Hey everyone!
So there's nothing that pleases me more than having a fun shoot and being super-proud of the outcome, especially when it's something extremely random like the video I'm talkin' about today: Adventures of Explorer Jim!
Adventures of Explorer Jim - Breakdown
Hey everyone!
So there's nothing that pleases me more than having a fun shoot and being super-proud of the outcome, especially when it's something extremely random like the video I'm talkin' about today: Adventures of Explorer Jim!
Working with Dingbats
Hello peoples!
So have you ever taken the time to browse all your fonts? If you're anything like I am, you probably have hundreds of them. There's tons of places to find fonts, but this post isn't about where to find posts, it's about how to work with what seem like the most pointless fonts: Dingbats! These are fonts like Webdings, Wingdings etc Click the title to read the full article.
AfterEffects - Create a Circular Pre-loader and Preset
Hey guys!
In this quick tutorial, I'm going to be showing you how to create a spinner like the one in the title above, but we're going to make it very editable so it can be used for various things (heck, might as well save it as an animation preset while we're at it).
So let's get started!
10 Things I've Learnt in AE That I Wish You to Know Before it's Too Late
Hey guys!
So it's been a year since I started in After Effects, a very fun and interesting year. We've done action scenes, light sabres, we've had failed videos, experimented, experienced tons of crashes, created presets and struggled with controls we didn't understand until now (and feel quite foolish about it).
I've learnt a lot from AE, it's changed my perspective on some things (and slightly affected my social life) but most of all, it's frustrated me tons of times. There's things I wished I knew sooner, some things I'd like to tell you now (so hopefully you won't go insane like I almost did).
So it's been a year since I started in After Effects, a very fun and interesting year. We've done action scenes, light sabres, we've had failed videos, experimented, experienced tons of crashes, created presets and struggled with controls we didn't understand until now (and feel quite foolish about it).
I've learnt a lot from AE, it's changed my perspective on some things (and slightly affected my social life) but most of all, it's frustrated me tons of times. There's things I wished I knew sooner, some things I'd like to tell you now (so hopefully you won't go insane like I almost did).
Understanding Expression in After Effects
Hello everyone. Here's another After Effects post on "Understanding Expressions". Here, I'm going to be explaining a few things about expressions and using them.
Long Time Exposure
Hey!
So a while back I did a post on taking streaking lights and recently I got an interesting idea... but first, let me explain how I got it!
When we was doing the fight parody video, which worked quite well but we had issues with planning, we were using a tripod and an unevenly lit room. So I was feeling cool and set the camera to "M" (manual), and I was messing around with the aperture.
I set the f number to something like f-29 (I think) and with the standard shutter of 1/15, the image came out BLACK!
So, I immediately learnt that I didn't know as much about aperture as I thought (I always figured it was a depth-of-field thing and it didn't affect light that much), so you can imagine the shock I got.
So, I got to thinking:
For a long exposure shot, could I set the ISO to 100, set the aperture, or rather the f-number, to as high a value as possible, and then use BULB to shoot some excessively long exposures?
Well, let's say it did come to be true! It worked out great, I'll have the photos up soon, but it was an interesting realization. I was, however, going through Cambridge in Colour and I found this interesting article about using large f-numbers! Check it out here:
So a while back I did a post on taking streaking lights and recently I got an interesting idea... but first, let me explain how I got it!
When we was doing the fight parody video, which worked quite well but we had issues with planning, we were using a tripod and an unevenly lit room. So I was feeling cool and set the camera to "M" (manual), and I was messing around with the aperture.
I set the f number to something like f-29 (I think) and with the standard shutter of 1/15, the image came out BLACK!
So, I immediately learnt that I didn't know as much about aperture as I thought (I always figured it was a depth-of-field thing and it didn't affect light that much), so you can imagine the shock I got.
So, I got to thinking:
For a long exposure shot, could I set the ISO to 100, set the aperture, or rather the f-number, to as high a value as possible, and then use BULB to shoot some excessively long exposures?
Well, let's say it did come to be true! It worked out great, I'll have the photos up soon, but it was an interesting realization. I was, however, going through Cambridge in Colour and I found this interesting article about using large f-numbers! Check it out here:
{test_reel} Teleport
Hello everyone!
So I have a new video here, but before we watch, I'd like to say that we've gotten some great applications from great people, and we're still sifting through people's work so we'll have the news out soon.
