Major Project: Gem Animation Test #3, Motion Blur & Color Correction Tests

Last week I set up another test animation for my gem. I decided to apply the actual gem/crystal texture since I had to leave it rendering over the weekend anyway. It takes a while to render but I like being able to see what the actual shader is doing when possible. This time I made sure the animation curve for the scale on the sphere was the same as the height map. I also animated the orb so it moved around the scene a little bit, but sharply moved towards the camera as the gem became more hostile and spiky.

In After Effects I experimented a bit more with motion blur since there was more movement in this test than the previous one. I have one version without motion blur, one with a shutter angle of 180, one with 220, then one I animated so it was 180 but changes to 250 when the orb jumps towards the camera. I quite like how just 180 looks, but I suppose it depends what look I'm aiming for and what the animation is like in a particular scene.

No Motion Blur

Shutter Angle 180

Shutter Angle 220

Shutter Angle Animated 180/250

I also played around a bit more with some color correction, since I felt the raw render looked a little dull. I added the normal vignetting and film grain but I also adjusted the footage using the Levels (Individual Controls) effect. I also experimented with changing the color/tint of the scene using the Color Balance effect. I like the results that I got, but I find that Color Finesse allows me better control over color correction overall.

Original/Tint #1/Tint #2 

Original

Tint #1 (Green)

Tint #2 (Blue)