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Rotoscoping
This page intentionally left blank
Rotoscoping
Techniques and
Tools for the
Aspiring Artist

Benjamin Bratt

Amsterdam • Boston • Heidelberg • London • New York • Oxford

Paris • San Diego • San Francisco • Singapore • Sydney • Tokyo
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA
The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB, UK

Copyright © 2011 Benjamin Bratt. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and
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be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions.

This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the
Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).

Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience
broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical
treatment may become necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating
and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using
such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others,
including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors,
assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products
liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products,
instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Application submitted

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-0-240-81704-0

For information on all Focal Press publications

visit our website at www.elsevierdirect.com

11 12 13 14 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in China
 Contents v

Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Chapter 1 Origins of Roto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 Origins of Roto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Modern Roto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 2 Defining the Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 3 Rotoscoping Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.1 Roto Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2 Keyboard Shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.2.1 Creating Spline/Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2.2 Editing Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2.3 Timeline Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2.4 Transformation (Object or Sub-Object) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2.5 Viewer Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.3 Silhouette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.3.1 User Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.4 After Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.5 Mocha. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 4 Pre-Shot Warm-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4.1 Establish Specifics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.1.1 Shot Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.1.2 Define the Focus Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.1.3 Matte Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.2 Edge and Shape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.2.1 Multiple Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.2.2 Repeating Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.3 Positive Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
vi Contents

4.4 Motion Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

4.5 Keying. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.6 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 5 Key Framing Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

5.1 Timeline Key Framing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.1.1 Bifurcation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.1.2 Incremental Key Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.2 Motion-Based Roto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
5.3 Approaching the Shot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
5.4 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
5.5 Relevant CD Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Chapter 6 Creating Splines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

6.1 Organizing the Comp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
6.2 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Chapter 7 Edge Consistency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

7.1 Transitioning Between Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
7.2 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Chapter 8 Object Mode Transforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

8.1 Pivot Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
8.1.1 Bounding Boxes in After Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
8.2 Individual Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
8.2.1 Referencing Point Location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
8.3 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Chapter 9 Interpolation and Linear Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

9.1 Key Frame Placement and Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
9.2 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Chapter 10 Blur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

10.1 Motion Blur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
10.2 Transitioning Between Shapes with Motion Blur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
10.3 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
10.4 Relevant CD Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
 Contents vii

Chapter 11 Checking Your Mattes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

11.1 Jitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
11.2 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Chapter 12 Tracking and Roto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

12.1 Tracking and Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
12.2 Tracking and Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
12.3 Multiple Transforms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
12.4 Corner Pinning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
12.5 Averaging Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
12.6 Stabilizing Footage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
12.7 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
12.8 Relevant CD Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Chapter 13 Roto and the Human Figure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

13.1 Remember Your Anatomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
13.1.1 Isolating Extremities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
13.1.2 Hands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
13.2 Joints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
13.2.1 Overlap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
13.2.2 Fixer Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
13.3 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
13.4 Relevant CD Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Chapter 14 Faces and Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

14.1 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
14.2 Relevant CD Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Chapter 15 Hair (Or: Bald People Are Great). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

15.1 Base Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
15.2 Standouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
15.3 Minimum Level of Detail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
15.4 Motion Paths and Motion Blur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
15.5 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
15.6 Relevant CD Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
viii Contents

Chapter 16 Human Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

16.1 Big Human Movements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
16.2 Subtle Human Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
16.3 Tracking and the Human Figure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
16.4 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
16.5 Relevant CD Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Chapter 17 Clothing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

17.1 Shape Breakdown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
17.2 Consistent Point Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
17.3 Secondary Motion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
17.4 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
17.5 Relevant CD Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Chapter 18 Keeping Focus and Getting Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

18.1 Bad Habits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
18.2 Estimating a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
18.3 Pacing Yourself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
18.4 Getting (and Keeping) a Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Index ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 283

 Acknowledgments ix

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to a number of people. These are just a few of the

