Tutorials
Digieffects Damage | Artifact - 8bit Gaming Tutorial
Brandon Smith from Digieffects shows us how to create 8bit looking video with Damage's Artifact plug-in in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro 6/7, & Final Cut Pro X.
Cosmodius - Creating a Retro Sci-fi Logo Animation
In this episode of Red Giant TV, Aharon Rabinowitz walks you through the process of creating a Retro Sci-Fi logo. In addition to creating the logo, he'll show you how to age the video to make it look like it came out of the early 80's.
Kinect MoCap Animation in After Effects — Part 1: Getting Started
Post by Victoria Nece. "Today I’m going to show you how to use your Kinect to animate a digital puppet like this one in After Effects. Once you’re up and running, you’re going to be using a Processing app called KinectToPin, written by the very talented animator Nick Fox-Gieg. That’s where you actually capture the tracking data, as well as where you convert it to keyframe information After Effects can understand."
Let it Flow: An In-depth Look at the Grid Emitter in Trapcode Particular
Post by Harry Frank at Red Giant: "Trapcode Particlar and Form are very similar in many ways. Sometimes, you might even want the organic look of Form with the 3D position control of Particular. We'll discuss how to get detailed control over particle grids to create something organic."
Inside the Nebulae by Peder Norrby/ Trapcode
"Actual images of nebulas taken with the Hubble space telescope were combined in After Effects with CG gas clouds and stars made using Trapcode Form and Starglow."
Funky Animations With CC Circle And Radio Waves
Post by Tibor Miklos at AEtuts+. Hello everyone! In this tutorial we’re gonna show you how you can create 3 awesome circle animations with a few simple steps and default plug-ins such as CC Circle and Radio Waves.
After Effects CS5.5 Changes from Video2Brain
Todd Kopriva of Adobe goes over changes in the CS5.5 version of Adobe After Effects. 1 hour 25 minutes. It's probably more of an overview than a tutorial, but you're guaranteed to learn something.
Bringing Cinema 4D Shadows Into After Effects
Post by Joren Kandel / The Pixel Lab. "In this quick Cinema 4D and After Effects tutorial I'll show you how to set up your C4D render to export shadows to AE. I'll also go over how to composite the multipasses correctly in After Effects."
mocha Pro: How to Remove Objects and Logos
Imagineer Systems' product specialist Mary Poplin, created this tutorial to show how mocha Pro and Adobe Photoshop can be used to remove objects from scenes when there is no clean footage.
Twixtor Pro Training: Part Two
Featuring an example from 'Darrienia' vimeo.com/32156942 a short film by Danny Cooke and myself, We shall be exploring Twixtor Pro and how you can take advantage of open and closed masks to help calculate where the pixels should move frame to frame. Resulting in a far better interpolated image.
Twixtor Pro Training: Part One
Post by Elliott.G.Montello on Vimeo. "After much demand, I have released a tutorial explaining how I used RE:Vision Effects Twixtor to create the interpolated slow motion in the short film 'Incendium' by Danny Cooke and myself."
Achieving Realistic Depth Of Field In 3D Studio Max & After Effects
Post by Chandan Kumar at CGtuts+. "Depth Of Field is essential to add believability and realism to any 3d render. In this tutorial Chandan Kumar will explain how to achieve in camera DOF in 3d studio max, and how to improve quality and control focus using the camera’s target distance. In the second half of the tutorial we’ll move into After Effects where you’ll learn how Z-Depth can be used to control Depth of Field using AE’s Lens Blur Options and the benefits of doing this in post production."
Expression Shorts - Read External Text Document
David Torno's new series, Expression Shorts, kicks off with a tutorial called Read External Text Document.
After Effects, Cinema 4D, and The Foundry CameraTracker Workflow Tutorial
Post by Joren at The Pixel Lab. "In this supersized tutorial series, I’m going to go over the workflow to complete a 3D track using the new Foundry Camera Tracker in After Effects. In this first part we will go over the After Effects side of things. In the next tutorial we will head over into Cinema 4D where we will add 3D objects using the 3D track data! This is an amazing workflow, made possible by the Foundry Camera Tracker and the new Maxon Cinema4D Export plugin for After Effects."
