing and sequencing - a bunch of the manual sequencing work got done for free by doing it this way. Premiere just would have taken longer to do the same job, plus not trusting myself not to make a mistake somewhere manually building the sequences.

the video files are in  .TS  format while the audio are WAV files, each  video file is separate from its corresponding audio file.

If the source files are in pairs with the same filename, just different extensions, you should be able to process them through Smart Renderer as suggested - it will pick up the correct audio file from the name when you add the video file. NOTE this usually works when the video file is "video only", i.e. .m2v, I've not ever seen a .ts (transport stream) file that doesn't contain audio as well, so I'm not 100% sure with your files - more info on their source and what they contain would be useful. Otherwise, dragging everything into Premiere should also work, but it will re-render as well.


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After effect using multiple linear expression based on its value
I am new to After Effects. I want to write a linear expression on [Audio Amplitude] that is converted from an audio file based on its value as the below:
 linear(value,0,15,0,0);
 linear(value,16,20,30,80);
 linear(value,21,30,80,100);

So basically I expect when value is between 0  to 15 it becomes 0 when it reach between 16,20 it becomes 30 to 80 ,....
However, it looks it only executes the first linear(0,15) and anything is map to 0,0
How could I achieve this?

When expressions are evaluated the first term that returns a result will set the value of the property. If you look at your expression line 1 will always return a result - 0. None of the other lines will be executed.
What you need to do is test what the value is and then execute the right function accordingly.
if (value <=15){linear(value,0,15,0,0)};
if (value <= 20){linear(value,15,20,30,80)};
if(value > 20){linear(value,20,30,80,100)};

note that the linear() functions on the second and third line have minimum values of 15 and 20, not 16 and 21—consider what would happen if the value was 15.5 or 20.5.
What the expression does is only evaluate the first linear() function if value is in the 0-15 range. If it is that result is returned and the expression stops being evaluated, if not it goes on to the next line, and so on.


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How to put your GPS track in a video?
I am about to start a channel on YouTube.
There will be occasions that I will drive while recording my path with an indoor (inside car) camera.  I thought that it could be great if I put a tiny square on the corner of the video with the GPS tracking corresponding to my car path.
Is it possible? What do I need to do it?

I personally use RaceRender, however, there is also DashWare.
Both can edit video and add GPS position overlays.
Bare in mind, neither of them can add the actual "map" like one from Google Maps, just a line showing your path and a marker showing the current location.
Again, my personal preference is to use RR or DW to produce a video with a magenta background so I can Chroma Key it in my editor (Magix Vegas).
I find the built-in editors in both programs a bit fiddly, so the use of a proper editor is recommended but they're fine if you just want to load a video, apply the overlay and render it out.

If I was doing this for a video production, I would use After Effects, and import the GPX track from a GPS device into a mapping plugin like GeoLayers:
https://aescripts.com/learn/1-min-tut-use-geolayers-with-a-gpx-track/


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How to create a shredded photo in Adobe Premiere Pro or After Effects?
I need to create an effect that would tear the photo into small pieces. These pieces should then fly in all directions. How can I do this as effectively as possible in Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe After Effects?
I tried to manually divide the photo into many layers in Adobe Photoshop. Then save the individual layers as separate files. Then, in Premiere Pro, put them together to create a complete photo and make a each piece of photo to fly away to different direction.
It's very time consuming... Is there a better way to do this?
Thank you for your advice!

I would do this physically.  Print the images out, tear them up, scan the teared sections. Then introduce the teared sections using key-framed masks with the original sections. I can't think of a way of doing this that wouldn't be time-consuming...

Not sure if this is the best way of doing it but a good starting point could be with shatter to control the physics and the roughen edges to give it a torn look. That doesn't give you the white edges you'd typically have but maybe keeping the same precomp below with a slight stagger and a white/off-white fill could do the trick? But yeah, best to do this the 'hard way'.


text:
Has a realistic looking film ever been produced entirely virtually?
I know many examples of videos where an object or a person has been added after the recording (e.g. political propaganda or CGI characters in movies). I also know that animated movies are more or less entirely generated on computers. There is also the art movement of hyperrealism which produces paintings that are very difficult to distinguish from an actual photo. Has there been a realistically looking film produced entirely virtually without using any recordings of the physical world (except maybe for models of the characters)? What techniques would be important to produce such a film (e.g. ray tracing)?

How long is a film?  90 mins?  Does a 75 min one count?  Does a 15 min short film count?  A one minute animation?  A single frame?  What's your criterion for realism?  Real enough to fool everyone?  Anyone?  Are you really asking, "what is the most realistic, completely computer generated x-length film to date?"  Because that would be an opinion-based question.

I mean, I thought the LEGO movie looked pretty realistic, but I know LEGOs don't move on their own.

Well if you take a look at the mandalorian, almost every background is computer-generated. Sure, the actors are real, but almost nothing else. If you're looking for entire cgi-sequences, you can take a look at the marvel movies. Many of the fight-scenes are completely CG.
Asking what's important for photorealism is a hefty question. There's a bunch like:

Accurately ray-traced shadows
Accurate reflections
Accurate roughness on reflective surfaces
Sub-surface scattering (like light shining through a hand)
Accurate motion-blur, focus rack and rolling or global shutter, depending on which camera you're imitating.
Accurate physic simulations
Accurate fluid simulations
Accurate wrinkles and stress-maps for skin, cloth and other flexible solids
Proper animation of people and animals, preferrably motion-tracked
etc. etc.

I could go on for pages, but the point is that simulating all the jazz of the real world is very expensive and hard labor. That's why most films rely on CGI only when filming it for real would either be too expensive or too dangerous. No person in their right mind would try to make a whole film CGI with the goal of the viewers not noticing, when they could save around 75% of the budget by just filming it in real-life and getting a similar (often better) result.


text:
Extract audio from a multichannel video file
I have a QT ProRes which has 8 audio tracks. L/R/C/Lfe/Ls/Rs/Ltotal/Rtotal
What I need to do is extract the 5.1 (tracks 1-6) into separate individual wav files without recompression
and the last 2 (tracks 7-8) into a stereo wav.
I made a small batch file to help me. Here it is:
CLS
:START
echo[
set /p source=enter source file name:
start ffmpeg -i %source% -map 0:a:0 -c copy %source%_51.L.wav -map 0:a:1 -c copy %source%_51.R.wav -map 0:a:2 -c copy %source%_51.C.wav -map 0:a:3 -c copy %source%_51.LFE.wav -map 0:a:4 -c copy %source%_51.Ls.wav -map 0:a:5 -c copy %source%_51.Rs.wav
start ffmpeg.exe -i %source% -filter_complex "[0:7][0:8] amerge=inputs=2" -c:a pcm_s24le %source%.20.wav
pause

The problem is that the extraction is not correct. The 5.1 channels it produces are the same.
Do you have any ideas where I am wrong?
Thanks!

noone? I would appreciate any help please. Thanks.

Got it.
start ffmpeg.exe -i %source% -map 0:1 -c:a:0 copy -disposition:a:0 default -vn -y %source%.51.L.wav -map 0:2 -c:a:1 copy -disposition:a:1 0 -vn -y %source%.51.R.wav -map 0:3 -c:a:2 copy -disposition:a:2 0 -vn -y %source%.51.C.wav -map 0:4 -c:a:3 copy -disposition:a:3 0 -vn -y %source%.51.LFE.wav -map 0:5 -c:a:4 copy -disposition:a:4 0 -vn -y %source%.51.Ls.wav -map 0:6 -c:a:5 copy -disposition:a:5 0 -vn -y %source%.51.Rs.wav
start ffmpeg.exe -i %source% -filter_complex "[0:7][0:8] amerge=inputs=2" -c:a pcm_s24le %source%.20.wav


text:
Why won't certain videos preview in MacOS Finder any more?
It used to be possible to preview all ProRes and PNG sequence .mov video files in the Finder in MacOS, by selecting the file and pressing the spacebar.
Now it isn't. It's a pain. Is there a workaround? Please don't say open them in an app.

which prores codec are you using? 422? 4444xq?

