Everything Else
How To: Create a custom wave form in After Effects
In the first part of this After Effects tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create a customized, sound-reactive waveform using a stroke, a distortion effect and an expression. One reason you may want to do this is if you need a rounded wave (ie: a sine wave). Once you have your rounded wave, part two shows you how to improve the look of the customized waveform by changing it's amplitude Create a custom wave form in After Effects - Part 1 of 2.
How To: Animate a signature in After Effects
Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to animate a signature appearing on screen, and a few tricks to make it look more realistic. What a great way to liven up an online resume! You don't need to watch part 2 to finish your animated signature, but if you want to add in the pen, watch part two. Please note, part two utilizes After Effects 3D. Animate a signature in After Effects - Part 1 of 2.
How To: Deal with the keyframe boomerang effect in AE
Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to handle the annoying (and sometimes crippling) boomerang effect, in which a layer moves randomly between two spatial keyframes that are exactly the same. This is a two part tutorial on fixing moving keyframes (the trick is to manipulate the animation curves!) in After Effects. Deal with the keyframe boomerang effect in AE - Part 1 of 2.
How To: Nest and pre-composite in After Effects
Aharon Rabinowitz explains the basics of nesting and pre-composing compositions in After Effects. Part one of this video gives you some good conceptual ideas and basics that you can later apply to your own compositions. Part two goes over more examples of why and how you'd want to use them. Nest and pre-composite in After Effects - Part 1 of 2.
How To: Create an odometer in After Effects
This After Effects podcast tutorial by Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to set up a basic odometer, ready for manual keyframed animation. If you've been wanting to create an odometer or slot machine display, this tutorial will get you on your way. The second part goes over automating the odometer with expressions and the third makes it more three-dimensional. Create an odometer in After Effects - Part 1 of 3.
How To: Use displacement maps in After Effects
In this 3-part series on Displacement Mapping, Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz covers the basics of using this effect in both After Effects 6.5 and 7. This highly detailed tutorial will get you started on distorting your footage with displacement maps. Please note, you must have After Effects PRO to do these effects. Use displacement maps in After Effects - Part 1 of 3.
How To: Convert video to cartoon in After Effects
In this three part tutorial Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz explains the process of converting video to cartoon by using only After Effects and Adobe Illustrator CS2. Even if you don't want to create this exact effect, this tutorial covers a TON of basics and is a worthwile learning experience. Topics discussed: Dealing with interlaced footage, Basic Color and Image Correction, Creative Outlines, rendering an image sequence, using layer blending/transfer modes, Motion Tracking, Hold Key...
How To: Make a crowd with Particular in After Effects
This excellent tutorial shows you how easy it is to make a crowd out of a few people. Using the Trapcode plug-in particular, Mike Goedecke from the design firm Belief, teaches us how to do it. Turn a small group into a mass of people.
How To: Create a dark 3D tunnel in After Effects
Ever wanted to create a cavernous tunnel in After Effects? This tutorial takes you through the steps. Learn lighting techniques and how to place layers in 3D space. Create a dark 3D tunnel in After Effects.
How To: Make the light streaks from the iPod Nano commercial
If you have Adobe After Effects and want to create the cool light trails from the Apple Nano commercial, then this is the video for you. This professional will show you step-by-step the process needed for these effects Make the light streaks from the iPod Nano commercial.
How To: Use the glow plug-in in After Effects
Many designers love hot, glowing looks. However, the After Effects Glow plug-in is available only in the Professional edition, and is not all that intuitive to use. This two-part module demonstrates how to use the same plug-in to get two quite different looks: "inside" glows for full-frame footage, and "outside" glows to create a halo or aura text, logos, and any other object with an alpha channel. It also demonstrates a quick and easy way to get glow-like halos for those who do not have the ...
How To: Create 3D objects in After Effects
This movie shows you how to create actual 3D objects in After Effects without expressions or 3rd party software. This example uses the shatter tool and some text, but you don't have to stick just to text.
