Composite shot timelines in HitFilm 3 Pro are layer based.
All of your assets will exist as layers.
I’m Axel Wilkinson for HitFilm.com; let’s start by looking at the different types of
layers you have available, then we will get into the specifics of how to actually use
and adjust your layers.
Layers in HitFilm can exist in 2D or 3D.
We will focus primarily on 2D layers first, then look at working with 3D layers a bit
later.
2D layers behave much like a stack of papers.
If two layers overlap, then the top layer will obscure the layer beneath it.
The layer order on the timeline determines which layer is on top.
In this example, we have a Sky background, and several layers of mountains in front of
it.
The darker foreground mountains are in front of the others, because they are at the top
of the layer stack.
If we move the Second mountains to the top of the layer stack, they are now on top in
the viewer as well.
So, the layer order on the timeline directly relates to how the layers stack up in the
viewer.
Let’s look at the different types of 2D layers we can work with.
The first type of layer we will look at is a media layer.
This could consist of a video clip, a still image, an audio file, a 3D model or another
composite shot.
These mountains are still images I created and imported into HitFilm.
Any media assets you have imported will be stored in the Media panel, and you can drag
any one of them into any composite shot timeline.
Any time you drag an asset from the Media panel into a comp, it will become a new layer.
The New Layer menu on the timeline gives us an overview of the other types of layers we
have available.
Planes are simple rectangles filled with a solid color.
When you create a plane, it will be added to the Media panel, so you can use it on any
timeline in your project.
You can also create a new plane from the New menu in the Media panel.
Text layers allow you to create titles.
When you create a text layer from the New Layer menu, you can define a specific size
for the text box, which will be created in the center of the viewer.
You can then use the Text tool to type meaningful things into the box.
The Text panel gives you access to all the text controls, for color and size and so forth.
An alternate way to create a text layer is selecting the Text tool, and dragging a box
on the Viewer to define its size.
This is sometimes easier, since you have a visual reference.
If we now drag this text down through the layer stack, we can place it behind some of
these mountains.
Grade layers are a bit different.
They have a rectangular shape, like a plane, but do not contain anything.
Instead, they give you an empty plane, to which you can add effects.
If you think back to our layers as a stack of papers, a grade layer is like adding a
sheet of glass to the stack.
At first, it is completely transparent, but what if we color the glass red, by adding
Color Correction Wheels and boosting red in the midtones?
Now everything seen through the glass is altered by it.
So, grade layers will affect all the layers beneath them on the timeline.
Any layers above the grade layer will be unaffected.
Cameras and Lights are 3D layers, and we will learn more about them in a later video.
Points are unique among layer types, in that they are invisible.
Rather than being an visible element of your scene, a point simply defines a location,
it’s a null object with defined Position, Rotation and Scale.
Points do nothing on their own, but are very useful for controlling other layers.
We will learn more about using points in a few minutes.
The final type of layer is an Effects Layer.
In the Effects panel, you will see some effects that have a little cube in their logo.
Whereas most effects must be added to an existing layer, these effects can be dragged straight
to the timeline, and will generate an effect on its own layer.
Add a Gunfire effect, then right-click on the layer and name it Fire.
Now let’s adjust this layer, so it better matches the style of our graphics.
Search for Cartoon, then drag this effect onto the Fire layer.
Note that there is no cube on the Cartoon effect, and so it cannot create a layer of
its own.
Open the Appearance controls for the Fire, and set the texture to Tommy Gun (Low Light).
We will learn more about customizing HitFilm’s Effects in a later video.
Each layer, regardless of its type, will have a set of Transform controls, which can be
accessed on the Timeline, or in the Controls panel.
If you want to change the position, scale, or rotation of a layer, you can type in a
specific value, click and drag on the current value, or use the widget in the viewer.
The coordinates in the viewer are based on zero at the center, so on the X axis, negative
values will move the layer left, and positive values will move it right.
On the Y axis, negative values move downward, and positive values move upward.
You can use the blue handle to rotate the layer.
Rotate the Front Mountains 180°, and now we are in a cave, looking out.
We can adjust the scale of the layers as well.
Notice the little chain icon, which indicates that the height and width of the layer are
linked to ensure that it keeps the correct shape as we adjust it.
If you click the chain to break the link, then you can adjust the height and width separately.
Let’s make this layer a bit taller, then adjust the position of the layer again, to
bring the Front Mountains down a bit into the frame.
The Opacity control lets us add transparency to the layer, so we can see through it.
Adjust the opacity for the Fire to whatever value you prefer.
Maybe you want to keep it at 100%, maybe you want to bring it down a little bit.
In addition to Opacity, another way to control how layers blend together is the Blend menu,
found in the Layer Properties of the Control panel.
On the Fire layer, compare the Normal blend, which is the default, to Add, then to Screen,
then to Subtract.
Each of the options in this menu will change the way the colors in your currently selected
layer are blended with the colors of the layers beneath them.
In addition to assigning new values to the Transform properties, we can also use keyframing
to adjust those values over time.
This circle next to each property is used to turn keyframing on and off.
At frame 0, select each of our mountain layers, and enable keyframing for the scale.
When we do, a diamond appears on the timeline to indicate that a keyframe is recorded there.