individuals who helped this book become a reality.
Steve Wright was absolutely essential in the creation of this
roto book. His wise insights and vast industry knowledge played
a crucial role in the development of this text, which couldn’t have
been completed without him. Well, it technically could have been
done without him; the point I’m trying to make is that it wouldn’t
have been done as well without him. I’m also grateful for his
wonderful advice on writing, without which none of the follow-
ing would have made as much sense. Thank you, sir.
Marco Paolini and the founders and creators of Silhouette
were a welcome source of information and helped me around
every turn. Their top-notch roto software was a key component
in the creation of this book.
Aaron Muszalski was my rotoscoping instructor at the Acad­
emy of Art in San Francisco. Through him I learned not only the
techniques and principles of speedy matte creation but that this
work is more than merely splines and key frames. His passion
and enthusiasm for education led me to a deeper understanding
of rotoscoping. I’m eternally in his debt.
Dennis McGonagle and Carlin Reagan, my contacts at Focal
Press, have been very understanding and exceptionally patient
with my rookie questions and constant bothering. They’ve made
my transition to the written word bearable, or at the very least a
bit more legible.
Katherine Tate and Tom Bertino are two world-class educators
at the Academy of Art. Their knowledge and teaching ability have
inspired hundreds of VFX professionals—me included—to thrive
in the industry.
Max Walters and Sharon Youngue put up with my youthful
vigor and somehow managed to educate me at the Art Institute of
Pittsburgh in my days as a wee lad. Also thanks to Mike Schwab
who introduced me to my first animation table.
Big thanks must go to Michele Yamazaki for introducing me to
the wonderful people at Focal Press.
Angie Mistretta, Danial Zen, Erin Lehmkühl, Nate Caauwe,
Tim Sazama, and Beverly Sage were all nice enough to let me
use their footage or their likenesses for the various exercises and
examples that follow. Their cooperation is very much appreciated.
x Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Nate Caauwe for his valued input on a few of

the tougher chapters.
Jessica Albritton has been patient and completely accepting of
the troubles I encountered for the duration. She’s been a constant
source of love, beauty, and understanding, and I can’t begin to tell
you how important she’s been to me.
And of course, thanks to my family.
 Introduction xi

Introduction

Rotoscoping is very much an invisible art form. For roto artists

to do our jobs correctly is to avoid being seen. We are the ninja of
the compositing world, and our stealth is near legendary.
What we do can be challenging, but a perfect matte is its own
reward. After you’ve tackled the edges, motion, and varying blurs
of a complex focus object, creating a perfect black-and-white
replica that clearly communicates the edge and movement of
those elements, you can sit well with the knowledge that you’ve
managed something great.
The beauty of rotoscoping is that you can do it after the fact.
All the creative decisions don’t have to be made on set, that day,
while the camera is rolling. Instead elements can be added,
changed, color corrected, or taken away once the shot is in the
can, without reliance on a green-screen stage or reshoots. It gives
a tremendous amount of artistic freedom to the creative forces
behind the production.
The flexibility that roto allows for altering shots, regardless
of how they were originally photographed, means that roto art-
ists play an essential role in any production, whatever its size.
Whether that endeavor is a small, independent film, a television
pilot, or a summer blockbuster, rotoscoping is a vital part of any
visual effects creation.
Modern production pipelines are extremely reliant on the art
of matte creation. No matter what the production or produc-
tion house, a capable roto artist is a highly valued member of the
visual effects (VFX) team.
Large VFX companies have entire departments dedicated
solely to creating mattes for elements so that the compositors
will be able to correctly isolate and manipulate the images to the
director’s liking. Smaller, more streamlined companies probably
won’t have dedicated roto departments, so the responsibility will
generally fall on a shot’s compositor to generate the mattes for
their own use.
Even if you aren’t destined to become a roto artist, it is an
essential skill for any working compositor. This book will help
you perform rotoscoping faster and more efficiently than ever
before.
The purpose of this book is to give budding VFX artists and
seasoned professionals alike the core skills necessary to cre-
ate accurate and usable mattes. With these principles, you’ll be
xii Introduction