“Dominoes” CameraTracker and Cinema 4d Tutorial – Part 1 & 2
Learn about using the Foundry Camera Tracker with Maxon Cinema 4D. Tutorial by AETuts+by Alexander Lehnert.
Tracking an object that goes off screen in After Effects
Posted by Kert Gartner at VFX Haiku. "In this tutorial, we take a look at how to track an object that goes off screen with Adobe After Effects."
Comic Book Title Sequence at Red Giant TV
Posted by Aharon Rabinowitz at Red Giant TV. "Get ready to open a can of awesome, because in this Episode of Red Giant TV, Seth Worley shows you how to create an awesome 2.5D comic book-style title/credit sequence. Ka-Pow!"
Animating Wall-E Style LED Eyes In 3D Studio Max & After Effects
Posted by Mile Eror at CGtuts+. "In this tutorial you will learn how to create, animate and render LED style eyes for characters like robots or even some products while creating presentations. We start by setting up the 3d scene, jumping in to After Effects, setting up the project there and then head back to 3ds Max for the final animation and rendering."
Creating edge-blended Panoramic Projections in After Effects
By Robert Sarosi from erLab. ErLab_edgeBlender script for After effects helps make edge-blended panoramic projections for projector based images and panoramas.
How To Track Footage That Is Out Of Focus
Posted by Stefan Surmabojov on AEtuts+: "How to work with footage that is out of focus making if difficult to track. After we track it we are going to attach the camera interface elements and fake some depth of field to create the illusion that they are floating in space and shift in and out of focus like the rest of the scene."
Light A Simulated Flickering Candle Flame
By Chandan Kumar on AEtuts+. "In this tutorial we will see how to create and animate a candle flame inside After Effects using simple expressions and a few easy steps. "
How to Sync Motion Typography to Audio in After Effects
In After Effects, “Evan Abrams” provides some easy methods for synchronizing audio to motion graphics.
How to Make An Animated Title Sequence in Cinema 4D and After Effects
Posted by GreyscaleGorilla for the Vimeo School Series. "Vimeo asked me to do a tutorial for their excellent Vimeo School series and I said “heck yes!” It’s all about how to make a fun animated title using Cinema 4D and After Effects. In Lesson 1, we build the logo from a vector file and prepare it for render. In part 2, we composite it in After Effects using the built in Tracking Software, lens blur and color correction."
Words in lines by Mattias Peresini
"Final result of my free After Effects tutorial (french), Words in Lines" (French, English Available Soon).
Creating a Christmas Tree with Trapcode Particular
Via Red Giant TV: In this episode of Red Giant TV, Michael Park returns to us with a fantastic tutorial on creating a Christmas tree (complete with lights and star at the top) with Trapcode Particular. You'll also use Trapcode Starglow to enhance the look.
Create Procedurally Animated Rhythmic Dancing Marbles
Posted by Satya Meka at AEtuts+. "Inspired by this piece by Eamae Mirkin which was originally created using the processing programming language, Satya explains the required math background and shows you how to replicate this beautiful animation in After Effects."
Create And Composite A Mobile Phone App Demo Template
Posted by Carolin Sellman at AEtuts+. "In this tutorial you will learn the workflow on how to set up a scene for an animated pack shot of a phone in CINEMA 4D and composite it in After Effects. We’ll start off by setting up the scene in CINEMA 4D, animating the phone model and go through the necessary render settings for getting our files into After Effects. After that we’ll compose our scene in After Effects using luma and alpha mattes. We’ll also create a background and a reflection on the floor using a few simple steps."
Create an Elegant Concentric Rings Animation
Posted at AEtuts+ by Satya Meka: "Satya shows us how to use iterations of simple shape layers to create some beautiful procedural art. Satya also recreated the effect in Cinema 4D and has create a bonus addendum tutorial which in true Satya style is full of XPresso goodness."
