Add Depth to Your 2D Animation By Using The Parallax Technique

Want to spice up your simple 2D animation?

Using the parallax technique in Adobe After Effects can bring depth and style to your animations. In this tutorial, you will learn what I think is the easiest way to create a parallax object controlled with the After Effects camera.

First, separate your illustrations onto different layers. Try to think about how they should be layered (foreground, mid ground, background). Also, don’t forget to rename the layers! Keep your work organized.

Import your illustrations into After Effects and make them 3d objects.

Create a new camera layer and enable depth of field

Position the illustrations on different Z position values and change the scale to bring the sizing back to the original. Use F11 and F12 to see the changes from a different angle.

Increase the aperture on the camera to see the depth of field change. Adjust your focus distance to change what object should be in focus.

Keyframe your camera position to change over time and watch the magic happen!

That’s it! Well, sort of. Just add in the other animations to your scene. You just turned your simple 2d animation into an 3D epic masterpiece!