able to quickly break down a shot into its basic movements and
shapes and then formulate a plan of attack as to the best method
of isolation. There is knowledge enough for everyone in the fol-
lowing pages, whether you’re at the beginning of your career or
have years of experience under your belt.
The book’s chapters cover the following:
l Estimating and planning the most efficient way to tackle a
shot
l Optimal shape breakdown for both simple and complex focus
objects
l Streamlined key framing structures, with focus on minimizing
the number of necessary key frames
l Spline creation that will maximize your ability to use and
reuse shapes
l Techniques to increase the versatility of your rotoscoping
workflow
l Keeping your shapes consistent and minimizing “jitter”
l Incorporating the use of tracking to drive the transforms of
your shapes, helping to automate the matte creation process
l Easily creating mattes for complex focus objects, with special
attention to hair, human motion, and motion blur
l Perspectives that will allow you to focus your attention for
long periods of time
When I was introduced to roto many years ago, I immediately
took a liking to it. It might have been my background in anima-
tion, or perhaps the technique simply meshed with my particu-
lar worldview or skill set. In either case, I had found something
that I loved to do. When you do something you love long enough,
though, you occasionally forget why you loved it in the first place.
Writing this book has afforded me the opportunity to relive my
beginnings in rotoscoping and has increased my appreciation for
the subtle artistry necessary for creating quality mattes. In writ-
ing this book I remembered why I became passionate about roto
and how much satisfaction it gives me. I hope I can relay some of
that passion to you.
Benjamin Bratt
www.bbrattvfx.com
October 2010
Origins of Roto
1
1.1 Origins of Roto
In 1917, a cel animation house called Fleischer Studios, based
in New York, was approved for a patent. The newly official machine
had been in use for several years, to great success, to create the
Out of the Inkwell series. They called this machine the Rotoscope.
With this device, Fleischer Studios went on to produce more
than a few notable cartoons and characters. The more significant
of their creations were Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, and Popeye
the Sailor. They were also responsible (in conjunction with
Famous Studios) for the well-known Superman cartoons released
in the early 1940s.
The Rotoscope consisted of a camera mounted behind an
animation desk, projecting film footage onto a slate of frosted
glass. The animator would trace the frames of live action onto
paper. A system of pulleys allowed the animator to advance the
film, frame by frame. Once the artist had completed the anima-
tion, the reams of paper the artist produced would be traced onto
clear animation cels and painted accordingly.
The innovation of the Rotoscope was the opportunity to study
human movement within the medium of cel animation. Before
this device was invented, animators would take great care to
accumulate references for their shots. These references ranged
from photographs and projected film footage to acting out the
movements themselves in front of a mirror. This reference mate-
rial, though helpful, still had to be communicated from memory
to paper. With the Rotoscope, an animator could emulate the
subtlety of human movement as it was taken directly from the
subject of his or her animation.
Along with the Rotoscope, the artists at Fleischer pioneered
the practice of having the lead animator draw the “key” poses

1
2 Chapter 1 Origins of Roto

Figure 1.1 Patent drawing of the Rotoscope.

while a subordinate artist filled in the in-between animation.

This practice is still used by modern 2D animation studios.
Rotoscoping began to evolve, and not just as an animation tool.
Filmmakers used the Rotoscope to create hold-out mattes so that
other optical effects and images could be inserted behind ele-
ments in the footage. Roto artists would trace the foreground ele-
ments onto cels and then fill the traced area with a toxic-smelling
black opaquing fluid so that the images placed behind them
wouldn’t bleed through.
This technique was used frequently to add visual sophisti-
cation to shots. A director was no longer limited to what could
be created on set and filmed. If a shot called for an actor to be
chased by a pack of wild birds, the two elements could be filmed
separately and put together after the fact. The moviemakers
weren’t required to try to wrangle all the elements of the shot
together at the same time.
This system of hand-painted optical mattes was used until
digital compositing became the standard in the early 1990s.
 Chapter 1 Origins of Roto  3

1.2 Modern Roto

The beginnings of VFX are important for rotoscoping artists
to understand. Ideas and techniques that were established early
on have influenced the way our industry has evolved and how
we interact with our media. If you take Fleischer’s Rotoscope
(including the idea of having animators make “key” drawings)
and you throw in Disney’s multiplane animation camera, you
have the beginnings of digital visual effects, which allowed ani-
mation artists to:
l View the footage while animating
l Isolate and separate layers of the footage
l Establish key frames
All these innovations became the groundwork for software
developers and artists in the film industry. The idea of key frames
is used in many aspects of VFX programs: 3D animation, particle
creation, compositing, motion graphics, and rotoscoping. All
these programs and focuses make user-defined key frames the
basis for element creation.
The workflow of predigital roto artists hasn’t changed signifi-
cantly. The base concepts of roto still apply. Then, as today, roto
artists are required to create accurate, usable mattes in the short-
est time possible. The most defining difference between the way
artists worked then and the way they work now is the tool set of
a modern roto artist. Digital rotoscoping software has turned the
work of an entire roomful of people, done in a few weeks, to an
artist with one workstation who is able to complete the same task
in a few days.
The principles that govern an animator’s work also apply to
modern roto artists. Modern roto is like animation but in reverse.
Roto artists are responsible for holding true to the real world.
The difference is that roto artists don’t create the real world; they
mimic it.
Animation principles are based on actual, real-world move-
ments. It is a roto artist’s job to accurately mimic that movement.
Understanding the principles of creating that movement is key
to becoming a solid roto artist and visually emulating that move-
ment through:
l Secondary motion
l Squash and stretch
l Antici . . . pation
Although a thorough knowledge of animation principles isn’t
necessary for a roto artist, it does help to know where the art
came from as well as to understand what to look for and com-
pensate for.
Artistic roto is still used in modern films and commercials.
The films A Scanner Darkly and Waking Life used this technique
4 Chapter 1 Origins of Roto

