Animate a site plan over a plot of land in After Effects

The video runs 1 minute. Below is the same process written out step by step, so you can follow along with After Effects open without pausing every few seconds.

What you'll achieve

Fit the site plan to the perspective of the land.
Make the plan appear over the shot.

What you need

Adobe After Effects.
A drone shot of the land and the subdivision plan as an image or PDF.

Step by step

1. Prepare the plan

Export the plan as an image with a transparent background (PNG) or with a background you can remove, and import it into the composition.

Prepare the plan: frame from the video tutorial — Frame from the video. Watch it in motion in the player above.

2. Fit it to the perspective

Place the plan over the land and adjust its corners so they match the boundaries of the land in the shot (for example with the Corner Pin effect). If the camera moves, anchor it with a track.

Fit it to the perspective: frame from the video tutorial — Frame from the video. Watch it in motion in the player above.

Corner PinPlan as a PNG with transparent background

Each corner of the plan goes to a corner of the land. If the camera moves, anchor the plan with a track.

3. Animate its appearance

Animate the opacity or a mask so the plan gradually appears over the land.

Animate its appearance: frame from the video tutorial — Frame from the video. Watch it in motion in the player above.

OpacityFrom 0% to 100%.

MaskThe mask opens and uncovers the plan.

Either one makes the plan appear gradually over the shot.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the plan as a PDF?

Yes, After Effects imports PDFs, although it's usually easier to export it first as a PNG with a transparent background.

What if I want an interactive plan on the web?

That's a different thing: the blog has a tutorial on building an interactive plan that updates from Google Sheets.

How to animate a site plan over a plot of land in After Effects

What you'll achieve

What you need