In a recent tutorial Animating a Still , we used tracking data from a real hand-held camera to give our still image a natural look, as opposed to using a mathematical expression like the wiggle. This gave our footage a natural organic look that would be difficult to achieve with expressions. Then I thought I would try a similar experiment utilizing a real optical rack focus.
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Nice Rack Focus Experiment
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a free project file so here is one I’ve been messing with lately… It uses the CC Hair plug-in to create random moving fibers and then I used the Mirror plug-in to add a classic… well, mirror effect. Download Project File CS4, just change the font to something you have.
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FREE PROJECT: Fiber Particles
Our tutorial video player now allows dynamic scrubbing. Basically you can skip to any part of the tutorial without having to download the entire video first. Benefits: Re-watch specific parts or tips quicker Skip over bad (but hilarious) jokes Watch tutorials in chunks and skip ahead on demand Skip over tutorial info and listen to only jokes Give it a try Another thing we are working on is the ability to catalog chapter points for easier reference and tracking of in-depth tutorials.
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New Feature for Video Player
Looks like Banksy’s Exit to the Gift Shop is influencing folks out there. This viral campaign by a group of San Francisco artists, Freedom From Porn , who are protesting the ban on adult material within Apple’s walled garden, clearly cops a few licks from the British artist’s great new movie.
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ARTISTS ADD PORN TO THE iPAD
In this tutorial inject life into a still image by creating a 3d-looking camera movement and animate the movement of the smoke. We will also add realistic camera jitter and simulate a rack focus with dirt on the lens.
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NEW TUTORIAL: Animating a Still
Do you remember you’re first date with After Effects?
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When did you fall in love… with After Effects?
Here’s a great action scene by a talented filmmaker I found on youtube. The fx are cool and the action is well designed. Gotta love his style and sense of humor too. Enjoy! And ya, I’m pretty sure he used Video Copilot’s Action Essentials 2 for a lot of the bullet hits and muzzle flashes but I must give the credit to the filmmakers for great compositing and integration
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Chrono Trigger, Cool Scene with Action!
After looking at some amazing pictures of the recent Volcano I was inspired to bring one of them to life. I wanted to animate a still image to make it look it was video shot from a moving helicopter. I added some Optical Flares and subtle camera shake to give it a little more life. I also used the liquify filter to animate the smoke over time as it plumed out. There are also some small falling ash particles created with particular
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Animating a Still
The Optical Flares 1.2 update is now available and includes several new features for all Optical Flares customers: Added 64-bit support for AE CS5 New “Unified Interface” with automatic scaling Rearrange window panels Full-Screen Mode 16:9 Guides now visible Show BG warning No more slide-out panel (Yay!) Watch Video Demonstration of New Interface Download Optical Flares 1.2 (Order Email Required) New Forum for Video Copilot Plug-ins: Now there is a dedicated place to talk about Video Copilot plug-ins including features, questions, compatibility. Click Here
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Optical Flares 1.2 Now Available!
Good news Thursday May 20th is my 4-year anniversary to my sweet wife so in celebration we’re giving away a free shotgun shell clip. No, we didn’t have a “shotgun-wedding” but we do shoot some of the extra toaster overs. This high-resolution clip comes pre-keyed in 2-versions for fast or slow-motion; it also loops seamlessly.
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Free 12-Gauge Shell
One thing that we did for our recent short was integrated footage shot with the Canon 7D and the Red camera. The Red footage was processed ‘flat’ so the image was not crushed until the final color treatment was established. The 7D footage however was setup at the default settings so there was already more contrast and a nice tone. There are some interesting tips for setting up your 7D with a flat look for those interested to get more color range out of the compressed footage.
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Color Matching 7D & Red
Earlier this month I mentioned this short film we created to demonstrate an effect for an upcoming tutorial… Well that film will be online later today. There has been a lot of interesting guesses about what the effect will be… we’ll find out together. Be ready.
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Short Film Launching Today: “Payment Plan”
Optical Flares 1.2 will be launching soon, this update features several new improvements including Full Screen mode and adjustable panels and windows. We’re just going through some more testing and it will be available soon. I know it’s taking a little longer than expected but the new features are nice.
