sort of Mapping question.

[Dave m]

someone wants to project onto a plaster cast, using a video projector and cyclone media player.

The video will be produced in premiere

obviously the image is currently 16:9 but the plaster is nearer to 4:3

 

Is a reasonable stating point to connect the projector to a laptop and 'live" trace the projection around the plaster object?

ie project the desktop onto the plaster and draw around it to generate the shape, importing the file into Prem and creating a mask?

 

or just snap a photo of the plaster, import it, and trial and error in producing a mask with a suitable shaped hole?

 

or any other suggestions?

[timsabre]

The best way is to use some mapping software which is designed for the job - Madmapper has working free demo

[AHYoung]

The "best" way if you are comfortable with either aftereffects is to use the secondary output of a laptop running the preview full screen pretty much as the OP suggests and as long as you ensure that your laptop is running the same resolution as the media player, then a pixel on the laptop will be a pixel on the object. Rather than arsing about with mad mapper or similar to bend an approximate thing pre-made thing to fit onsite and having to run that on a laptop rather than a media player, you can make an exact exhibition copy of the file onsite which is then a first generation encode , then play it on the cyclone. In after effects you can do all the masking and possibly more importantly warping and stretching untill it fits exactly and looks the way you want it and output to suit the player. You can also once the masks etc are setup in the project revert to working offsite knowing that its going to fit once you return.

 

Ive done this in a number of different instals large and small with a number of different artists and once the laptops setup correctly and connected its a decent way of working as you see immediately the results rather than it being a two stage process. You can also do the simple 2d version where you use the secondary output as the photoshop preview screen and draw an alpha maslk live, than as you suggest import the mask into premier. This can work pretty well as you can experiment with different feathering to soften the edges and even throw a greyscale gradient over the object to compensate for different levels of illumination over the object due to the curved surface and again as its generated live, its going to be completely accurate, just make sure that your resolutions match .

[AHYoung]

The "best" way if you are comfortable with either aftereffects is to use the secondary output of a laptop running the preview full screen pretty much as the OP suggests and as long as you ensure that your laptop is running the same resolution as the media player, then a pixel on the laptop will be a pixel on the object. Rather than arsing about with mad mapper or similar to bend an approximate thing pre-made thing to fit onsite and having to run that on a laptop rather than a media player, you can make an exact exhibition copy of the file onsite which is then a first generation encode , then play it on the cyclone. In after effects you can do all the masking and possibly more importantly warping and stretching untill it fits exactly and looks the way you want it and output to suit the player. You can also once the masks etc are setup in the project revert to working offsite knowing that its going to fit once you return.

 

Ive done this in a number of different instals large and small with a number of different artists and once the laptops setup correctly and connected its a decent way of working as you see immediately the results rather than it being a two stage process. You can also do the simple 2d version where you use the secondary output as the photoshop preview screen and draw an alpha maslk live, than as you suggest import the mask into premier. This can work pretty well as you can experiment with different feathering to soften the edges and even throw a greyscale gradient over the object to compensate for different levels of illumination over the object due to the curved surface and again as its generated live, its going to be completely accurate, just make sure that your resolutions match .