Visual effects are no longer confined to big-budget films. Kerala wedding videographers, content creators, and corporate video producers regularly use VFX to enhance their work. Adobe After Effects is the gateway tool for beginners.
Chroma Key (Green Screen)
The Keylight 1.2 plugin (built into After Effects) is the standard tool for removing green or blue backgrounds. Key Steps: apply Keylight, sample the background colour with the Screen Colour eyedropper, fine-tune Screen Gain and Screen Balance to clean edges. Replace the background with any image or video layer beneath.
Motion Tracking
Motion tracking lets you attach graphics to moving objects. Select the layer, open the Tracker panel, click Track Motion. Position the track point on a high-contrast feature (e.g., a corner of a sign). After tracking, attach your graphic layer to the track data. This is how name overlays follow people in wedding films.
Masks and Rotoscoping
Use the Pen tool to draw masks around subjects to isolate them from backgrounds. Animate the mask path over time (keyframe the mask shape) to follow moving subjects — this is called rotoscoping. Time-consuming but powerful for compositing.
Basic Compositing
Compositing = combining multiple visual elements to look like one scene. Use blending modes (Screen for light elements, Multiply for shadows) and match colour grading across layers for realism.
VFX fundamentals are part of the Video Editing Master Program at CIMT Kochi.