How to Use the VR Comp Editor in After Effects with 360° Video
In this video tutorial, check out how you can use the VR Comp Editor in Adobe After Effects — including free 360° footage.
One of the new feature additions to After Effects CC 2018 was the VR Comp Editor. However, because it is somewhat hidden, you may not have realized this powerful 360 plugin is even available in After Effects.
(Hint: In After Effects, click on the Window option at top, then scroll all the way down to “VR Comp Editor.jsx” to launch the plugin.)
Ready? Let’s dive into the tutorial. (Make sure you download the free 360° footage clips to follow along!)
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Right off the bat, let’s backtrack for a second because you may already know the VR Comp Editor by its previous name: “SkyBox Composer.” SkyBox Composer was one of a company called Mettle’s latest 360 plugins, just before Adobe acquired all of the SkyBox 360 Effects. The plugin is now the “VR Comp Editor.”
You still might be wondering “What makes the VR Comp Editor so great?” For starters, you can use the VR Comp Editor to edit your 360° footage from a Point of View (POV) perspective. This allows you to add elements or remove objects much like you would for traditional “flat” footage. (So you don’t need to be well-versed in 360° footage to easily make changes.)
Next, because you can edit from a POV perspective, we can stabilize and track 360 video, all directly in After Effects. You no longer have to worry about endlessly trying to level moving 360° footage. Now it’s as easy to stabilize 360° footage as it is any other video clip in After Effects. You can also add 3D layers like text and float them through your 360 scene as the camera moves.
