Hot After Effects How-Tos
How To: Use Knoll Light Factory Pro After Effects plugin
This software tutorial shows you how to use the Knoll Light Factory Pro plug-in for After Effects. Knoll Light Factory Pro is the industry's favorite tool for creating lens flares, sunsets, photon torpedoes, stars and other effects. It offers a custom lens editor, auto tracking, alpha channel support, and pinpoint control over dozens of settings. If you haven't used the Knoll Light Factory Pro plug-in yet, watch this After Effects tutorial and get started.
How To: Use FreeForm to simulate flowing cloth or ribbon in After Effects
You can use the FreeForm plugin to create the look of cloth blowing in the wind - like an animated ribbon, or a banner waving in the wind. The key is in designing the displacement map to get a truly realistic effect.
How To: Create realistic 3D cloud motion using a single cloud photo in After Effects
Use a 2D image of clouds to generate realistic video footage of 3D cloud motion. In this tutorial from All Bets Are Off, Aharon Rabinowitz demonstrates how to create this effect using a single 2D image of clouds and a few simple clicks.
How To: Make a talking animals effect using After Effects
A LOT of movies have featured talking animals. Especially now that the technology is readily available to even low-budget filmmakers to make animals appear to be talking very realistically. If you've wanted to make your own talking-animal film, this video is here to help. It wills show you how to make animals talk using After Effects, creating and syncing mouth movements to fit your sound and leaving you with one charismatic cat, dog, fish, or marmoset.
How To: Create masks w/ find edges & auto-trace After Effects
In this video tutorial, CreativeCOW contributing editor, Nelson Fernandes demonstrates a method to obtain a quick and dirty mask using the find edges effect combined with the auto-trace feature.
How To: Create Star Wars scrolling text in After Effects
This three part tutorial shows you how to use Photoshop to create Star Wars text and then make it scroll up like in the movie intro using After Effects.
How To: Work with the scribble effect in After Effects
Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create Scribble-like animation with shapes and text in After Effects. You will need Illustrator for some parts of the tutorial. Work with the scribble effect in After Effects - Part 1 of 2.
How To: Create a flock of birds in After Effects
In part 1 of this video tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to build and animate a bird in After Effects 3D. In part 2, it will join a flock of birds. You'll use looping animation to do the effect. Create a flock of birds in After Effects - Part 1 of 2.
How To: Copy masks & paste them as keyframes in After Effects
This tutorial shows you the proper way to copy a mask in After Effects to the position property of another layer (and use it as a keyframe).
How To: Create displacement maps in After Effects CS4 or CS5
Learn how After Effects displacement maps can make your text or images appear on another surface. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.
How To: Use the Magic Bullet Looks plugin in After Effects
Stu Maschwitz, creator of Magic Bullet and veteran visual effects artist, demonstrates the tools within the finishing app Magic Bullet Looks within After Effects. Watch and learn how to build a look from scratch or apply a look from a library of presets available withing Magic Bullet and then apply the look to your footage in After Effects. Use the Magic Bullet Looks plugin in After Effects.
How To: Use After Effects to stabilize a shaky video recording
We don't always have a tripod handy when we need to grab some footage for our latest video project, but shaky footage can ruin an otherwise great video. Thankfully, After Effects has a 'stabilize motion' tool that you can apply to your recording to prevent headaches brought on by a shaky camera.
How To: Use Magic Bullet Looks for color correction in After Effects
This is your video guide to the Magic Bullet Looks plugin in for Adobe After Effects. If you are looking for a color correction tool, check out this video to see what Magic Bullet Looks has to offer. Learn how to use this color correction tool.
How To: Create your own Presets in Adobe After Effects
Make your job a little easier by setting presets in After Effects. This will allow you to save time while you add visual effects to your film. Having custom presets makes it much simpler to achieve consistency is your VFX.
How To: Use the Twixtor Pro plug-in to create slow motion in After Effects
This tutorial demonstrates how Twixtor Pro can be used to create slow motion special effects when editing video in After Effects. Learn beginner to intermediate VFX, specifically slowing down footage shot at a very high shutter speed. Twixtor allows the user to manage blur and warping when creating a slow motion effect.
How To: Use the Aged Film plugin for After Effects to give an antique feel to film
You can take a piece of completely modern digital footage and give it an aged, antique feel! You will need the Aged Film plugin for Adobe After Effects, which lets you create the sepia tone and flickering, variable speed look of antique film clips.
How To: Create a medieval Knights Templar styled intro in After Effects
If you've seen the films "Name of the Rose" and "Kingdom of Heaven", you're familiar with the medieval period, and if you want to create an animated intro in After Effects with a medieval style to it, follow along with Laurence Grayson in this three-part AE tutorial where he creates his own intro title sequence called "The Order". Learn how to quickly create a red wax seal, parchment paper and animated calligraphic text using only the standard toolset in Adobe After Effects (CS3, CS4 or CS5).
How To: Control emitter position in Trapcode Particular for Adobe After Effects
In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to control the emitter position in Trapcode Particular within Adobe After Effects (as well as how to draw paths with your mouse). For all of the particulars, and to get started using this effect in your own projects, take a look! Control emitter position in Trapcode Particular for Adobe After Effects.
How To: Create a 3D thunderstorm scene with After Effects and Trapcode Particular
In this clip, you'll learn how to create a realistic 3D thunderstorm scene using Adobe Adobe After Effects, Trapcode Particular and Horizon. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video gui...
How To: Create a particle animation loop with After Effects & Trapcode Particular
This video guide offers a complete overview of how to create a seamless looping particle animation with Trapcode Particular and Adobe After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free v...