When I look at it in Finder info it says PNG sequence (it's a .mov), when I open it in Quicktime it says it needs to convert it, and then opens as ProRes 4444

I swear I used to be able to preview these in Finder. Suspect it was before Quicktime 32 bit went away....

That is very strange indeed. I've only had this issue when converting files with ffmpeg to prores. What's the program you're putting the files out with?

I'm not exporting the files - they're clips from here: https://www.videocopilot.net/products/action2/

(can't upload them due to copyright)

Huh, interesting. I suspect that the files are encoded in a way that is unsupported now. However, I've had this experience too, and opening the file with quicktime and letting it "convert" (whatever that means) and then saving that file does the trick. If you've bought like 500 files, it would be tedious to do that for all files, though.


text:
Video trim in hour:minute:second:millisecond format
I'm trying to trim a video in hour:minute:second:millisecond
format. But I use this command
$ ffmpeg -ss 01.02.26.060 -i R.mp4 -to 01.02.28.785 -map 0 -c copy -avoid_negative_ts 1 out.mp4

and i got this message
ffmpeg version 4.3.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2020 the FFmpeg developers
  built with Android (6454773 based on r365631c2) clang version 9.0.8 (https://android.googlesource.com/toolchain/llvm-project 98c855489587874b2a325e7a516b99d838599c6f) (based on LLVM 9.0.8svn)
  configuration: --arch=armeabi-v7a --as=arm-linux-androideabi-clang --cc=arm-linux-androideabi-clang --cxx=arm-linux-androideabi-clang++ --cross-prefix=arm-linux-androideabi- --disable-indevs --disable-outdevs --enable-indev=lavfi --disable-static --disable-symver --enable-cross-compile --enable-gnutls --enable-gpl --enable-libass --enable-libdav1d --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libfreetype --enable-libvorbis --enable-libopus --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxvid --enable-libvpx --enable-shared --enable-libsoxr --enable-libvidstab --enable-libwebp --prefix=/data/data/com.termux/files/usr --target-os=android --extra-libs=-landroid-glob --enable-neon
  libavutil      56. 51.100 / 56. 51.100
  libavcodec     58. 91.100 / 58. 91.100
  libavformat    58. 45.100 / 58. 45.100
  libavdevice    58. 10.100 / 58. 10.100
  libavfilter     7. 85.100 /  7. 85.100
  libswscale      5.  7.100 /  5.  7.100
  libswresample   3.  7.100 /  3.  7.100
  libpostproc    55.  7.100 / 55.  7.100
Invalid duration specification for ss: 01.02.26.060

What changes do I need to trim video in Hour:Minute:second:millisecond
format?

For time marks try: "01:02:26.060", "01:02:28.785"
(hour:minute:second.millisecond)


text:
Media Encoder or Premiere Pro get stuck while exporting
I have the latest version of Premiere Pro and Media Encoder.. But while exporting a project after processing for a few seconds it doesn't progress further and my GPU usage is at 100%-0% and again to 100%. It is like a spike in the Task Manager? Can anybody help me with this?

It's probably best to contact Adobe. Before, check if the graphics card is supported by Adobe, try the newest or a slightly old version of it's driver, try to export the same project on a different machine: if the same problems occurs, some of the clips used in the sequence could be the reason. Check if their format is fully supported, or if they are damaged. Maybe try to convert individual clips with ffmpeg in command line and see if any warning messages appear. Look for anything unusual. Disable plugins, maybe even disable complex effects. These measures all help to isolate the problem.

Anyway, it's unlikely anybody can answer this question as there are just too many things to check. And in case it's some hardware problem, it cannot be investigated without having direct access to your system.


text:
Is the RCA camcorder output analog?
Bear with me because I am very new to this topic.
I saw a setup where someone was recording using two cameras and sending the output to a laptop. The camera output was sent via a three pin cable which I now know is known as RCA. These outputs were sent to something known as a selector which allows you to select the camera by flipping a switch.
When reading online I see that the RCA cable is used to transport an analog signal. But these camcorders also have HDMI output. Does this mean that the cameras can output either analog or digital signal?
PS. In the above setup, the output of the selector was sent to a device named ADVC-55. Reading online I see that it is used to convert analog signal to digital. The problem is that the video observed on the laptop monitor seems lower quality than what is previewed in the camera. Hence my question to understand if this ADVC-55 device is needed at all for this purpose or if there is a different way to get better quality.

RCA is two-pin, but I'm guessing there were three rca connectors, one red, one white and one yellow, which would be right audio, left audio and composite video. Unless there was a red, green and blue connector in which case you're dealing with component video.

After the introduction of HDMI, it wasn't uncommon to see camcorders with both HDMI and RCA.  The RCA was for backwards compatibility with TVs, VCRs, and other video equipment that hadn't yet adopted the new standard.

The best way to answer this definitively would be if you know the model of the camera.
RCA cables from video cameras are nearly always analogue signals.
It is possible for a camera to have both digital outputs such as HDMI and SDI, and analogue outputs such as component or composite video from RCA sockets.
The analogue outputs are almost always standard definition (ie 480 or 576 lines of video).
HDMI outputs are usually high definition 1080 lines (or possibly 720 on older cameras, higher on newer 4K cameras).
If you are asking how to capture video from a camera with HDMI output in high quality into a computer with USB3, I would use an adaptor such as the Elgato HD60 S Capture Card.

Thanks for the answer. I would like to achieve what you mention, including the capability to attach multiple cameras and switch between them. I am looking at https://www.amazon.de/-/en/RGBLink-multi-format-video-mixer-inputs/dp/B08JQNSCMG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=rgblink+mini&qid=1610034752&sr=8-2 . Do you know a better/cheaper alternative?

I would do this in software instead.  Maybe make a new question outlining exactly what your needs are.  A couple of cheapish webcams and OBS software might solve your problem without having to buy expensive switchers https://obsproject.com/

Worth noting that RCA video connectors are almost guaranteed to be standard definition (480p). Any high definition analog equipment is most likely going to have BNC connectors.

Think UK PAL might be 576 lines


text:
Questions about Customs/Insurance/Transport for your equipment?
Sorry if it's not the right forum for such a question but is it possible to get any feedback from experimented filmmakers on how they transport their equipement abroad ?

For example, how do you handle customs ? Do you have like any specific document that allow you to get your equipement "anywhere" ? I'm talking about the case where you have 100 kg ~ 200 kg or more of equipement.

Which insurance do you have to protect the equipement from any baggage loss from the airline company (preferably a french or european insurance company) ? Some airline companies don't theoretically allow electronic equipement transport and hence in case of any loss, they refuse to refund. They allow it in practice but if they lose your luggage, they don't refund anything under the pretext of transporting electronics is not allowed.

How do you handle the nightmare of transporting the batteries ? We had once a shooting in a remote area in Asia without electricity. We got some solar panels but we were unable to transport the batteries or big power banks. We couldn't even send them separately. FedEx, DHL, UPS all refused to transport them saying it' considered as dangerous good.

Any feedback is appreciated.
Thanks

Which country are you based in, and where do you plan to go?

