Hot After Effects How-Tos
How To: Stabilize and remove objects from digital footage in After Effects CS5
In this clip, you'll learn how to stabilize and remove objects from your digital footage with After Effects CS5. 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 After Effects presets included with Vintage Film for Looks
Looking for a quick overview of how to take advantage of the AE presets included with Vintage Film for Looks? Look no further. 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: Replace the sky with tracking & displacement maps in Adobe After Effects CS5
Learn how to use Adobe After Effects CS5 to replace do basic sky replacement. 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: Overcrank 60p footage for a super slow-motion effect with Adobe After Effects
In this clip, you'll learn how to overcrank footage from a Canon DSLR camera like the 7D or T2i to a lower frame rate for a high-quality slow-motion effect. 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 thi...
How To: Conform & overcrank 60p footage to 24p slow motion in Adobe After Effects
This clip presents a guide to overcranking footage shot on a Canon DSLR camera like the 7D or T2i to a lower frame rate for a high-quality slow-motion effect. 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 t...
How To: Get started with animation and motion tracking using After Effects
After Effects is a powerful software program that will let the user create animations, as well as providing motion tracking and other movement-based graphics. If you've just installed After Effects on your computer, this tutorial gives you a good introduction and shows you around the program.
How To: Create faux 3D text in After Effects and 3D strokes behind the object
In this amazing, live tutorial (recorded obviously) Nick goes into great detail creating fake 3D text through creating multiple layers (without a script), as well as other great methods! This was a great video and even goes through some minor problems that you'll face when doing this and what you can do to fix those problems.
How To: Create a super-quick carbon fiber effect in Adobe After Effects
After Effects makes it easy to create wonderful designs and great looking material, and this tutorial makes it even easier! Watch and learn how to create a really quick carbon fiber (or carbon fibre for all you British folks) effect using After Effects. Carbon fiber is a great-looking material, and you can used the standard toolkit in After Effects to create an instant carbon fibre texture in seconds. Great for your next extreme sports car and high-tech driver video intro title sequence! Get ...
How To: Color grade footage with Magic Bullet Colorista in Adobe After Effects
In this two-part video tutorial, you'll see what it takes to color grade and correct footage with Magic Bullet Colorista in After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's 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 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: Obliterate a flying helicopter in After Effects
Attention all amateur filmmakers… if you want a cheap way to blow things up, After Effects is your man. This tutorial will show you specifically how to obliterate a flying helicopter in the sky, but this easy effect could be applied to anything you choose. It simulates the object exploding with flames and disappearing out of sight. Super easy. Great for After Effects beginners.
How To: Create the title effect from the Inception trailer
Inception might be the most anticipated movie of the summer, and now that it's out and you've had the chance to bask in it's majesty, you may be wondering if you can use any of it's magic and trickery in your own films. You can! This video will show you how to create the titles like the ones from the Inception trailer using After Effects. It's clean and simple yet dynamic, and sure to make your next film's intro much more appealing.
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: Do motion control when working in Adobe After Effects
This clip presents an overview of how to do motion control effects within Adobe After Effects. Whether you're completely new to Adobe's popular nonlinear editor (NLE) or are a seasoned digital video professional simply looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, you're sure to be well served by this free video software tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Make a light ray text swipe effect in After Effects
Making titles in After Effects is fun, relatively easy, and sure to make your film make a better first impression. This video will show you how to make a cool light ray text swipe effect with particles, like the one in the thumbnail. This isn't too hard as far as our After Effects titles tutorials, so try it out!
How To: Make futuristic digital titles in After Effects
There is not limit to the amount of cool title effects that you can create for you film using After Effects. This video will show you how to create a cool digital futuristic title effect by making use of a plane of particles animated based on your audio levels with the Fractal Field options.
How To: Create an audio particle spray effect in After Effects
Very few effects can be considered standard in After Effects, many are unique creations made by combining After Effects many tools. This video will show you how to create one such effect, an audio particle spray that will looks very cool in either titles or ending credits for a film. It is pretty easy to make and looks very, very cool.
How To: Make a cool quick text effect in After Effects
After Effects contains all manner of cool tools that you can use to create really appealing title effects for your films. This video will show you how to create one quick easy text effect in this powerful software suite by using a camera, null object, 3D text layers, and a particular background, all keyed to the music levels. The result is very cool and sure to impress your audiences.
