Exercise 7 · Rack-Focus Rig

Project 3 · Cinematic Title Sequence · Week 9 · Cinematic Cameras & DOF · ~60 min

Practice goal: Build a two-node, null-rigged camera with true DOF and a clean rack-focus pull.

Set up: New project. 2–3 depth-separated 3D layers (cards/text) or a 3D scene.

Steps

1. New comp Main; place 2–3 layers at different Z depths; enable 3D.
2. Add a Two-Node Camera; enable Depth of Field in Camera Options.
3. Open Aperture / F-Stop wider so the DOF is visibly shallow.
4. Set Focus Distance on the near subject; confirm the far one goes soft.
5. Keyframe Focus Distance to rack focus near → far over ~1.5 s; Easy Ease.
6. Add a Null, make it 3D, and parent the camera to it.
7. Animate the null for a motivated push/drift; the camera follows cleanly.
8. Optional: link Focus Distance to a target layer's Z with an expression so focus auto-tracks.
9. Add motion blur; check the move reads cinematic, not seasick.
10. Grade and add a subtle vignette.
11. Save & render the focus-pull test.

Free tutorials & references

• New Advanced 3D DOF & Focus Pulls (2026) — YouTube
• How to Use Depth of Field — YouTube
• Pull Focus for Cinematic DOF — Creative Bloq

Done when

A two-node, null-rigged camera performs a motivated move with true depth of field and at least one clean rack-focus pull.

Files

Pittman_Ex07_RackFocusRig.aep → render Pittman_Ex07_RackFocusRig.mov · versions Pittman_Ex07_RackFocusRig_001.aep

This drill is your in-class activity for the week (worth 2 points) and ladders directly into the project.