Creative COW After Effects Tutorials

Changing Shortcuts with After Effects

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video 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.

Creating Digital Cinema

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Grant Swanson will explain how to simulate many elements to enhance your DV footage. Many techniques in this tutorial will show how to create effects similar to those in a popular software package.

AE Quicktips # 6: Remove Color Matting

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz adds to the concepts he covered in his tutorial Straight Vs. Premultiplied.

Crime and Chaos - Part 2

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern will show you how to project text on the floor using light transmission feature in After Effects.

Crime and Chaos - Part 1

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In 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.

Vee You: 8 Free Mac Plug-ins for FCP, AE and Motion

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Shape Layer Tips #2

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to combine several shapes to make a complex shape.

Motion Stabilizing

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Grant Swanson will explain how to use the After Effects Motion Tracker to remove unwanted jitter and movement while still retaining the original motion of the sequence through the use of an expression or manual keyframes in After Effects.

A Walk in the Park: Tracking & Expressions

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern shows you a how to track objects that are moving out of frame using expressions and AE motion tracker.

AE Quicktips # 5: Perspective Offset

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you a cool tip for adding depth to your Fractal Noise animations.

Shape Layer Tips #1

Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Sin City Effect part 2

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Tornado Text, part 2

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern enhances the 3D ribbon text composition by adding a ripple effect to the floor plus a flock of fireflies that dance around the scene.

Tornado Text, part 1

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern shows you a very cool way to create 3D ribbon text animation using After Effects CS3 Text tool.

AE Quick Tips #4: Copy Expression Only

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, CreativeCow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you a menu item for speeding up the process of copying expressions to other layers, without typing or altering the current values.

AE Quick Tips #3: Show Waveform

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, CreativeCow leader Aharon Rabinowitz returns to the subject of Audio (Workflow tips #8) and shares a tip for working with audio waveforms that he got from an AE user via email.

AE Quick Tips #2: Preserve Transparency

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, CreativeCow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you an often-missed feature in AE that can help you when trying to create transparency in an image by using the layers below as the source of that transparency.

Mystic Text

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Grant Swanson will take you through an effective way of tracking Mystic Text onto a wall or screen. This technique can be used in horror films, commercials, or promos. He will cover the basics of the After Effects paint tools, some basic 2.5D motion tracking, and some simple yet effective compositing techniques.

AE Quick Tips #1: Grow Bounds

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you an often-missed tool that can help you out in a pinch, by expanding the boundaries of your footage.

Igniting a Soccer Ball, part 3

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Jeff Bellune demonstrates how to use the tools available in particleIllusion and After Effects to get a particle emitter source to track an element in a video clip. Part Three shows how to mask the emitter layer in an After Effects composition, so that the emitter appears to be placed properly in the scene relative to the other video elements.

Afterista: part two

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern continues to animate the vector shapes using After Effects and finalizing the design for our Telenovela opener.

Igniting a Soccer Ball, part two

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Jeff Bellune demonstrates how to use the tools available in particleIllusion and After Effects to get a particle emitter source to track an element in a video clip. Part Two concerns the animation of the emitter itself so that it accurately tracks the video element.

Creating Advanced Glitter using Expressions with Trapcode Particular

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this tutorial, Creative Cow leader, Michael Park, demonstrates another, more advanced method for creating shimmering glitter particles using Trapcodes Particular. The main advancement is the implementation of 3d rotation of the glitter particles, as well as using expressions to convert the rotation of the particles in all 3 axis to drive a greyscale map, which in turn is used to color the particle using colorama and create the shimmer effect when the particles face the camera.

Afterista: part one

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern demonstrates a cool way of designing a text title for a Telenovela soap opera opener using Illustrator open type font.

Creating Shimmering Glitter using Trapcode Particular

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this tutorial, Creative Cow leader, Michael Park, demonstrates how to simulate shimmering glitter particles using fractal noise, colorama effect and Trapcodes Particular plugin.

Igniting a Soccer Ball, part one

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Jeff Bellune demonstrates how to use the tools available in particleIllusion and After Effects to get a particle emitter source to track an element in a video clip. Part One details how to animate the Layer Offset in particleIllusion to eliminate motion in the clip that is caused by movement of the camera that filmed the scene.

