Content-Aware Fill for After Effects

Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 3, 2019. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.

The new spring release for the Creative Cloud apps has been published: alongside new features for Premiere Pro, Audition and Character Animator, the Content-Aware Fill tool – originally known as Project Cloak – has now made it into After Effects. Instructions, as well as free Adobe Stock videos for testing, are available from Adobe in this blog post.

Content-Aware Fill

With Content-Aware Fill (based on Adobe Sensei), you can remove unwanted objects such as microphones, poles, people or cars from the respective video in just a few steps. The feature offers automatic removal of a selected area and analyzes the frames in the selected time window:

Missing pixels can also be filled with the help of manual reference frames, which are created directly forwarded to Photoshop. The Content-Aware Fill panel contains various options that allow you to remove unwanted objects and fill transparent areas.

• Fill Method – choices as Object, Surface or Edge Blend
• Range – entire composition size or just the work area
• Create Reference Frame – opens Photoshop to create reference frames
• Generate Fill Layer – to start or execute the automated fill process

Quick & Dirty: In dem Kurz-test mit einer einfachen Maske und wenigen Keyframes

Resultat: Für zwei Sekunden in diesem Fall ca. 25 Sekunden Berechnungszeit. Kein perfektes Ergebnis, aber alles ohne den Finger bewegt oder sonderlich auf etwas geachtet zu haben.

In our short test, we selected one of the cars with a quick mask and had a Fill Layer generated without any further settings. The result already seems quite good for the short amount of work – however, some errors are clearly visible, which can probably be corrected with appropriate adjustments or manual reference images. We will take a detailed look at this and other features in one of the upcoming DP issues!

Further New Features for After Effects

• New Expression Editor with new syntax highlighting
• GPU acceleration for additional effects, e.g. Roughen Edges and Change Color
• Auto-Sync Fonts when project fonts are missing on the computer
• Guides can now be saved and passed on to Premiere Pro
• Format support for RED Debayering (GPU-accelerated) and Sony VENICE X-OCN

More information: To the Adobe website and on the AE What’s New page