to great effect by convincingly portraying the altered reality states

of characters and tone in both films. Bob Sabiston created soft-
ware called Rotoshop, which specifically translates the workflow
of the original Rotoscope into the digital age of filmmaking. This
proprietary software was used on both these films and numerous
shorts and commercials, but it has not been made available for
public use.
Though the effect of artistic rotoscoping is visually interest-
ing, the process of converting film images into fully realized
roto-enhanced frames is still a big investment. It isn’t simple
matte creation. Every contour of every object in the shot must
be isolated and colored individually. Because of the time, staff-
ing, and budget-intensive nature of artistic rotoscoping, it is used
sparingly.
Matte creation has become the main focus of current roto
artists. Mattes are used for compositing, color correction, clean
plate creation, and a host of other VFX techniques. Isolating indi-
vidual elements with mattes has become a quiet staple in the
industry. It’s important because of its application to any shot. Any
element within the footage can be isolated without reliance on a
green-screen shoot. Rotoscoping gives a large amount of creative
control to filmmakers after all is said and done. “Fix it in post”
has become all too familiar vernacular in the industry. Once the
shot is in the can, a director can keep the actors’ perfect perfor-
mances in a scene but replace a background that has several dis-
tracting and unnecessary elements.
Roto is a vital tool for the visual effects industry. Mattes are
required for just about everything these days. Whether it’s a VFX-
heavy film or an independent romantic comedy, chances are
there will be some need for a rotoscoping artist on the job.
Defining the Terms
2
A roto artist must be familiar with a set of terms and defini-
tions. These terms are not only key to understanding rotoscop-
ing, they are necessary for success in the VFX industry:
l Comp. Short for composition. This is a general term used to
describe a digital artist’s work area. This includes the timeline,
viewing area, and layering and effects windows—pretty much
anything that you look at while working in a VFX program.
This applies (but is not limited) to roto artists, compositors
(also called compers), and motion graphic designers.
l Matte. A black-and-white frame or set of frames that tells the
program what is visible and what isn’t. White (color ID 1) is vis-
ible; black (color ID 0) is not. Gray areas are visible depending
on their numerical position between 1 and 0. Compositors use
the matte to isolate areas within the comp.

Figure 2.1 Final mattes.

5
6 Chapter 2 Defining the Terms

l Control points. Also called simply points, these are a series of

user-defined locations that, when created, determine the con-
tour of the spline. Points can be broken down into two sepa-
rate categories:
l Nonhandled points. As a roto artist, you’ll generally want to
choose the option that doesn’t have individual handle con-
trol (also called tangent handles). This type of spline doesn’t
allow the user to alter the angle of the incoming or outgo-
ing curve without moving the position of the point itself
or its surrounding points. This spline is used most often in
roto because, when used correctly, it has a natural, consis-
tent motion, with little chance of adding unintentional jitter
to the matte. The only problem with nonhandled points is
their inability to make extreme corners without adding extra
points. When you’re doing articulate roto in After Effects, this
sort of point/spline is called Rotobezier. Silhouette’s spline of
this sort is called B-splines. Though subtly different, these two
splines handle themselves in approximately the same way.

Silhouette B-spline. An After Effects Rotobezier spline.

Figure 2.2

l Handled points. This type of point has tangent handles that

will increase or decrease the angle of the curve through the
point, depending on the distance the handles are from the
point. Depending on how you treat these handled points,
the curve through the point can be “broken.”
 Chapter 2 Defining the Terms 7

Silhouette Bezier Spline. After Effects Bezier

Figure 2.3 Spline.

l Spline. This is a set of points connected by a line made up of

curves. The spline can be animated using either the individual
points or the object as a whole. There are several kinds of
splines, and each program labels them differently, depending
on the kind of point you use to create it.

Figure 2.4 Splines.

l Shape. A closed spline; the term refers to the spline as a whole,

not merely the individual points.
l Edge. This is the outside of the shape and, ultimately, the most
important aspect of rotoscoping.
Another random document with
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 72. Laws, 789E. In the third century A. D., the child was swaddled from forty to
sixty days. Cf. Soranus, Gynæcia, ed. Rose, for this and other details of later usage.