Advanced Soft Keying
Posted by Andrew Kramer at Video Copilot. In this tutorial we will go beyond basic keying techniques with new tips to help preserve small details like dirt and reflections. • Key out footage without eliminating the soft reflections • Composite in 32bpc for more realistic blending
Digieffects FreeForm AE Tutorial #2
Mark Christiansen shows you how to make flowing cloth with Displacement Mapping with FreeForm AE.
Digieffects FreeForm AE Tutorial #1
Mark Christiansen gets you started with Displacement Mapping with FreeForm AE and shows you how to make some incredible effects with Digieffects FreeForm AE.
After Effects Parenting with a Null Object
This tutorial is more of a concept. It demonstrates parenting to a null object.
Magnifying Glass Effect
This tutorial will let you create a cool moving magnifying glass effect in After Effects.
Premultiplied Alpha vs. Straight Alpha
Every wonder what is the difference between a straight or premultiplied alpha channel? This tutorial gives a little explanation as well as an example when “guess” does not work.
After Effects: Drop Shadows Using Expressions
This tutorial demonstrates how you can use expressions to control a drop shadow to give the illusion of depth. If an object is casting a shadow, as the object moves further from the background the shadow becomes less pronounced. The opposite happens as the object moves closer to the background.
Vanishing Point Tutorials for After Effects and Photoshop
The ever prolific Ko Maruyama has produced a couple of videos for the Adobe Design Center about Vanishing Point.
Kaleidoscope Of Dancing Veggies Using Echospace in After Effects
Posted by Ritika Jain at AEtuts+. A colorful motion graphic piece meant for a food show or cooking program. With the often forgotten Trapcode Echospace you can turn as many photos as you want into one cheerful looking animation.
Requirements: Adobe After Effects and Trapcode Echospace
Ocean Water Effect presentation by Aharon Rabinowitz
Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create this ocean scene in Adobe After Effects with only the tools found in AE.
Magic Glass Breaking Time Freeze
Create a cool looking glass/window break. I’ll be talking through some basic compositing with Action Movie Essentials 2 and cover a little time remapping.
Automated Animation With Rig Cycles in After Effects
In this tutorial, we will rig and create cycle animation to breathe life into a still image of a Kangaroo. Then we’ll take the cycle render and animate it across our master scene, using null animation. We will also create a hint of parallax using camera projection. The techniques you’ll learn in this simple tutorial will open up loads of opportunities for your own creativity.
How to make a Cinemagraph with Photoshop and After Effects
An interesting technique where a portion of a still image is animated. Some are very cool, some are creepy! Animated GIFs live!!
Tutorial: How to Remove Banding Artifacts in After Effects
Posted by Nick Campbell/Greyscalegorilla.
"In this episode, I show you how to remove the banding from your videos rendered in After Effects. Banding happens when video is compressed and similar colors get posterized. This undesirable, visible bands of color that can be distracting, and in some cases downright ugly. Check out the video for some techniques to prevent this banding from happening."
Free Imagineer Mocha Day for Night Tutorial from Curious Turtle
In this new free tutorial using footage from Artbeats, we'll look at creating a Day for Night scene using Imagineer Systems mocha to do the tracking and roto work. Then we bring that data into Adobe After Effects to do the compositing work.
Digieffects LightWrap by Kevin P. McAuliffe
Created by Kevin P. McAuliffe
Enhance the look of your keyed video by adding DE LightWrap to give a more realistic look.
Depth of Field in After Effects
In this video tutorial, Digieffects' Dustin Klein shows you how to create a depth map with one click while working in After Effects. Using the company's recent plug-in, Depth, Klein shows you how to add more accurate and photoreal results to your comps than you can create with the default tools inside AE. The Depth plug-in can turn an entire AE comp into a depth map based on the relative positions of layers in z-space.
