Mike Ridolfi Shows the Basic Principles for Moving Getting Cinematic Camera Moves from Ae’s 3D Camera.

Silky smooth camera moves are a challenge in any application, while some feel that they are a little more elusive in After Effects. There is a lot more of which to keep track when cameras move in 3D space, not to mention Ae’s interpretation of 3D space. It helps to know the basics of how to achieve nice smooth cinematic camera moves, and that is the grounds for Mike Ridolfi (MoBox Graphics) latest tutorial.

Ridolfi shows how to keyframe the camera while adjusting attributes like the depth of field and adding vignetting and a stylized look. An excellent way to learn the basics is to fiddle with the properties to see what they control, so in this tutorial, Ridolfi keys those properties directly. Later you might want to consider the principle of never applying a keyframe to anything that isn’t a rig controller of some kind. It just ends up being much more flexible in the end.