It is often interesting to see techniques play out on other software packages. If you frequent this site, you have no doubt seen how to create 3D depth from 2D still images in a compositor like After Effects. The technique is pretty similar to all layer compositors. There will be minor differences, as seen here with Hitfilm.
The major difference with hitFilm vs. After Effects, is that HitFilm has a true 3D environment. This makes moving and working with elements much more intuitive than it would be in Ae.
Here, Axel Wilkinson walks through creating a 3D scene based off of a single 2D photo in HitFilm. Axel shows how to use the mask and stagger in 3D space technique across two different projects, one with a canyon scene, the other with a space scene.
Axel uses a few tricks to make the scene more lifelike, by using some added foreground elements and particles to add interest.
You can get and follow along with HitFilm express, which is free, and use the actual project files here.
