Camera Tracker—originally developed for The Foundry’s high-end compositing tool Nuke X—gives After Effects users powerful 3D tracking tool directly inside After Effects.

Having used a number of other trackers on the market, I found this to be similar to PFHoe from Pixel Farm. It’s very simple to use and incredibly powerful. Full integration with After Effects means there is no longer any need to open up a stand alone application and have to transfer the data around.

Camera Tracker has the key features you’d expect in a 3D tracker, including free camera and rotating camera options, focal distance and lens distortion settings. Once a scene is tracked, removing weaker points from the point cloud is quick and easy before solving the camera and creating the scene.

You still have control over the point cloud to choose the desired orientation of the scene, and the option to create Solids or Null Objects from the points is handy.

I generally found that the first solve was solid and the camera behaved as expected. Having said that, the camera moves were shot professionally and had plenty of detail to track. I’m yet to test it on long unstable shots with multiple zooms and pans for example.

With CameraTracker, The Foundry has made 3D Tracking more approachable, and given users a new world of creative options inside of After Effects. I certainly recommend it to any After Effects user who wants to add match-moving to their toolkit.

You can check out more of my work at brettmorris.com

“I was viewing an article on Creative Cow a few months ago, and like usual got side tracked and looked at some of the demo reels. The first demo reel i clicked on started with a 1:1 copy of Andrew Kramers submerged tutorial/effect. I left the site and haven’t been back since. I just watched a world cup game on the BBC and guess what, Andrew Kramers Ancient Titles had been copied, and not even that well. Pathetic.

I think that you guys have actually devalued graphic design and opened a pandora’s box scenerio in pursuit of your own self interest and ego. I don’t like what you are doing. You are stiffling individual creativity and creating alot of dead wood. Yes, all people have to take responsibility but i don’t see you guys doing any of that, you just use caveats and carry on regardless.

And, to people who use deadlines, lack of experience, and so on, as an excuse to put out this rubbish. SHAME ON YOU. What ever happened to hard work, passion and integrity?!

Oh yeah, one last thing. I criticised AK once and i was blocked from commenting. PATHETIC guys, really poor form”.

Read the original post and comments here

When I read it my initial thought was that it was a peculiar thing to say, particularly when Red Giant Software – distributers of Trapcode plug-ins – have just released a range of new presets for Trapcode. I do get where Peder is coming from though, and in the thread he has further explained his original post. I too feel — and I’ve said so numerous times on Motionworks – that copying tutorials and using presets verbatim is not wise. This is the comment I left on the thread:

“Tutorials are an important resource. Having said that, it’s important to keep in mind that if you copy directly from a tutorial and put it on your reel, then expect to get hired, you should think again. There are countless other’s around the world watching the same tutorial and it becomes VERY EASY TO SPOT. The same goes for presets. I see plenty of reels with the default Trapcode Shine presets for example. In fact the Trapcode plug-ins in general are very easy to spot. If you want motion graphics to remain a hobby, then copy tutorials and use presets verbatim. If you want it to be a career, think again”.

This comment was directed towards the newcomer to motion graphics who may not be aware that using tutorials and presets on their reel is probably not a good idea. A potential employee in the industry is more likely to recognise it (especially some of the more popular tutorials) than perhaps a client who just needs the jobe done and fast.

What’s your opinion? Do you use tutorials and presets in your own work? Do you modify them or give them your own spin? Do you have tutorial graphics in your reel? Did you consider that using tutorials in your reel is not wise?

This seemingly small but important oversight can make even the best work look average. There is plenty of information out there about type and kerning and why it’s important, what I’m wondering is why is this happening? Are designers not being trained properly? Are they under too much pressure to reach deadlines to be able to fine-tune? Is the type being left to the promo producer or editor to add in the edit suite? Is it laziness? What do you think? Are you paying attention to these kinds of details?

Joe Mason

Effects used: Digieffects Aurorix (Videolook), Digieffects Delirium (Video Malfunction)

Ryan Snider

Effects used: Digieffects Aurorix (AgedFilm, Interferix, Earthquake, VideoLook). Delerium (FilmFlash, VideoMalfunction, Nexus). FreeformAE.

Saul

Effects used: FreeformAE.

