Education & Inspiration

Animating Layered Graphics in Final Cut Pro X

This week on MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | June 18, 2013

This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training shows us a cool trick for animating layered Photoshop files in Final Cut Pro X.

While you may know how to use the Ken Burns effect on an image, did you know it also can be applied to individual layers of a... Read More

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After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 11

ExtendScript Script Writing Training

By David Torno | June 14, 2013

Welcome to episode 11 of the After Effects ExtendScript Training series. This week we are finally building a GUI (Graphic User Interface). I will show you how to create nearly every, if not every, GUI element ExtendScript offers. So if you were looking to create a floating window... Read More

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Creating a Spirograph Effect in Motion

This week on MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | June 11, 2013

This week on MacBreak Studio, I talk with Steve Martin from Ripple Training about how to recreate the Spirograph (tm) effect in Motion.

For those of us old enough to remember, Spirograph was a drawing kit consisting of transparent gears with holes. You would place a gear... Read More

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After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 10

ExtendScript Script Writing Training

By David Torno | June 08, 2013

Welcome to episode 10 of the After Effects ExtendScript Training series. In this episode we will create a custom function that will allow us to easily retrieve specific types of project items like CompItems, FolderItems, or FootageItems. We will also get into setting arguments for our... Read More

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Making Ken Burns Obey

On this week's MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | June 04, 2013

This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training shows us how to "take charge" of the Ken Burns effect in Final Cut Pro X.

This effect makes it fast and easy to create pans and zooms on still images (or video for that matter). However, it does suffer from one... Read More

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After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 9

ExtendScript Script Writing Training

By David Torno | June 02, 2013

Welcome to episode 9 of the After Effects ExtendScript Training series. We will continue from last week and modify our script even further to search through our project layers for all of our blue solids and change their source color to red. We will also update the blue solid names by... Read More

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Pixel Motion Blur in After Effects CC

Adobe bundles a cure for too-fast shutter speeds

By Chris and Trish Meyer | May 29, 2013

Not all of the updates coming in After Effects CC (Creative Cloud) are of the earth-shattering variety; some are simply better - or more convenient - mousetraps. After Effects guardian angel Todd Kopriva has posted an exhaustive list on the Adobe After Effects Technical Focus blog; one that we’d like to single out and share some training on is the Pixel Motion Blur effect.

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From Dailies to Oscar Nominations

Oscar nominted editors discuss the art of editing

By Jeremiah Karpowicz | May 28, 2013

The Invisible Art: Visible Artists panel features all of the Academy Award nominated editors to discuss the art of editing the day before the Oscars. John Trask (MPEG President) introduced ACE President and moderator Alan Heim, and the panel consisted of Crispin Struthers (Silver Linings... Read More

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Creating a Cosmic Zoom in Motion

On this Week's MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | May 28, 2013

This week on MacBreak Studio, I show Steve Martin from Ripple Training how to do a "Cosmic Zoom" effect in Motion.

Inspired by Andrew Kramer's excellent After Effects tutorial on his site Videocopilot.net, I demonstrate how you can achieve a similar result using... Read More

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MAXON CINEMA 4D Integration in After Effects CC

Quick tutorials on importing and rendering C4D projects in the upcoming version of After Effects

By Chris and Trish Meyer | May 27, 2013

As we mentioned last Thursday, we wanted to share with you more about some of the significant new features in the Creative Cloud version of After Effects. The goal is to make you better informed about your upgrade decision before the June 17 release date.

We wrote a preview of After Effects CC for PVC when it was first announced; since then we’ve released a couple of hours of video training on all the major new features in After Effects CC. Adobe TV has also posted two movies from that course on C4D/AE integration, and we thought we’d share those with you.

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After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 8

ExtendScript Script Writing Training

By David Torno | May 26, 2013

Welcome to episode 8 of the After Effects ExtendScript Training series. Using a lot of what we've already learned, we are going to combine some of the past code and make a decent sized script to create multiple comps of different sizes. We will also use Undo groups to package our... Read More

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Roto Brush Parameter Changes

After Effects CC brings some changes to previous Roto Brush parameters

By Chris and Trish Meyer | May 24, 2013

As we mentioned yesterday, the Refine Edge tool is one of the most significant new tools added to After Effects CC (due to be released June 17). Refine Edge is built on top of the Roto Brush took, which was originally introduced in AE CS5. A side effect of this is that some parameter names and ranges associated with Roto Brush are changing in AE CC. The following movie reviews some of those changes:

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Using the new Refine Edge Tool in After Effects CC

Keying hair (and more) without a greenscreen

By Chris and Trish Meyer | May 23, 2013

Every time After Effects or any other major tool you use is updated, you go through a decision process of whether or not to buy the upgrade. Adobe has upped the ante this cycle by announcing the end of permanent licenses for most of their software; from now on, their major apps are only available through their Creative Cloud subscription model. We’ve avoided publicly joining the Creative Cloud debate (we happen to actually be subscribers, and we’re very happy - while also realizing it may not work for everyone), but in the meantime, we wanted to share with you more about some of the significant new features in the Creative Cloud version of After Effects so you can be better informed about your upgrade decision when the June 17 release date rolls around.

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FCP X, Photoshop, and RAW

On this week's MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | May 21, 2013

This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training gives us some tips on working with RAW images in Final Cut Pro X.

We've talked about RED RAW workflow in an earlier episode of MacBreak Studio - how you can work with these RAW video files natively in FCP X,... Read More

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After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 7

ExtendScript Script Writing Training

By David Torno | May 18, 2013

Welcome to episode 7 of the After Effects ExtendScript Training series. This week we will be creating new comps and folders as well as creating Nulls, Solids and Text layers.

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Archiving Final Cut Pro X Projects and Media

This Week on MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | May 14, 2013

This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training talks about archiving your projects in Final Cut Pro X.

Once you've delivered your edit to your client, they've approved it and you've been paid, how do you go about saving that project and storing it... Read More

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After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 6

ExtendScript Script Writing Training

By David Torno | May 12, 2013

Welcome to episode 6 of the After Effects ExtendScript Training series. This week we will be learning to collect data from multiple assets into an Array() via a loop. We are also going to learn how to set various values of comps, layers and properties via ExtendScript.

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Two Questions About Video Scopes

Ruminating on the Differences Between Visual and Graphical Analysis

By Alexis Van Hurkman | May 09, 2013

In this inaugural post of my new question-and-answer column, I tackle two kickoff queries about video scopes from colleague Scott Simmons, who thoughtfully saved me from having to come up with something on my own. If you have a question about color grading, postproduction workflow, or any interesting intersection of production and post, send it my way at ahurkman@procoalitions.com. I'll answer via this column as time permits.

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Text Animation in Motion

This Week on MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | May 07, 2013

This week on MacBreak Studio, I show Steve Martin from Ripple Training a few tricks for animating text in Motion.

Text, like shapes, particles, replicators, cameras, and other objects in Motion, has a dedicated set of behaviors available for animating it in various ways. In... Read More

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After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 5

ExtendScript Script Writing Training

By David Torno | May 04, 2013

Welcome to episode 5, this week we will be accessing renderqueue items, templates, outputmodules, as well as the file output name and path. I will also be taking the single item access approach from last week and will now show you how to access multiple items. To do this we will be... Read More

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