73. Plut., Op. Cit.

74. Eurip., Ion, 1420ff.

75. Il., xxii, 83; xvi, 203; Od., xi, 448; Soph., Ajax, 849: Lysis, De Caed. Erat.,
9.

76. Od., xix, 482; Dem., lvii, 42; Callim., Dem., 90, Ep. 54; Men., Sam., 32.

77. Eur., Hipp., 698, Cf. also Aul. Gel., 12, 5.

78. Pseudo-Plut., De. Lib. Ed., § 5.

79. Athen., vi, 9.

80. Menech., 19–21.

81. Adelphi, 979.

82. Dem., Op. Cit.

83. Geoponica, v. 13, 4.

84. Crito, 50D.

85. Laws, 887D.

86. Rep., 460D.

87. Hist. An., vii, 12.

88. Hist. An., vii, 10.

89. Pol., vii, 17.

90. De Somno., iii.

91. Orat., 4, 155R.

92. De Aere, Aquis, Locis., I, 542.

93. Athen., vi, 51.

94. Athen., xiii, 85. Cf. Arist., Pol., vii, 17.

 95. Pindar, Olymp., vi, 45; Schol. Aristoph., Thesm., 506; Apoll., Rhod., iv.,
1136; Callim., Jove, 40.

96. Athen., iii, 15.

97. Cf. also Aristophanes, Lysistrata, 18–19.

98. Aristotle, Rhet., iii, 4.

99. Adv. Math., ii, 42. Cf. also Theophr., Char., 20.

100. Aristoph., Knights, 716. Cf. also Plut., Rom., 2.

101. Athen., xii, 40.

102. Il., vi, 467.

103. Ibid., vi, 389, 400.

104. Il., xxii, 503ff.

105. Od., xix, 401.

106. Hom. H. to Dem., 141.

107. Herod., vi, 61.

108. Eur., Iph. in Taur., 835.

109. Eurip., Electra, 1125ff.

110. Athen., iv, 16.

111. Laws, 789E.

112. Plato, Timaeus, 52D.

113. Pol., vii, 17.

114. Laws, 789E.

115. Varro, Ling. Lat., ix, 5.

116. Cf. also Aristotle, Pol., vii, 17.

117. § 5.

118. Plut., De Virtute, § 2.

 119. Rep., 377C.

120. Galen, De Temperamentis, ii, 578.

121. Theoc., Idylls, xxiv., 10.

122. Panofka, T. Manners and Customs of the Greeks. London, 1849, Plate xi,
1.

123. Arist., Poetics, 16.

124. Plut., Rom., 3. Cf. also Eur., Ion, 1398.

125. Callimachus, Jove, 48.

126. Schol. on Cal., Jove, 48. Etym. Mag. s. v. λεῖκνον.

127. Hesychius, s. v. λικνίτης.

128. Winckelmann, Mon. Ined., Pl. 53.

129. Hom. H. to Hermes, 254.

130. Blümmer, H. Leben und Sitten der Griechen, Fig. 60.

131. Athen., xiii, 85.

132. Stobaeus, Flor., 98, 72.

133. Pollux, Onomasticon, ix, 27. Cf. Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Pt. vi, Lond., 1908,
852, fr. 1.

134. Heydemann, Griechische Vasenbilder, Taf. 8.

135. Plut., Consol. ad. Ux., § 22.

136. Curculio, v, 2, 45.

137. Poen., 29–30.

138. Vitruvius, De Architectura, iv, 1, 9.

139. Aeschylus, Choe., 750ff.

140. Menander, Samia, 31–3. (Capps.)

141. Plato, Rep., 343A.

 142. Plut., De Consol., § 6.

143. Aeschy., Ag., 723.

144. Eur., Orestes, 462ff.

145. Timarch., 139.

146. Plut., De disc. amico ab adul., § 28.

147. Epict., Diss., xix.

148. Soph., Phil., 704.

149. Laws, 792A.

150. Polit., vii., 17, 6.

151. § 10.

152. Hom., Hymn to Dem., 227.

153. Plut., Symp., v, 7, 3.

154. Pliny, N. H., xxviii, 38.

155. Ep. i. ad Cor., Hom., 12, 7.

156. Quintilian, i, 1, 16.

157. Laws, 794C.

158. Lucian, Hermotim., 82.

159. Od., vii., 13.

160. Eur., Hipp., 698ff.

161. Bruges, Greek Anthology, London, 1893, cxxxii.

162. This tale was written by Callimachus in his Aetia. There is a prose résumé
by Aristaenetus, Bk. I, Ep. 10. Cf. Ovid., Ep. 21.