We are based in France and have several projects in Africa and Asia (Tanzania, Kenya, Mongolia, Vietnam)

Regarding customs: Maybe the ATA Carnet helps? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATA_Carnet (France and Mongolia are accepting it).

I can only write from the experience of travelling from the UK to many other countries with kit a few years ago (pre-covid era):
In the UK, if you provide an equipment list to the airport customs desk before you leave, they will examine it, take a copy and stamp it.  The form is called a Returned Goods Relief Form.  This is to prove that you are taking valuable equipment out of the country for filming purposes, and plan to return with it (not sell it overseas and avoid paying taxes).
The list needs to show every item of equipment you are carrying and should have columns for: Manufacturer, Manufacturers Model, Serial Number, Value (£).
Print many copies of the equipment list, so that any official who demands one can take one.
Put a copy of each equipment list in each bag, Put a "lost luggage" note in each suitcase in the local language, and English.
Customs in the incoming country is another issue.  It depends on the country.  Research it carefully. Some countries need you to buy a "carnet".
Make sure no bag weighs more that the allowed limit by the airline.
With regards to batteries, the correct procedure a few years ago was to inform the airline that you would be carrying batteries. Make sure the weight of the batteries did not exceed their rules.  If they are Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries (often used in drones), carry them in LiPo bags which should reduce fire risk if they malfunction on the journey. Any exposed terminals should be taped over.
The airlines usually (and correctly) state that you should carry the batteries in hand luggage, so if they do malfunction, it would quickly become apparent - if they were in the hold, it would be too late to do anything.  Security guards in airports often aren't aware of this rule, and may try to get you to put batteries in the hold.  Allow time for this when you travel.
Officials love letters. Get a letter from the airline confirming that you can travel with the batteries. Take a letter from your employer confirming that you will be filming in x country for y days and address it "to whom it may concern".  Print many copies on headed paper.
Can't comment on insurance as it was handled by the company I worked for.  Large broadcasters usually have insurance, but often the excess is so high it is effectively useless. More important is the third party liability insurance, in case you injure somebody else during your work.
Also - use Peli cases. They're waterproof, fairly indestructible, and if they do get broken, they will offer you a replacement.

Thanks for your feedback :)


text:
After Effects Bodymovin plugin render button disabled
When I try to use bodymovin to convert my animation in After Effects my render button is disabled (gray instead of green and nothing happens if I click on it). Does anybody know why this happens and how to fix it?
Thank you

You must indicate the destination folder in order for the button to be enabled. Once you select the composition you want to render out, to the right side of the composition name in the plugin window, just click on the three dots icon and choose a destination. The render button should then be clickable.


text:
What software should I use to replace an LED display in a train carriage?
Look at this Video. Notice the text moving in LED and the reflection of it on the ceiling of the train. I also took a picture with blank LED screen.

I want to add my own text marquee-ing through the LED in the picture. Everything will be static as the photo except the text in the LED and its reflection.
What software, and what actions do I need to do to achieve this? Any tips and tricks please? I have a Macbook Pro i7. Freeware options are more preferable.

I would do this using after effects. You need to do a little bit of motion tracking as there is a tiny bit of motion on the camera as the train moves. Find a font that matches the LED display font on the screen. Carefully match all the colours you use using the eye dropper. Add blur and noise to your comps to better match the footage.
You can fake blurry reflections surprisingly well just by flipping a duplicate of your comp and blurring it. The biggest problem you will have is the swinging handle in the foreground, which you may need to rotoscope with the rotobrush to isolate.
You can see a similar effect (but without any foreground rotoscoping) I made at 26 seconds in here:
https://twitter.com/financialtimes/status/985923651676659713?s=21


text:
What’s the best way to use a Canon 60D as a webcam on MacOS?
I want to use my Canon 60D as a webcam. I have tried using CameraLive2 and CamTwist as outlined here:
https://swizec.com/blog/connected-canon-dslr-webcam/swizec/7477
It seems to disconnect after a few seconds.
I’ve seen other methods that basically screen capture the output of the EOS Utility app, but this wastes a lot of screenspace and is quite hacky. Is there a better way just using software? I’d rather not buy an HDMI blackmagic adapter box if I don’t have to.
Can the magic lantern firmware help with this? I’ve updated to the latest Canon firmware on the 60D but it didn’t help.

From what I have found, using Canon 60D on Mac has the following challenges:

There's currently no listed EOS Webcam Utility for Canon 60D on Mac. There do seem to be some people succeeding with workarounds by installing drivers for similar Canon models (e.g. 77D) - but I was not successful.
--EDIT: As of 2020-11-11 there are now drivers available for 60D on Mac.
Using micro-hdmi and a USB capture card, after flashing my 60D with the latest Magic Lantern firmware I was able to get 'clean hdmi' output, but was only able to get 480p output (instead of the almost-1080p output that should be possible).

You could perhaps have more luck with https://github.com/v002/v002-Camera-Live or waiting until updated Webcam utility drivers are released that support the 60D.

There is also another software called Cascable. It is by far the best solution for connecting unsupported cameras to macOS. No additional video capture hardware needed. Purely software and the software even provides some control over the camera like focus, light settings etc. It actually depends on the camera connected and which mode it is in. They even support the recent sandboxing changes in macOS if you are also into that kind of technical stuff.
At the time of this writing, I'm having a minor issue with them where my video is captured but not distributed to the video conferencing apps but hopefully they will get back to me or release an update.


text:
video overlay on another video with rounded corner, transparency, opacity, scaling, and border all together with FFMPEG in PHP
I am trying to change a video with Rotation, rounded corner,  transparent, scaling, and border all with together and overlay on a video;
I am trying to do this with FFMPEG in PHP but getting issue in transparent background; I am getting green background please help;
ffmpeg -i empt_vid_5891581054410.mp4 -i merged-571580302534.mp4 -filter_complex "[1:v] rotate=-    30*PI/180:ow=rotw(iw):oh=roth(ih):c=none [rotate];[0:v][rotate] overlay=40:10:enable='between(t,2,7)', colorchannelmixer=aa=0.5" -auto-alt-ref 0 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a copy overlayavatar.mp4

See current output:  https://nimb.ws/qpaf08

Add format=yuva444p, before 'rotate'.
ffmpeg -i empt_vid_5891581054410.mp4\
-i merged-571580302534.mp4 \
-filter_complex "[1:v]format=yuva444p,rotate=-30*PI/180:ow=rotw(iw):oh=roth(ih):c=none [rotate];[0:v][rotate] overlay=40:10:enable='between(t,2,7)', colorchannelmixer=aa=0.5" -auto-alt-ref 0 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a copy overlayavatar.mp4


text:
Is it possible to search all markers in Premiere?
If I have added markers to multiple clips, how do I search for those markers using the text within the markers, if they're not already in a sequence?
For example: I have a clip that is playing, I hit M to mark.  I type "good" into the marker description.  I now want to find that marker globally in my whole project.  The clip isn't in a sequence yet.  Can I?

It's not currently a feature, but one work around is to throw all your sequences (nested) into one sequence and then in the Markers window right click the tab menu and select "Show all clip markers in sequence".
This will give you one big searchable list of markers in all the sequences in your big sequence.

You can use the Project panel search box to find your specific markers, and even save your search as a Search Bin by clicking the folder icon with the magnifying glass.

You can then search within each matching clip for the specific marker by first selecting that clip in the Project panel, then using the search in the Markers panel which you can open by going to Windows > Markers

You can find additional information about searching your project in Adobe's help documentation on finding assets.

My question is about how to search all markers in a project at once.

I believe that only searches the markers in the currently active sequence (but I could be wrong - hence the question!)

