Create Your Own Custom Projection Grave Stone

As anyone who knows me will tell you I love technology and I love getting a good deal. I originally was going to buy a gravestone projection from Mr. Chicken but when I looked at the prices I changed my mind. This is not to say that his projection isn't good or that the work he put in was not worth what he is charging because it is. I just couldn't rationalize spending what he was charging for the projection + another projector. So I thought to myself I have a creative cloud subscription anyways why not make it myself below is the result of that. An easily customizable projection that anyone with a decent computer can do. 

Important Please Read

I am providing this project free of charge with no warrantees expressed or implied. As far as I am aware all content in this project is public domain. If anything is found to not fall into this category, please inform me. This project is intended for home haunters to use and you are expressly forbidden from using this in a professional setting. 

Project Requirements

Projector

Trial version of Adobe After Effects

a computer with the appropriate system requirements

media player (if your projector doesn't have one built in)

Foam-board cut to shape of your projection

Project files

Steps

Step 1

Install After effects

Step 2

Download and extract project files above

Step 3

From the path you extract the files open the gravestone AE file

You will be presented with the following screen

If you get any errors of missing content just point the program to the location of the project files everything you need should be in the zip file

Step 4 - choosing your stone

To the left of the time line you will see the individual content items

the first 4 are the individual gravestone templates. You can chose what design you wish to use by clicking the eye icon on the far left. just make sure only 1 of the templates is turned on at a time.

Step 5 

once you have chosen your stone scroll down through the content items  and select "edit text". once selected click on the text box in the main project area (single click)

You can now edit the text on the stone as you wish. I put place holders for name, date and epitaph but you can change anything in here you wish. Font and text size can be changed from the character window on the left. Important! Do not delete the text box effects have been applied to it. you will lose the engraved look.

Step 6 - creating your video file

 Go to File >> Export >> Add to Render Queue

 - if you have the full creative cloud suite you can also use media encoder as it gives you many more options for video encoding

after you click Add to Render Queue the following will show up on the bottom of your window

You want to export the second Comp (stone-texture-ii) click the blue not yet specified and select where you want to save the file then click the render button. Depending on your computer this could take a few hours.

Step 7

Now that you have your video file put it on your media player and set it up to play in a loop.

At this point you are going to want to start projecting onto you foam-board  so you can trace out your stone for the projection. Once traced its time to build your gravestone. if you don't know how i have a how-to here. 

And that is it. Enjoy your animated gravestone. :)

sources for video files

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=67696&picture=stone-texture-ii

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkZ3bo-r8ks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkEfMqQYSm4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXa4Xm-UKgc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8NOhhL_wNg