A simple red silk-style banner created in Adobe After Effects using Trapcode Form. Also includes a logo displaced by the Form layer using the Displacement Map effect. Read more…

Here are a couple of Form experiments. Both use the String settings; one for an amorphous background element and the other for an interesting text reveal. Click the thumbnail for large images.  Download Project

Recently I was asked to come up with an idea for a show and as seems to be the case lately, had very little time to develop it. Click on the thumbnail and the first picture you’ll see are my initial ideas created in Illustrator. The second one is better than the first but simply making the T and A capitals in a script font (Scriptina) wasn’t working, Read more…

In this short tutorial learn how to use After Effects’ Fast Blur, Turbulent Displace, Roughen Edges, Texturize, Displacement Map and Gradient Wipe effects to give text a grungy look.

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This After Effects CS4 background is based on a 3×3 Grid created in Adobe Illustrator. Click the thumbnail to view full size images.Take a look at this on-demand e-seminar for tips on how it was set up and how to work with the Illustrator file to change the shapes.  Download project

Summer is almost upon us here in Australia but I know that many of you on the other side of the world are heading into a long cold winter. So I thought I’d make a pretty snowflake background for you to use. It’s based on a very handy confetti background created by Peder Norby from Trapcode.  
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This project is another good example of taking poor quality 4:3 vision, making it 16:9 and giving it some polish. The tools included Adobe After Effects, Zaxwerks ProAnimator, Trapcode Horizon and Shine, and Maltaannon’s Screenify effect (featured in MILG 5). The vision was treated with the Screenify effect— which adds a realistic jumbotron Read more…

Often when creating grungy styles I resort to stock imagery, as is the case with this weathered metal look. The base for the look is a metal texture, heavily treated in Photoshop, with an After Effects comp combining Roughen Edges and Fractal Noise for blotches and scratches. You’ll also notice I’ve color corrected the Text comp inside the Main comp to help it sit better with the background. The background was created by combining a couple of stock footage layers, which have been replaced in the download with a rendered still. Download Project

Here is the After Effects project for Unbreakable. The look is based on graphics from the original movie trailer; read the Gallery post for more details.

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Here’s an Adobe Photoshop file containing a nice beveled-gold layer layer style.

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This starry background was created using a combination of Fractal Noise and Trapcode Particular and is based on a preset included with Particular.

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The ECG (Electrocardiogram) is one of those graphics that is handy to have on file. There are a number of different ways to create them in After Effects, here’s one created using masks and the Vegas effect.

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In 2007 Motionwork ran a challenge to see who could create the best explosion using Adobe After Effects and Trapcode Particular. All 11 finalist projects have been compiled for you to use in your own projects.

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This is the grid I created for the Diehard project. It’s uniform grid of random ones and zeros created using Trapcode Particular and After Effects’ own Grid effect. It works best with bitmap fonts and the font I used can be found here

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This type look is based on graphics from the trailer for Premonition. The background is some stock smoke footage with soft feathered masks and the Wave Warp effect. Replace the text in the “text” comp and adjust the range settings for the text — POSITION 1 for the top line and POSITION 2 for the bottom line.  Watch movie   Download project

Here’s a simple sparks preset created using Trapcode Particular.

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This project uses a simple index expression to offset the text layers and nulls to control the distribution using Expression Control sliders. This allows them to be freely distributed with one null while setting keyframes for Y-Position and Rotation with another.  Download project

Experimenting with the presets that ship with After Effects is a great way to create some unique looks. These backgrounds are based on the Cosmic Power (Backgrounds category) and the Cells (Synthetics category) presets.

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In my tutorials I’m always recommending experimentation as a way of getting comfortable with the After Effects tool set. After quite some time I finally got around to just sitting and playing myself – specifically with Shape Layers — and the result is some interesting looks. Download project

Here are some darker experimentations with Fractal Noise and other effects I’ve been meaning to post. Try Brainstorming them and see what you can come up with. 

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Here’s a neat background based on Knoll Light Factory. It’s basically 2 different flares; the top flare’s Angle property has been animated, with CC Time Blend used to soften and spread the rays. The bottom flare has been distorted using Turbulent Displace to give it a spooky feel, this also makes the large glow flare in the background look kind of like smoke.  Download project

This grungy, metallic look was created using a combination of Gradient Overlay (Layer Style), Roughen Edges and Fractal Noise. The animation was created using Per-character 3D text for a sci-fi feel.

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For this animation I had planned to have the text fly in as simple After Effects layers but a little warping using 3D Layer Warp gives the promo that extra edge. A simple grey solid acts as the back face of the sticker and adjusting the Displacement settings (with a Fractal Noise map) to give the sticker it’s bumps. Watch movie   Download project

This background uses a series of Illustrator dots animated using the wiggle expression applied to Scale and Opacity. This was then precomposed and CC Radial Blur and CC Toner applied. The grid was created using Grid, warped using Displacement Map and softened at the edges using Lens Blur. It has depth without actually being 3D. Watch movie   Download project

This background – created with some help from Mark Coleran – was created using Trapcode Particular. The basic straight bars can also be modified using the Wave Warp effect. To slow the movement down simply decrease the Velocity setting (Emitter).  Watch movie  Download project

This 3D Warps example uses Radial Wave warp style for all 3 Warps. Setting Material Shading to Shaded With Highlights and increasing the Highlight Sharpness and Highlight Brightness settings gives the material a glossy, plastic-like appearance. Watch movie   Download project

Here’s another example of taking a simple Shape Layer, in this case a star, and experimenting with the different settings.

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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