Add DOF and Motion Blur to your C4D Render with After Effects

This question comes up all the time: “What is the correct workflow for doing Depth of Field and Motion Blur in After Effects? Cuz when I use the z-pass I get this odd fringing in AE and the vector pass is confusing.

Well, we have you covered! I know what you’re thinking. I just turn on the zpass right? Well, Yes and no.

This tutorial is about saving a TON of render time by NOT having to render your Depth of Field and Motion Blur in C4D’s Physical Renderer. With a couple of After Effect plugins and the correct workflow, you can save yourself potentially hours of rendering.

CORRECTION: Looks like I grabbed the regular RSMB plugin and not the Pro Vector version which reads your vector pass. Sorry about that folks. Grabbing this Pro Vector version and choosing your vector pass will give you more accurate motion blur results.

NOTE: This tutorial originally aired on Vimeo, but we thought it was too useful not to upload to YouTube as well :)

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[robinsquares]

To anyone without the AE plugins: There are very good alternatives native to After Effects. The Lens Blur effect takes a Z-depth pass, and the Timewarp effect can create motion blur.

[JoeLancaster]

Heya. Learned some things. Thanks! Just a heads up - you're using RSMB wrong. When you use the standard RSMB it does not read motion vectors. By selecting 'alternative motion source' you're just telling it to track the literal motion of another source. It doesn't know it's a motion vector pass. You'll get the same result by selecting nothing, perhaps even better.

To use an actual MVP you need to use the RSMB motion vector plugin.

[vytasatvmanstudios]

Very well explained. You are getting better and better every

[beMOTIONdESIGN]

This is hands down THE BEST solution I've found in getting fringe-less post DOF in After Effects! Now if I could only get that damn motion vector pass to work. I find I get the best motion blur results with RSMB when I DON'T use the motion vector pass.

[JimYeo]

I still see that you get a pinching effect in the DOF blur where two different DOF intersect. I still haven't seen a proper solution to that problem in post except by rendering the the objects in different passes (and applying the DOF individually to each object and comping them on top of each other afterwards), or rendering the DOF in the 3D camera. The motion blur hides the defect, but still I'd like to see a solution to the problem.

[impylse]

hey Chad, cool tutorial but maybe its better to point out that it doesnt matter if the precomps are above or bellow the adjustment layer. not only because they are off and would not get affected (duh), but all of those plugins look directly in the precomp and would ignore even effects applied directly on the precomp layer itself.

[matthiasz]

Great way of explanation - it`s like meditation to listen to your knowledge. Thanks!

[birjuraikwar]

Can't Thank you enough for this, equally helpful even after 2 years!!! Hail GreyscaleGorilla

[jhalanddesign]

Install proexr and the playback speed is better in AE and you can use “file/create proexr layer comps” to split the multilayer exr into all the different parts

[HadiKarimi]

smart workaround but i always use RPF instead of EXR
it doesn't have anti-aliasing and works nice in After Effects!

[cjmixer]

Great video! Really helped me out on a project, so THANK YOU!

[rolandsommer]

Hi, great Workflow Tutorial. Just to give you the right wording for this DoF AE Plugin: Frisch (fresh) and Luft (Air) 🤓.

[Malte_Paulsen]

That will safe so much time in the future! thanks so much! :)

[IsuruRandika]

How to do this in Redshift ? It doesn't work like this

[oliverk]

Save yourself precious time and render the depth pass only at 2-3 times the resolution of the beauty pass with AA turned off. Then scale depth pass down & precomp in AE for use with FL DoF.

[tagored]

Awesom tutorial.. thank you very much.

[montoyajulian]

You just save my life, thanks a lot man!

[birjuraikwar]

Amazing Chad! Thank you soo much for the information.

[maxlirnyk]

Thanks for tutorial Chad! Can i use this technique with Arnold? Or only physical?

[TheSilverfox]

but does always working with position pass works fine ? or only if camera is static