After Effects Apprentice Free Video: Exploring Shape Effects
Chris and Trish Meyer | 01/31- 05:06 AM
An overview of five of the simpler shape operators that can turn your basic outline into something quite twisted.
As we mentioned awhile back, we’ve been busy the past year and a half creating an extensive, multi-course video training series based on our popular beginner’s book After Effects Apprentice. Each course has two or more movies that are free for all to view; we’re re-posting those videos here on PVC to make sure you don’t miss them. In this movie, shows how to alter your basic shapes using dedicated shape effects.
LIGHTING STRATEGIES: Exploiting a Single Light Source
Art Adams | 01/28- 11:14 AM
Sometimes all it takes to make a beautiful picture is placing one light—as long as it’s the proper light source. This still photo shows an example of one style of soft lighting that’s been in use for centuries, and for good reason: it works.
There are few things more elegant than lighting a shot with a single light source. It doesn’t always work, but when it does—it’s magical.
Part Three: Video Editing & Animation with Photoshop CS4/CS5 Extended Series
Not only can you manipulate video layers in 3D space in Photoshop CS4 and later, but you can create 3D objects from primitives and import 3D models. In this FREE 12-minute tutorial from my Video Training DVD Photoshop CS4/CS5 Video & Animation, I give you an overview of the 3D workspace and how you can create, manipulate and modify 3D layers and tools right inside of Photoshop.
After Effects Apprentice Free Video: Drawing Parametric Shapes
Chris and Trish Meyer | 01/27- 08:31 AM
The same tools you’ve used to create masks can also be used to create Shape Layers - with far more options than you might have imagined.
As we mentioned awhile back, we’ve been busy the past year and a half creating an extensive, multi-course video training series based on our popular beginner’s book After Effects Apprentice. Each course has two or more movies that are free for all to view; we’re re-posting those videos here on PVC to make sure you don’t miss them. In this movie, Chris shares a number of tips and tricks for creating parametric shapes.
from the “Green Screen Workshop: The Setup” series
There’s more to lighting your green screen than just sticking some green fabric up on a wall behind your talent and hoping for the best! Planning ahead and choosing the right setup for the shot you’re hoping to get is a key factor in determining what kind of lighting setup you’re going to require. Will it be in a studio? On-location? Indoors or outdoors? Full-length with walk-ons or just a talking head? Will your actors be making contact with the screen? These are all questions covered in this video lesson from my Green Screen Workshop series - this is a FREE video lesson, so enjoy!
BOOK REVIEW: “How to Shoot Movies Without Shooting Yourself in the Foot”
Art Adams | 01/20- 08:00 AM
The best books about cinematography aren’t necessarily about the art of cinematography. They’re about getting all the other stuff out of the way so you can practice cinematography. This is the book that tells you what you didn’t know—but need to know—about becoming a cinematographer.
This book is not for everyone. If you don’t eat, breathe and live cinematography… maybe you should read something else. Seriously. This book may not be for you. (But if it is… you’d better not miss it.)
LIGHTING STRATEGIES: Placing the Fill Light for Faces
Art Adams | 01/17- 03:21 PM
Placing a fill light properly is possibly more important than placing a key light… and I can prove it!
In this article I wrote about classical key light placement and classical portraiture to illustrate how artists and cinematographers have traditionally gone about lighting faces. Fill light is often derided as the light that simply opens up the shadows, but it can do much more than that. It can have a shape and beauty all its own, and it can save you when your key light placement is not optimal.
After Effects Apprentice Free Video: The Puppet Starch Tool
Chris and Trish Meyer | 01/12- 02:15 PM
Not happy with how Puppet kinks and bends your image? The little-known Starch tool helps you straighten it out.
As we mentioned awhile back, we’ve been busy the past year and a half creating an extensive, multi-course video training series based on our popular beginner’s book After Effects Apprentice. Each course has two or more movies that are free for all to view; we’re re-posting those videos here on PVC to make sure you don’t miss them. In this movie, Chris demonstrates using the Starch tool to clean up problems that can appear when creating Puppet distortions in After Effects.
Edit and Optimize 2D Stereo Pairs from a 3D Video Camera or Twin Cameras with a Modified Stereo 3D Rig in After Effects CS5.5
Adobe included a 1-step option to create a 3D Stereo Camera Rig in After Effects CS5.5, to everyone’s enthusiasm for a simpler workflow in 3D space. Great if you are working in 3D space in After Effects, but what about an easy option for 3D Stereo pairs captured by a 3D camera or twin cameras on a rig? In this tutorial I’ll show you how to quickly modify the Stereo 3D Rig in After Effects to quickly mux your L&R video files and adjust the convergence for anaglyph, interlaced or stereo pairs output.
A contracted article, sponsored by Datavideo Corporation.
Our friends at Datavideo recently asked me to write an article called How to get the “24p” look for your live-switched multicam shoot. The article covers many factors involved in accomplishing that goal, including framerate, aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, and menu settings in Datavideo’s digital HD video mixers (“switchers”) and recorders, and also the menu settings in several pro cameras from Canon, Panasonic, and Sony. The included chart explains which of the cameras have a direct HD-SDI output, and which require an optional converter to go from HDMI to HD-SDI to connect to the Datavideo digital HD video mixer. As you’ll see in the article, the approach is quite different from the workflows I normally cover, which are more appropriate when programs are to be edited, as opposed to when they are shot —and potentially broadcast— live. The graphics for this article were done by Victory Elliot of Datavideo Corporation.
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