The Importance of Compositing: A Layer By Layer Breakdown in After Effects
In this video, I wanted to show you how important compositing is for your 3D renders. A 3D render is never finished straight from Cinema 4D or any 3D package. Every shot needs and deserves some sort of compositing and color correction before it’s ready for prime time. Uploading a render straight from 3D is like uploading a raw image from your digital camera without any color correction. Rich Hinchcliffe was kind enough to allow me to show you his compositng file for this excelent animation for the latest Five Second Projects. I will show you how Rich used After Effects, color correction, blurs, RSMB Motion Blur, Frischluft Lens Care and Lens Flares to turn his simple grey primitive 3D animation into a beautiful, atmosphere rich finished composite.
After Effects Lip Sync Tutorial
Posted by Rob Moffett on Vimeo. Uses expressions to create a lip sync to audio.
Basic Head rotations using 3D Layers, Distortion Mesh & Expressions in After Effects
Posted by Daniel Gies on Vimeo: "This is a really quick overview of one method to approach head rotations and Blink animations. It is not a definitive method, but if your character design suites the process it can be quite effective.
I just skim over the expressions and property linking so if you need a more detailed overview of linking sliders to layer attributes check out my earlier tutorial on Using Sliders."
Tutorial: Transferring your After Effects CS5 plug-ins to After Effects CS5.5
Michele Yamazaki of Toolfarm shows you a quick way to get your plug-ins moved to Adobe After Effects CS5.5 from CS5. It will take 5 minutes and will not require you to download new installers.
On a Windows machine? Brandon Smith from Digieffects has a windows version of the tutorial for you here: http://youtu.be/KcNmIeFXS08
After Effects CS5.5: Stereo 3D Controls by Chris Meyer on Adobe TV
Chris Meyer, one of the world's foremost After Effects experts, teaches you how to take advantage of his favorite features from the CS5.5 release in this complete end-to-end training series.
Learn how the new stereoscopic 3D camera rig plus resulting chain of compositions in After Effects CS5.5 are manipulated by the Stereo 3D Controls effect, including setting camera separation (inter-axial distance) and the convergence options.
Super Slow Motion Effect Using Images in After Effects
Posted by by Michael DeVowe on Vimeo: "Create a super slow motion effect from images in After Effects! All you need is two or more photos to create this effect. Pixel Motion is used in After Effects."
Five Quick Ways to Clean Up Your Shots with mocha Pro
Eliminate objects, rigs and wires for a cleaner plate with the software's Remove Module
Create a 3D DNA Strain in After Effects
Create a 3D DNA Strain in After Effects by Maltaannon- From the Archives at AETuts+. "Twice a month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from back in the archives of Aetuts+. Today we’ll look at an amazing post from Maltaanon. This tutorial was first published in May 2009 and uses Trapcode Form to create something that would normally require a 3D application, but is accomplished entirely within After Effects."
Tutorial: Shoot Off A 3D Plexus Particle Stream on AEtuts+
Posted by Lloyd Alvarez on AEtuts+: "The tutorial is on how to create a “pseudo” particle stream using Plexus. I say pseudo because it’s not really a particle stream, it just appears as one. The tools involved are Cinema 4d and After Effects with these 3rd party plugins: Plexus, Trapcode Particular and VCP Optical Flares although Particular and Optical Flares could be substituted with Particle World and any lens flare but I used particular and optical flares in the tut."
Tutorial/Tip: Saving From After Effects CS5.5 to Older Version/CS5
Not only can you open an After Effects CS5 project in CS5.5, a new feature to CS5.5 is the ability to save your project back to an older version (CS5) using "File > Save As > Save A Copy As CS5". However, new features to CS5.5 will not be retained in this transfer. In this Adobe TV Episode Chris Meyer discusses this new feature, and tips to avoid conflicts in your project files when doing so.
What’s New and Changed in After Effects CS5.5
Free Videobrain training by Todd Kopriva-- What’s New and Changed in After Effects CS5.5 is a free new Video2brain workshop, with Adobe Technical Support Lead Todd Kopriva, who is the guide on the changes in After Effects CS5.5.