How To: Use After Effects to recreate the "Annoying Orange"
By now, everyone is familiar with the Annoying Orange, but how do they do their effects? This video will reveal the secret and show you how to put a face on an inanimate object like the Annoying Orange. See how to put any face on any object to make something that once was inanimate alive! This should work on all Adobe CS versions of After Effects. This example in this video is a beach ball.
How To: Get rid of edge seams in Adobe After Effects
Interested in getting rid of edge seams within Adobe After Effects? This video guide will show you how it's done. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular compositing editor or just want to better acquaint yourself with the popular video editing program, you're sure to benefit from this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this tutorial.
How To: Create a simple scrolling LED display in After Effects
This simple After Effects tutorial from Laurence Grayson will show you how to use CC Ball Action effect in AE to create a realistic scrolling LED signboard effect, like the ones you see at conference centers and football stadiums. Then end result can be altered to suit your project, and corner-pinned into a scene. There are no plug-ins required, and this method uses the standard toolset in CS3, CS4, and CS5.
How To: Create a portal in After Effects
If you've ever played through Valve's amazing first-person puzzle game Portal, you probably have dreams and nightmares about orange and blue portals appearing in the walls around you. Do you want to recreate the effect in a film? This video will show you how to create your very own colored wall portals on film using After Effects.
How To: Import footage into PFTrack and export it to Cinema 4D
In this tutorial, you'll see how easy it is to bring your footage into PFTrack and then quickly take that data into Cinema 4D to begin to add your elements. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions, you're sure to enjoy this free video software tutorial. For more information, including complete instructions, watch this 3D modeler's guide.
How To: Make a moving curtain animation within After Effects
Check out this tutorial of how to create moving curtains in After Effects. You create a set of curtains that opens up to reveal footage placed behind it. You can render the clip out with an alpha channel and always have a curtains clip ready to reveal some footage. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well ...
How To: Create a 3D glow text stroke effect in After Effects
This tutorial uses After Effects to design a quick animation that looks like several light streaks form the letters of a word. The letters burst from the light streaks with a particle explosion. This tutorial uses Trapcode 3D Stroke and Particular. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this vi...
How To: Avoid the wobbly keyframe in After Effects
Nick Campbell shows us how to avoid the wobbly keyframe in After Effects. When you are animating logos and want them to come onto the screen, stop for a few seconds, and then continue off the screen. To fix it, highlight your key frames and then right click on "keyframe interpolation". Now, where it says "temporal interpolation" click to make it say "linear" next to it. Save this change and now the wobbly effect should have gone away. This can come up in a number of different moves, no matter...
How To: Render in Adobe After Effects CS4 or CS5
Learn how to render projects in Adobe After Effects CS4 or CS5. This guide also covers the use of background renderer, creation of output modules and render settings templates, memory, multi-processing and disk-cache preferences, as well as showing a basic preset for rendering FLVs and Quicktime H.264 out of After Effects. The tutorial is aimed at users at a basic to intermediate level. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector editor or a seasoned graphic arts professional just looking to...
How To: Stroke keylights in Adobe After Effects CS4 or CS5
This quick After Effects video tip will show you how to stroke a bitmap using Keylight and Solid Composite. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector editor or a seasoned graphic arts professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.
How To: Create fog and clouds in After Effects CS4 or CS5
This clip covers an easy method for creating semi-realistic fog inside of After Effects with nothing but a Photoshop document! Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.
How To: Use wiggle expression & puppet tool in After Effects
In this tutorial, give a little life to your drawings by using the wiggle expression attached to the puppet tool in Adobe After Effects CS4. This is a cool way to animate your project.
How To: Create an "Annoying Orange" in Adobe After Effects
Create an "Annoying Orange" to call your very own with this digital video guide. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this free video guide.
How To: Creating The James Bond 007 Intro with After Effects
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Michael Park shows you how to achieve that classic introduction to all of the James Bond films using only basic After Effects plugins.
How To: Import images with transparency into After Effects
In this software tutorial you will learn how to manipulate images in Photoshop to remove the background and then bring that transparent background image into After Effects without loosing the transparency. The Photoshop section covers the use of the Magnetic Lasso tool and Quick Mask to remove a background. With the image adjusted, you will learn how to import your new image into After Effects with preserved transparency.
How To: Create a hand scanner in After Effects
Learn how to create a Hand Scanner in Adobe After Effects. This is an advanced level tutorial so you should at least know your way around the software before starting.
How To: Create advanced glitter using expressions & Particular
In this tutorial, Creative Cow leader, Michael Park, demonstrates another, more advanced method for creating shimmering glitter particles using Trapcode's Particular in After Effects. The main advancement is the implementation of 3d rotation of the glitter particles, as well as using expressions to convert the rotation of the particles in all 3 axis to drive a greyscale map, which in turn is used to color the particle using colorama and create the shimmer effect when the particles face the ca...
How To: Make shimmering glitter in Particular in After Effects
In this After Effects tutorial, Creative Cow leader, Michael Park, demonstrates how to simulate shimmering glitter particles using fractal noise, colorama effect and Trapcodes Particular plugin. Make shimmering glitter in Particular in After Effects.
How To: Turn A Flat 2D Image into 3D
In this short tutorial i will show you how you can turn a flat 2D image of a room or hallway into a 3D Room using Vanishing points in Photoshop and After Effects.
How To: Smash Someone into a Million Pieces in After Effects and 3ds Max
Ever wanted to freeze someone, then smash them into a million pieces? Here is your chance! If you've got Adobe After Effects and Autodesk 3ds Max, it's pretty easy. Check out the tutorial video below to see how it's done.