163. Ovid, Ep. 18.

164. Apollonius Rhodius, I, 667ff.

165. Ibid., I., 269ff.

166. Od., I., 427ff.

167. Ibid., xvii, 31ff.

168. Ibid., ii, 349ff.

169. Ibid., xx, 135.

170. Ibid., xix, 21ff.

171. Ibid., xix, 468.

172. Ibid., ii, 349, xix, 482.

173. Aeschylus, Choe., l. c.

174. Demeter, 90.

175. Menander, Samia, l. c.

176. Demosth., In Evergum, l. c.

177. Cf. Chap. V.

178. Od., xv, 420.

179. Od., xx, 149.

180. Ibid., xxii, 420–5.

181. Ibid., ii, 345ff.

182. Ibid., ii, 349ff.

183. Ibid., ii, 352.

184. Hom., H. to Demeter, 103–4; 142–4.

185. Eur., Medea, 60.

186. Ibid., 90.

187. Menander, Samia, 40. (Capps.)

188. Od., I, 435.

189. Od., xix, 354.

 190. Ibid., xix, 471.

191. vi., 61.

192. Frag. 42. (Bergk.)

193. Pyth., xi, 28.

194. Choe., 738–82.

195. Medea, 52.

196. Soph., Trach., 871ff.

197. Hipp., 698.

198. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, pt. VI, Euripides, Hyps., fr. 60.

199. M., ii, 1965.

200. Samia, 40ff. St. Paul instances the nurse as the examplar of gentleness;
but “nurse” here is usually interpreted “mother.” Cf. I. Thess., ii, 7. ὡς ἐὰν
τροφὸς θάλῃ τὰ ἑαυτῆς τέκνα.

201. De Vitiosa Pudore, § 2.

202. Florelegium, 98, 72.

203. Knights, 717.

204. M., iv, 89.

205. Men., Samia, 90; Terence, Andria, 229. Cf. also Legrand, Daos, Lyon,
1910, p. 132.

206. Anthologia Graeca, ed. Bosch, 1795. L. 5, T. 1, E. 66.

207. Aesch., Seven against Thebes, 16.

208. Soph., O. R., 322.

209. Call., Delos, 10.

210. Athen., x, 83.

211. Aesch., Seven against Thebes, 291.

 212. Athen., xi, 13.

213. Quintilian, I. 1, 16.

214. Ibid., I. 1, 4.

215. Plato, Rep., 377A.

216. Rep., 377C.

217. Plato, Hipp. Maj., 286A.

218. Gorgias, 527A. Cf. also Rep., 350E and Lysis, 205D.

219. Lucian, Philopseudes, 9.

220. Maximus Tyrius, I, x, 3. καθάπερ αἱ τιτθαὶ τοὺς παῖδας διὰ

μυθολογίας βαυκαλῶσι.

221. Dion Chrysostom, 4, 164.

222. Philostr., Her., I, p. 668.

223. Lucian, Philops., 28.

224. Strabo, I, 2, 6.

225. Plutarch, Dem., 27.

226. xx, 41.

227. Scholia on Peace, 758.

228. Ibid. on Wasps, 1035.

229. Thucy.., 2.

230. Philops., 2.

231. Ars Poetica, 340. Cf. A. W. Verrall, Collected Studies in Greek and Latin
Scholarship, Cambridge 1913, p. 306.

232. Vit. Apoll. Tyan., iv, 25.

233. De Thucy., Jud., 6.

234. Von Hahn, Griech. und Alb. Märchen.

 235. Wachsmuth, Das alte Griechenland im neuen, Bonn, 1864, S. 57.

236. Geographica, I, 19.

237. Cf. Roscher, Lexicon, Leipzig 1884–. s. v. Gorgo.

238. Phaedo, 77A. Cf. Lucian, Philops., 23; Tox., 24; Zeus, 12.

239. De Stoic. repugn., 15.

240. Cf. Sappho, frag. 27 (Bergk).

241. Philostratus, Life of Apoll. Tyan., Bk. iv., c. 25.

242. Ibid., Bk. ii., c. 5.

243. Demosthenes, De Corona, 270.

244. Smythe, Melic Poets, p. 158. Cf. also Oliphant’s learned article “The Story
of the Strix: Ancient” in “Transactions of the Am. Philol. Asso.”, Boston, 1913, vol.
xliv.

