Here are some examples of flowing ribbon–type effects created using 3D Warps from Zaxwerks. This is the base 3D Grid Warp effect without any other effects applied. 

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This ghostly, glowing type has a 3D text layer revealed using masks, blurred and stacked then mixed using blend modes. Setting the project to 32bpc and using the Exposure effect on an Adjustment Layer blows out the whites. The Displacement Map effect combined with Fractal Noise adds a subtle warp. Watch movie   Download project

After Effects CS3 includes a cool feature called Shape Layers which is basically a range of Illustrator-style tools for creating and animating vector objects. This simple cherry blossom–style background was created using only a single layer. Download project

This background uses a dingbat font as the base graphic and can be customised simply by changing the font inside the Text comp. In this case I’ve used VTMeiOrnaments, but you can try any number of different dingbats or text fonts for different looks. The Text comp has been duplicated and offset in time with various effects applied.  Download project

This seamlessly looping After Effects background is based on the Cell Pattern effect and includes a number of adjustment layers you can use to modify the basic look.

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Here’s a promo for 12 Days that Shocked The World, a new series coming soon on the History Channel here in Australia. The client requested a “28 Days Later” look for the graphics. It can be challenging to be creative (without doing a complete rip-off) when given very specific guidelines for how the design should be. In this case I decided to use the red and black Read more…