Hot After Effects How-Tos
How To: Turn a sunny day into a cloudy day using After Effects
In this three part After Effects tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to change the weather from a sunny day at the beach to a very cloudy day, with a chance of showers. Part one goes over color correction and compositing, part two covers how to add rain to your shot, as well as drops of water on the camera, and part three shows how to add realistic lightning to the shot. Turn a sunny day into a cloudy day using After Effects - Part 1 of 3.
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: 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: Stroke keylights in Adobe After Effects CS4 or CS5
This quick After Effects video tip will show you how to stroke a bitmap using Keylight and Solid Composite. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular vector editor or a seasoned graphic arts 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 stabilize a shaky video recording
We don't always have a tripod handy when we need to grab some footage for our latest video project, but shaky footage can ruin an otherwise great video. Thankfully, After Effects has a 'stabilize motion' tool that you can apply to your recording to prevent headaches brought on by a shaky camera.
How To: Use FreeForm to simulate flowing cloth or ribbon in After Effects
You can use the FreeForm plugin to create the look of cloth blowing in the wind - like an animated ribbon, or a banner waving in the wind. The key is in designing the displacement map to get a truly realistic effect.
How To: Create a twinkling star effect in Adobe After Effects
This is a great background for Christmas plays, holiday pageants or any other video you want to add a little twinkle! You can add a twinkling star quite easily in Adobe After Effects, and this tutorial shows you exactly how!
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: Use Trapcode Starglow After Effects plugin
This software tutorial shows you how to use the Trapcode Starglow plugin for After Effects. Add Hollywood glamour to text or shapes with the fast-rendering Starglow plug-in. With multiple colors and point and shimmer controls, the star power is all at your fingertips. If you have never used Starglow in After Effects, this tutorial will get you started. Use Trapcode Starglow After Effects plugin.
How To: Import images with transparency into After Effects
In this software tutorial you will learn how to manipulate images in Photoshop to remove the background and then bring that transparent background image into After Effects without loosing the transparency. The Photoshop section covers the use of the Magnetic Lasso tool and Quick Mask to remove a background. With the image adjusted, you will learn how to import your new image into After Effects with preserved transparency.
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: Make extruded shapes emit from Particular
Here is a simple way to make an extruded shape emit from Trapcode Particular. Particular is a particle plug-in for After Effects and this two video tutorial will show you how to create and then use 3D stars with Particular. It's a simple example, but the creative possibilities are great.
How To: Change the language to English in After Effects
Have you got a copy of After Effects installed with the language set to another language? Check out this helpful video to learn how to set the language English, whatever the current language is. Maybe your film is in French, but that doesn't mean your visual effects software has to be.
How To: Create slick floor reflections for crowds of people in After Effects
Create simple reflections in Adobe After Effects with keyed footage. In this video tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz of All Bets Are Off demonstrates its use with video footage of both crowd and individuals. In addition, some potential issues with Collapse Transformations are also addressed.
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: 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: 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: 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: 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 a pulse or pulsating wave effect in After Effects
Making really attractive titles for your films is just one of the way that you can dramatically improve them using After Effects. This video will help you make them by showing you how to create a pulse or pulsating wave effect from whence your titles can emerge. They look great, and will make your movie (especially horror or sci-fi movie) look much more professional right from the beginning.
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: Animate text along the x axis in Adobe After Effects
Want to create simple animated text within Adobe After Effects but aren't quite sure how to go about doing it? You're in luck. This clip will show you how to animate text along the x position. 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, ...
How To: Create an animated spider web with Adobe After Effects
In this tutorial, you will learn how to use Illustrator and After Effects to create a spider web that animates on and catches some text that flies into it. 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 a 3D glow text stroke effect in After Effects
This tutorial uses After Effects to design a quick animation that looks like several light streaks form the letters of a word. The letters burst from the light streaks with a particle explosion. This tutorial uses Trapcode 3D Stroke and 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 vi...