You know there's a metadata checkbox for "good," right?  I completely understand that it might not address your needs, and that maybe you need to associate a time with a keyword, or maybe you're just using the word "good" as an example, but on the off chance that you're actually using markers to mark things good...  you could just use the checkbox and then sort by the "good" column.

Gotcha. Yes, that does only search the markers in the active sequence, but you can use the general search, or search bin, to find the clips with the markers you're looking for first. It's a little inconvenient to have to do a search in the Project panel, then a search in the Markers panel, but I'm not sure if there are other options. I'll update the answer too.

if I add all clips to one enormous sequence, then use that to search my markers, is that a daft idea?


text:
Pan & zoom from still image with green screen
I look a lot of tutorial with 2.5D animation, green screen tracking and other effects but I need something simpler and faster.
Basically I shoot product videos, smartphones, tablet, small objects.
At office I have a slider and some people that help me, now we are closed at home.
I need a very simple and effective way to create some b-roll, and I'm alone with a green screen.
Is there a simple way to start from a still image of a smartphone, on a green screen, and add some camera movements with parallax?
For example, starting from:

front photo of the smartphone
background image

I set the distance (to simulate depth of field) and I add some camera movement: zoom, pan, focus to a detail. Everything with parallax.
I don't want to calculate every movement, I cannot spent a lot of time with animation.
Any idea? Or pluging?

If you want parallax, you can do it without a video, a still image of the phone could work, and would make things a lot easier and faster.
If you want a video you need to add markers to the green screen so the program can track them.
You could also have just simple moves, for example, your object only rotating, so you do not need to track the background. Some simulated moves for the new background on post could be enough.
For the DOF you can potentially add one problem if you want the DOF on your product. It is better if you film your product very sharply, so the green screen cuts nicely. The DOF would be a nightmare.
Then using a real 3D program you can add your video on a layer, track the green screen, generate a 3D scene, and replace the green screen with another plane with a photo.
I would use Blender for that. But if you want simple moves and not a complex 3D tracking you could go away with HitFilm, which has 3D planes too.


text:
Text Anagram Animation in After Effects
I need to create Text Anagram Animation using After Effects, Is there any script, expression or plugin available to do this job. If not how to animate it manually, The animation needs to be like in the movie "Harry Potter 2" animation of  "TOM MARVOVLO RIDDLE / I AM LORD VOLDEMORT" anagram.

It's difficult to give advice on how to achieve this effect without knowing what knowledge you have in animation and motion graphics. In on itself, this is a very easy animation which will take up to 5 to 6 hours of work.

Create the letters individually in a compositing program like After Effects or Nuke
(optional) make the letters emit particles to make it look like actual embers, using something like trapcode particular and setting the emitter type to layer, then selecting the text layer.
Use glow, turbulent displacement, displace and fractal noise to your liking until you're happy with the result.
Turn the layers into 3D-Layers so you can rotate and move them on each axis.
Animate them using keyframes so they move according to your needs.

The hardest part in getting these things right is the lighting on the set. If you're filming in a dark area, these letters would emit a lot of light, which you would see on other actors and the environment. Try lighting the set accordingly while shooting, otherwise you would have to resort to lighting up the footage in post, which will not look as good as doing it for real.


text:
How to clean up old animated footage?
Recently I ripped a couple of old DVD's to preserve them.
The original rip has a resolution of 720*576 and runs with 5100kb/s on 25fps interlaced.
I tinkered around with Handbrake and (hopefully) found the best settings.
The final file is a fifth of the size and runs progressively on 1000kb/s.
EDIT: Using h.265 NVENC
Getting to my question now. In the final product, there are a lot of colour artefacts in solid coloured planes. Is there any way to i.e. detect the mean colour in a similar coloured plane and colour the whole plane like it?

The artifacts are on the original footage because a DVD used some oldie MP2 codec, you need to live with it.
You could try using a denoiser, some of them can detect compression artifacts. I am not spamming or anything, but take a look at Neat Video Denoiser.

If you see artifacts in your footage, it is most likely that the bitrate is too low. Try encoding with the h264 or libx264 codec at around 5 mb/s

It could be that you are looking for a filter chain more than a particular codec. See for example: https://www.engon.de/audio/vhs4_en.htm#cartoon_vhs


text:
How to apply opacity to one clip without being affected by the opacity of other clips?
I have several clips with different opacities, eg:
clip 1 (100%), clip 2 (33%), clip 3 (100%) ...

Premiere Pro CC seems to automatically transition from one opacity to the next.
So when the video plays, the opacity changes over the course of the clip.
How can I make Premiere Pro CC respect the opacity for each clip, for the duration of each clip?

When you set Opacity on a clip in the timeline, you can set it for the entire clip, or you can set it using timing markers, which Premiere will then gradually adjust to each Opacity as per the timing you've set within the clip.
Double check in the Effect Controls panel that you haven't set timing markers on your Opacity changes - this would result in the effect you describe. If you've got timing markers set, toggle them off, and then just go to the start of each clip and set the opacity you want for the entire clip.
The following help page may provide further info if this is the issue:
https://helpx.adobe.com/au/premiere-pro/using/adding-navigating-setting-keyframes.html


text:
Fix half blank video
I've recorded a mp4 video with h265 encoding using my Android Pixel 3. After investigating the video, half of the video is blank. All other recordings are perfect. Is there any way to repair this video?
Here is an example image:

Here is the ffplay output of the video:
...
[hevc @ 0x7f951c10dfa0] Ignoring POC change between slices: 56 -> 58
[hevc @ 0x7f951c10dfa0] First slice in a frame missing.
[hevc @ 0x7f951c131320] Ignoring POC change between slices: 57 -> 59
[hevc @ 0x7f951c131320] First slice in a frame missing.
[hevc @ 0x7f951c05ee20] First slice in a frame missing.  0B f=0/0
[hevc @ 0x7f951c11f900] Ignoring POC change between slices: 59 -> 1
[hevc @ 0x7f951c11f900] First slice in a frame missing.
[hevc @ 0x7f951c03f140] Ignoring POC change between slices: 0 -> 2
[hevc @ 0x7f951c03f140] First slice in a frame missing.
[hevc @ 0x7f951c10dfa0] Ignoring POC change between slices: 1 -> 3
[hevc @ 0x7f951c10dfa0] First slice in a frame missing.
...

Here is some VLC debug output:
...
avcodec debug: enabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (37827 bytes)
avcodec warning: plane 0 not aligned
avcodec warning: disabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (35551 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (38144 bytes)
avcodec debug: enabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (35844 bytes)
avcodec warning: plane 0 not aligned
avcodec warning: disabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (34724 bytes)
avcodec debug: enabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (32349 bytes)
avcodec warning: plane 0 not aligned
avcodec warning: disabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (34527 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (33336 bytes)
avcodec debug: enabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (33576 bytes)
avcodec warning: plane 0 not aligned
avcodec warning: disabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (35214 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (33355 bytes)
avcodec debug: enabling direct rendering
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (31715 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (33360 bytes)
avcodec warning: cannot decode one frame (35697 bytes)
avcodec warning: plane 0 not aligned
...

If the image you posted is the file that the camera generated: No, you cannot restore the missing data. It has not been recorded and so you'd have to generate some where none was. Not possible, at least not if you don't want to paint each frame by hand.

Dependent on the player, I sometimes see the right side of the video popping up on the left side. So I assume that the data might be included but maybe the header is corrupted? Maybe the player do not know where the origin of each frame is?? Is there some possibility to investigate h265 streams and headers in deept?

