Speed Up Your Workflow: ReelSmart Motion Blur Presets and ShortcutsMotion blur is one of those subtle effects that separates amateur footage from polished, professional work. ReelSmart Motion Blur (RSMB) is a highly-regarded plug-in that intelligently analyzes motion vectors and generates natural-looking blur without requiring lengthy renders or complex motion vector passes. This article explains how to speed up your workflow using presets, shortcuts, and practical techniques so you can get high-quality results faster in After Effects, Premiere Pro, and other compatible hosts.
What makes ReelSmart Motion Blur useful for fast workflows
ReelSmart Motion Blur stands out because it:
- Automatically calculates motion vectors from frame-to-frame changes, avoiding manual passes or 3D render exports.
- Produces realistic per-pixel blur rather than simple directional streaks, which reduces the need for extra compositing work.
- Integrates into standard compositing timelines, allowing iterative tweaks without re-rendering entire sequences.
These strengths let editors and motion designers apply convincing motion blur quickly and refine timing and intensity without hitting long render times.
Presets: start points that save minutes (or hours)
Presets provide consistent, repeatable starting points. Create and organize presets by camera type, shot speed, and final delivery format. Useful preset categories:
- Camera-style presets: slow handheld, steady tripod, gimbal, motion-control.
- Speed/velocity presets: subtle (for 24–25 fps shots), medium (30–60 fps), heavy (for fast pans or 120 fps that’s interpreted).
- Output-target presets: web (smaller blur falloff), broadcast (more conservative), cinematic (richer blur).
How to build and use RSMB presets in After Effects:
- Apply RSMB to an adjustment layer or directly to a clip.
- Tweak primary settings: Motion Blur Amount, Shutter Angle, and the “Freeze”/“FrameBlending” toggles.
- Test on a short range of frames with representative motion.
- Choose Layer > Save Animation Preset… to export your configuration.
- Name presets clearly (e.g., “RSMB_Gimbal_24fps_Medium”) and store them in a dedicated folder inside After Effects Presets.
Tip: Keep a small library of 8–12 presets for daily work—too many choices slow you down.
Keyboard shortcuts and timeline tricks
After Effects doesn’t expose every plugin control to keyboard mapping, but you can still optimize:
- Use keyboard shortcuts to quickly select and toggle layers:
- Select Effects controls: press E twice to reveal applied effects.
- Solo adjustment layers with the Solo button (.) to preview blur in isolation.
- Use Work Area shortcuts:
- Set work area to current time (B and N) to render short previews.
- RAM Preview: press 0 (numeric keypad) to preview cached frames faster.
- Pre-compose and label:
- Pre-compose groups of layers that share the same RSMB settings and apply the effect once on the precomp.
- Color-label precomps for immediate visual identification.
Expression shortcut: If you want to link Motion Blur Amount to a single central control, add a Slider Control to an adjustment layer and pickwhip the RSMB Amount parameter to it. This lets you key one slider to ramp blur during a shot.
Optimization tips to reduce render time
Render time is often the main bottleneck. Use these techniques to keep previews fast:
- Use RSMB on an adjustment layer or precomp rather than each layer individually—this reduces per-layer calculation.
- Reduce the resolution for previews: set Composition to Half or Quarter.
- Limit the effect’s temporal span: use masks or animated mattes to exclude static areas from calculation.
- For long sequences, pre-render sections (renders as lossless) with RSMB baked in and import them back as flattened footage.
- Turn off motion blur on layers with negligible movement; sometimes retinal persistence makes slight movement irrelevant.
Settings considerations:
- Lowering the “Shutter Angle” reduces blur amount and speeds calculation.
- Use the “Edge Behavior” settings to avoid extra processing at frame edges when not needed.
Host-specific notes
After Effects:
- Best for compositing flexibility. Use adjustment layers, precompositions, and Animation Presets.
- Use the Expression pickwhip trick for global control over RSMB parameters.
Premiere Pro:
- RSMB can be applied to clips in Premiere; use adjustment layers and nested sequences for grouped control.
- Premiere previews are less sophisticated than AE’s RAM Preview; consider round-tripping to After Effects for complex setups.
Other hosts (Resolve, Nuke, etc.):
- For hosts that support OFX or have pixel-motion blur equivalents, replicate preset ideas: group effects, bake where possible, and export intermediate renders when the host’s previewing is slow.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Ghosting or smeared artifacts:
- Usually caused by overly aggressive blur or extreme frame differences. Reduce Shutter Angle or Amount, or increase analysis quality if available.
- Inconsistent blur across cuts:
- Use consistent presets and match shutter/amount settings across edit cuts—or bake blur into pre-rendered clips before final conform.
- Slow previews:
- Preview at lower resolution, limit the affected area with masks, or temporarily disable RSMB until final pass.
Example presets (starting values)
Use these as starting points; tweak per-shot.
-
RSMB_Cinematic_24fps_Medium
- Shutter Angle: 180
- Motion Blur Amount: 0.6
- Analysis Quality: Medium
-
RSMB_Gimbal_24fps_Subtle
- Shutter Angle: 90
- Motion Blur Amount: 0.35
- Analysis Quality: Low
-
RSMB_Pan_30fps_Heavy
- Shutter Angle: 270
- Motion Blur Amount: 0.85
- Analysis Quality: High
-
RSMB_SuperSlow_120fps
- Shutter Angle: 360
- Motion Blur Amount: 1.0
- Analysis Quality: High
Quick workflow checklist
- Choose appropriate preset for camera/shot type.
- Apply RSMB on an adjustment layer or precomp where possible.
- Link global controls with a Slider Control for fast tweaks.
- Preview at lower resolution and limited work area.
- Bake or pre-render final sections before export.
ReelSmart Motion Blur can significantly raise the perceived production value of motion graphics and footage. With a small, organized preset library, a few timeline shortcuts, and some rendering discipline (precomps, previews at lower resolution), you can apply realistic motion blur consistently and quickly without grinding your workstation to a halt.
Leave a Reply