Hot After Effects How-Tos
How To: Create "Predator"-style video camouflage in After Effects
Replicate the Predator-style video camouflage in After Effects by using displacement maps. This uniquely stunning and groundbreaking visual effect has been seen countless times in film and television to show video camouflage, invisibility, heat distortion, holograms, and static interference, among others. This video shows how to replicate this effect by using green screen footage, Fractal Noise and Displacement Maps, all within Adobe After Effects.
How To: Create visually stunning compositions from 3D renders in After Effects
Compositing and color correction are important and integral steps in processing a 3D render after it is generated in Cinema 4D, 3D Studio Max or any other 3D package. Compositing transforms simple renders and provides them with life, vibrancy and atmosphere. In this demonstration, Greyscale Gorilla breaks down a 5 second project from Rich Hinchcliffe and demonstrates how Rich uses Adobe After Effects, color correction, blurs, ReelSmart Motion BLur, Frischluft Lens Care and Lens Flares to tran...
How To: Make a ring gallery of photos in Adobe After Effects
You can construct a 3-D photo gallery of rotating photographs quite easily in Adobe After Effects. The trick is to use parenting and anchor points to pull it off, and this tutorial shows you how to avoid using the cylinder effect.
How To: Lip sync your animations correctly using time remapping
Time Remapping is a feature of Adobe After Effects used for rigging your animated characters, which can be most useful when trying to make your lip syncing look realistic. This is a quick tutorial on how to use this feature for your next project.
How To: Give your architectural renderings a film look in After Effects
This tutorial shows you how to take your architectural renderings in Adobe After Effects and give them a 35mm film look. Even better, this tutorial uses only the basic program - no plugins or extra add ons to worry about.
How To: Use 3-D imaging for anaglyph animation
Here's a useful technique for any animator to be able to pick up - give your anaglyph animations a 3-D look. To replicate this, you will need Flash, After Effects and Photoshop, or programs that can accomplish similar animation tasks.
How To: Create a time lapse video in After Effects
Want to create your own time lapse video, but you don't have the right equipment? You can use Adobe After Effects to fill in the gaps. This is a quick and easy tutorial showing you how to use this program to create your own time lapse video.
How To: Turn a 25 frames per second clip into a 50 frames per second clip
Having a clip filmed at 25p can sometimes make the footage look jerky, which can distract the viewer from the content of your film. This tutorial shows you how to convert a 25p clip to 50p or 25i using Adobe After Effects.
How To: Use a lens flare in your animations with Adobe After Effects
Want to add a lens flare to your current animation or film? You can manipulate the picture using Adobe After Effects, and this tutorial shows you precisely how. Play around with the light, brightness settings and other tools to get a lens flare effect.
How To: Add rolling, 3-D text to your project in Adobe After Effects
Create an image using Adobe After Effects in which 3-D words and numbers roll across the screen, as if they were on a giant wheel. This is not a difficult tutorial, and makes for a great intro clip for any video project.
How To: Create an eyecatching intro for your film or video using Adobe After Effects
Start with Adobe After Effects. Decide what you want your intro to look like. Then follow along with this tutorial, which shows you how to use the various tools in After Effects to create a short yet effective intro clip.
How To: Turn a 2D still image into a 3D space using After Effects
This tutorial shows you how to replicate a popular Hollywood technique. It can be difficult to get the camera projection look with an actual camera, but Adobe After Effects has an easy alternative. Turn any 2-D still image into a dynamic 3-D clip.
How To: Use Camera Mapper to create a realistic zoom in Adobe After Effects
The Camera Mapper plugin for Adobe After Effects shows you how to create a realistic zoom, where objects in the foreground move faster than objects in the background. Set up a realistic parallax and sell your shot by using Camera Mapper.
How To: Create an animated Christmas greeting in Adobe After Effects
Whether you are using Adobe CS3, CS4 or CS5, this tutorial will still work. This is a very basic holiday greeting, where the phrase 'Merry Christmas' (or whatever else you want to say) is animated to appear slowly over a blue, snow filled background.
How To: Create an ocean scene in After Effects CS5 without third-party plug-ins
Want to create a peaceful ocean scene within a video project? This clip will show you how it's done using only stock After Effects CS5 plug-ins.
How To: Conform footage from 25p to 24p in Adobe After Effects CS5
Want to convert your footage from 25 to 24 frames per second? In After Effects CS5, it's easy!
How To: Create a force field effect in Adobe After Effects CS5
Want to create a force field effect within a video project? This clip will show you how it's done using only stock After Effects CS5 plug-ins.
How To: Remove a green screen with Keylight in Adobe After Effects CS5
Interested in becoming a special effects wizard? Learn how to remove a greenscreen with Keylight in After Effects CS5!
How To: Transform a layer in Adobe After Effects CS5
In this clip, we learn how to transform layers in After Effects CS5. Whether you're entirely new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional, new to AE CS5, or just looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, 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 grungy title text sequence in Adobe After Effects CS5
Looking to add some grit to your next digital video production? Try this grungy title effect on for size!