Ah, I see. It's always try and error with corrupted data, but you could try loading it in after effects, premiere, resolve, nuke, etc. and see if one of the programs manages to display the footage correctly. Alternatively, you could use Nuke to shuffle through each channel and perhaps rewire corrupt passages. If everything fails, just try to repack the file into a lossless h.264 .mp4 container and see how it behaves.


text:
Motion Tracking in After Effects looks like it is vibrating
I am newbie to the after effects and I am working on a video. I want to add call outs on a cocktail glass. I am trying motion tracking but not getting the results that I want. I want my base target not to move. It should stay only on one point.
Anybody out there who can help me?
I have attached the screenshot.
https://i.sstatic.net/nGw9q.jpg
Thanks in advance.

Motion tracking works best on areas of high contrast.  Maybe the reflections near the rim of the glass are confusing it.  Try tracking from a different part of the glass, eg the base, and see if it works better (you can always use a Null for the track, then parent your objects to that null if the track good but isn't in the exact position you want).

or you can offset the anchor point.


text:
Cleaning matte - remove areas smaller than x pixels?
I have created a plate through the "difference matte" process - but I have a bunch of area's that show small white speckles on a black background. Is there an automated way to remove those small white dots?

I think adding a matte choker should do what you need. You can expand the matte using this effect.


text:
How to animate a square folding in half diagonally in After Effects?
I have a square that I am trying to fold in half in After Effects. I made two squares and masked each one. I then made the bottom half a 3D layer and tried working with the Y and Z rotation. But it isn't working the way I need it to.
Here is a visual for what I am trying to achieve.
Here is the square in the original format:

The I am trying to fold it on the diagonal but it isn't working.

Make a square
Centre the square on screen
Make sure the anchor point for the square is exactly at the position where the rotation should take place.
Add a mask revealing half the square
Duplicate the square
Change the colour of the duplicate to make it easier to see what you're doing
Change the mask on square 2 to 'subtract' mode, to reveal the other half
Make both layers 3D
Add a null object (it will be in the centre of the screen)
Make it 3D
Rotate it on the Z axis by 45 degrees
Pair square 2 to the null object
Animate the Y axis on the null object between 0 and -180 degrees.
The lower half of the square will fold up to meet the upper half.


text:
One of my clip's Preview's isn't showing and the timeline color isn't showing in Adobe Premiere Pro. What should I do?
Me and my partner are working on a project in Premiere Pro of which I saved on the Creative Cloud directory and carefully synced all the files. My partner (who shot the video) from the other end created a sequence and makes some cuts on different clips so that I can take it from there and continue with the editing. However, after she's done trimming the clips she informed me so that I can have a look. but, when I open the projects there's a particular spot on the line that instead of showing the usual Yellow Line just like the rest of the section of the clip, the Yellow line wasn't there and that particular clip doesn't show anything on the preview despite the fact that the clip is still there in the project panel. please Help.


text:
How to prevent iMovie from changing aspect ratio on a video short in portrait mode?
I shot a video in portrait mode on iphone, and its a mov file with a vertical aspect ratio (ie, when i open it in quicktime, it has no black areas on its sides).
I open that video in imovie version 10.3.5, and i cut some frames to shorten the video, i then export it as a mp4. Now when i open the mp4, quicktime has black areas on its side.
I read that i have to first preserve the original ratio by going to crop setting in imovie and select 'Fit', then edit, then export. I did that, and still it comers out with black areas on its side.
Same when I upload it to Google Video and play it, it plays in a very small window on my phone, whereas the orignal un-edited video plays on full screen veritically on my phone.
I've spent 8 hours on this and can't fix it.
How do I edit this video and still have it preserve original aspect ratio?

This is not a very elegant solution but it works.
Import your vertical video into iMovie.
When you have edited, rotate all the clips by 90 degrees

Export your video as a horizontal video eg "1080p" mode.
Open it in Quicktime Player
Rotate it back again:

Export it as 1080p.
The exported video will be rotated correctly:


text:
Adobe Premiere cursor problem
When I try to drag and drop an effect to adjustment layer, the cursor become frozen and can't be used to attach any effect to a layer.
What are the solutions for this? Any solutions will be accepted.

This would be better addressed to Adobe as it is likely to require a specific computer set-up to reproduce.

Sounds like a bug, or an underspec computer running out of memory.


text:
Nikon D3300 and MeiKe MK-MP1 microphone results in pulsating sound
DSLR: Nikon D3300
Microphone: MeiKe MK-MP1
When using the microphone connected to the DSLR I only get a pulsating sound like the one in this video

I tried to change the automatic sound sensitivity to manual (different levels) but to no avail.
Any idea what is the cause of this or what solutions I could try?

I would try another microphone with the same camera, or plug the mic into a different camera, to try and work out where the fault is.
Does the mic need a battery?  That can sometimes generate faults like this, if the battery is low.
From the specs, it looks as though that camera only has a mono mic input. From their webpage, it looks as though the microphone is a stereo mic, with a TRS jack (tip, ring, sleeve).  Sometimes you can get incompatibilities depending on how the mic and the device expect to receive input signals.
If you have any mains cables or data cables trailing nearby between the camera and the mic, try moving them out of the way, and see if the hum lessens. Unbalanced mic cables are more susceptible to interference than balanced cabling.


text:
How to blur background in Adobe Premiere like meeting apps like Zoom or Google Meet?
Meeting software such as Zoom or Google Meet allow someone to blur their background while allowing the face and body of the person to be shown clearly during the video conference. I would like to record some presentation of mine without a green screen first and then I want to blur my background using adobe premiere pro? I do not want to blur the background while I am recording. I want to blur my background after the recording. How can I achieve this?

You can do this fairly easily in DaVinci Resolve - even the freeware version.
Essentially, you select an area to to remain clean at the start of your clip, set it to be motion-tracked [DaVinci makes tracking moving objects very easy], then blur its inverse.
There's a 2-minute YouTube guide on how it works. I can't find anything simpler in text.

I don’t think there is any way to do this easily in Premiere.
You can blur out certain portions of the image using a Gaussian blur effect, then mask around your subject, but you need to be careful that your subject doesn’t intrude on the mask, and it may look unnatural anyway.
The best solution I have found to this is by using After Effects. I make a foreground layer by duplicating the footage layer, then running a Roto Brush effect across the footage to isolate the foreground. Then I can blur or adjust the background layer. This is time consuming and requires a fair amount of manual adjustment (although a lot less than RotoBrush version 1 did).
Update:
Thinking about it - it might be possible to output your video as a stream from OBS, then choose this as a source in Google Meet or Zoom, set background to blur, then record the output from Meet/Zoom.  I haven't tried this approach.

Thanks. Are you aware of any other software that might be able to do this, such as Final cut pro or Sony Vegas?

I'm not - I think the foreground-detection algorithms are quite complicated and the web conferencing companies view them as proprietary tools that they don't share.  It would be very useful if there was one available.  Runway might be able to do it, but I haven't used it. https://runwayml.com/green-screen/

As tomh points out above, I tried his suggestion to stream the video from OBS that exposes a virtual camera which I can open in Zoom, Meet, etc.
Zoom then applies the background effect quite competently to the existing video ! :-)
The only issue is that I haven't found a way to get the audio through to Zoom. Any ideas why?

I can only speak for MacOS, but passing audio between applications is fiddly. You may need to use Audio Hijack, or try Soundflower for a free way to do this.

As tomh points out above, I tried to stream the video from OBS which exposes a virtual camera which I can open in Zoom, Meet, etc. Zoom then applies the background effect quite competently! :-)
The only issue is that I haven't found a way to get the audio through to Zoom


text:
What if somebody use few valuable seconds of your YT video?
Some youtuber used few seconds of my footage in his video.
I discovered it randomly, he haven't even contacted me.
He say that if he credit me in description, it's already okay according the YT comunity.
The footage he stealed was bought by several TV companies as it's about the place where most people never been to, so it has some value.
I really can not do anything?
Thank you!

