If you are a graphic artist on the go, you would know how important the art of rotoscoping is in physical animation. Despite the pain, rotoscoping, just like chroma keying, is still the most critical process in the industry (VFX / animation). However, it can also be tiring and time-consuming when done manually. That's when you need Rotoscoping software that automates the whole process while reducing the pain to a great extent.
What is Rotoscoping software?
Rotoscoping is a process of tracking the motion of a scene from a movie, frame by frame, to create an animated version of it. Basically it aims to create realistic action by tracing the actor in specific cutscenes. It's more of a motion capture that is different from visual effects in purpose.
While creating an animation from the moving scene of a movie, VFX creates a camouflage for an element that can be removed and then adapted to the desired background. This is further hidden for changing colors or for any other reason. However, a guide is required to use the software and its toolset.
So, let's see which are the best rotoscopic software, which are the best to help you get started with rotoscoping.
Adobe After Effects is one of the leading software programs known for offering world-class motion graphics solutions. From creating movie titles to introductions and transitions, it offers everything you need to make an animated / VFX version of a movie scene. It allows you to extract an object from the aforementioned movie clip. Whether it's making it rain or having the character stand in front of the sea, create an animated logo or a fictional character, this software allows you to transform your ideas into movements.
You can also take advantage of advanced text features by creating animated titles, credits, or lower thirds. You can start from scratch or use one of the pre-configured looks available in the app. To add movement to the text, you can also enhance it with rotation, scrolling and scrolling effects. You can further merge the photos and videos you want, for example by sending a spaceship to the sky and much more. To achieve the desired effect, you can easily remove people or objects from the video.
What's more? You can animate almost anything, such as logos or cartoons, using expressions or keyframes. Alternatively, you can also use preconfigured looks to get started with your design. The software also works flawlessly with its other apps. Best of all, you can also import your creations from Photoshop, Illustrator, Character Animator, Adobe XD, and Animate.
Price: Free trial available; the pro version starts at $ 9,99
Autodesk is a well-known software provider in the fields of engineering, manufacturing, construction and even media and entertainment. It offers 3D design as one of its services offering combustion software for rotoscoping. This means that it can be used in the process of creating attractive visual effects for movies, fancy TV ads, or soap operas.
It allows users to create quick and easy visual effects with the help of its wide range of tools. These tools can also be used for various creative projects. From creating motion graphics to reviewing videos found on different websites or adding effects to high-resolution movies or applications. Some of its new features include:
- Diamond keyer which is the 2nd generation of refined keying algorithms. These algorithms are used to erase green or blue screen background data in film or video.
- Tome warp is another great feature that is entirely key-frame. This tempo change feature helps you create slow motion and acceleration effects, quickly.
- B-spline vector shapes and updated point grouping help speed up the rotoscoping process.
- While custom capsules help you create and save covered single / group functional nodes, the new improved “Fast Gaussian Blur” helps you remove finished graphic details while giving the final design a uniform effect.
- Blending operator and advanced painting are some of its other features.
Although the latest features added are for Apple Mac, this one-step tool offers features for all platforms such as painting, editing, animating and even composing in 2D and 3D. It comes with an easy to use interface with tools set up in an integrated environment.
Price:
Blender, as we all know, is free and open source 3D creation software. It supports many features, such as animation, game development, video editing and motion capture, among others. It offers rendering support using its robust and unbiased oath tracking software. It also offers live viewport preview, CPU and GPU rendering, and support for PBR and HDR shaders.
It features a wide range of modeling tools that help you create models and even transform and edit them with ease. Comes with Python scripting for custom add-ons and tools, host of state-of-the-art sculpting tools and brushes, full support for N-Gon, multi-resolution, and more. The VFX tool allows you to import raw scenes, track them, cover areas and even view camera movements in your 3D footage, in real time. It features automatic and manual tracking, robust camera reconstruction, planar tracking, and tripod mount.
In addition to the above features, it is also widely used in animation with rigging and higher quality animation tools. Drawing story art in 2D and 3D is also among its main features. it comes with a customizable Python based interface where you can adjust the colors, size, layout and even fonts. It allows you to create your own additional tools, draw on the OpenGL viewport, and more.
Price: free and open source
Silhouette FX is widely acclaimed and Academy Award winning software known for its Roto and Paint feature. It comes with a full GPU intensive dialing system with 142 nodes supported by stereo. Trees allow you to link processing nodes with clips and photos together to create the targeted effect. Plus, it offers a full range of unique composite tools that help blend images with B-Spline or Bezier shapes.