How To: Create a gradient wipe effect in Premiere Pro CS4/CS5
Learn how to create an eye-catching gradient wipe transition effect within Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 or CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular non-linear editor 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 numeric text in After Effects
In this episode of Red Giant TV, Aharon Rabinowitz gives you some cool tips for working with Numeric Text, for things like video game scores and other digital readouts. No third-party Plug-ins are used in this tutorial. 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 After Effects, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-...
How To: Create a 1980s retro video game look in After Effects
In this clip, Aharon Rabinowitz walks you through the process of creating the look of a vector style arcade game from the early 1980's. He'll use PlaneSpace, Particular, & Text Anarchy, as well as expressions and other techniques. 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 ...
How To: Make a globe and radio wave animation in After Effects
See how to make a Radio Wave animation that encircles a 3D sphere. First, the clip demonstrates how to achieve this effect using After Effects. Next, it offers instructions on how to do the same thing within Cinema 4D. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, and to get started creating your own custom radio wave animation, watch this free video software tutorial.
How To: Key a green screen using After Effects
Green screens are clever devices that have saved movie studios millions of dollars in production fees because of their ability to let you tack on any background you desire digitally.
How To: Build a car racing scene from photographs
In this great, albeit long, tutorial Nick from Greyscale Gorilla shows you how to create a car racing scene from a series of photographs in After Effects. It's very kinetic and looks great.
How To: Create handwriting in After Effects
In this Adobe After Effects tutorial, the instructor shows how to generate a hand writing effect. First, open Adobe After Effects. To do this effect, you need to use the Pen tool, which is a very good feature. Go to File menu, select new then create a new project. Go to composition and select a new composition. Right click and fit it to 100%. Go to the text tool and select a box on the composition and write something that you want. Apply a desired color and font to it. Select the text box, go...
How To: Add camera movement to a still image in After Effects
In this video, viewers learn how to add realistic camera movement to a still image using Adobe After Effects CS4. Adobe After Effects is a digital motion graphics and compositing software. This tutorial will go over how to add realistic camera movement to a still image or photo and make it seem that it is an actually video. This tutorial will also teach viewers about motion tracking and basic chroma keying. This video will benefit viewers who enjoy producing videos and creating special effects.
How To: Create an old age 8mm film look in After Effects
Using the Digi Effects plugin "Aged Film" in After Effects, learn how to take your digital footage and turn it into a Super 8mm looking reel. Author Oliver Mellan, shows step-by-step how to create that faux grainy look to make your 21st century film look as deep & rich as any 8mm or 16mm film.
How To: Make an eye glowing effect in Adobe After Effects
What every indie filmmaker needs is a little program called After Effects. After effects does wonders for any film requiring a little special effects that would normally be too expensive to make "real". Like this glowing eye effect. See how to make an eye glowing effect in Adobe After Effects.
How To: Use 3D Stroke in Adobe After Effects
After Effects is one of the best digital motion graphics software programs out there. Learn it. Now.
How To: Use blending modes in Adobe After Effects
Get started using Adobe After Effects with the help of The New Boston! This beginner's tutorial is bound to answer the many questions you have about the popular digital motion graphics and compositing software. The main purpose of After Effects is for film and video post-production.
How To: Create 3D text with Boris FX for After Effects
Check out this CreativeCow video on creating extruded or 3D text using After Effects. This new video tutorial from Paul Ezzy shows you the basics of using BCC Extruded Text in Adobe After Effects. BCC Extruded Text belongs to the 3D Objects category of filters which is new to Boris Continuum Complete 6. These stunning OpenGL-based filters use vertex and pixel shaders that enable the generation of animated 3D shatter, bulge, bend, taper, twist, ripple, and wave effects. You can also create ref...
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: Create cartoon blood effects in After Effects
This software tutorial shows you how to create cartoony blood effects in After Effects CS3. This isn't going to be realistic looking blood, but if you want to learn how to create a blood or fluid effect using standard After Effects tools and the CC Mr Mercury filter.
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.