Alan Hossack

Effects used: Delerium, Freeform, AgedFilm.

Alex Williams

Effects used: BlurZone, RainFall, CameraShake, AgedFilm.

Dave Meikle

Effects used: Delerium (Fog Factory, Lens Flares, Flicker & Strobe, Video Malfunction)

Dominik Nowack

Effects used: Damages (Blockade, Artifact)

Erik Parise

Effects used: Digieffects Berserk (Laser, Blizzard). Damages (Skew, Interference). Simulate (Illuma Photogust, Camera Over Expose. Delirium (Solarize). Aurorix (interferoid, Aged Film). FreeformAE.

Irving Diaz

Effects used: Digieffects Damage.

Randy Lindquist

Effects used: Digieffects Damage.

Ryan Snider

Effects used: Digieffects Aurorix (AgedFilm, Interferix, Earthquake, VideoLook). Delerium (FilmFlash, VideoMalfunction, Nexus). FreeformAE.

Saul

Effects used: FreeformAE.

At first I simply disregarded it as some kind of scam, until Footage Firm contacted me and kindly sent me some of the disks, and they were real disks with real footage including time lapse water, sky and cities. Since then Footage Firm has released a number of free collections including backgrounds as well as various sound effects disks. I’ve previewed the explosions and electricity disks and wasn’t impressed. The clips look like simple loops created using Adobe After Effects and particleIllusion. These are probably not worth it but for the price you’ll probably find some of the footage disks worthwhile.

I presume this generosity is all about Footage Firm becoming known and gaining a foothold in the market. You’ll have to decide whether postage is worth it for a number of these “free” collections. Footage Firm also has a variety of full priced collections that are easy to browse, with previews. Keep in mind, that you also get a money-back guarantee.

Joe Mason

Effects used: Digieffects Aurorix (Videolook), Digieffects Delirium (Video Malfunction)

Trish Podell

Effects used: Bubbles, Bulgex, Cyclowrap, Fairy Dust, Halo, Infinity Warp, Interpheron, Perspectron, Riploid, Warpoid.

Tibor Miklos (Sparks)

Effects used: Digieffects Damage (Artifact)

Brett Perry

Effects used: CycloWarp, VanGoghist, FilmFlash, Sparks, WaveDisplace, BluePrint, Rainfall

Dimi (PixelMotionTV)

Effects used: Digieffects Aurorix (Videolook), Digieffects Delirium (Video Malfunction)

Video and audio

The video content includes a selection of 5 Artbeats HD clips (and 5 low resolution versions) and 35 Maxon custom clips. The audio content includes a 22 audio loops and 20 instrumental tracks ranging from Disco to News.

The rest of the content is installed using your product serial number and becomes available from within the Cinema 4D Content Browser

3D Objects

There is also a wide range of 3D objects. A number of them such as the video wall allow you to replace the stand-in image with your own content.

Presets

Broadcast Elements

There are 10 sets of broadcast elements including lower thirds and OTS (over-the-shoulder) graphics, with detailed User Data, allowing you to quickly customise the look to your needs.

Scenes

There are 6 complete, text-based opening titles with a heavy emphasis on MoGraph.

Tools

There is a range of mostly Xpresso-based presets, many of which were previously available as part of the CS Tools created by Chris Smith.

Resources

2D Elements

The 2D resources include cityscapes, silhouettes and a range of flourishes with User Data for quick animation.

Cameras

There are 8 camera setups including the handy CS Action Cam and CS Docu Cam.

Example Scenes

There are 8 detailed MoGraph-based example scenes.

You can see rendered versions of these scenes on Maxon’s site.

Images

There is a large range of both abstract and real-world images including volumetric light, grunge, rust and smoke.

Lights

There are 7 CS light setups.

Materials

There is a huge range of materials including Effects, Glossy, Multi-color, Natural and Toony.

Okay, so now you know what’s in the kit. If you work in broadcast and use Cinema 4D, this kit is worth it, just the 3D objects are probably worth the price of the kit by themselves. For more information and to order visit Maxon.net.

