TUTORIAL | Using INTERFERE on Holographic UIs

In the first of many video tutorials, I explain how to setup i2c_INTERFERE for a quick RGB-split and distort effect for this holographic UI panel.

Get i2c_INTERFERE in the Presets Pack here.



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TUTORIAL | Snowflakes with Shape Layers and Stacked Modifiers

The festive season is upon us and the Christmas work begins.
As a little helper, I thought I'd share this video on how to use Shape Layers and their modifiers to create fancy shapes and snowflakes. There's also lots more you can do with this technique, but I'll leave that up to you :-D


Wait a second! Tip 32?
I've been posting plenty of tips on Facebook and Twitter! If you'd like to stay up to date, follow @i2cblog or join Ideas to Creations page. There's plenty of useful info, and feel free to share your own discoveries!!

Enjoy!

TIP | RGB-Split Black with INTERFERE

How do you RGB-split Black? Well, in this post I'll show you a quick workaround when using i2c_INTERFERE.

This post is about i2c_INTERFERE in the i2c Presets Pack. You can get it, and more info, here.
Well, technically it's not possible to get RGB from black. Because black has [0,0,0]; all values of [Red, Green, Blue] are zero. Which is why Interfere won't work with black text, but there is a way to fix this.

The above example is with black text. As the manual goes, I've renamed the layers to "RED", "GREEN" and "BLUE" and set the top two blend-modes to "Add", but the layers remain black.

In order to get the colors out from these layers, we need to use a different "formula" to calculate the color output. We do this by changing the fx_COLOR effect in the layers themselves:


Under fx_COLOR's "Operator", change it from "And" to "Or".
This will make the layers nice and colorful, back as their names are set:
Okay, look right in the middle where the layers intersect. It's getting a strange mix of colors, but black is nowhere to be found.
The solution is simple: Change the blend-mode of the top two layers to "Multiply"... and...:

Cool! Now we have black where the layers intersect!

One other thing, you're probably asking: Why isn't this the default?
Well, for one, this process doesn't work if the layers are originally white. It becomes like we've swapped the problem. With these settings, white text would remain white! Also, multiply doesn't work with white.

Another thing to notice is the differences it makes with images:


Here's a comparison of the RED layer with the "Lighthouse" image that comes with Windows 7
The left is the default operator (And), the right side is the operator in this post (Or). See the difference?
On the left, the blacks remain black while on the right the whites remain white. So depending on your image, you can choose an operator appropriately, or choose one on the look it produces.

Though in the end, they all produce very similar images. So... yea...

Multipass Compositing with Cinema4D and After Effects 03



So in the previous part, our comp is in AE but it's looking bright. I thought I'd take a moment for us to look at why this is happening and how to fix it.

Multipass Compositing with Cinema4D and After Effects 02



In the previous part we learnt how multipass works, now we'll take a look at how to save the passes and take them to After Effects.

Multipass Compositing with Cinema4D and After Effects 01



Multipass rendering is the future. Everybody's doing it, and it gives lots of extra control.
Cinema4D works great with Adobe After Effects, and in this tutorial, I'll be showing you a handy workflow for working with multipasses and After Effects. This is Part 01 of 03.

C4D: Create a Studio Floor



Products, logos, blog headers or any other purpose, curved studio floors make for a nice background. They catch shadows nicely and help with Global Illumination (or Indirect Illumination), which in turn makes everything look cleaner and awesomer.
In this tutorial, we'll be looking at how to create a nice Studio Floor that's easily editable and re-usable.

AfterEffects - Joining Points in 3D Space with a Line with Expressions



So the final chapter of the Line tutorials, let's look at how to connect our 2D line layer to 3D points, that are either parented or not.

AE Workflow 02: Shy, Markers and Layer Colors



When you're working in the timeline of a specific composition, you can sometimes find yourself with hundreds of layers, including pre-comps. Managing these can be difficult, so in this post I'll introduce you to three solutions to help keep stuff organised, which in turn makes your workflow a lot faster and smoother.

AE Workflow 01: Workspaces and Shortcut Keys



Hey everyone!
This is AE Workflow. A series of posts on to help you be more efficient and get ish done faster.
This is part one, where I'll be talking about Workspaces and Shortcut Keys.


After Effects - Create Animated Waves



A while ago I posted Holographic 4 and I thought I'd share how I created the wavy screensaver that's very similar to the backdrop of the PlayStation3 and PSP menus.
So, let's head in!

Project Folder Batch Script



I have a specific way of organising my project folders. I like to have folder name, then a cache folder, footage folder, renders folder... and in the renders folder, a passes folder... but I hate having to create these folders EVERY SINGLE TIME I work on a new project/shot.

In this tip, I'll show you how to use a Windows Batch scripting to automatically create all these folders for you.

Creating a batch script in Windows is extremely simple. All you need is a basic understanding of Command Prompt, an understanding you can gain in less than a minute!


i2c_TRANSIT



So you're working on a slideshow, or on a large batch of texts, and you'd like to animate everything automatically.
In this post, I'll be sharing a new preset with you: i2c_TRANSIT. A preset so handy, that I made a video tutorial explaining how it works and how to use it! After the jump.




89 KB

In the above download, you'll get:
1. Documentation (how to use it, how to set it up etc)
2. i2c_TRANSIT animation presets.


Installation information in the documentation!

How to install PresetEffects:



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Share your opinion in the comment section :-D

C4D: Blueprints and Modelling



Hello creative people!
So I have been working on my modelling in Cinema and I thought I'd share a few things, like where I got the references, and hopefully I can psyche you up to get going as well.

AE Workflow Tips

A few days ago I was looking into workflow solutions, mainly stuff that will help you work more efficiently in AE. This includes (especially) reducing render times and how to get stuff done quicker.

If you haven't read it already, I'd suggest you check out "10 Things I've Learnt in AE That I Wish You to Know Before it's too Late". You'll find some great tips there as well.

So there's a few things I wanna talk about here, in no particular order:

  1. Workspaces and Shortcut Keys
  2. Shy, Markers and Colors
  3. Nulls and Parenting
  4. Preferences and Settings
  5. In-Out Points and Work Area
  6. Pre-Compositions, Guide Layers and Collapse Transform
  7. Resolution aka Down-Sampling and Proxies
  8. Advanced Render Settings
  9. Expressions, Animation Presets and Scripts



So what is all this? Well, we'll be looking at that in a series of posts, rather than one long one. Each is quite simple, in fact expressions are explained quite a bit on this blog (like the ebook)(see related posts below). Will also have an ebook on all this coming out when the series is done.

Keep a lookout, there's lots of ways to keep track of what's happening here, by following @i2cblog on Twitter, liking the Ideas to Creations Facebook page, or following and subscribing to the blog with the respective buttons.
Your support helps me to keep writing and sharing, so show some love XD

Looking forward to it!

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