VFX1 DD1410: The Rotopaint Tool (Fixing The Windows And Shadow)

In a previous post the rotopaint has been used as an alternate to using the roto node to fix the window problem on the car colour correction and the car pan pieces. However the blog post where the rotopaint was used, didn't include much detail on how the node can be used. So this post will go over in more detail how the node was used on the windows, and how it was used to make the shadow look much more realistic.

Firstly, the windows, first bring in a rotopaint node and place it on the node tree (by the way this post does repeat a few things from the previous post regarding rotopaint).

 It is best to first draw around the outline of the outline of the windows first using the reveal tool.

Then view the alpha, and continue to use the reveal tool until the windows are completely blackened out. If the curser a

It is also advised to leave the edges of the windows slightly grey, it will give the edges a slightly blurred appearances. If a mistake is needed, the eraser tool and be fond just above the reveal tool and works in the same way.

The next step is to use a blur to give the appearance that someone is viewing the window through another pane of glass.

Just draw a thin layer of blur over the black, nothing to make it too noticeable.

The results aren't instantly noticeable, but it definitely makes a difference.

Now lets move onto the shadow, as seen in previous posts, after the car has been colour corrected, the shadow stands out far too much, to sort this, the reveal tool can be used along with feathering the roto.

The first step is to view the car footage, and feather the roto. This can be done by clicking on the roto points, a line should appear from the roto point, click on this line and drag it out.

This will almost divide the shadow, creating the lighter section around its edges, almost as if there is two shadows.

At this point the shadow still doesn't look realistic, it is the one thing that makes it look as if the car shouldn't be there. Using the same blur tool that was used on the windows can fix this.

The best thing to do is use the blur tool around the edges of the shadow (the feathered area), and a little bit over the main body of the shadow to try and bring down some of the harsh tones.

It is clear in the picture below, that the blurred shadow makes the car look much more realistic.