• All entries must use the music track written especially for the challenge by Selcuk Can Guven. Download music
• All entries must include the Digieffects logo (3D is okay) Download logo
• All entries must feature at least one Digieffects plugin. If you don’t own any Digieffects plugins you can use trial versions. Any watermarks from the demos won’t affect your chances of winning. Download trials
• Resolution should be no greater than 640 x 360.
• Format can be Vimeo, YouTube or MP4/H264.
• The length of the animation should be that of the music track.
• All entries must be sent to Motionworks no later than April 1, 2010.
• All entries will be featured on Motionworks during the challenge, with the final 3 chosen from the top 10 entries.
• Send your movie or link to john@motionworks.com.au.
• Please list all plug-ins used in your entry.

So let the challenge begin. We can’t wait to see your creations!

This promo for our brand new MILG7: MoGraph Unleashed video training, was created using Cinema 4D and After Effects. The Out Now text bounces using MoGraph 2.0 MoDynamics, the sky was added in After Effects using Trapcode Horizon, and the colour grade was created using a combination of Magic Bullet Looks and Mojo. For a 10% discount on Horizon, Looks or Mojo enter “motionworks10″ on checkout!  Watch Movie

But Brian hasn’t hosted training for some time. So when he mentioned he had just finished recording a brand new Advanced Photoshop CS4 Extended training course I had mixed emotions; part of me was so glad to see Brian once again hosting tutorials, the other half thought “Why Photoshop? Why not After Effects?  But now, having watched the training, I must say I’m impressed. I had no idea Brian had such an in-depth knowledge of Photoshop.

In this detailed, real-world training, Brian walks step-by-step through a dramatic poster design he originally created for the Rockland County Choral Society.

1. Artistic Compositing

In this chapter Brian demonstrates how to take a stock image of a dancer and transform it into a flame-engulfed fire sprite. The project includes tips on choosing source material; a terrific technique using Channels to cleanly select hair; a wealth of workflow tips including managing layers using Smart Objects; a creative technique for taking an existing illustration and customizing it, then using the Liquify tool to wrap the texture around the sprite; and techniques for compositing the sprite with images of fire.

2. 3D Modeling in Photoshop

3D was introduced in Photoshop CS3 but until now there has been no detailed training available. In this chapter Brian dives deep into the 3D features of Photoshop CS4 to create a truly jaw-dropping golden chalice, complete with skull and crossbones. The chapter starts with a brief introduction to 3D in Photoshop and then explores creating a 3D mesh from grayscale; creating and modifying depth maps, including a handy technique for making a seamless fractal noise map; and modeling using the Curves tool (which has to be seen to be believed); merging 3D layers and combining 3D objects.

I have to say that although the results Brian creates using the Photoshop tools are impressive, they weren’t easy to create. Modelling with Curves is cool but I’d much prefer to use a simple lathe in Cinema 4D. Having said that, if you don’t have access to a fully featured 3D software application, it’s pretty cool to know that you can model in Photoshop.

3. Textures and Lights

This chapter starts with a handy technique for creating a seamless metal texture, then moves deep into all of the texturing and lighting settings. Brian demonstrates how to apply the metal texture to the chalice and finely tweak material and lighting settings. The last 3 sections focus on adding detail using bump map textures, with impressive results.

4. 32 Bits – Putting It Together

This final chapter covers how to combine the fire sprite and chalice with a title to build the final poster. Brian starts by demonstrating how to place the fire sprite between copies of the chalice to create a convincing composite, then moves into a thorough explanation of 32bit compositing, including why you would use it and how to use it as an artistic tool. The final two lessons include a cool 32-bit technique for building the poster type element using no less than 6 different Layer Styles; and some must-know tricks for reducing the bit-depth of the final poster for print output.

If you want to explore some of the lesser-known aspects of Photoshop CS4 Extended or if you’re looking to improve your general Photoshop workflow, then this is an excellent training resource. As a trainer Brian is not only highly skilled but is equally warm, friendly and passionate, making watching these lessons a pleasure. I always get the feeling that Brian has my best interests at heart and truly wants me as a viewer to get the most out of the software.

For more information about this training click here. For a free-guest pass to Total Training click here.  You can also subscribe to Total Training for $24.99 per month to access the entire library of titles including Photoshop CS4 Extended – Advanced Techniques. This subscription also gives you access to the lesson work files.