The 2D paint system is non-destructive and helps restore, remove dust, threads and rigs. In addition, it also comes with full form supported image morphing and warping. Special toolset for building depth channels, their matte removal technique that removes almost all objects in the image and the option to stabilize image tracking with the help of point or planar traces with mocha (sometimes), are some of its other main characteristics.
Price: Starting at $ 100 for the floating license server dongle
One of the world's leading compositing software, Fusion 9, was developed specifically for visual effects artists. It is also widely used by 3D animators, film graphic designers and in the broadcast spectrum. From TV shows to Hollywood movies, Fusion has been providing motion graphics solutions for over 30 years. It comes with a robust node-based interface that allows you to create refined effects quickly and easily. This is achieved by linking different types of image management programs in unison.
It comes with a wide range of tools which include amazing support for VR and 3D, improved GPU performance, infinite support for network rendering, and so on. Whether you want sensational titles, visual effects, or thrilling broadcast graphics, it gives you all the tools for rotoscoping. While it offers support for all known VR headsets, it also offers amazing live viewing with VR headsets and more. It also analyzes the camera movement of live action footage and reconstructs the 3D camera movement, etc.
You can track specific areas of the image, automatically detect tracking information, and finally enumerate planes of motion to be used to stabilize images. Plus, you can get extraordinarily clean keys from any background color using advanced matte controls that help you save the finest details. Planar rotoscope is one of its other main features that can be applied to rotoscoped elements to help them move in the right way and follow the movement and sight of other objects in the same capture. A new playback engine and multi-shot timeline, the addition of new formats like MXF, ProRes and DNxHR are some of its other significant features.
Price: Free trial available; price per call
If you are looking for a chic rotoscopic solution, then you can safely try Foundry's Nuke. This powerful solution is particularly known for its composition, editing and editing capabilities. It comes with an advanced toolset that includes industry-level keyers, rotoscope, color corrector, vector drawing tools, and more. In addition, it also comes with deep image composition tools that help you create and work with images featuring multiple opacity, color, and pixel-by-pixel camera-based depth samples. This helps you to finish the re-rendering process of the CG elements as there is a change in the content.
The program's built-in 3D camera tracker copies the movement of a 2D camera with an animated 3D camera which allows you to compose 2D / 3D elements perfectly in line with the actual camera that was used for the shot. It also has an unlimited and integrated 3D environment that allows you to create and render complex movies made of lights, camera, 2D movies, 3D models and more. If you want to create a real environment this is what you need.
User presets save time and allow you to set and store custom mode benchmarks for effects that can be implemented on different projects. Create node group settings for certain tasks by automating the process. The versioning feature, on the other hand, allows you to access the latest editions of the acquisitions of its timeline or node chart and swap them quickly and easily.
SDI broadcast helps you keep track of color space and aspect ratio on broadcast content while the review process is underway. In addition, the multitrack editorial timeline helps you to create effects on the timeline and add them to the node graph. Alternatively, you can also edit and render compositions directly from the timeline.
Based on the Python API, this program offers everything you need for rotoscoping and more.
Price: Free trial available; the pro version starts at $ 538
Imagineer's Mocha is another Academy Award-winning solution for visual effects and post-production. It features a GPU-accelerated object eliminator that helps provide fast rendering. It also comes with a brand new tool kit that includes magnetic splines with edge snaps, geometric shape tools, and freehand splines for quicker marketing. It now has improved masking tools with 4 new spline tools that speed up shape construction and save time on rotoscoping projects.
The updated interface makes it easier for users to understand the Mocha process. In fact, it now looks much better in high resolution and the retina allows for viewing. The removal module has been optimized to produce 4 to 5 times the rendering speed for the GPU video hardware. It now also includes 360 mono / stereoscopic effects and finishes. Planar tracking for roto-masking, guide tracks, etc., Plug-in functionality for fast and efficient process, advanced tools for effects and color correction, remove module to remove unnecessary elements such as tracking marks, 360 cameras, cables, rigs, etc. ., or insert module are among its other main features.
Price upon request
Conclusion
Rotoscoping is a complex process that requires special skill, time and patience. But shaping your ideas to turn motion captures into action-packed animations would require extra help. These rotoscopic software programs are exactly what you need to give your ideas a perfect finish in the shortest amount of time. So, take the one that's right for you and move on with your ideas.
