How To: Use fractal noise in After Effects

In this tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz introduces you to the Fractal Noise Effect, and shows you how to create the animated backgrounds seen in the opening of the Creative Cow After Effects tutorials. Fractal noise is a powerful way to add variation and randomness to surfaces or scenes and this tutorial only covers the VERY basic basics of the tool. Use fractal noise in After Effects.

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: Use Trapcode Sound Keys After Effects plugin

Sound Keys is a keyframe generator plug-in for Adobe After Effects. Learn how to visually select parts of an audio track and convert that audio into keyframes. TrapCode Sound Keys After Effects plugin is great for audio-intensive animations. See how to use it in this tutorial. Use Trapcode Sound Keys After Effects plugin.

How To: Use the XML project file format in After Effects CS4

After Effects CS4 allows you to save any After Effects project in an editable text format known as XML. This tutorial will show you how to use the XML file format to modify and dynamically update an After Effects project without having to run the After Effects CS4 application. Using XML format After Effects files is a great way to save time and maintain flexibility by using a simple text editor to make changes. Use the XML project file format in After Effects CS4.

How To: Add anamorphic lens flares in After Effects

Want to add an anamorphic lens flare to your digital footage? With Adobe After Effects, Video Copilot Optical Flares and, of course, the help provided by this video guide, it's easy! For step-by-step instructions, and to learn how to add anamorphic lens flares to your own digital video in post, watch this After Effects user guide.

How To: Use the Vanishing Point tool to enhance 2D pack shots in Adobe After Effects

Add depth to your 2D pack shots with the After Effects Vanishing Point tool! This video will teach you everything you'll need to know. 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: 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: Make a flying effect with sonic boom in After Effects

If you've ever wanted to make an even slightly fantasy-flavored film, you've probably wanted to make one of your characters fly. Unless you're working with a bird or some really crazy rigging, you're going to need to make this special effect happen in After Effects, or whatever compositing software you use. This video will show you how to create a flying effect with a sonic boom on takeoff in After Effects, and following it's instructions will help you learn a lot about how to use After Effec...

How To: Create organic transitions within After Effects & FCP

In this tutorial, learn how to use textures and track mattes to create an organic transition with After Effects and Final Cut Pro. 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: 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: 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: Create a smoldering text effect in Adobe After Effects

Looking for something dynamic and new for your After Effects work? In this clip, you'll see how to have elements come together in smokey bits again with no third party 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 ins...

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: Make a CCTV monitor effect in After Effects

CCTV's (closed-circuit televisions) are more common than ever before, and have become more and more popular to depict in films and in video games like Manhunt. This video will teach you how to create a CCTV monitor effect akin to what a security guard would see on their camera monitor using After Effects. This will work great for any horror movie that you might be shooting, the effect is very creepy.

How To: Get started using Holomatrix in After Effects

Many science fiction feature films and TV shows feature holographic communication and interfaces. Red Giant Holomatrix allows you to easily recreate that effect with just a few clicks. This clip, in particular, addresses how to make those few clicks as a complete and utter newcommer to Holomatrix. 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 Red Giant Holomatrix, you're sure to be ...

How To: Use effects and presets in Adobe After Effects CS4

This quick guide well help you get started using effects and presets when editing video in Adobe After Effects CS4. 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: Control the camera point of interest in After Effects

Expressing the camera: animating along a path. Rick Gerard presents a five minute tutorial movie as the second in a series that teaches basic After Effects Camera animation. In this example you'll learn how to simplify animating a camera over a still image and how to orient the camera along a path using expressions to gain complete control. Control the camera point of interest in After Effects.

How To: Create a lightning bolt effect using After Effects and the Trapcode Suite

The Trapcode suite is a set of plug-ins for After Effects that allow video artists to create a variety of effects for inclusion in video and film productions. This particular guide demonstrates the power of Trapcode Particular and Trapcode 3D Stroke. Specifically, Wes Ball from OddBall Animation reveals how Trapcode was used in the creation of 'Eye of the Storm' - a music video by Lovett which can be seen here.

News: Space Invaders Transcend 8-Bit World to Attack Planet Earth

Those persistent alien beings from Space Invaders have finally abandoned the confines of their video game quarters, setting their crab-like eyes on the destruction of Earth. And it's up to one man to save the fate of human kind as we know it—Jeremiah Warren. Equipped with his trusty Atari CX-40 joystick, the lonesome savior battles the descending alien invaders, destroying them one by one with his laser cannon, right from his own bedroom window. See the battle below. The filming took about th...

How To: Disintegrate Objects at Super Speed (You Will Need: Sandpaper & After Effects)

Largely self-taught, Ryan John Kothe is an animator working out of Auckland, New Zealand. After picking up some rudimentary After Effects skills, he went on to create an impressive portfolio of beautifully rendered stop-motion animations with a distinctly tactile feel. Curious about the process behind Worn Out—Ryan's depiction of objects disintegrating in fast-forward (shown below)—we contacted him for a brief Q&A on the techniques behind his work.

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