Creating a shotgun blast using 3ds max and AE: Part 2

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In part two of his shotgun tutorial, Michael Park will demonstrate how to incorporate the 3d footage together with 2d footage in After effects and use different filters to create the distortion surrounding the blast from the barrel of the shotgun and the air distortion trailing the individual shotgun pellets as they race towards the camera. He will also cover some time remapping techniques to add some more interest to your shot.

An Introduction to Shape Layers

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz introduces you to Shape Layers, one of the most powerful features in Adobe After Effects CS3.

Creating a shotgun blast using 3ds max and AE: Part 1

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Many people are interested in creating and incorporating 3d generated footage into live action. In this 2 part tutorial, Michael Park will demonstrate how to create a shotgun blast at the camera using 3d rendered particles and distortion trails along with some 2d footage to create a convincing effect. In part 1 of this tutorial, we will create the 3d shotgun pellet geometry and material, as well as the distortion trails to be later used in the after effects composition.

Invisible Cape

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern with the help of his brother Yuval will show you a simple method to create the famous invisible look inspired from the movie The Predator.

Creating the Sin City Effect

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Grant Swanson will take you step-by-step through the easiest and fastest (and extremely effective) way of creating the popular Sin City effect - colorized objects in a black and white world. You will learn basic techniques when working with color, and some useful masking/rotoscoping techniques.

After Effects Text Tips 3

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz explores a few ways to correct some common problems experienced when creating text animators.

After Effects Text Tips 2

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz explores creating Text animators, and talks about why you might animate properties together or separately.

Digits Man, part 2

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern will continue to finesse the design of the Digits Man promo. Learn how to create a subtle background using the Shape Tool and spice it further with additional effects and Text animations.

Digits Man, part 1

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern will show you a cool technique for filling an image of a human head with animated numbers using After Effects CS3s Text tool.

Using the Echo Effect with Animated Layers

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shares some tips and tricks for working with the Echo effect.

Blend and Bend Time

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern demonstrates how you can create the illusion of time bending with a special focus on the correct way of using the CC Time Blend FX.

Creating a Hologram Look in After Effects

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz returns to one of his earliest tutorials, Creating TV Look, and shows how it can be used to create the look of a Hologram as seen in science fiction movies.

3D Watch Animation: Part 3

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern shows you how to use AE CS3 to transition between the different 3D images, and to create a final animation project.

3D Watch Animation: Part 2

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow member Eran Stern shows you how to use AE CS3 to create Animated hands for the 3D watch.

3D Watch Animation: Part 1

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow member Eran Stern shows you how to use Photoshop CS3 Extended to create different images of a 3D watch.

Weather Replacement in AE CS3: Part 3

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz finishes his series on weather replacement and shows you how to add realistic lightning to the shot.

Smoking Letters in AE CS3

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Eran Stern demonstrates a quick, easy way to make a smoky title effect.

Weather Replacement in AE CS3: Part 2

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz continues his weather replacement tutorial, and shows you how to add rain to your shot, as well as drops of water on the camera. Also, 3D compositing and color correction are covered.

A Quick Tip for Creating an Animation

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In this quick tip for after effects users, CreativeCOW contributing editor, Bob Thompson creates a complex looking animation using only a camera, 3d layer, null object, and some duplicated layers. In only minutes, you can get an animated look with only one layer to worry about to control the motion. Its a quick fix to let you spend more time on other facets of your project workflow.

Cineon Files: What They Are, and How To Work With Them

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Expert film compositor Pete OConnell takes you through the world of Cineon files, including exactly what they are, how they work, and how to work with them in Adobe After Effects. If you work with film files or want to, you need to read this article. High Bandwidth/Large File Warning: Due to the fact that this article deals with film images, the image sizes are large and this article contains 32MB of images in the HTML file.

Weather Replacement in AE CS3: Part 1

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In this tutorial, Creative Cow leader 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. Youll learn techniques is color correction and compositing.

Studying Shape Extruder

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

After publishing his ShapeExtruder, Jerzy Drozda Jr (aka Maltaannon) got tons of emails asking for further explanation, so in this follow-up tutorial, Jerzy answers the most commonly asked questions.

Using Brainstorm in AE CS3

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In this tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how get the most out of Brainstorm, a new feature in AE CS3 that lets you visualize randomized layer properties and effects.

The Gatorade Effect Using Mocha: Part Two

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In this part two video tutorial from Aaron Zander, we take a look at linking splines to other tracks, adjusting tracks and keyframes, and rendering.