Today we’re going to be creating this cool transition using the new 3D Camera Tracker
in HitFilm Pro. You can find the project files as well as links to the videos used in the
description below.
The first step is to 3D motion track your footage. This is so that any element you put
in the scene, like a 3D model or even just a picture, accurately follows the camera motion.
Create a new composite shot that is 12 seconds long and bring the first nature video down
into the timeline. It’s only about 5 seconds long, but that’s ok because we won’t need
to see it for the whole time. Add the Camera Tracker effect to this layer.
In the Controls panel, select Track Features. The camera tracker will go back and forth
through the video, automatically tracking multiple points along the way. Once it’s
finished, select Solve Camera. The tracker will calculate how the camera moved in the
real world. Now press Create Scene. This will create a new 3D virtual camera that should
match the movement of the video.
Setting the floor plane isn’t exactly necessary, but it can help you position your elements
in the scene. To do this, select the Camera Tracker and click and drag to select multiple
tracking points, then come down to the window in the Viewer. Go to Ground Plane, Set to
Selected. Now we can begin adding elements into our scene. Disable the Camera Tracker
effect, as we don’t need it to be active anymore.
Bring the second video you want to use down into the timeline under the first one. Create
a new Plane layer and make it 3D. Depending on how the camera was created, the Plane might
disappear, but that’s only because it’s outside of the virtual camera’s field of
view. If I go into Perspective mode and orbit around, you can see that the plane is still
there but it’s behind the camera.
For a quick way to make your objects visible again, parent them to the Camera Tracker point
that was created earlier. Then reset the layer. This puts the plane in the same position as
the Point, which should be in view. You can then unparent the layer from the camera tracker
Point. Now you can use either the controls in the Viewer or in the Controls panel to
reposition the plane to where you want your window to be.
Make sure that the plane completely covers the screen by the end of the first video.
This plane is what HitFilm is going to use to cut a hole in this first nature scene,
so that we can see the city under it. Since the plane has been 3D tracked into the scene,
it will appear to be a window that actually exists. We don’t need the plane to be visible,
so we can hide that from view. Add the Set Matte effect to the nature video. Under Source
Layer, select the plane matte. Set the Blend to Subtract.
To add a border, what I’ll do is duplicate the Plane matte and turn the visibility back
on. Come up to the Layer panel- this makes it easier to draw a mask on the plane. Select
the Rectangle Mask and draw a shape from the center. You can hold Alt to grow the mask
from the center. Invert the mask in the Controls panel. Switch back over to the Viewer and
you should see the outline applied. Since it’s a Plane you can add all kinds of effects
to get it looking the way you want. In the final shot I used a Color Gradient with some
Inner Glow and Vignette to create a shadow.
The pixelated entry of the matte was done with the Block Displacement effect, which
is in the VFX: Retro Pack 2 for Express. To do this, select the Camera Tracker point and
make it into its own composite shot. Cut the matte layer from the original comp and paste
it into the new one, then turn on the visibility. Add the Block Displacement effect to this
plane. Lower Coverage and Displaced Blocks to 0%. Activate keyframes for Coverage at
the beginning, move forward in time, and bring it up to 100%. Aspect Ratio was set to 2.
Back in the main comp, you might have to hide the new composite again, and reset the Set
Matte effect on the nature video to read from the composite.
For another tutorial on 3D camera tracking click the card onscreen. Let us know if you
have any questions and be sure to subscribe for more videos coming soon.