Video Copilot: Tutorial- 3D Set Extensions in After Effects
• Create a 3D set extension with fog using Stock Footage
• Use Camera Tracker to matchmove inside of AE
Building a Simple 3D Head and Eyes in AFX CS5 using FreeForm by Daniel Gies
Build and rig a 3D head using the FreeForm plugin included with After Effects CS5; covers expression controls to drive nested compositions such as eye blinks and head rotations eyes that follow a null object like a "Look At" point.
Red Giant QuickTip #3 - 3D Text
A quick tip for quickly creating cool looking 3D text in AE with real depth, using Red Giant Software's PlaneSpace.
Red Giant QuickTip #8: In Like Flynn with Magic Bullet Looks
In this QuickTip, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to recreate the look of Flynn on screen, as seen in the trailer for Tron Legacy.
Red Giant QuickTip #4 - Adjustment Lights
In this QuickTip, Harry Frank shows you how to manage lights with Trapcode products: how to light 3D layers and exclude emitter lights from those same layers.
Red Giant QuickTip #11 - Three New Ways to Use Trapcode Shine
In this QuickTip: Harry Frank helps you rekindle your love for Trapcode Shine, by showing you three new ways to work with it: by combining CC Composite, exploring the Alpha Edges option and by applying the ever useful toComp expression.
Red Giant Quicktip #15: Trapcode Form City
Red Giant Quick Tip # 16: Using Trapcode Form through Adobe Dynamic Link
Red Giant Quick Tip#17: Creating a Preset Slider for Knoll Light Factory EZ
Red Giant QuickTip #19 : Nulls vs Lights as Emitters in Particular
Red Giant Quicktip #18: Old Film Look
In this tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create an old film look with light leaks. He'll be using Trapcode Particular to create the light leaks, and the tools in Magic Bullet Looks to create the look of old damaged footage.
Red Giant QuickTip #25: Aligning Particular Motion Paths
Red Giant QuickTip #29: Magic Bullet Colorista and Window Layouts in FCP
In this tutorial, Apple Certified Master Trainer Simon Walker, will show you the benefits of using the window layout shortcuts when adjusting filter settings, to help you become a faster Final Cut Pro editor.
Red Giant QuickTip #30: Managing Presets in Magic Bullet Looks & PhotoLooks
In this tip Apple Certified Master Trainer will show you how to quickly create and manage custom presets when using Magic Bullet Looks and Magic Bullet PhotoLooks, and how these are automatically shared across the host applications.
Color Correcting Food with Magic Bullet Colorista II
Red Giant QuickTip #33: Trapcode Particular Lightning Bolt
In this tutorial, Wes Ball (of OddBall Animation) shows you how to create a stylized lightning bolt effect (seen in the Lovett music video "Eye of the Storm") using Trapcode Particular and Trapcode 3D Stroke.
Digieffects Electrical Arcs FIGHT! Tutorial
Learn the basics of Electrical Arcs in After Effects by creating a Street Fighter themed video and shoot some lightning out of your hands! Author Brandon Smith
Digieffects Delirium v2 Alpha Tool Tutorial
Learn how to use Alpha Tool by applying it to our particle emitter plug-ins or to you own footage! Author Brandon Smith
Digieffects Particle Tips
Learn how to effectively use our particle emitter plug-ins (Rain, Snow, Fire, Fairy Dust, etc.) in your own project by following these simple tips by Philip Powell!
Digieffects Buena Depth Cue v2 Flipside - Flip Clock Tutorial
Create a realistic old school style of a flip clock using Buena Depth Cue v2's Flipside! Author Brandon Smith
CM Pixellation Prevention Tutorial
Author Dustin Klein explains how to prevent your images and video from pixellation when using digieffects Camera Mapper.
Digieffects LightWrap Tutorial
Enhance the look of your keyed video by adding LightWrap to give a more realistic look. Created by Kevin P. McAuliffe.
Digeffects Delirium v2 Hyper Harmonizer Transition Tutorial
Digieffects Yo CAT Tutorial with Digieffects Damage and Video Copilot Twitch
Animate Text and graphic elements using Videocopilot TWITCH and digieffects DAMAGE.
