Understanding camera settings

You can set up cameras in After Effects to simulate the capabilities of real-world cameras. Use camera settings to configure the camera view to match the settings you use to record video footage or to look at the footage from a new perspective. You can change camera settings at any time.


Specify camera settings in the Camera Settings window.

To change a camera's settings:

1. Select the camera, and choose Layer > Camera Settings.
2. Specify any of the following settings:

Name

Specifies the name of the camera. By default, After Effects assigns the name Camera 1 to the first camera you create in a composition, and all subsequent cameras are numbered in ascending order. If you delete a camera, and are still using the After Effects default naming convention, After Effects names the next camera you create with the lowest available number. You should choose distinctive names for multiple cameras to make it easier to distinguish them.

Preset

Specifies the type of camera settings you want to use. Cameras come with several presets. The presets are named according to focal lengths. Each preset is meant to represent the behavior of a 35mm camera with a lens of a certain focal length. Therefore, the preset also sets the Angle of View, Zoom, Focus Distance, Focal Length, and Aperture values. The default preset is 50mm. You can also create a custom camera by specifying new values for any of the settings.

Zoom

Specifies the distance from the position of the camera to the image plane.

Angle of View

Specifies the width of the scene captured in the image. The Focal Length, Film Size, and Zoom values determine the angle of view. A wider angle of view creates the same effect as a wide-angle lens.

Enable Depth of Field

Applies custom variables to the Focus Distance, Aperture, F-Stop, and Blur Level settings. Using these variables, you can manipulate the depth of field to create more realistic camera-focusing effects. (The depth of field is the distance range within which the image is in focus. Images outside the distance range are blurred.)

Focus Distance

Specifies the distance from the camera's position to the plane that is in perfect focus.

Aperture

Specifies the size of the lens opening. The Aperture setting also affects the depth of field--increasing the aperture increases the depth of field blur. When you specify new values for Aperture, the values for F-Stop change dynamically to match it.

F-Stop

Represents the ratio of the focal length to aperture. Most cameras specify aperture size using the f-stop measurement; thus, many photographers prefer to set the aperture size in f-stop units. When you specify new values for F-Stop, the values for Aperture change dynamically to match it.

Blur Level

Controls the amount of depth-of-field blur in an image. A setting of 100% creates a natural blur as dictated by the camera settings. Lower values reduce the blur.

Film Size

Specifies the size of the exposed area of film, which is directly related to the composition size. When you specify new values for Film Size, the Zoom value changes to match the perspective of a real camera.

Focal Length

Specifies the distance from the film plane to the camera lens. In After Effects, the camera's position represents the center of the lens. When you specify new values for Focal Length, the Zoom value changes to match the perspective of a real camera. In addition, the Preset, Angle of View, and Aperture values change accordingly.

Units

Specifies the units of measurement in which the camera setting values are expressed.

Measure Film Size

Specifies the dimensions used to depict the film size.

Note: When you change camera settings, you may lose the lock between Focus Distance and Zoom. To ensure that Focus Distance and Zoom remain locked, add an expression to the Focus Distance property in the Timeline window: Select the Focus Distance property, and choose Animation > Add Expression; then drag the expression pick whip to the Zoom property.