How To: Use the Camera in After Effects to make cool effects
The Camera tool in After Effects can be used to create or help create all sorts of cool effects. This video will show you how to use it to create some simple 3D text effects for titles. You'll be some other effects and particles as well.
How To: Make a twisting particle field effect in After Effects
Particles are very useful for digital artists who want to create liquids, gasses, or clouds of small solids that react naturally. This video tutorial will show you how to use the twisting particle field effect to create a very cool title shown at the beginning of the first video. This particular particle effect is especially great for making galaxies and other fantastic images.
How To: Do node-based compositing as an After Effects user
In this tutorial, we take an introductory look at node based compositing from the perspective of an After Effects user. If you are someone who has lots of experience with After Effects, and wants to get into using a program like Shake, Nuke, or Fusion, this will help you get on the right track. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular compositing application or are just looking to get better acquainted with AE and its various features and functions, you're sure to enjoy this free video software ...
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: Simulate camera movement in After Effects
Shooting good footage with handheld cameras that wiggle, bounce, and fall onto rocks on a regular basis is tough. Sometimes, though, you may want to make it appear as if film that you've shot with tripods and such was actually shot with a handheld, like in some horror films. This video will show you how to create a fake camera movement effect in After Effects, giving your professionally-shot film just enough of that vérité quality.
How To: Create a color isolation effect in After Effects
If you've seen Sin City, what you probably remember most is the way color isolation was used throughout the film to reveal single colors in otherwise black-and-white scenes. This video will show you how to create the same effect for your own film in After Effects. Using this beautiful bunch of roses an an example, you will learn how to apply color isolation to film and maybe, just maybe, give Robert Rodriguez a run for his money.
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: Create an X-Ray vision effect in After Effects
X-Ray vision is one of the most memorable of Superman's many distinctive powers (he was so unfairly strong wasn't he?) and one that would be very useful to modern spies and voyeurs. This video will show you how to create an X-Ray vision special effect for your movie using After Effects. Whether your characters are looking into a girls' locker room or a secret Soviet meeting, the effect at least will be very cool.
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 the iPod commercial effect in After Effects
Apple's iconic silhouette people-dancing-against-colored-background iPod commercials may not rule the airwaves anymore, but they still look really cool. This video will show you how to recreate the effect of these commercials in After Effects using greenscreens. Now all you have to do is learn how to dance and you can film your own little iPod commercial!
How To: Create the Jumper disappearing effect in After Effects
The film Jumper may not have been critically acclaimed, but few can argue with how awesome the special effects that allowed the characters to teleport at will are. They looked great and were applied with great aplomb. This video will show you how to mimic that effect in After Effects, allowing you to make your own teleportation-happy films. I bet you can make one better than Jumper!
How To: Create the Half-Life 2 Portal storm in After Effects
Half-Life 2 and it's brilliantly creative baby Portal refuse to die, offering the same great gameplay today that they did when they were released in 2004. This video will show you how to mimic, in After Effects, a very cool effect from the game called a portal storm. It basically looks like lightning on steroids, and will give any movie that you are compositing in After Effects some really legit sci-fi flair.
How To: Use motion tracking in After Effects
Motion tracking a movie scene in After Effects is a royal pain in the butt. It takes a long time, depends largely on the suitability of the footage you are working with, and is rather confusing. This video is here to shed some light on the subject, offering many tips and tricks for basic motion tracking in After Effects. If you're having trouble getting your own scum-sucking monster to wander the desert realistically, watch this video!
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 and use blur effects in Adobe After Effects
This clip presents quick introduction to using blurs in After Effects and Fusion 5. 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: Export a normals pass from Cinema 4D to After Effects
In this tutorial, you'll see how to export a normals pass from Cinema 4D and how to use it to re-light objects in 2D inside of After effects and Fusion 5. 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 ...
How To: Create light wrapping and edge blurs in After Effects
This quick AE user's guide presents a lesson in light wrapping and edge blurs in 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 video guide.
How To: Work with 32-bit floating images in After Effects
In this tutorial, you'll learn how to work with 32 bit float images in 32 bpc mode in 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 video guide.
How To: Save and use animation presets in Adobe After Effects
In this clip, learn how to save and work with animation presets within 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 video guide.
How To: Create animated cartoon arrows in Adobe After Effects
In this After Effects tutorial, you'll see how to use Trapcode 3D Stroke to create animated arrows and lines. 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: 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: Create a character walk cycle in Adobe After Effects
In this Adobe After Effects user's guide, you'll learn how to create a simple walk cycle within AE. 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.