You can submit a copyright takedown request on YouTube:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2807622?hl=en
They may be protected under Fair Use or Fair Dealing rules.


text:
Premiere Pro - Edit a video with different scenes - Use sequences or not?
I have to edit a short movie (10 min long), made of several short scenes. Each scene has multiple takes and clips that need to be edited.
I was wondering, which is the best/most efficient option:

Working with sequences, having one sequence for each scene, and work on each scene independently, and then merge all sequences in one at the end
Having all the scenes in just one sequence, and editing them together one after the other?

What is more efficient?
Thanks

I would say neither:
I'd work on small parts in separate sequences until I'm fairly happy with them, then start to bring them into a main sequence, by copying them in using the lift control.  I don't nest sequences, because I always end up finding the lack of control in the master sequence becomes a problem.
If there are multiple cameras within a single take, I'd use mutli-camera sequences to sync those up first.
A key part of working like this is organising and reviewing takes rather than how you edit in Premiere - careful labelling of footage and a good spreadsheet is essential in my opinion!
(Also really important to duplicate your sequences, so you can go back and retry different ideas, whilst labelling them carefully throughout)


text:
to know what size image I need for the frame
After a lot of research, i can't find how to do something stupid : I have a video template with photo frames in it. I would like to know what size image I need for the frame.
Problem, I can find the size of the composition (easy) but not the size of a layer ...
Thanks

Every asset in a project can be seen listed in the Project panel.
When you click on each asset, a preview should appear at the top of the panel, which shows you the dimensions of the asset, and the pixel aspect ratio - e.g. 1920x1080 (1.00) as shown below:

it works thanks !


text:
Create time corrected .srt subtitle file for .mkv which uses file/segment linking
I have two mkv files. One of them is the episode of a series and the other one the opening which is linked in the first one. Let's call them episode.mkv resp. opening.mkv.
I also have a subtitle.srt which is used by a player (e.g. mpv) which contains the subtitle for episode.mkv and opening.mkv. Aslong as both files are present, there is no problem. But once opening.mkv is missing, episode.mkv and subtitle.srt are not synchoronized anymore of course.
Can you point me to cli tools that are aware of linked segments, which can automatically create a time corrected subtitle file from episode.mkv, opening.mkv, subtitle.srt that works with episode.mkv alone?
Any help is much appreciated!

Will removing amount of time of opening.mkv and adjusting from new offset do the work? Then you may use ffmpeg.


text:
Applying colorkey twice in FFMpeg
I have a video with green screen. Unfortunately there is a shadow on the green screen. Increasing the tolerance got side effects. Thus I thought of the obvious, just apply colorkey twice.
I tried this, but it only applies the last colorkey. If I switch the two colorkeys then it either removes the shadowed area or the light area.

ffmpeg -i bacground.jpg -i green.mp4 -filter_complex '[1:v]colorkey=0x32AB57:0.25:[ckout1];[ckout1]colorkey=0x016733:0.2:[ckout];[0:v][ckout]overlay[out]' -map '[out]' -map '1:a:?' -y output.mp4

What Am I doing wrong here?

You could apply the colorkey to the input twice then blend the alpha channels
-filter_complex "[1:v]colorkey=0x32AB57:0.25[ck1];[1:v]colorkey=0x016733:0.2[ck2];[ck1][ck2]blend=c3_mode=and"


text:
Premier Pro "Bend" effect control values changing by themselves?
I'm still pretty new to Premier Pro (up to date) so maybe I'm overlooking some type of logic but is it normal for effect values to change sometimes when hitting enter? Using the slider I can't select certain values either sometimes it'll nudge 1 unit over to the left or right. I was using another effect that did this too.
eg; changing Horizontal Intensity from 100 to 12 made it 13 while also changing the value of like every other one o_o

I don't have a Bend plugin in Mac Premiere Pro CC 2021. Is it a built-in plugin, and are you using Premiere Pro on Windows?  My best guess would be that changing some values causes others to need to adjust slightly, which causes the values to round up or down to the nearest value.

@tomh I am using Premier Pro for Windows. I did receive an answer on plebbit from a helpful user named "smushkan" that I will share here though.
It's normal with that particular effect (and possibly a few others.)
That effect uses a 5-bit unsigned integer for the 'intensity' parameters, meaning you're not actually controlling it on a scale of 0-100 (which would require 7 bits), but instead on a scale of 0-31.
Premiere's effect control sliders can only show 0-100, so it converts that 0-31 value into the closest valid value on a 0-100 scale.

In practice that means the only valid values you'll get are:
0

3.33...

6.66...

10

13.33...

16.66...

20

... and so on all the way to 100, totalling 31 different options (and the numbers get rounded down/up to on the slider too.)
One of the weird quicks of some of the older effects in Premiere - that particular effect has been round since at least CS5 so it's over a decade old!

You should add this as an answer - you can answer your own questions on here


text:
How do you trim videos in FFMPEG?
I am trying to trim my videos in Virtualdub but I also wanted to make a stream copy of the same video that I am trimming. Unfortunately, Virtualdub does not always give me the results I want as it is always a few seconds off and I cannot stream copy the video as it does not always support the codecs that my video has. I hope that FFMPEG can do the job for me, but I do not know how to trim and cut in FFMPEG. How do you cut and trim in FFMPEG?

ffmpeg parameters

-ss specifies the start time i.e. the 30th second of stream as 00:00:30
-t specifies the duration i.e. 10 second stream as 10
-to specifies the end time i.e. the 90th second of stream as 00:01:30

Note: Only -t will take effect if both  -t and -to parameters are used.
Example script:
ffmpeg -i canada.mp4 -ss 00:00:30 -to 00:01:30 -c copy oneMinute.mp4

Can you post an example of that script?

ffmpeg -i canada.mp4 -ss 00:00:30 -to 00:01:30 -c copy oneMinute.mp4 and the result of ffprobe -i oneMinute.mp4 is Duration: 00:00:59.73, start: 0.333008, bitrate: 17036 kb/s

So, it looks it need to learn how to use FFProbe and FFPlay. Thanks for the help.


text:
Remove echo when recording in say, a hallway
Sorry if this is the wrong site to ask this question, with it not being strictly about video.
Say I’m conducting an interview in a hallway or similar environment. There are a lot of flat surfaces, maybe an uncarpeted floor, this is going to produce a lot of echo and sound distortion. A purpose-made room or studio isn’t an option as the interviews are supposed to be “of the moment”. How would I go about eliminating echo?
I can’t go around the whole location putting up blankets to dampen the echo, so would I be looking at some sort of attachment on the camera microphone, i.e. a windsock (or similar attachment if a windsock isn’t appropriate)?

The attachment you are looking for is called a lav mic, though sometimes it can be a hand-held shotgun mic, too.  Sound intensity decreases as the square of distance and echoes decay exponentially.  The trick to eliminating the echo is to get the mic sufficiently close to your sound source that the original source is 10dB to 20dB louder than the environmental echo.  If you see how close a news reporter holds a mic up to a subject when interviewing them in the moment (and sometimes in a hallway), do that.
There's nothing you can put on the microphone that will solve the echo problem.  The only way to solve it is with proper distance (which is a function of proper distance ratios).

