FXGuide has posted some Terminator ”Machine Vision” examples created by Imaginary Forces using Trapcode Form. Thanks to @filmbot for the link.

Najork has posted some mind–blowing examples of what is possible with Trapcode Particular 2. Along with the seamless tracking, the ability to now light particles with After Effects lights has a huge impact on the natural appearance of the scenes.

Every now and then I’m asked what’s the best way to get into Adobe After Effects? I started in 1994 reading DV Magazine articles by Trish and Chris Meyer, working through the Adobe Classroom-in-a-Book, watching Brian Maffitt from Total Training presenting the 10 VHS monster series “Total After Effects”, and most importantly using After Effects at every opportunity. Back then the Web was the new buzzword but the idea of online training of the type now available was still years away. These days there is a wealth of knowledge out there, some free and some fee-based. Here are some resources that I recommend for getting started with Adobe After Effects: Read more…

This is a beautiful flash-based interactive video that is just mesmerizing. FXGuide has an episode of FXGuideTV that walks through the creation of the spot.

Maltaannon has a plug-in under development for working with 3D objects and textures in After Effects. Basically it will allow users to use UV Maps from 3D applications directly within Adobe After Effects to replace textures, saving a lot of re-rendering. Cool.

Zaxwerks has revamped their video tutorial page. You’ll find a range of 3D Invigorator and ProAnimator tutorials, including some old classics by me.

Over the coming weeks and months I will be holding informal chats with various plug-in developers, designers and people of interest in our industry. This first interview is with Sean Safreed, the co-founder of Red Giant Software. Red Giant Software offers some of the most popular plug-ins on the planet including Magic Bullet Looks and the various Trapcode Read more…

You may have noticed we’ve been making some changes to Motionworks over the past few weeks. These updates are designed to make the site more useful and capture some of the joy and fun of design and motionography.

The News page has been removed and all posts are accessible from the Home page. Tutorials, Tips and Downloads still have their own page and Business of Design (BOD) now has it’s own page. Keeping all of these sections separate means you’ll more easily locate what you need.

A new Shorts section has been added to the sidebar and Comments has been updated so you can now reply to a specific comment. Here’s to working hard and having fun!