How To: Create a teleportation effect in Adobe After Effects CS5
Ever dreamed of beaming someone up, Star Trek-style? With After Effects CS5, it's easy! And this two-part teleportation tutorial will teach you everything you need to know.
How To: Create animations with the Puppet tool in Adobe After Effects CS5
Learn how to rig a still image with the After Effects CS5 puppet tool!
How To: Use the Fractal Noise effect in Adobe After Effects CS5
Create eye-popping backgrounds with the After Effects CS5 Fractal Noise effect! Learn how with this brief video guide.
How To: Create a simple 3D title sequence entirely within Adobe After Effects
Interested in using After Effects to create an intro for your next video project? Learn how with this video guide, which will teach you how to create and position title text within 3D space in AE CS5.
How To: Link a layer to a null object in Adobe After Effects CS5
Null objects in After Effects CS5! In this clip, you'll learn all about them: what they are, how to create them and how to link layers to them. This clip also looks at adjustment layers and their relative advantages over making changes to individual layers within your projects.
How To: Create and use masks in Adobe After Effects CS5
Learn how to use After Effects CS5's built-in masking tools! Specifically, this clip addresses the creation and interaction of masks.
How To: Animate layers and text in Adobe After Effects CS5
Learn how to create layer and text animations in After Effects CS5 by altering position, rotation, opacity and scale parameters.
How To: Import footage and create a new composition in Adobe After Effects CS5
The first step in any After Effects CS5 project is importing your footage and setting up a custom composition with reference to the technical settings of your individual clips. Learn how it's done with this video tutorial.
How To: Get started using the Adobe After Effects CS5 user interface
Before you can get started creating eye-popping videos with After Effects CS5, you'll need to learn how its user interface works. Happily, this guide presents a very thorough overview of all the most important functions, features and filters.
How To: How Did He Do That?
I asked Cyriak Harris, a freelance animator from the UK, to reveal a few secrets on how he made his trippy, forever-multiplying hand fingers:
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: Create a Predator Missile attack animation in After Effects
The mysterious, still unidentified missile that was seen yesterday off the coast of Southern California is stilling boggling Los Angeles residents. The projectile was seen on November 8th, shooting straight up into the sky, just north of Catalina Island.
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: Create a subtle ocean-like underwater scene in After Effects
This After Effects tutorial will show you a nice underwater scene, complete with light rays, rising bubbles and cloudy ocean mist. You don't have to be a professional AE user to recreate this great animated scene, either! Laurence Grayson demonstrates all the techniques for this subtle ocean-like underwater look using the standard toolkit in Adobe After Effects (CS3, CS4 & CS5). Using Fractal Noise, CC Snow and a Lens Blur with Depth Map, Laurence will have you chilling out in no time!
How To: Use the Avid Media Composer in After Effects
The AMA architecture within Media Composer 5.0 has been expanding since 2009, to include the base of file formats which it is capable of supporting. This tutorial runs down many of these file formats, and how you can work with them After Effects and Avid Media Composer.
How To: Create basic 3D text in After Effects
In this tutorial, we learn how to create basic 3D text in After Effects. First, make a new composition and then create a text layer. After this, write in your text that you want in 3D. Then, add shatter to the drawing and select rendered. From here, change the pattern to custom and shape to text 1. Then, put all the strength and gravity to 0. Then, frame the text into the position that you want it to be in by rotating it around. Change the color if you would like to, then when you are done sa...
How To: Create particle effects with the Aux Particle function in Trapcode Particular
Using Trapcode Particular, Harry Frank teaches us how to create subtle unusual particle effects using the Aux Particle function in Trapcode 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 video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this fre...
How To: Make an energy ball in Adobe After Effects
In this tutorial, we learn how to make an energy ball in Adobe After Effects. First, load a movie of someone pretending to hold an energy ball in their hands. After you do this, you will select a new setting and change the color. From here, you will select a round circle tool and add it where the hand looks like it's holding it. Then, change the effect to make the ball move around with the hand. After this, add the tracker to the hand and position it with the hand. After this, change the cont...
How To: Create animated frozen titles in After Effects
This After Effects tutorial will show how to create a nice, smooth animated text effect, which turns your icy font into a frozen font. This is a great animation that can be easily learned, whether you're an AE pro or novice. Laurence Grayson chills out as he shows you how to create this ice texture effect, glassy text and a frozen text animation - all using just the standard effects that come in CS3, CS4 or CS5.
How To: Create a rusty, grungy checker plate texture in After Effects
You may not recognize the term "checker plate", but you've more than likely encountered it many times before. It's more commonly referred to as "diamond plate" and is the hardwearing, lightweight, non-slip metal stock with raised diamonds (or lines) that frequently adorn flight cases, stage decking and metal stair treads. This video will show you how to recreate that grungy look in After Effects.