A Different Light: Gamma-Corrected Compositing
An Old Friend Returns: CC Effects
One of the stars of the Cycore FX set is CC Particle World, a 3D particle system that includes...
Managing Moving Masks
In After Effects, each mask vertex (the yellow squares) interpolates in a straight line from old to new positions....
A Track of the Clones
One of the most significant but underused sections of After Effects has to be its vector-based painting engine, introduced...
Between Dimensions: 3D Into AE
The logo was rendered in a 3D program; the walls were created in After Effects. Both use the same...
More Motion, Less Control
Most of you are probably familiar with the concept of using a camera to pan and zoom around still...
Pulse Rays
Light ray treatments, where streaks of color extend from type, a logo, or image, are popping up everywhere these...
Gobos and Gels
Finishing our tour of 3D lighting in After Effects, we’ll discuss gobos and gels. For those new to lighting,...
Lurking in the Shadows
The second stop in our overview of 3D lighting in After Effects is the subject of shadows. In the...
Blinded by the Light
The 3D implementation in After Effects is very flexible. You can selectively place some layers in 3D space, and...
Making 3D Effects Behave Like 3D
Expressions can make “fake” 3D plug-ins such as CC Sphere track After Effects’ 3D cameras. After Effects is, at...
Urban Legends of Video
Like urban legends, there are a few pieces of “conventional wisdom” that float around the motion graphics and 3D...
Expressive Animation
One common use of expressions is to set up automatic relationships between layers, such as having a minute hand...
Parenting Skills
Parenting is the ability to link one object to another. Once this bond has been established between parent and...
Open Wide: Creating That Widescreen Look
For years, the widescreen look has held a certain allure. Most widescreen imagery originated as film that was reframed...
