After Effects How-Tos
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: Create the jumbotron look in After Effects
It's game time baby! In this After Effects tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create the look of a giant monitor, such as the kind you might see at a stadium or concert. Create jumbotron animations in this After Effects tutorial. Create the jumbotron look 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: 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: Make a lightsaber in After Effects
This tutorial shows you the basics of how to make a Star Wars lightsaber in After Effects. Make sure to take good video footage of your fight scene to get the best results possible. Once you have your footage, all you need is After Effects to make the lightsaber effects.
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: 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: Animate photos with the puppet tool in After Effects
Want to learn how to turn photos into animation? It is possible, in Adobe After Effects! Watch this tutorial to learn how to animate photos using the After Effects Puppet Tool.
How To: Use the puppet tool in After Effects CS3
This tutorial shows you how to use the Puppet Tool in Adobe After Effects CS3. The Puppet Tool can be used when compositing in 2D or 3D space to manipulate and animate layers. If you are new to After Effects or have never used the Puppet tool, this tutorial will get you started.
How To: Use luma track mattes in Cinema4D & After Effects
This software tutorial shows you how to build a luma track matte in Cinema 4D 3D modeling software and then help speed-up your compositing of the track matte in After Effects. Creating a spinning logo with video footage inside the logo, as shown in this tutorial is a great way to learn to use Cinema 4D and After Effects together.
How To: Create the Matrix raining code effect in After Effects
This Adobe After Effects tutorial shows you how to create the Matrix raining code text effect. Learn how to use this motion graphics and 2D effects compositing software and the automation options available to easily create a Matrix raining code effect in After Effects.
How To: Create cutout animations in Photoshop & After Effects
This software tutorial is just a very rough overview showing the process of making a cutout animation using Photoshop and After Effects. The tutorial should give you enough ideas about the process to start creating your own cutout animations if you are familiary with Photoshop and After Effects.
How To: Create an endless wall effect in After Effects
In this After Effects tutorial you will learn how to create an endless wall effect. This is a basic tutorial and you can get more creative with your endless wall once you are comfortable with the basic effect from After Effects.
How To: Create a giant spider in After Effects and Blender
Ever wanted to own a giant spider? Well you can't, but you can fake it instead using software like After Effects and Blender. This tutorial shows you how to use Blender to work on the 3D spider and then finish adding it into a scene using After Effects. The spider can be found here:
How To: Learn the basics of Adobe After Effects
A great program for fine-tuning your video files! Learn how to use Adobe After Effects video compositing software to combine layers of video files in this free computer software video from a video production expert.
How To: Begin to use Adobe After Effects
Learn how to use Adobe After Effects video compositing software in this free computer software video from a video production expert.
How To: Get advanced Adobe After Effects techniques
Expert tips for fine-tuning your video files! Learn advanced techniques for using Adobe After Effects video compositing software in this free computer software video from a video production expert.
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: Enhance footage in After Effects
This instructional video will teach you how to enhance your footage [remove grain, bring out more color] with after effects. So enjoy this tutorial, and you don't need any additional plug ins, just the built in tools of after effects.
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 a pond ripple effect in After Effects
An After Effects tutorial on creating a pond surface effect and simulating an underwater video. Start with footage of a person looking down at the camera and then "touching" the water, then follow along with this tutorial and you'll have rippling water in no time.
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: Animate with the puppet tool in After Effects CS3
See how to easily animate raster images and vector graphics using Adobe After Effects' Puppet tool. This
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: Use keylight w/green screen footage in After Effects
This After Effects tutorial covers how to use the keylight plug-in when working with green screen footage. The keylight plugin makes it easy to remove the subjects from the green screen background. This saves time and makes it easy for you to get working on compositing your effects and other After Effects projects.
How To: Use keylight with green screens in After Effects
This software tutorial explains how to use the keylight plugin with green screen footage in After Effects. This tutorial gives a detailed breakdown that is perfect for beginning After Effects or green screen users.
How To: Create a nearly invisible man in After Effects
Learn how to create a nearly invisible man, using the displacement effect and more in After Effects! This software tutorial shows you how to create a great disappearing effect in After Effects.
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: Throw Super Mario fireballs in Adobe After Effects 7.0
Using Adobe After Effects 7.0, this tutorial shows you how to dish out fireballs like a true plumber by creating a Super Mario Bros. fireball effect for your footage.
How To: Create advanced lightning effects in After Effects CS3
This tutorial shows you how to create some advanced lightening effects in After Effects CS3.
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...
How To: Track objects moving out of frame in After Effects
Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern shows you a how to track objects that are moving out of frame in After Effects using expressions and AE motion tracker. Track objects moving out of frame in After Effects.
How To: Use the remove color matting effect in After Effects
In this After Effects tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz adds to the concepts he covered in his tutorial Straight Vs. Premultiplied and explains how to use the remove color matting effect to fix a bad composite in After Effects. Use the remove color matting effect in After Effects.
How To: Add depth to fractal noise in After Effects
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you a cool tip for adding depth to your Fractal Noise animations with the perspective offset. Add depth to fractal noise in After Effects.
How To: Create custom shapes in After Effects
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to move beyond the Basic shape tools to create your own custom shapes. Part two shows you how to combine several shapes to make a complex shape. Create custom shapes in After Effects - Part 1 of 2.
How To: Create the Sin City luminance effect in After Effects
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Grant Swanson will cover important and useful techniques for working with alpha channels that are specifically derived from certain color luminance values. He will explain how to extract the color of a certain area of the image, turn it into an alpha channel, and use it to manipulate the image. Create the Sin City luminance effect in After Effects.