How To: Blend clips in After Effects
In this After Effects tutorial you will learn how to use blur, median, and levels to make individual pieces of art blend together to look natural, as well as get pointers for starting character animation. It will help if you already know a bit about After Effects. Blend clips in After Effects.
How To: Simulate slot machine reels in After Effects
Colin Lea has come up with a tutorial for creating animation that simulates slot machine reels. Ko Maruyama has made this video version of the tutorial for you to learn from.
How To: Create a frosty shape in After Effects
In After Effects, there are several effects that will help you to edit simple shapes into more complex images. Here is a procedure to create a spline that looks like a frosty or "icey" shape using a mask, stroke and distortion blur.
How To: Create your own hot keys in After Effects 6.5
This tutorial goes over how to edit the text document that controls the hot key (shortcut key) commands. It doesn't go into the advanced commands or even begin to describe the various commands that you can invoke by changing the text document, but most of the users who will be editing this are ADVANCED USERS. NEVER. NEVER change the shortcut settings on a machine that is not yours and ALWAYS. ALWAYS make a backup copy of the document before you start to work on it.
How To: Create "that little gleam" in After Effects
After Effects 6.5 shipped with many Cycore Effects one being the Light Sweep effect for fast and effective light gleams. In this video tutorial, DMN’s Stephen Schleicher walks you through the process of using the effect for your project.
How To: Generate particles from motion in After Effects
In this Particle Playground tutorial, Jerzy Drozda Jr (aka Maltaannon) demonstrates how to generate particles from live action footage without using any keyframes or expressions. The idea of this is to show you how to generate particles that inherit motion and velocity from live footage, not just make fire. Particle Playground is an After Effects plug-in. Generate particles from motion in After Effects.
How To: Create 3D extruded text in After Effects
Aharon Rabinowitz shows you several popular techniques and tools for creating 3D extruded text in After Effects. Some of the solutions he discusses are the shatter effect, plug-ins like Zaxwerks and another shadow and RGB value method. Create 3D extruded text in After Effects.
How To: Create a vanishing point effect in After Effects CS3
Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to use Photoshop CS3's Vanishing Point tool to convert a flat 2D image into a 3D object in After Effects CS3. This may sound pretty basic, but After Effects doesn't always import the Photoshop coordinates correctly and this tutorial shows you how to fix it. Create a vanishing point effect in After Effects CS3.
How To: Create a custom shape extruder in After Effects
In this video tutorial, Jerzy Drozda Jr (aka Maltaannon) demonstrates how you can extrude any vector based layer to give it a real 3D look inside After Effects. Above all other features... it consists only of one layer. Not only can it be textured, but it can also reflect the world around it. And because it still is a Shape Layer you can apply any Shape Layer modifiers (like Offset Paths, or Round Corners) to create a custom look. This is a long video, but it makes a great Custom Effect. The ...
How To: Video time stretch in After Effects CS3
In this tutorial Chad demonstrates how video sequences can be shortened or lengthened using Time Stretching in Adobe After Effects CS3.
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: Use Motion Tracker in After Effects 6
Discover how After Effects redesigned Motion Tracker (After Effects Professional only) gives you more power to synchronize motion between two elements in a composited scene. Learn how Motion Tracker works by analyzing the moving pixels in each frame and then using that data to control the motion of a new layer. Set as many tracking points as you like or choose from a list of defaults. Also see how Motion Tracker's interface and controls have been simplified to be faster and easier to use.
How To: Create an animated ring of text around an object in AE
Instructor Brian Maffitt gives a fast-paced recipe for creating a Saturn-like ring of text around an orange. Brian gives the Stroke, Path Text, and Basic 3D filters a good workout, stresses the importance of pre-composing, and tops it all off with an inverted mask. This is a great "fake-3D" effect you'll be glad to add to your arsenal. So come on...orange you going to watch this clip?
