FCPX plugins to turn live-action into animation?

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FCPX plugins to turn live-action into animation?

A friend is producing a feature doc with a lot of archival footage. He wants to blend the live-action footage with animation. He's been looking for an animator that is familiar with film, and manipulating the two together.

I have this vague memory of using plug-ins years ago that would take a live-action shot and convert it to something stylized, as if it were animated. Like the plug-ins one can find in Photoshop, that will turn a photo into a painting.

I'm wondering if anyone has come across such plugins for FCPX? Or, if not, some app that will do something like this. Though ideally the plug-in that can work in FXPX or Motion, allowing the ability to simultaneously blend with live-action.

??? All ears, Ben

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.6

Posted on Dec 14, 2022 3:10 PM

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Answer 1

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Ian R. Brown

Level 7

21,451 points

Dec 15, 2022 2:03 AM in response to Ben Low

Can anyone join in?

As Luis has suggested, the "Comic" effects can be very effective though the quality is very dependent on the original footage as weird artefacts are produced which can move disconcertingly.

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Answer 2

Dec 15, 2022 2:14 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Because of the areas of colour/shade that move around and shimmer it might be worthwhile trying a different technique.

Instead of producing a moving clip, why not simply have the "normal" movie clip ending on a freeze-frame to which one of the comic looks has been applied?

Remember that you can also modify the effect to get an image closer to what you originally envisioned.

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Answer 3

Ben Low Author

Level 1

107 points

Dec 15, 2022 7:13 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thank you Luis and Ian,

Neat. Tried it. Ha ha ha. I've got a ten minute film I've just cut, live-action, and suddenly I'm thinking -- this film might be better as an animated short, considering the audience. And with this one plug-in, it would be something that could be done easily and quickly. Thank you for that. I'll try the idea out on my co-producer.

I've been Googling a bit too. I think my friend is going to have to find an animator with creds. I wanted to suggest some possibilities he could play with while he's out looking ... but as I delve into it, tricky stuff. He's thinking less cartoon or comic and more impressionistic, painterly. And then things are much more learning intensive.

Thank you very much guys, very helpful, and appreciated,

Ben

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Answer 4

Ben Low Author

Level 1

107 points

Dec 15, 2022 8:28 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Thank you kindly Ian. Have just downloaded. Will try out this afternoon. Storm coming to Montreal. But sunny this morning, so a good chance to get the car washed before it's buried under six feet of snow.

Will report results from plug-ins once I've tried them..

All the best,

Ben

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Answer 5

Dec 14, 2022 11:41 PM in response to Ben Low

FCP includes a few effects with names starting with "Comic".

Start there, maybe that is all you need.

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Answer 6

Dec 15, 2022 8:36 AM in response to Ben Low

If you fiddle (technical terminology) with the various adjustments you should be able to get something resembling a painterly or posterised effect.

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FCPX plugins to turn live-action into animation?

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