You could also try a lip mic, like the Coles 4104.  They're used in very noisy environments such as football matches by commentators, and work well.  Just holding any mic very close to the person speaking won't necessarily sound good, due to how the microphones response changes when close to a source - you can get a lot of bass tip-up and popping from some mics when placed like this.  These are known as proximity effects.


text:
How to trigger an aerender command from a web page
What's the easiest way to trigger an aerender command from a web page?
Using Templater, I can create renders based on google spreadsheets, but I can't find a good description of how to trigger a render remotely.  Is there a good howto guide somewhere?  Maybe using PHP or something (not an expert on this)... PS: I'm using a Mac

In general php is not made for this purpose, I would you advise against it. Usually then it only remains ruby and python on a web server. I would recommend python, since it's often used and there are many film-related libraries. Also, there is a build-in csv module to parse a spreadsheet. I thought it's a good idea to include site relevant code (how to trigger aerender), because all the other topics seems more fitting for stackoverflow (imo). It's a really interessting question, but it's also quite complex, thus my answer is a rough overview only, so let me know what else you need.

Depends on which scripting languages your web server supports.
Main requirements

The language should be able to execute the application
The language should provide secure access the files on the server or a network
The language should provide methods to assembly file paths (e.g. relative to absolute paths)
The language should provide interaction methods for connecting the webpage (user input) and your application, also see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_application_framework

Execute aerender via python
Assuming your webserver supports python, execute the app via python's subprocess module. You only have to make sure that you can call aerender from your command line properly.
# import subprocess module to call aerender
import subprocess

# create a aerender argument list
args = ['aerender', '-project', 'path_to_file']
process = subprocess.Popen(args, stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE)

In order to batch process a folder of .aep files you'll need to iterate through the files:
#import os module
import os

# set the path to your aep folder
path = '/home/user/Desktop/aep-files'    # linux or osx
# path = r'c:\some\directory\aep-files'  # windows, the r is important
# path = 'c:/some/directory\aep-files'   # windows (alternative)

# make sure the files are .aep files
aep_file_folder = [f for f in os.listdir(path) if f.endswith('.aep')]

# iterate through the list
for i in aep_file_folder:
    # setup correct filepath for aeps
    file_path = os.path.join(path,i)

    # call aerender with the correct arguments
    subprocess.call(['aerender', '-project', file_path])

Note: If there is no need to communicate (e.g. getting the output of aerender) you can simply use subprocess.call instead.


text:
Import .flac to After Effects CS6
How can i import a simple .flac audio file to After Effects?
I didn't find one single plugin/presets or answer at Adobe's site.

Sadly Adobe doesn't support FLAC in any of their video products. The only Adobe product that supports it so far is Audition.
Though there is this great and open source plugin that works just fine with CS6 even though it was made for CS5. Plugins made for CS5 are usually compatible with CS6 and CC.
For CS4 there is a 32bit version of the same plugin: http://valion.net/flacimporter/

FLAC files can be opened into Adobe Audition and saved out into a different file format that is compatable.


text:
Fill shape layer with an image (after effects)
How can I fill a shape, with an image in After effects?
For example, something like this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Europe_flags.png
I found an answer somewhere that I need to create two layers, and texture layer to parent the shape layer, and use alpha matte. I cannot find alpha matte in my AE CC. but that does not seem to work
Any link to tutorial will be accepted.

What do you mean you cannot find the alpha matte option? Are you saying you don't have it or simply can't find it? Can you see the matte drop-down list on your layer? If not, you'll have to right click on the column bar at the top and set 'modes' or 'matte' to visible. See: http://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/general-user-interface-items.html#columns

Also, depending on how you want to use the image with the shape, for example if you want the shape to move with the image, then you'll want to use tomh's method. However if you want the shape to act like a peephole through which you see the image, and moving the shape changes what part of the image you see, then you can use either the luma or alpha matte options.

If what you want to have as an end result is a flag texture inside a non-standard shape, can I suggest instead that you import the flag texture, and use a matte to change its shape? If you've already created a shape that you want to use, you could convert it into your matte by adding a key frame to the matte's path control, adding a keyframe to the shape, copying that key frame, and then pasting the key frame over the matte's path keyframe.
This is probably easier than using unnecessary alpha channels etc.


text:
Thousands of frames per second?
Are there any (consumer) cameras, capable of shooting ~1000 frames per second?
Googling for high speed cameras I found that GoPro is able to take 120 frames per second and some of Photron or Rapatronic cameras, capable to shot millions of frames per second and costing millions of dollars.
Are the intermediate cameras?

A google search using those search terms gives me a wide range of cameras at speeds including 700, 1000, 10000 fps.

You would need many more parameters than that. What about the resolution, duration, etc. Some camera are capable of 1,000 fps but only for like 1 or 2 seconds and only HD. Do you need 4K, 8K, minutes in duration?

The Casio EX-F1 can shoot upto 1200fps, but the resolution reduces as the frame rate gets higher.  They go on eBay for about £600.
http://www.casio.com/products/archive/Digital_Cameras/High-Speed/EX-F1/
Or the Casio Exilim FH20, for about £300 on Amazon, was used to make this:

More info on how it was made here:
http://straylight.co.uk/?p=120


text:
How to add audio to transitions in Final Cut
this question is probably asked already, but as I am not pro video editor I do not know how to ask properly.
My question is: how can I add audio transition? I don't mean just fade in or out, I mean actual sounds synced with the visual transition
When transition occures the proper audio transition plays.
I can only do it manualy, but it is not the point.
For example, when the shot changes I want the circle transition with the corresponding sound.

Your question is indeed very confusing.  What, exactly, is the corresponding sound to the circle transition?  Is it a cricket?  Is it a car honk?  Is it the sound of a particular church bell ringing?  Is it the sound of a glacier melting?  And what about the sound of a triangular transition?  Or the sound of a vertical vs. horizontal wipe?
These questions are rhetorical; there is no sound associated with these transitions, other than the sounds you creatively choose to associate with them.  Thus, the answer to your question is that you do need to choose those audio transition sounds, and audio transitions, manually.

I thought that there are transitions with built in sounds.

iMovie does this: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH3322?locale=en_US.  It is the craft of the magician to make it appear as if magic exists.  It is the craft of the filmmaker to make it appear as if every transition is so natural that it doesn't even look like editing, and that every sound is so natural that it doesn't sound like an effect, but part of the film itself.


text:
Parenting a null causes unexpected results
I've built an arrow that is controlled by two nulls - one at the start point and one at the end point.  Using some trigonometry in some expressions, it works.  When I move the nulls, the arrow resizes appropriately.
But when I try to parent one of the nulls to another object (like another null, or a shape layer), the null position jumps.  And even after parenting, the parent null can't move the child null.. Any ideas?
video:

Below are snippets of the controlling code, based on some scripts by others that I found online.
arrowlength controlled by
CellTower = thisComp.layer("startpoint").transform.position;
Target = thisComp.layer("endpoint").transform.position;
sizefactor = 100/(effect("ArrowSize")("Slider"));
BeamLength = (length(CellTower, Target)*sizefactor)-150;
[BeamLength]

rotation of the arrow controlled by
CellTower=thisComp.layer("startpoint").transform.position;
Target=thisComp.layer("endpoint").transform.position;

// Find the length of side a
SideA = sub(CellTower, Target)[1];

// Find the length of side b
SideB = sub(CellTower, Target)[0];

//Find the Angle between them
-1*(270-(radiansToDegrees(Math.atan2(SideA, SideB))+180));

