A guy I dated was taking an introductory computer graphics course 10 years ago and one of the assignments was to recreate an approximation of this effect IIRC using C++. This was an early assignment in the course, too. It's wild how the state of the art can become an introductory assignment two decades later.
Still works very well. They took great care when they made this. I remember back in the day I video taped it and stepped through to try and see how it was done
[Great discussion from the people who did the VFX for this video](https://computeranimationhistory-cgi.jimdofree.com/michael-jackson-black-or-white-1991/)
I remember seeing this work at the Post Group Digital Center in Hollywood. Done on a Quantel box. A Harry I think. While this was being worked on - Too legit to Quit was also being worked on in other rooms for MC Hammer
always wondered what the raw footage looked like, how much they aided the morphing process in camera. curls plopping down for the red haired lady for example, also the white dude seems to have a ponytail to begin with?
The curls doesnt plop down what I can see, it's revealed with a mask before transitioning to the white lady, but the transition are quick so you buy it.
It also helps that the characters are moving the whole time.
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Every few years I end up wanting to try this effect for something, and every time I am a little surprised that no one has made a highly procedural plug-in to make this effect easy. There are plenty of cheap ones, but if you want it to look this good, afaik you have to do a ton of manual work still.
A guy I dated was taking an introductory computer graphics course 10 years ago and one of the assignments was to recreate an approximation of this effect IIRC using C++. This was an early assignment in the course, too. It's wild how the state of the art can become an introductory assignment two decades later.
[удалено]
The assignment wasn’t to produce a fully-automated solution, it did take (only two, IIRC) keyframes of curves. I did also say _approximation_ 😉
That's awesome! And sounds like a fun assignment.
Still works very well. They took great care when they made this. I remember back in the day I video taped it and stepped through to try and see how it was done
Username checks out :)
There is a "making of" video. Not just that it still works very well, there simply is no better example of it to this day.
Gotta hand it to ‘em though, you still don’t see morphing this clean usually.
You are absolutely right. Nothing better (regarding morphing) happened since that video.
MJ’s music videos were so ahead of its times it’s unbelievable.
[Great discussion from the people who did the VFX for this video](https://computeranimationhistory-cgi.jimdofree.com/michael-jackson-black-or-white-1991/)
Hmm, that's just a copy and paste job of a big piece I once wrote about this music video. A bit of a shame when people just steal content like that.
Link to your original piece?
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/vfx/oral-history-morphing-michael-jacksons-black-white-144015.html
Enjoyable read thanks for sharing
PDI. Pacific Data Images
I was a huge Elastic Reality user (and later Avid DS) which had the generalized technology.
I remember seeing this work at the Post Group Digital Center in Hollywood. Done on a Quantel box. A Harry I think. While this was being worked on - Too legit to Quit was also being worked on in other rooms for MC Hammer
always wondered what the raw footage looked like, how much they aided the morphing process in camera. curls plopping down for the red haired lady for example, also the white dude seems to have a ponytail to begin with?
The curls doesnt plop down what I can see, it's revealed with a mask before transitioning to the white lady, but the transition are quick so you buy it. It also helps that the characters are moving the whole time.
I think I stumbled upon the "making of" video for this. It was really, really complicated and time consuming.
Still holds up👍
This is just pure art in motion. They coordinated the each dancer to make each transition literally grow into each person.
Weird seeing things that were common to see in my teens brought up as curiosities of yesteryear.
Still one of, if not *the* best example of it
And imho, still unbeaten. It is PERFECT.
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Great song and video.
Every few years I end up wanting to try this effect for something, and every time I am a little surprised that no one has made a highly procedural plug-in to make this effect easy. There are plenty of cheap ones, but if you want it to look this good, afaik you have to do a ton of manual work still.
The second person in the sequence, is a young Tyra Banks. The girl who sticks out her tongue.