Exporting a camera from Blender into Adobe After Effects

[@billnetherlands]

Hey all! Just dropping in to say I am humbled and flattered by all the views on this. I've had some requests on an updated vid for the latest version. I've got a LOT of client work right now, but it is on my list when I get a free tutorial-making day. Thanks for the support!

[@bkscribe]

Thanks, Bill! It works fine with v3.5. Note that if you use the "%" field in the "Format" section (to increase your initial XY resolution by a percentage) then the result will not take that percentage increase into account. Just an FYI.

[@billnetherlands]

Thanks for that info! I was not aware, but that makes sense.

[@Julian-B]

Thank you so much for the tutorial, Bill! Everything worked fine for me. However, when I change the imported camera in After Effects from a One-Node to a Two-Node camera, it messes up the cameras position/perspective and I am not able to change it back. Do you know how to do this? I need the Two-Node camera to link a layer to the Focus Distance (layer -> camera -> link focus distance to layer).

[@billnetherlands]

A few folks have asked about this. My work is usually so design/2D focused that I can't say off the top of my head, but let me look into it and see if I can figure it out. I might not get around do doing a video until next month, so don't wait up for me. I'll see what I can find out (currently swamped with cool client projects, but I plan on being more consistent on here going into the slow season).

[@StrongCoolAnd]

it even works if the cam is parented to an empty control in blender. like magic. thanks a lot!

[@billnetherlands]

That's awesome! Glad I could help. I'm going to keep posting useful tips like this, because even I forget the process if I haven't done it in a minute.

[@ottoma3909]

I try to make a fly through text animation. But when the camera goes past the text I’ve set, the text is still appeared to be existing at the same place. I’m sure that the 3d objects icon is turned on but the text appeared to not be tracked to a place. Do I have to parent the text to something?

[@billnetherlands]

Is your cam from Blender and your text in AE? Did you port nulls over so you can assign the text to the same position in space as the null? The Nulls are how you know where objects would exist in relationship to the Camera.

[@hoanglee69]

If the camera and empty in blender come from frame 50 - 500, is it necessary to bring it to frame 1?

[@billnetherlands]

excellent question. Yes, I believe it would need to sync up with the exported image sequence. So, if you export from 50, then your sequence starts at 1 in after effects. That means that your camera will be at 1 After effects. So if you camera starts at 1 in both, but you image sequence frame 50 is at frame 1 in AE, that's a problem. Does that make sense?

[@ryanansen]

Thank you for this! Just tried it out and it worked perfectly!

[@cemguney2]

how did you download the script? Link does not show download to me.

[@samcollinsdesign]

how to i download this from github....sorry newbie but like its confusing

[@billnetherlands]

I think it's hard to explain it if you're not used to github. I'm going to revamp this video soon, and I'll add a section where I show how to properly obtain the file.

[@samcollinsdesign]

@@billnetherlands I’ve just copy and pasted the code into the blender and it works… but I wish I had it as an add on still

[@samcollinsdesign]

@@billnetherlands it’s so useful and it’s a shame they Moved it all around it was a crucial part of my workflow for awhile I’m looking forward to implementing it again

[@billnetherlands]

@@samcollinsdesign I'm directing a music video right now, and I'm kind of relying on this being available. I haven't hit that part in the project yet, but I think I'm going to dig in sooner than later and see what's going on.

[@boumlike9119]

3:25 something is missing how did you made them visible. thankyou

[@billnetherlands]

I've got more time now, so I'm going to redo this video soon.

[@boumlike9119]

@billnetherlands i found it, by copy and past the position keyframes from the camera to the text. Thankyou

[@nikhilxtri]

Hello, Download link leads to Blender Developer page but can't find the add-on

[@billnetherlands]

Hope this helps. They keep moving stuff around: "Right now, it seems the best way to access the Add-on is through the preferences window, and then selecting COMMUNITY (it's between OFFICIAL and TESTING). From there, search for io_export_after_effects.py and you should just find it. Drop a comment below if you have issues with this. I know the back and forth is beyond frustrating."

[@khazuhikoamv]

can we setting the graph in after effects?

[@billnetherlands]

Could you explain further?

[@khazuhikoamv]

@@billnetherlands We set the camera keyframe in Blender and there we also set the graph, so can we set the graph in After Effects? If it doesn't work in this tutorial, is there another way?

[@cemparlar1321]

awesome video thanks a lot!

[@verydisc33t]

Thanks for the tutorial. Can you make a tutorial on the correct way to export the Z depth pass from Blender and use it in After Effects to composite elements respecting the depth. Thanks.

[@billnetherlands]

Great idea! I need to be making more tutorials, so that's a perfect one for me to do next.

[@verydisc33t]

@@billnetherlands Thank you, eagerly waiting for the tutorial. I have animated an object and have exported position scene data using empty/null which will be used to add elements in AE using Stardust. The render is a cryptomatte multi-EXR. Since Stardust generates particles in 3D space, I can position it using a null's position and it tracks beautifully. How do I make certain parts of Stardust particles obscured by the rendered object and others which are nearer to camera come in front of the rendered object?

[@aku9790]

The link just leads me to the Developer page, and i cant find it in the community addons in Blender preferences

[@billnetherlands]

You're right! They moved it again. Let me look into this.

[@billnetherlands]

Looks like they did remove it from Community in the latest version. Here's a link with a version I was able to use: github.com/sobotka/blender-addons-contrib/find/master

[@aku9790]

@@billnetherlands oh god thank you so much, it exports the camera but not the nules

[@billnetherlands]

@@aku9790 this is THE worst. Let me see what's up.

[@michaelmuller6029]

the sliding is making me wonder: is this a pixel-perfect translation?

[@billnetherlands]

I'm working on a new demo in the latest version. I'm going to have to do some research into this. There's always a bit of crossing your fingers with this method, but I've had consistent success with this way of doing it, as long as everything is set up correctly. I'll definitely be looking into it.

[@stoneys8107]

thx so much. from Netherlands. haha

[@billnetherlands]

haha awesome!!

[@BREA_______]

thanks!

[@yousefwahba]

tray to be good then go to make Vedic for people

[@TonyDoorChannel]

Link is not work( 404 page

[@billnetherlands]

developer.blender.org/F13982679 Let me know if this works. Download File is in the upper right on this page.

@@billnetherlands 404 Not Found

[@billnetherlands]

@ new link in the description. Sorry about that. It's been moved around twice in the past week.

[@billnetherlands]

@ if you lose it again, you want to go to blender.org and search for io_export_after_effects.py

[@AGvfx]

Not work with Blender 4.0

[@billnetherlands]

because, of course it doesn't😅. Lemme look into it and see what I can find out. I'm running the last 3.0 version with this and it's working, if you need to get work done. I usually just revert for a while until they fix it, but I'll see what I can find out.

[@ahmadchinnawi]

top!!

[@billnetherlands]

Thanks! I'm just starting to do these so I hope they help people out.

[@pitsutaa.1776]

THANK!!!

[@billnetherlands]

you're welcome!