Now, move to the last frame of the timeline, and enter a value of 70 for the back mountains:
A second keyframe is created.
Scrub through the timeline, and the size of the Back Mountains changes over the course
of the shot.
We only assigned two values, but HitFilm 3 Pro can use those two key frames to calculate
appropriate values for every frame in between.
Go back to the last frame, and assign these values to the other mountain layers: Third
Mountains: 75.
Second Mountains: 85.
On the Front Mountains, re-link the Scale, then set the X scale to 100.
Now play the timeline, and it looks like we are moving toward the horizon.
By animating the scale, we have given the appearance of depth to our scene.
You can use the same process to animate any property of your layers, even masks and effects.
Select the Grade layer, and open the controls for the Color Correction Wheels.
Move the playhead to the end of the timeline, and enable keyframing for the Strength.
Then let’s move to frame 0, and set the strength to 0.
Play through the timeline again, and watch the colors, as our color adjustment fades
in over time.
The trouble now is that our little Fire layer isn’t connected to the mountain anymore.
But we can very quickly fix that using Parenting.
Set the playhead to frame 0, and open this menu next to the Fire effect.
This is the Parent menu, and it allows us to link this layer to any other layer in our
timeline.
Select the Second Mountains, to link these two layers.
Play the timeline again, and now the Fire layer will inherit the scale change from its
parent layer, and stay in place.
When a layer is parented, the child will imitate the Transform properties of its parent.
HitFilm also allows you to work with 3D layers.
A minute ago, we created the illusion of depth in our scene by animating changes in scale.
This is a completely valid technique and a great deal of filmmaking involves creating
illusions.
But we also have the option of setting this scene up in 3D.
In the Media panel, open the 3D Layers COMPosite shot, and lets reconstruct this shot in 3D.
Select the top layer, then shift+click the last layer to select them all.
This little checkerboard icon represents our Layer Dimension.
Click it, and select 3D Plane from the menu.
HitFilm will ask us if we want to add a camera, since a camera is necessary to view 3D layers.
Click Yes.
Our image still looks the same in the Viewer, but you may have noticed that we have whole
new sets of tools that have appeared.
In the View menu, switch to 2 views, and we can see a perspective view of our new 3D compositing
environment.
You can use up to 4 views simultaneously, and select the angle you wish to see in each
one.
In our perspective view, you can see our camera’s position down in the corner here.
Select the Sky layer, and you will see that we now have three arrows on our positioning
widget.
And in the Transform controls, we have three position values, so we can now move each layer
closer to or farther from the camera.
If I move the sky forward, I can position it in front of all our other layers, and they
are now obscured behind it.
Note that the layer stack has not changed.
The Sky is at the bottom of the stack, still, but it is sitting in front of the other layers.
When working with 3D layers, the layer position in the viewer determines which layer is in
front, not the layer order on the timeline.
Move the sky to -5000 on the Z axis.
In our active camera view, it is now much smaller, because its so far away, so increase
the Scale until it fills our frame again.
Now select the Back mountains, and position them at -4500.
then, again, increase the scale until they fill the frame.
We will repeat this with the other mountains, so each is at a different distance; Third
mountains at -3500, and increase the scale.
Second mountains at -2000, and increase the scale.
Front Mountains at -500, and increase scale.
Since each of these images is existing as a 3D plane, their distance from the camera
can be changed, but they are still flat.
The Fire layer is the same.
But, select the Fire layer, and to better see what we are doing, switch from Perspective
to Left side view.
We can see where the Fire is selected, but because we are looking at the edge of the
plane, we cannot see the actual effect.
Now, open its Layer Dimension menu, and you will see a third option here, 3D Unrolled.
Select it, and suddenly the effect appears.
It is now a genuine 3D effect, with volume, that can be viewed from any angle.
Make sure the Transform controls are visible, and let’s parent the Fire to our Second
Mountains again.
Notice that the layer doesn’t move, but all the Position values change.
This is because when a layer is parented, its position is displayed relative to the
parent layer.
So right now, our Fire is 2000 pixels in front of our Second Mountains.
If we set the Z position to 0, then the Fire will be at the exact same depth as its parent.
Now, with our scene set up in 3D, replicating the movement that we did earlier is easy.
Rather than keyframing each of our layers, all we need to do is keyframe the camera position.
On frame 0, enable keyframing for the Camera position.
Then move to the end, let’s switch back to Perspective view.
Slide the camera forward along the Z axis.
As the camera moves, its perspective on every one of our other layers changes.
Since we are in a genuine 3D environment, we can also easily move the camera in other
directions.
We can move the camera sideways, on the X axis, for example, and get completely accurate
parallax in our mountains.
Being familiar with both 2D and 3D layers will enable you to get the most out of HitFilm’s
tools.
We have looked at each separately, but you can also combine 2D and 3D layers on a single
timeline.
Switch back to our 2D composite shot, and right-click and copy our Grade layer.
Back in the 3D Comp, right-click and paste it.
We see that it gives us the same color adjustment, affecting all the 3D layers beneath it on
the timeline.
Our next video will deal with one specific aspect of working with layers, and that is
Masking.
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and thank you very much for watching.