I want to give you a 3D depth look in my edits. That is when the camera feels like it moves through the scene of everything staying flat and static. The key to this effect is two things: understanding the camera layer properly and learning how to work with text layers the way. This is part one of a series that I am putting together. I will break down what I actually do step by step as if you were sitting next to me and trying to learn it yourself.
Getting to Know the Camera Layer
The thing you notice when you add a camera in Alight Motion is that it appears as its own separate layer. It sits there in your timeline with your images, shapes and text. I was confused at first because I expected it to behave differently from a layer but it does not. It behaves like any other layer. You can rename it hide it reorder it and do all the things. The difference is what it actually controls. Of showing something visible on screen the camera layer controls how you view the entire scene. In words when you move or rotate the camera you are not moving your subject or your background. You are moving the eye that looks at everything. That distinction took me a while to understand. Once it clicked everything about 3D depth made a lot more sense.
Transform for the Camera
Tap into the camera layer. Open the Move and Transform panel. You will see that it is basically the panel you use for any other layer: position, rotation, zoom and the like. The difference is how it feels once you start keyframing it. If you push the camera position slightly to the left over a seconds while keeping your subject still you create a parallax effect. In this effect closer elements shift more than ones. This is honestly the core trick behind 3D looking edits. I usually start with small movements. Even a tiny shift in camera position over two or three seconds reads as smooth and cinematic. If you move far too fast the frame looks like it is shaking. Rotation works the way. Small changes go a way. You do not need to go wild to look impressive.
Camera Presets
If you are not ready to build your camera movement from scratch presets are a great place to start. I still use them myself sometimes when I am short on time. Tap into the camera options. You will find a Presets tab next to Move and Transform. These are basically -built camera motions that someone has already key framed for you. They include zooms, drifting pans, slow push-ins and similar movements. What I like to do is apply a first preview it and then tweak the keyframes slightly.
Effects on the Camera Layer
The camera options also have an Effects tab. It is separate from the effects you add to a layer. Here you can add things like depth of field motion blur tied to the camera movement or subtle shake. These additions make the scene feel more alive and less mechanically perfect. Motion blur especially makes a difference. If the camera is moving and there is no blur the motion looks choppy even if the keyframes are technically smooth. I always add at least a small amount of motion blur, to any camera movement I set up. This is one of those things that's subtle when you look for it but very noticeable when it is missing.
Editing Text Layers
Now it is time for text. Adding a text layer is very simple. Tap the plus icon then choose Text and type whatever you need. Once the text layer appears on the timeline you can tap back into the text layer any time to edit the words change the font resize it adjust the alignment from that same text panel. One important fact to know early is that text layers behave in space too just like the camera behaves with everything else. So if the camera moves around the scene the text layer will respond to that movement based on where the text layer's placed. This means you can place text layers at depths closer to the camera or further back and the text layers will scale and shift as the camera moves. This is what makes titles and lyric text feel like they are inside the scene of just pasted flat on top of the video.
Effects for Text Layers
For text I keep effects minimal. A subtle fade in a slight scale up when the text layer appears, nothing too aggressive. These effects are found under the effects panel that you use for any layer just applied to the text layer. I would strongly recommend, especially when combining text layers with camera movement to test the position of the text layers to the camera before adding any fancy effects. Sometimes a text layer that looks perfectly placed with a camera will drift off the screen or become distorted when the camera starts moving. Therefore it is worth previewing that combination rather than adding all the effects first and then finding a positioning problem at the end. That is basically the foundation for this style. Understanding that the camera layer controls perspective, not the content keeping movements small and deliberate using presets when you need to save time and treating text layers as something that lives inside the 3D space instead of just floating flat on top. When that foundation is clear the advanced items such, as layered parallax scenes and dynamic camera paths feel much less intimidating. Part two is coming soon. In part two I will show how to build a scene with all these elements combined.