245. Aesop, Babrius, 49.

246. Idylls, xv, 40.

247. Callimachus, Artem., 66ff.

248. Scholion on Theocritus, Idylls, xv, 49.

249. Hellenica, 4.

250. Peace, 474.

251. Frogs, 925.

252. Knights, 693.

253. Lucian, Philop., 37 (Fowler’s Translation).

254. Plato, Gorgias, 527; Hip. Maj., 286; Lucian, Phil., 9.

255. Plato, Lysis, 295D.

256. Ibid., Rep., 377B.

257. Ibid., Rep., 377D.

258. Sextus Empiricus, adv. Math., ix, 193.

259. Cf. Aristoph., Clouds, 904; Plato, Laws, 8860.

260. Pseudo-Plut., De Lib. Ed., § 5.

261. Aristotle, Pol., vii, 17.

262. Cf. Kingsley’s “Greek Heroes.”

263. Philostr., Imag., i, 15.

264. Navigium, 42.

265. Plato, Rep., 359D.

266. Hercules Furens, 98ff.

267. Plut., Theseus, 23.

268. Wasps, 1182.

269. Aristoph., Lys., 781–793.

270. ii, 134.

271. Croiset, Hist. de la lit. grecque, Paris, 1898, vol. 2, p. 475.

272. Plato, Phaedo, 600D.

273. Theon, Progymn., 3.

274. Aristophanes, Wasps, 1427. Cf. also Hermog., Progymn., I.

275. Scholion on Aristoph., Wasps, 1259.

276. Dion Chrysostom, 4, 163R (Dindorf). Cf. also Schol. on Birds, 807.

277. Croiset, vol. II, p. 19.

278. Athenaeus, 618E.

279. Socraticorum Epistolae. Cf. also Hesychius.

280. Plato, Laws, 790E.

281. Problems, xix, 38.

 282. Quintilian, I, 10, 32.

283. Adv. Math., 6, 32.

284. Idylls, xxiv, 6.

285. Cf. Cholmeley, Theocritus, London, 1901, p. 343.

286. Simonides, Fragment 37 (Bergk).

287. Sophocles, Philoctetes, 827ff.

288. Euripides, Orestes, 174ff.

289. C. I. A., ii, 2729. Cf. Conze, 340, Taf. lxxxiv.

290. Ibid., ii, 3111.

291. Ibid., ii, 4196, 4197.

292. Ibid., ii, 5050.

293. Ibid., ii, 4109.

294. Ibid., ii, 3599.

295. Ibid., iv, 4284b.

296. Ibid., iii, 1458.

297. Ibid., ii, 4195; iii, 3384; Kabbadia, 1027.

298. Ibid., ii, 3097. Cf. also ii, 3111.

299. Ibid., iii, 1457.

300. Ibid., iv, 3553b.

301. Conze, 280, Taf. lxv.

302. Ibid., 276, 294, 306, 310, 380, 461, 471, 1143, etc.

303. Cf. Baumeister, Denkmäler, 1885–8, p. 238, Taf. 23.

304. Epigram xx. Cf. also Plut., Thes., 20: καὶ τροφὸν μετ’ αὐτῆς ὄνομα
Κορκύνην ἧς δείκνυσθαι τάφον.

305. Cf. p. 63.

306. Anthologia Pal., 456.

307. Cf. Menander, Samia, 90, Capps’ note. Cf. Terence, Andria 229.

308. Callimachus, Epigram 54.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
 Corrections

Page or Changed from Changed to

Footnote
5 τίτθε, τιθένε τίτθη, τιθήνη
5 σκάφε σκάφη
5 πιστὲ πιστὴ
5 τίτθε χρηστή—Name τίτθη χρηστή—
of Nurse Added— Name of Nurse
Her Master— Added—Her
Country—Simple Master—Country
Word τίτθε —Simple Word
τίτθη
7 ἒτι δὲ καὶ τροφοί ἔτι δὲ καὶ τροφοί
... αἱ τὸν ἄλλον ... αἱ τὸν ἄλλον
φασί, πόνον μετὰ φασί, πόνον μετὰ
τὸν τὸν
ἀπογαλακτισμὸν ἀπογαλακτισμὸν
ἀνα εχόμεναι ἀναδεχόμεναι
7 αὐ’ αὖ
9 δὲ δέ
9 ἐθελέις ὀλέσαι; σὺ ἐθέλεις ὀλέσαι; σὺ
δέ μ’ ἔτρεφες αὐτή δέ μ’ ἔτρεφες
αὐτὴ
9 ἒμικτο ἔμικτο
10 ἀργόθεν ἐρχονένην ἀγρόθεν ἐρχομένην
10 ἐξείπη, ὁ δ’ ἐξείπῃ, ὁ δ’
οἰσάμενος ὀϊσάμενος
10 τὴν τήν
10 ἀγγαλέῳ, ὑμῖν δ’ ἀργαλέῳ, ὑμῖν δ’
ἐπιfράσσετ’ ἐπιφράσσετ’
11 νεογὸν νεογνὸν
12 ἀνθαπτεται ἀνθάπτεται
13 τροφων τροφῶν
14 κατέχερ τίτθην κατέχει τίτθην
παιδίων Διογείτου παιδίων Διογείτου
ἐκ Πελοποννήσου ἐκ Πελοποννήσου

