Effects used in Desperate Housewives Season 7 Promo

Danie Pretorius · October 30th, 2010, 01:09 AM

I am still a novice with After Effecs and I am spending long and wonderful hours behind my PC discovering and trying out this wonderful world of Adobe Production Premium CS5 (mainly AE en Premiere Pro). I was wondering what was used to create the effects in Desperate Housewives Season 7 Promo (see here YouTube - Desperate Housewives - Season 7 - HD Promo )?

* Skyline colors (orange)
* Very bright/vibrant colors (saturated?)
* Clothes 'falling' of the actress while walking changin to other clothes, etc.

I know to go in detail will be a very long tuturial but I would like to have a few pointers/topic headers for me to investigate in detail if anybody knows! Students want to use the same concept in a promo on campus - some of it looks quite difficult and will require some long hours I assume!

Thanks for a great forum!!

Danie

Gregory Gesch · October 31st, 2010, 04:21 PM

Hi Danie. If you don't know Videocopilot you should find it interesting (including its free basics tutorials)
After Effects Basic Training
For the sky replacement:
VIDEO COPILOT | After Effects Tutorials, Plug-ins and Stock Footage for Post Production Professionals
VIDEO COPILOT | After Effects Tutorials, Plug-ins and Stock Footage for Post Production Professionals
The look is very heavily processed and saturated (and very skillfully done), but as a quick and simple starting point have two layers of your footage and use the Overlay blending mode on the top layer and play with its opacity - that will crush the blacks and punch up the look. Then play with Effects:Hue/Saturation on your lower layer.
The clothing replacement is quite a complex effect and I suspect it may have been created in a 3D program by cloning the bodies and the ripping off happening as an overlay.
I don't know if this would work and depending on the level of skills available, you just might be able to get away with videoing a person walking in two different outfits but in EXACTLY the same way, then, as the second version is cut to underneath, rotoscope the first versions clothes and use the Shatter effect to destroy them. If you try it I would highly recommend that you use a locked off shot, there's no way that you could match a moving camera shot, and even in its simplest form it isn't going to be easy.
Trust that helps and good luck with it.

Danie Pretorius · November 17th, 2010, 08:26 AM

Hi Gregory!

Thanks a lot for your advice and pointers! Much appreciated! Apologies for only thanking you now! I was away for quite a while!

Thanks again! Will try!

October 30th, 2010, 01:09 AM	#1
Danie Pretorius Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Pretoria South Africa Posts: 39	Effects used in Desperate Housewives Season 7 Promo - topics I am still a novice with After Effecs and I am spending long and wonderful hours behind my PC discovering and trying out this wonderful world of Adobe Production Premium CS5 (mainly AE en Premiere Pro). I was wondering what was used to create the effects in Desperate Housewives Season 7 Promo (see here YouTube - Desperate Housewives - Season 7 - HD Promo )? * Skyline colors (orange) * Very bright/vibrant colors (saturated?) * Clothes 'falling' of the actress while walking changin to other clothes, etc. I know to go in detail will be a very long tuturial but I would like to have a few pointers/topic headers for me to investigate in detail if anybody knows! Students want to use the same concept in a promo on campus - some of it looks quite difficult and will require some long hours I assume! Thanks for a great forum!! Danie __________________ Sony EX3 XD CAM EX, Canon XL1, Adobe CS6 Production Suite, Intel i7 950 (P6X58D-E Motherboard), 12GB RAM, Pretoria, South Africa

November 17th, 2010, 08:26 AM	#3
Danie Pretorius Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Pretoria South Africa Posts: 39	Hi Gregory! Thanks a lot for your advice and pointers! Much appreciated! Apologies for only thanking you now! I was away for quite a while! Thanks again! Will try! __________________ Sony EX3 XD CAM EX, Canon XL1, Adobe CS6 Production Suite, Intel i7 950 (P6X58D-E Motherboard), 12GB RAM, Pretoria, South Africa

October 31st, 2010, 04:21 PM	#2
Gregory Gesch Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Brisbane Australia Posts: 114	Hi Danie. If you don't know Videocopilot you should find it interesting (including its free basics tutorials) After Effects Basic Training For the sky replacement: VIDEO COPILOT \| After Effects Tutorials, Plug-ins and Stock Footage for Post Production Professionals VIDEO COPILOT \| After Effects Tutorials, Plug-ins and Stock Footage for Post Production Professionals The look is very heavily processed and saturated (and very skillfully done), but as a quick and simple starting point have two layers of your footage and use the Overlay blending mode on the top layer and play with its opacity - that will crush the blacks and punch up the look. Then play with Effects:Hue/Saturation on your lower layer. The clothing replacement is quite a complex effect and I suspect it may have been created in a 3D program by cloning the bodies and the ripping off happening as an overlay. I don't know if this would work and depending on the level of skills available, you just might be able to get away with videoing a person walking in two different outfits but in EXACTLY the same way, then, as the second version is cut to underneath, rotoscope the first versions clothes and use the Shatter effect to destroy them. If you try it I would highly recommend that you use a locked off shot, there's no way that you could match a moving camera shot, and even in its simplest form it isn't going to be easy. Trust that helps and good luck with it.