In the mean time, I'm still working with silent footage :-S
Sad stuff!
Anyway, check it out here:
I'd also like to introduce you all to INTERFERE! An upcoming preset for my Presets Pack. It was used to create the offset and RGB-split effect for the intro logos.
INTERFERE will be available soon, if you'd like to beta test (or even use in its current state), drop a comment below! Here's another example:
Also, I learnt quite a bit while creating this video:
So I have a new video here, but before we watch, I'd like to say that we've gotten some great applications from great people, and we're still sifting through people's work so we'll have the news out soon.
In the mean time, I'm still working with silent footage :-S
Sad stuff!
Anyway, check it out here:
I'd also like to introduce you all to INTERFERE! An upcoming preset for my Presets Pack. It was used to create the offset and RGB-split effect for the intro logos.
INTERFERE will be available soon, if you'd like to beta test (or even use in its current state), drop a comment below! Here's another example:
Also, I learnt quite a bit while creating this video:
- Hold keyframes can create a great twitchy effect.
- CHOP DOWN LAYERS! I had this problem when I came back to it a day later and realizing I needed to change something, as well as when I revisited one of my first test videos, all the layers spanned from the beginning to the end. Use alt+[ and alt+] to chop down layers to the current time, or use [ and ] to reposition their start points. Also, nifty shortcut, I and O will take you to the IN and OUT points of the selected layer respectively.
{The worst part is, each layer in the project above is only visible for a few seconds/frames.
[the chopped ones are actually footage]}
[the chopped ones are actually footage]}
CLICK TO ENLARGE: {over 50 layers!! Managing wasn't so difficult, but imagine if they all spanned full time as above!}
- TIP OF THE DAY saves lives! That pop-up everytime you open AE, read that ish. That's how I learnt the above point.
- CAMERA TURN! It screwed me over once again, it did the same for the Deathmatch video. if you turn a camera, the edges tend to be distorted and so you need to do some distortion to fix it. I'll explain this in an upcoming tut video!
Please drop any questions/sugggestion in the comment section below, or on the video on Youtube!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for stopping by!
davdalx
{test_reel} Holographic 2 + Breakdown
Hey guys!
So recently I've been on the buzz of Holographic stuff. If you've seen my first holographic video you'd know what I'm talking about. So here is the second attempt, this time I went for a more handheld style:
[click the title for info on how this was done]
Interesting Expressions - After Effects Tip
Hey guys!
I thought today I'd post something up about After Effects.
Lately, I've fallen in love with expressions, their huge life-savers. Some replace your everyday keyframes, others cause indefinite automation, other methods link two controls together and others are just plain cool!
I thought today I'd post something up about After Effects.
Lately, I've fallen in love with expressions, their huge life-savers. Some replace your everyday keyframes, others cause indefinite automation, other methods link two controls together and others are just plain cool!
Small but Essential - VIGNETTE - Photoshop Tutorial
It can be very subtle, it can be very obvious. One thing is for sure: Vignettes make pictures better... most of the time.
Back in the days of film, vignettes were actually an unwanted and undesirable effect caused by lenses and the film. However it's removal sometimes proved to be... bad... so you may want to know how to apply one.
Back in the days of film, vignettes were actually an unwanted and undesirable effect caused by lenses and the film. However it's removal sometimes proved to be... bad... so you may want to know how to apply one.
Small but Essential - Exporting Images - Photoshop Tip
Sometimes you don't always want to save as PSD, sometimes you have various reasons you want to save that file and what you want to do with it.
There's quite a number of formats you can export to in Photoshop. Here's a quick tip on which format to use and when:
Know any other good formats? Drop a comment below.
Another important thing to consider is the Resolution. I don't mean the width and height but rather the dots per inch.
When working in PS, you'll want to set:
Also note that images of 300 dpi vs 72 dpi will always look much larger. For example, set 1280 x 800 px on an image and toggle these dpi. You'll find that 300 dpi is much much larger... in the view of the screen it is, but in view of the printer it's exactly the size you want: 1280 x 800. Inversely, 72 dpi would be smaller on print.
...at least that's the theory...