Digieffects Van Gogh Depth + CameraMapper Tutorial
Combine the stunning perspective of Digieffects' Camera Mapper with the powers of Depth to do 3 amazing things- 1- Add camera motion to a still image - 2- Create an adjustable rack focus with a depth map - 3 - Create a stereoscopic image from your final comp
Digieffects Depth Intro Tutorial
Intro Tutorial on digieffects Depth plugin. Author: Dustin Klein
Imitate a CRT Switch Using Damage Skew
Learn to create a CRT effect (look of an older model television powering on), and manipulate static effects using Damage: Skew by Tim Kolb
Damage Artifact for a Transition Tutorial
How to use Digieffects Damage Artifact plugin (pre version 2) to simulate a cool turntable transition. Aliens may be involved. By Tim Kolb
Secret Agent:CODE DAMAGE Tutorial
The secret code has been stolen! Call in the best Digieffects Agents to show you how to make the holographic watch connect for intel!
DamageV2 Overexpose & Destabilize Tutorial
Use digieffects Damage destabilize and Overexpose to create a handheld flickering image.
Damage - Skew & Interference Mirror Tutorial
The UFO's attack has left some of us... Damaged!
Falloff Lighting Corner Tutorial
Author: Dustin Klein Use Falloff Lighting to focus attention to a specific item. In this case, a logo on the wall in the corner of a room.
After Effects CS5.5: Stereo 3D Controls by Chris Meyer on Adobe TV
Learn how the new stereoscopic 3D camera rig plus resulting chain of compositions in After Effects CS5.5 are manipulated by the Stereo 3D Controls effect, including setting camera separation (inter-axial distance) and the convergence options.
Digieffects Camera Mapper Intro San Francisco
Make an expensive (or deadly) shot possible using Camera Mapper and a grand view of San Francisco. Author: Mark Christiansen
Transfering your After Effects CS5 plug-ins to After Effects CS5.5, Mac version
Michele Yamazaki of Toolfarm shows you a quick way to get your plug-ins moved to Adobe After Effects CS5.5 from CS5. It will take 5 minutes and will not require you to download new installers.
Digieffects Depth Cue Camera Mapper Intro
Learn to make any 2d image 3 dimensional with Camera Mapper. Take any existing footage and map it onto 3d layers creating the illusion of a multi-dimensional projection.
How to Transfer CS5 Plug-ins to CS5.5 in Windows
Learn how to transfer your After Effects and Premiere Pro plug-ins from CS5 to CS5.5 in Windows without having to re-install your plug-ins!
Digieffects Depth Cue Atmosphere Driving Range Tutorial
Learn to use the controls of Digieffects Atmosphere through various examples in this interactive driving range.
Red Giant TV Episode 54: Compositing and Color Correction in After Effects and Premiere Pro
In this episode of Red Giant TV, Eran Stern returns to show you how he created the promo for his new DVD: The Best of Premiere Pro. He'll cover keying, compositing, color correction and visual effects in After Effects and Premiere Pro.
Red Giant Quicktip #41: Adding Life to Interview Footage
In this tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to clean up (remove noise) and add life to interview footage through color correction. Though Aharon demonstrates in After Effects, the tutorial works for users of Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and more.
Red Giant QuickTip #44: Creating a Rocket Ship Trail of Letters
In this QuickTip, Harry Frank guides you through the set-up and expressions required to emit a paragraph of letters from a moving After Effects layer.
Red Giant QuickTip #43: Royal Wedding Looks
In this tip Apple Certified Master Trainer Simon Walker shows the fastest way to control the strength of your Magic Bullet Looks effects in Final Cut Pro, while also looking at a variety of techniques for making your wedding... uh... more royal.
Red Giant QuickTip #42: Using Vignettes in Magic Bullet Looks
In this tip, Apple Certified Master Trainer Simon Walker shows how he uses the Vignette and Edge Softness tools in Magic Bullet Looks, and how he applies them to color correct images, change the mood of shots, and shows how vignettes can be used to tell a story.