How To: Relight an actor in particleIllusion
Have you ever created an effect in which your actor is throwing a fireball? Pretty cool effect, right? But something's wrong. It doesn't quite look real. In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Elvis Deane demonstrates relighting an actor that's throwing a fireball which will add realism to the effect. Relight an actor in particleIllusion.
How To: Create an outline around an actor in After Effects
In this tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create the popular effect in which a colored stroke is placed around a keyed or rotoscoped subject. This example outlines an actor, but you can use it on anything. Create an outline around an actor in After Effects.
How To: Create & enhance text wipe-on effects in After Effects
In this tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you a simple method of creating text wipe-on effects, and ways to enhance them with an updated look. Create & enhance text wipe-on effects in After Effects.
How To: Ensure broadcast-safe colors in After Effects
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you a simple method of ensuring Broadcast-Safe Colors in your final output. Ensure broadcast-safe colors in After Effects.
How To: Use "Per-Character Text Blur" in After Effects
In this podcast, Creative Cow leader Andrew Kramer shows you how to use the "Per-Character Text Blur" effect, a new feature in After Effects 7. Use "Per-Character Text Blur" in After Effects.
How To: Create the Film Flash transition in After Effects
In this tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create the coveted Film Flash transition in After Effects, without the use of any 3rd-party plug-ins. Create the Film Flash transition in After Effects.
How To: Scale a motion path in After Effects
In this tutorial Aharon Rabinowitz shows you the secret to scaling a motion path in After Effects. If you've ever created motion in after effects that you needed to confine to a smaller area, but also needed to keep the exact same shape, this lesson will show you how you can easily do just that, through the use of After Effects layer masks. Scale a motion path in After Effects.
How To: Import a motion path into After Effects
In this brief tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you a simple way to create masks and motion paths in After Effects using Illustrator and Photoshop path shapes. Import a motion path into After Effects.
How To: Create junk mattes/garbage masks in After Effects
In this After Effects tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shares a method of quickly and automatically creating extremely precise junk mattes/gargabe masks for use in the keying process. Create junk mattes/garbage masks in After Effects.
How To: Render an After Effects project on multiple machines
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to Render a project on several computers at once (render farm), without the use of the After Effects render Engine. This may not be the most exciting video ever, but it's essential information when you need to render your really cool stuff quickly! Render an After Effects project on multiple machines.
How To: Fix videos imported with the wrong frame rate into AE
Aharon Rabinowitz discusses one of the most common After Effects mistakes: importing image sequences at the wrong frame rate. Of course, he tells you the effects and solutions to fix the problem. Fix videos imported with the wrong frame rate into AE.
How To: Create ray traced light reflections in After Effects
Andrew Kramer demonstrates how to create ray traced light reflections inside After Effects. After Effects does not handle ray traced reflections natively so follow along with tutorial and learn some cool tricks to get a ray traced effect. Create ray traced light reflections in After Effects.
How To: Use fractal noise in After Effects
In this tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz introduces you to the Fractal Noise Effect, and shows you how to create the animated backgrounds seen in the opening of the Creative Cow After Effects tutorials. Fractal noise is a powerful way to add variation and randomness to surfaces or scenes and this tutorial only covers the VERY basic basics of the tool. Use fractal noise in After Effects.
How To: Force motion blur on objects in After Effects
In this After Effects tutorial Creative Cow leader Aharon rabinowitz shows you how to add a motion blur to effects that don't support this feature. Motion blur is key for any fast moving objects or effects and it can often cover up imperfections, so it's an important skill to learn. Also covered is adding blur to video footage that has been sped up, and an introduction to CyCore's updated Effects: CyCore FX HD. Force motion blur on objects in After Effects.
How To: Find missing footage in After Effects
Even the best After Effects user sometimes may loose footage. If you're a newbie or a veteran, this video may be helpful to you. Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to locate missing footage and other elements in your After Effects project. Find missing footage in After Effects.