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Optical Flares 1.2 Almost Ready
Everyday stresses can build up and hang around in the back of our minds so that even when we have free time to relax and unwind, we find ourselves stressed out about all the little things that are bugging us. So today I would like to invite everyone to let go of all their frustrations and, as part of the cleansing process, tell us about the stuff that’s been driving you crazy
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Frustration Friday: Vent And Be Free!
What is the meaning of life ? Why are we here? What is the answer to life, the universe , everything? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? Quite probably you have. Whether you were having some kind of crises in your life, or you just like exploring your own inner existentialism, the need to know, or at least feel better, about our existence is one that has plagued mankind since the beginning of time. At least, I assume it has. It sure as hell messes with my mind. You might be thinking that I am going through a crises, since I am obviously thinking about my existence. Well, I actually do enjoy thinking about my existence, and how it fits in with the big scheme of things. Do I have any answers? Of course not. I don’t believe in definite answers, at least where existence and the meaning of life are concerned. First off I would like to say that, in the big scheme of things, we are nothing. We are next to nothing. We aren’t even dust in the wind. Think about it. Think about the immensity of the universe, of everything. Supposedly, in our galaxy, there are two hundred billion stars. Just in our galaxy. And speaking of our galaxy, scientists estimate it is about thirty kiloparsecs in diameter and about one kiloparsec thick. Now one parsec is about 3.262 light years , or 19 trillion miles. So that would make our galaxy approximately ninety-seven thousand, eight hundred and sixty light years across. Ok, now, supposedly there are one hundred and twenty-five billion galaxies in the universe. These numbers are, to me, almost completely unimaginable. These are expanses that I can scarcely even conceive
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Existential Nonsense
For some unexplainable reason, surfing keeps finding its way into my life lately. I dreamt of surfing the other night. The following day, I sat down on the couch after straightening up our kitchen and the show Parenthood was ending by showing one of the show’s fathers sitting on a surfboard and smiling contently as he looked out to sea.
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Dropping In On A Killer Surf Art Blog
Karl Jo Seilern and Anton Waldburg, managing partners of theblogpaper.co.uk , seem to be swimming against the currents in the ever turbulent waters that are the publishing industry. While most print publications are moving more and more content online in order to reach an increasingly tech-savvy, internet-based and mobile readership, Seilern and Waldburg are taking blog content offline in the blogpaper–the UK’s first completely user-generated, free newspaper. When I asked the duo what the rationale was behind taking blog content offline and into print form, Waldburg told me it is simply a way to “fully satisfy the needs of a young readership.” Readers can access the blogpaper’s content online, but having a print edition gives readers another format choice and extends the reach of the blogger past online consumers to those who prefer a more traditional reader experience.
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The Blogpaper, Moving Blogs Into Print
I have a theory about how we ended up here on Mother-Ship Earth . After all, isn’t almost everything about our precarious futures just a tad too ominous, seemingly set into a pattern of continuous lucid movement? What if every one of us had originally decided to jump onto this moving planet we call Earth
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Would You Jump Onto A Moving Planet?
I go with Recon. M-95, extra ammo, binoculars, and that cool revolver I unlocked yesterday. Let’s do this. I drop down through the air, my parachute billowing and slowing my descent. I look down and notice a vacant tank, something Russian , like a T-90 or something, just waiting for someone to drive it. Unfortunately, another soldier, SuperPhat420 by his blue name hanging over his head, also notices it and starts steering his parachute towards it. Since he was quite a bit lower than me he gets there first. As he enters the tank its engine rumbles to life and he guns it. The big machine lurches forward, but I had timed it correctly and make it in just in time. I don’t mind not driving though. Gunning is preferable since, when the tank is inevitably destroyed, you can always blame it on the driver. I scope around.
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A BFBC2 Moment
Last night, when I should have been asleep, I was up reading some random blog posts and checking out my friends posts on Facebook and friedeggs.com . During my late night browsing session, I came across a post by SelinaJane–one of my new best buddies –about 60 Cool & Creative 404 Error Pages . If you have a chance, take a look at the post because, as the title promises, there are some really cool and creative page designs.
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Creative Inspiration From 404 Pages & Pancakes