In this tutorial, we take a look at how to track an object that goes off screen with Adobe After Effects.
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to ask!

Thanks!

If it leaves your sight | Disappeared, it is not | Lock it to your plate

In this tutorial we take a look at how to make a Cinemagraph with Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. Cinemagraphs, a term coined by Jamie Beck & Kevin Burg, are not quite photographs, and not quite video. They straddle a line somewhere in between. For more information, check out this article, and see the site where they originated. Some very cool stuff!

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to ask!

Thanks!

It’s not quite a video | A Cinemagraph | It’s not quite a Photograph

A few Tips and Tricks | To make your shots come alive | Blur, Blacks, and Film Grain…

In this tutorial, we look at a shot from a recent video game trailer I created. We take a look at some of the compositing techniques I used to make the pixel art look like it’s part of the filmed plate.

If you have any comments or questions, please let me know!

Thanks!

Look on the Bright Side | If it’s Cloudy, bring the Sun | Track, Comp, Perfection

In this tutorial, we look at how to do a complex sky replacement with Adobe After Effects CS5. We take a look at a variety of tools, including Tracking, Displacement maps, exposure, Refine Matte, Edge Blur, Colour Correction with Curves, and applying a vignette.

If you wish to download the project file for this tutorial, you can grab it here: SkyReplacmentTutorialv001.zip

If you have any comments or questions, please let me know!

Thanks!

Stabilization | From Shaky Beginnings | A Tranquility

In this tutorial, we use Adobe After Effects CS5 and take a look at stabilizing a piece of footage. Once the footage is stable, we “paint” out two unwanted objects from the shot using a quick and simple technique. We then complete the shot with some quick colour corrections.

Hope you enjoy it!

If you would like to see the same tutorial, but done in a node based compositing application, check out this tutorial here:
http://vfxhaiku.com/2010/09/stabilization-and-object-removal-with-eyeon-fusion-6/

A Puppet Master | Not through Strings, but a Keyboard | Making our Comps Dance

In this tutorial, we use Adobe After Effects CS4 and take a look at the wiggle expression, and show how it can be used with the Puppet tool to add some life to otherwise static objects.

Hope you enjoy it!

Here’s a link to the animation which is used in this tutorial:
http://blog.isotropy.ca/2010/06/i-could-jump-out-a-window/

A 3D Journey | Information Parity | Stereo Knowledge

This is a recording of a presentation I gave in October of 2008 on Frantic Films work on Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.

There’s quite a few topics covered here including:

Post-vis, 3D tracking Stereo footage, Fluid Simulations, Creature design, Compositing Passes, Creature Rigs, Particle tests with Krakatoa, Cloth Simulations, 2D look Developlemt, and common problems with 3D Stereo Footage.

There’s a bunch of behind the scenes stuff here that normally doesn’t make it out of a VFX studio, so I hope you enjoy it!

Let me know if you have any comments of questions!

Thanks!

From Layers to Nodes | Mountain of Learning Awaits | Your Journey starts Here!

In this tutorial, we take a more in-depth look at node based compositing from the perspective of an After Effects user. If you are someone who has lots of experience with After Effects, and wants to get into using a program like Shake, Nuke, or Fusion, this will help you get on the right track.

In Part two of this tutorial, we take a look at an entire shot built in fusion, and break down the tools one by one, and replicate the shot in After Effects. Hopefully, by seeing how this shot is built in Fusion and in After Effects, it will help you to understand the workflow differences between working with layers and nodes.

The big transition | We look for the common ground | From layers to nodes

In this tutorial, we take an introductory look at node based compositing from the perspective of an After Effects user. If you are someone who has lots of experience with After Effects, and wants to get into using a program like Shake, Nuke, or Fusion, this will help you get on the right track.

In Part one of this tutorial, we take a look at the differences in importing footage in After Effects VS. a node based compositing application (in this case Fusion 5).

We also cover:

• Different frame rates
• Straight VS. Post Multiplied alphas, and explaining the difference
• Removing fields
• Setting pixel aspect ratios
• Looping your footage

Real time re-lighting | It is not a fantasy | 2D FTW!

In this tutorial, we take a look at how to export a Normals pass from Cinema 4D, and how to use it to re-light objects in 2D inside of After effects and Fusion 5.

You can download the Normality Plugin for After Effects here:
http://minning.de/software/normality