Hot After Effects Posts

How To: Create realistic animated smoke in After Effects

This video editing software tutorial shows you how to create animated smoke in After Effects. You will learn how to create authentic smoke for any special effects purpose such as fires and action sequences. See how you can use After Effects CS3 filters to create animated smoke. The tutorial is best viewed full screen and you will need Particle Playground plug-in.

How To: Use Adobe Photoshop 3D objects in After Effects CS4

Get ready for a whole new way to work in After Effects CS4! Adobe is finally releasing Creative Suite 4 and a new tool that will allow you to integrate 3D objects from Photoshop 3D in After Effects. Mark Christiansen shows you what to expect with After Effects' implementation of Photoshop 3D. If you bring your Photoshop CS4 file into After Effects CS4 as a composition instead of footage, you will get extra information including Live Photoshop 3D. Mark will show you how the single Photoshop 3D...

How To: Change shortcuts in After Effects

In this After Effects tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to be an AE road warrior by changing the keyboard shortcuts to account for missing keys on a laptop - such as the Ram Preview key or the Audio Preview key. Learn to customize your shortcuts in After Effects and improve your workflow. Change shortcuts in After Effects.

How To: Duplicate elements in After Effects

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern shows you how to duplicate elements in After Effects using the Shape Tool's Repeater function. Part two shows you a neat way to duplicate elements in After Effects using the Puppet Tool. Part three shows you how to duplicate elements in After Effects using the CC RepeTile Effect. Part four shows you how to duplicate elements in After Effects using the Clone Stamp Tool. Part five shows you how to duplicate elements in After Ef...

How To: Create a head explosion effect in After Effects

This After Effects tutorial shows you how to make a head explosion effect in the first part. The second part of the head explosion tutorial will show you how to make a muzzle flash effect for the weapon used to blow off your head. If you want to learn some serious ways to create crazy effects in After Effects, these tutorials are a great way to learn.

How To: Create a promo in After Effects

In this After Effects tutorial, Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern takes you behind the scenes and show you how he created the background animation for his DVD Promo using Trapcode 3D Stroke and Shine. Part two continues to show you how he designed the 3D Titles for his DVD Promo using Zaxwerks Invigorator Pro and how the final composite was made. Make sure you have all the necessary After Effects plugins before trying to follow this motion graphics promo tutorial. Create a promo in ...

How To: Use the shape tools in After Effects CS3

Learn how to use the Shape Tools to create dynamic motion graphics elements in After Effects. This tutorial was recorded as part of a session at the 2007 NY Post Production Conference. Watch and learn how to effectively use the shape tools in After Effects CS3 for your motion graphics and compositing projects.

How To: Force jump in After Effects

In this After Effects compositing tutorial you will learn how to make a force jump or a super jump. Make someone look like a super hero or Star Wars character jumping super far across your screen. All you need is some footage and After Effects and this tutorial.

How To: Create clones in After Effects

In this After Effects tutorial you will learn how to create clones. All you need is multiple copies of video footage of the same person or object (cleverly prepared ahead of time would be preferred) and After Effects. Using opacity, you can quickly create a movie of clones from your footatge in After Effects.

How To: Scrub audio in After Effects & more

Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to scrub the audio with the program After Effects. You can go about performing this by simply holding the command key and scrubbing the timeline, then that will scrub the audio and render the video. If you hold the option key and scrub nothing will be rendered. But if you hold both the command and the option keys, no video will be rendered but you can scrub through the audio without waiting for the video to render.

How To: Create a fireball in After Effects

Devin shows you how to create a fireball or energy ball effect in this After Effects tutorial. There are many ways to create a fire ball effect and this is just one of them. So watch the After Effects tutorial to get the idea then get creative with your own energy fire balls. You will need the Shine plugin from Trapcode for After Effects for this effect.

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: Create an explosion in After Effects 7.0

This software tutorial shows you how to add an explosion to your footage in After Effects. You will need to find footage of an explosion first, then in After Effects you composite the explosion footage over your movie or video to create the desired effect. Learn how to tweak and edit the layers so your explosion looks real and not like it was comped in After Effects.

How To: Reveal text in fire in After Effects

This software tutorial shows you a very easy way to reveal text in fire using After Effects. There are so many effects you can do with text and it's an easy way to start learning After Effects. So why not get started and practice with some fire footage and text effects in After Effects.

How To: Build and light a 3D scene in After Effects

n this video tutorial, Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern shows you a how to build a 3D scene using Photoshop CS3 Vanishing Point and re-light it inside After Effects. Part two will show you how to project text on the floor using light transmission feature in After Effects. Build and light a 3D scene in After Effects - Part 1 of 2.

How To: Get 8 free VU meter plugins for Mac FCP, AE and Motion

VFX artist Roger Bolton has worked on films including The Lord of the Rings, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Kingdom of Heaven. He has also created effects for his own use -- in this case, a wide variety of 2D and 3D VU meters, automatically animated by the audio in your project. He now offers these 8 plug-ins to artists using Final Cut Pro, After Effects and Motion -- with no watermarks, no time limits, no price tag. Please note: these plug-ins are MAC ONLY. Get 8 free VU meter plugins...