ὴ ὲ ὴ ὲ
 τὴν δὲ τὴν δὲ
δικαιστάτην δικαιοτάτην
14 καὶ μ’ ἁ Θεχαρίδα καί μ’ ἁ Θευχαρίδα
14 ἐπί τᾷ ὁδῷ ἐπὶ τᾷ ὁδῷ
κηπέγραψε κἠπέγραψε
15 τὰς τάς
15 Ἑλλ’ηνίδας Ἑλληνίδας
15 ἄτε ἅτε
18 εχούσας ἐχούσας
18 εἴωτε δὲ τὰ παιδία εἴωθε δὲ τὰ παιδία
τὰ πλεῖστα τὰ πλεῖστα
σπασμὸς σπασμὸς
ἐπιλαμβάνειν καὶ ἐπιλαμβάνειν καὶ
μᾶλλον τὰ μᾶλλον τὰ
εὐτραφέστρα εὐτραφέστερα
19 μικρόν μικρὸν
19 ἐκείνον ἐκεῖνον
20 παίς παὶς
20 εὔδεσκ’ εὕδεσκ’
23 οἶα οἷά
23 σκάφη σκάφῃ
24 ψυεσθεῖσα παιδὸς ψευσθεῖσα παιδὸς
σπαργάνων σπαργάνων
φαιδρύντρια- φαιδρύντρια·
γναφεὺς τροφεύς γναφεὺς τροφεύς
τε παὐτὸν τε ταὐτὸν εἰχέτην
ειχέτην
25 Βάταλος βάταλος
26 και καὶ
27 της νόσου δέ σοι τῆς νόσου δέ σοι
ζητοῦσα φάρμαχ’ ζητοῦσα φάρμαχ’
ηὗρον αὐχ ηὗρον οὐχ
ἁβουλόμην. εἰ δ’ ἁβουλόμην. εἰ δ’
εὔ γ’ ἔπρξα εὔ γ’ ἔπραξα
30 πλῆσθπν, θαλερὲ πλῆσθεν, θαλερὲ δέ
δὲ
32 φιλτάτη φιλτάτῃ
34 εἰπή μοι, ἔφη, ᾦ εἰπέ μοι, ἔφη, ὦ
 35 οὗν ταῦτα μῦθος σοι οὖν ταῦτα μῦθος σοι
δοκεῖ λέγεσθαι, δοκεῖ λέγεσθαι,
ὥσπερ γραός· και ὥσπερ γραός·
καὶ
36 ἒχουσαν ἔχουσαν
36 ἔπι ἔτι
37 ἑ ἡ
37 ὴν τὴν
37 Θάνατον θάνατον
37 της τῆς
37 παιδαφιλωέτρα παιδοφιλωτέρα
37 αὐτης τὸ φάντασμα αὐτῆς τὸ φάντασμα
ἐπιφοιτᾶν ἐπὶ ἐπιφοιτᾶν ἐπὶ
τὰ παιδία, καὶ τὰ παιδία, καὶ
τοὺς τῶν ἀώρων τοὺς τῶν ἀώρων
θανάτους αὐτῆ θανάτους αὐτῇ
38 στριγγ’ στρίγγ’
38 τῳ τῷ
40 μυτέρας μητέρας
41 κατελιπεν κατέλιπεν
41 δακρυρῥόους δακρυρρόους
42 ρυθμίζειν ῥυθμίζειν
43 ἤ ἢ
43 ρυθμῷ ῥυθμῷ
44 ιοιχόμεθ’ διοιχόμεθ’
46 δικαιστάτην δικαιοτάτην
47 μικκός μικκὸς
47 ἔξει ἕξει
47 Ἀργῶν Ἀγρῶν
47 Ἀίσχρην Αἴσχρην
[47] ἑλακωνομάνουν ἐλακωνομάνουν
[200] θάλη θάλῃ
[223] Philips Philops.
[228] Waspa Wasps
[238] Philips Philops.
[285] Cholmey Cholmeley
[304] ἦς ἧς
1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in
spelling.
2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained
as printed.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NURSE IN
GREEK LIFE ***

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