Rotoscoping with Photoshop CS3
Created by Jack Schofield
Edit by Kyle Christensen

1.Start Photoshop CS3

• File -> open -> File Type-> select QuickTime movie.
• Then select your QuickTime reference movie.

This will open the QuickTime movie and place it as a self contained movie and assign a single layer for the movie file.

2.Timeline controls

• Go to Window-> select Animation

This will load the animation timeline controls, similar to After Effects timeline. (If you see only one image and not a timeline select the timeline view located on the bottom right of the timeline window).

Below is the Timeline that you want to be working in.

3.Setting up your layers for rotoscoping

• In the Layer window select the movie layer and rename it. Double click on the Layer1 to rename your layer. (I named mine Movie_Layer).
• Locate the lock icon just above the Movie_Layer.  Lock your layer.

4.Creating Multiple Layers with Action Scripts

• On the far right in Photoshop locate the Navigator, Histogram, and Info window. Notice the button that looks like a Play button left of the Navigator Tab.

This button toggles the Action Script window. We will be using the Actions Tab.

• Now that you are in the Actions Script window create a new script by selecting the new layer button.
• Name the Script New Frame Creation.  Select Record
• This will automatically set the script up to begin recording your actions in Photoshop.
  (All actions that you now perform in Photoshop will be recorded and saved to the script until you stop recording by clicking the red Record Button)

5.Creating and setting up your layer script

• Create a new layer by going Layer -> New-> Layer (hotkey Shift+Ctrl+N).
• Name it Frame.0000.  Make sure that Fill Color is set to none.  Select  OK.
• Make sure the new layer is selected in either the Layer tab or Animation (Timeline).
• With the layer Frame.0000 selected in the timeline, go to the last frame in the timeline with your mouse until you get a double arrow curser.
  

• Left Mouse Click and hold the end of the layer, and change the length (drag your cursor to the left) to one frame.

To help us see single frames, use the timeline scale slider located at the bottom of the timeline by the play controls. (Small Mountain Icon means zoom out, Big Mountain Icon means Zoomed in).

You should have something that looks like this in the end.

• Let’s  go back to the Action Script window and turn off the Record button
• Your Action Script is complete.  In the Action window select  New Frame Creation script, then hit the Play button next to the Record button

You should see the script create a new layer already set up at frame 1.  Now you can create new frame layers with a push of a button.  The only thing you need to do is move them on the Timeline and rename the newly created layers.

6.Rotoscoping

Select the layer frame.0000 and Roto away.  Use the Timeline slider to move backwards and forwards by frame.
Don’t forget to save your Photoshop file

7.Exporting your Rotoscope sequence to QT Movie

• Make sure to turn off the visibility of the original movie so it does not render out.
• Now go to File-> Export-> Render Video.  In the new window, set the compression and quality for your Roto movie.
• Name your  movie and set its output destinationThe new window which controls the QT compression
• Under File Options, select QuickTime Movie and then select the Settings button

The new window which controls the QT compression

• Select the Setting… button and in the new window change Compression type to H.264  Select
• This will bring you back to the Render Video window
• Under Range set the frame range to either all frame or set the in and out frame time.
• Render

Note:  the since we turned off the movie layer your background will render black.  To negate this either bring in a background image and set it to layer1 or create a new layer and color it to your liking. (Make sure the background layer is set to the entire length of the Timeline)