Session 4: Matte Painting

Learn how to create a proffesional looking matte painting.  For use in After Effects. Software used is photoshop cs4. However the basics color correcting and perspective alignment can be applied to any program. I highly recommend you read this tutorial and many other on matte painting if you are going to be doing alot of visual effects. Its one of the harder concepts to grasp since it doesn't involve alot of technical work but rather more intuative modification of things. It's really up to you, the more time and detail you put in the better it will be. Anyways have fun :) .... And happy valentines day.. wait, yes its 1 am, ok happy valentines day!

And remeber to check back offten for more good stuff. Support VFXschool simply by commenting and being a part of the community, plus check out all of the other websites on the side, for more visual effects goodness.

Tutorial:

Matte Painting

Session 3: Advanced color grading

Hey everybody!

 

Here is a brand new session. A lot of people seem to have trouble getting a good cinematic feel out of their footage. Thats because color grading is so important yet not to many people understand it. Here i teach you how to stabilize and level off your footage and then polish it of using some more advanced color grading techniques. This is a good read! very easy to get.

Download PDF:

Advanced color correction PDF

EXTRA!! EXTRA!!

If you need to do some pretty advanced color correction, but are a bit sad that AE doesn't have a cool 3 way color corrector like Avid or other programs? And you you also need a free way of doing things?  Well to day is you lucky day! Stu Maschwitz over at ProLost has built a very good 

3 way color corrector preset (OH and it's FREE) that uses expressions to harness the built in power of AE built in color correctors.

ProLost REBEL CC

vfx Session 2: Cinematography

Become the master of your film, learn the basics of cinematography and some advanced stuff as well. If you are a Indy film maker or you will be working on set just helping out, you should know how cinematography works and how to properly shoot a film.

This is a very good tutorial and its in a easy to read short format that gives you the essentials with no fluff in the middle.

Highly recommended!

Read vfx session 2: Cinematography

Cinematography PDF

Happy New year!

Happy 2009, hope it brings all of you good luck, health, and of course a good paying job at ILM.

I want to take this opportunity to thank and wish the following people a very good 2009 year:

Shout out to Andrew Kramer and the Videocopilot community, you guys have really become a staple in the VFX community, when ever any topic comes up whether at FXPHD forums or VFXtalk forums or even indymogul... someone always says, check videocopilot.net i herd someone figured it out... and as a proud VCP member i wish the site and AK all the best this up coming year.

I also want to wish every body at Creativecow a happy new years and of course at all of the amazingly talented people at abduzeedo.com, that site should saved onto historical records as the single greatest site for design. The community there is so lively and talented. 

And lastly A big shout out to the PSDtuts community and now AEtuts, and for good measure just throw in the whole damn network, please do check them out because they have done an incredible job during the last year in teaching designers new tricks and tips.

Good luck and peace out!

Cartoon Sin City Effect

Learn the secret to creating incredible cartoon effects using After Effects and Photoshop.

There will be two PDF versions up simutaniosly:
A VFX tut, like this one and a more "serious" and "technical" Tut, like the tracking tutorial.
Plus i will post here some of the cool stuff i learn every day at school or a job..


Download tutorial PDF:

Tutorial pdf

First PDF Session

Tracking controls

This is the first Session on PDF. Learn the basics of the tracker control, as well as some advanced tracking and motion stabilization techniques and some advanced rotoscoping technique.

Download Session here:

Session 1: Tracker Controls


Happy learning

Session 3: Fractal Noise

Fractal Noise:

Probably the most powerful built in tool After Effects has. Fractal Noise has so many controls that it's uses are almost unlimited. I have found that i can use fractal noise in almost every project i have made in one way or another.

Basics:

1. On top of any piece of footage start by creating a new layer.

2. Go to effects>noise>Fractal Noise

3. Scale up the fractal noise to 150%

4. Using keyframes make the fractal noise evolve.

5. Set the layer mode to either: screen, overlay, add or any other mode.

And there you go, a easy way to add movement and depth to any picture or footage.
If you are still having trouble grasping the usefulness of this plugin try this project.

Adding Fog/cloud

1. On a new black solid layer, add fractal noise

2. Keyframe evolution

3. Set mode to overlay, to get a cool shadowy effect.

Fog:

Fog is a bit dfferent first:

1. Create a new layer and add ramp effect (Black and white)

2. Set it so that you have black on top and white on the bottom.

3. add Fractal noise

4. Set the blending mode to multiply on the fractal noise

5.And on the layer it's self set it's mode to add

And there you go instant fog!

Keep playing with fractal noise and see what you come up with. If you want to see more of Fractal Noise in action download CINEMA PRO 2 for free at:

Tonyfbaby.deviantart.com

It's full of very useful presets and some use Fractal Noise in very creative ways.

Till next time.

Session 2: Animating Text

Animating text is crucial to design. People like to see into a screen and see real life, even if they know it's fake. By that i mean, in real life there is always motion and energy and life. There is a never ending flow of energy, from tree branches sawing to a person's chest moving slightly up and down as they breath. Life never stands still. Same goes for design. Your visual presentation needs to be "alive". Things should move slightly and animate smoothly into screen. It makes for a more dynamic presentation. So to that; here are a few ways to animate your text so that its not bland and boring.

Cascading type

Cascading type allows multiple character to slide into place.
1- Animate /scale/600%
2- Using the fill color, choose a different color for the text.
3- Click the advanced tab.
4- Experiment with the Shapes option.
5- In the START, set the values at start 0/ end 40%. and offset -40%.
6- Set the END to set the values at start 0/ end 40%. and offset 40%.
7- Add Opacity in the START and put on 0%
8- Add Anchor point in the middle of the comp and on the X point at 100% and Y point change to -30%
9- Add motion blur.
10- Add randomize order




Per word animation
1- Animate /add/ Opacity to 0%
2- Change anchor point group to WORD
3- Set the key frames to Start to 0% End to 100%
4- Set group alignment to 0% and -100%
5- Go to the end key frame
6- Set group alignment to 0% and 100%
7- Add rotation and set two key frames. Beginning frame 0,0 and End frame 1,0.




Animate Flowing Text
1- Animate
2- Add blur
3- Unlock and Change to 0, 100
4- In advanced tab, change to RAMP UP
Animate Text on a path
1- Type in your text
2- Choose the pen tool
3- Select the Roto BAZIER
4- Draw a path
5- From the path options, choose Mask1
6- Move the FIRST and LAST margin to move the position of the text.


Wiggling Text
1- Create your text
2- Choose add/fillcolor/ HUE and change to 0x200.0
3- Choose Animate 1 button/selector/ Wiggly
4- Add property/ rotation and set to 20%





To Render Text with Alpha Channel
1- Command M
Use the setting in the snap shot