Another thing to consider is the color mode:
Black in RGB (0,0,0) is actually about C 75, M 68, Y 67 and K 90. Basically, CMYK colors range further... at least in theory...So, remember this when working. If ever you should print and the colors look weird/different, try changing the color mode to CMYK then printing again (you can preview an image in PS in CMYK by pressing Ctrl+Y)
Before you go freaking out, it's good to remember that most of the time things don't get very specific. Perhaps the only relevant point out of all I've said in this point is the resolution (72 vs 300 dpi).
There's quite a number of formats you can export to in Photoshop. Here's a quick tip on which format to use and when:
- JPEG - Good for exporting to the web. When it comes to adjusting the quality slider ensure that you're previewing at 100% if possible. Artifacts such as square blocks on anti-aliasing or discoloration is only visible at this zoom level. Also note that this will flatten your image. You'll lose your layers if you were to re-open it.
- PNG - Preserve transparency. They also flatten the image. I used this format for the blog's logo, because if I maintained the transparency I could easily change the background and not worry about having to tweak the header as well.
- TIFF - An interesting format, TIFFs actually preserve transparency as well. Though I've never used them, TIFFs preserve layers. Interesting...
Know any other good formats? Drop a comment below.
Another important thing to consider is the Resolution. I don't mean the width and height but rather the dots per inch.
When working in PS, you'll want to set:
- 72 dpi - for stuff to be viewed on a screen, since that's the resolution a majority of screens use and it will also produce the accurate representation of pixels.
- 300 dpi - for print. Printers use 300 dpi when printing for greater quality. You can print in 72 if the image is small, but it's advised for images that are bigger.
Also note that images of 300 dpi vs 72 dpi will always look much larger. For example, set 1280 x 800 px on an image and toggle these dpi. You'll find that 300 dpi is much much larger... in the view of the screen it is, but in view of the printer it's exactly the size you want: 1280 x 800. Inversely, 72 dpi would be smaller on print.
...at least that's the theory...
Another thing to consider is the color mode:
- RGB - Mostly for viewing on screen. RGB starts black and ends white.
- CMYK - Best for print especially for shirts and press. CMYK images start white and end black.
Black in RGB (0,0,0) is actually about C 75, M 68, Y 67 and K 90. Basically, CMYK colors range further... at least in theory...So, remember this when working. If ever you should print and the colors look weird/different, try changing the color mode to CMYK then printing again (you can preview an image in PS in CMYK by pressing Ctrl+Y)
Before you go freaking out, it's good to remember that most of the time things don't get very specific. Perhaps the only relevant point out of all I've said in this point is the resolution (72 vs 300 dpi).
Radial - After Effects Preset
Hey guys!
So I was thinking about my previous preset "Scan" and suddenly thought: "What if someone wanted to create a Radar-style scan?"
Well, that wouldn't be easy (unless you used the linear one with lots of tweaks), so I thought I'd create a whole new preset.
Ladies and gentlemen. Radial Scan!
FEATURES:
So I was thinking about my previous preset "Scan" and suddenly thought: "What if someone wanted to create a Radar-style scan?"
Well, that wouldn't be easy (unless you used the linear one with lots of tweaks), so I thought I'd create a whole new preset.
Ladies and gentlemen. Radial Scan!
FEATURES:
- Animates automatically clockwise with Revolutions per Second setting and Reverse Direction setting to make it turn anti-clockwise. Animation can also be turned off so you can animate it's rotation yourself.
- Offset control to make duplicates work together or look different from the initial start point.
- Set any color, control Feather and 4 different styles with many editable controls.
- Control the Coverage out of a full circle of the scan.
- Change the thickness and make it anything Radial. It doesn't have to be a scan.
- Works with layers with alpha (transparency). Can preserve transparency or take full size of comp.
- Functions in any version of AE.
It took about an hour to construct and works mostly off of concepts from Linear Scan (as I shall call the previous version now).
The best example of the application of Radial Scan is in Andrew Kramer's tutorial "Futuristic HUD" in creating the "Targets" that circle around the eye. Radial can be used to quickly construct these without the need of creating masks.
Do check out the tutorial, and if you'd like to check out Radial Scan, holla and I'll hook up a download link.
Enjoy yourselves!
Photoshop Tutorial - 3D Text
Hey guys!
So my pal Shuria made this Photoshop tutorial on creating some interesting 3D Text. Check it out and drop a comment on the youtube vid for him!
Cheers!
So my pal Shuria made this Photoshop tutorial on creating some interesting 3D Text. Check it out and drop a comment on the youtube vid for him!
Cheers!
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