I think the problem there is that the expression is using the position value for the null. As you know when you parent a layer to another layer its position becomes relative to its parent. So if for example you have a null at [960,540] and you parent it to a layer whose position is also [960,540] the null's position now becomes [0,0]. This means that any expressions that use that value now are seeing [0,0] instead of [960,540].
So you need to feed the null's absolute position in world space to the expression. This is where the mysterious Layer Space Transform functions come into play.
Change the parts of the expression that have the null's position from
CellTower=thisComp.layer("startpoint").transform.position;

to
startPoint = thisComp.layer("startpoint");
//use a variable just to make the next line easier to understand
CellTower=startPoint.toWorld(startPoint.anchorPoint);

What that is doing is translating a point as seen from the relative coordinates of the layer startPoint to the world coordinates of the comp. The point that we're giving it to translate is startPoint's anchor point.


text:
Simple Prowl notifications for After Effects render completion
I want to be able to receive push notifications to my iPhone when After Effects completes a render.
I used to use Prowl v1.5.2 & Growl v2.1.3 combined with this script (.jsx file)to do this, but I can't get the script to work now.
I can get growlnotify to send a notification from the terminal to Growl, and successfully pass it to Prowl on my iPhone, but when I tried this script, it fails at line 24.  I've added the API key, and chosen growl as the notification type.  Growlnotify is in usr/local/bin and my appname is set to Adobe After Effects CC 2015.
I don't need background rendering, just a simple notify when renders complete.
I'm using OSX 10.11.1 and iOS 9.2, and After Effects CC 2015 v13.6.0.165
Here's a script example, it's only two lines:
app.project.renderQueue.render();
function(){system.callSystem(“Open growlnotify")};

First line renders the queue (without any safety checking)
Second line should open growlnotify to send a default message
First line works, second line doesn't - it returns "Syntax Error".  I've also tried:
app.project.renderQueue.render();
function(){system.callSystem(“growlnotify")};

Maybe, paste your script (with the API key obscured).

Good idea - done.

Can you use full path to invoke growl?

And I meant the script whose line 24 fails.

I've tried that, but it didn't work.  From the terminal, I can invoke growlnotify from any directory.

I linked to the big script (see http://iaian7.com/files/aftereffects/rendernotifications/Render_Notify_14.jsx) , because it's huge and more complex than I need (and it too doesn't work any more)

Your two line scripts have a closing quote missing in 2nd line.

Oops - fixed the missing quote.  It was there before.. The script doesn't run - I get "Unable to execute script at line 2. Syntax error" for both versions (with and without "open")

Just another guess, but in the JSX script, there is no function() invoked before the system calls. And the MAIN function isn't explicitly stated either, just curly brackets, so try leaving out function() and/or the curly brackets.

with no function, still get Syntax Error.  With no curly brackets and no function, syntax error.  With function but no curly brackets, I get "expected {".  I wonder if the scripting language changed since Creative Suite became Creative Cloud?

Try single quotes and no function

The script extract you include:
app.project.renderQueue.render();
function(){system.callSystem(“Open growlnotify")};

has a dodgy opening quote.  “ is not the same as " - this is why you are getting the syntax error.
app.project.renderQueue.render();
(function(){system.callSystem("Open growlnotify")})();

works (the (..)() calls the anonymous function). You need to add the parentheses so that the anonymous function gets called, or simply do system.callSystem("Open growlnotify"); without the anonymous function.
You also need to activate "allow scripts to write files and access network" in Preferences/General, otherwise callSystem is blocked.
In the full script you post, when you replaced type = "web" on line 24 to use growl, the same error probably slipped in.  Check your keyboard autocorrect settings to ensure that you've not got curly quotes.

Thanks - that is very helpful - it stops the syntax error!  But I still don't get growlnotify running!

But it does fix the Render_Notify_14.jsx file I linked to, so that works for me!  Thanks again.


text:
Does some macro exist for creating this text effect?
I'm referring to this video (top right). How can I create a similar video / text effect. Indeed I can give expressions of the damped oscillator and tweak it for a long time until I get a good effect, but what would be a way way to do this? I prefer to use Adobe After Effects?

It's a Kinetic Typography piece. Search for templates on VideoHive, there are also plugins for AE that allow for easier generation of KT setups.
It's timeconsuming, search vimeo for some great samples: Kinetic Typography.
One of my all time favorites still to this day - produced years ago:  https://vimeo.com/17419652    The guy who did this spent months on it. But he did it all himself, great work.


text:
Using Lumetri HSL secondary mask to create alpha transparency
How can I use the selection made using the Lumetri HSL Secondary Set Color tool to define alpha transparency. That is to say: how can I use my Lumetri colour selection to create a transparency mask to reveal the color matte on the layer below? Thanks.

Set Lumetri to reveal the sections of your clip that you want. (In the example shown, I have also inverted the mask).
Click the "Show Mask" checkbox in the 'HSL Secondary' section of the Lumetri plugin.  All the parts that are not selected by your 'HSL secondary' settings will appear grey in the viewer window.

On the same clip, add the Ultra Key plugin so that it appears beneath your Lumetri plugin.
In the Ultra Key, set the Key Colour using the paint dropper to the same shade of grey that appears in the greyed out areas of your clip.

Those sections of your clip are now transparent.
To check, click the wrench icon below the viewer, and enable 'transparency grid'

Thanks, but I think you might have a missed a step or have a switch on (or off!) by default that I don't have, but this doesn't work for me. I set the key colour to the grey, using the eye dropper but nothing happens and the underlying layer is not revealed.

hmm odd.. Is the Ultra Key effect definitely below the Lumetri effect in the effects list for the clip?


text:
receive mpeg4 stream using gstreamer
I want to receive an mpeg4 stream with gstreamer, the stream information is(using ffprobe shows the following):
Input #0, mpeg, from 'udp://192.168.0.101@225.1.1.40:8001':
Duration: N/A, start: 19215.434044, bitrate: N/A
Stream #0:0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg4 (Advanced Simple Profile), yuv420p, 352x288 [SAR 1:1 DAR 11:9], 25 fps, 25 tbr, 90k tbn

and the pipeline that I came up with is:
gst-launch-1.0 -v udpsrc uri=udp://225.1.1.40:8004 caps="video/mpeg, mpegversion=(int)4, systemstream=(boolean)false, parsed=(boolean)false, profile=(string)advanced-simple, level=(string)4" ! mpeg4videoparse ! nvmpeg4videodec ! xvimagesink sync=false

which kinda works but is quite unusable as you can see in the screenshot below:

P.S: playbin doesn't open the stream but ffplay does.
P.S2: when I use this pipeline:
GST_DEBUG=3 gst-launch-1.0 -v udpsrc uri=udp://225.1.1.40:8004 caps="video/mpeg, mpegversion=(int)4, systemstream=(boolean)false, parsed=(boolean)false, profile=(string)advanced-simple, level=(string)4" ! mpeg4videoparse ! avdec_mpeg4 ! xvimagesink sync=false

I get this image and these errors:

this is also kinda working(when I move in front of the camera those pixels will change)
Errors:
    0:00:00.142530876 232851 0x7f0dec000b90 ERROR                  libav :0:: ac-tex damaged at 12 0
    0:00:00.142550122 232851 0x7f0dec000b90 ERROR                  libav :0:: Error at MB: 12
    0:00:00.221094402 232851 0x7f0dec000b90 ERROR                  libav :0:: Error at MB: 259
    0:00:00.302009028 232851 0x7f0dec000b90 ERROR                  libav :0:: ac-tex damaged at 8 5
    0:00:00.302061716 232851 0x7f0dec000b90 ERROR                  libav :0:: Error at MB: 123
    0:00:00.342253369 232851 0x7f0dec000b90 ERROR                  libav :0:: ac-tex damaged at 17 5
...

gst-launch-1.0 version 1.22.8
garuda linux(arch)