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HD Checklist (PDF)

This is the "bullet point" sheet of technical facts and things to consider from Chris' HD talks at BDA and DV Expo West in 2005. Also see Chris' feature Designing for HD in the December 2005 issue of DV Magazine.

On The Level (PVC)

An updated version of an old gem originally written for Multimedia Producer on mixing audio and balancing levels between dialog, music, and sound effects has been moved to our archives on the ProVideo Coalition site. Although originally written for multimedia applications and illustrated using Premiere 4, the ideas can be readily applied to projects in After Effects or any NLE.

DV Magazine Articles

Columns and features we wrote for DV Magazine from 2001 are currently archived on DV Magazine’s website. Note that you need to be registered on their site to access these.

Unfortunately, there have been problems with their website in the past, so we are now in the process of moving a chunk of our archives to our CMG Keyframes channel on ProVideo Coalition. We will update links on this page as we get more material moved to this new site; these are indicated by articles with "PVC" after their name. The last three years of columns as well as a few features have already been moved.

Older articles that are no longer available are summarized on our Articles Archives page.

Articles that include an associated tutorial project for download are noted with an asterisk (*) and are available for download from within the project page unless noted.

As we've been writing for several years, obviously many of these columns deal with older versions of software! The columns used After Effects 4.1 from January 2000, switching to 5.0 around August 2001, 5.5 around June 2002, 6.0 in late 2003, 7.0 in early 2006, and CS3 in July 2007. Earlier/later versions may have different features and keyboard shortcuts, and give you a special message when you open their files in later versions of the programs – but the concepts should still be useful, regardless of age.

Features for DV Magazine

Designing for HD: An Essential Checklist <DV December 2005>

Crucial questions to ask clients before your next HD graphics jobs – and some intelligent answers to give. Chris offers helpful hints for tackling your first high-definition job.

Make Motion Move <PVC> <DV November 2005>

An intriguing feature introduced in version 2 of Apple Motion is the ability to control it via MIDI: the Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Chris reviews a wide variety of third-party input devices to edit parameters such as scale, opacity, rotation, and effect parameters.

Straight Advice on Loopbased Music <DV March 2005>

Tips for creating better scores with loop-based composition software.

* Techniques for Moving Type <DV May 2004>

A round-up of how to create various popular type treatments (such as handwriting, typing on, and decoding effects) and the best tools for each job. Includes a project file.

Tools for Moving Type <DV March 2004>

Trish rounds up a selection of the latest type animation tools for motion graphic designers, including After Effects 6.x, Apple LiveType, Zaxwerks Invigorator and Pro Animator, and a host of AE plug-ins including Boris Title Toolkit, Digital Anarchy Text Anarchy 2, and Profound Effects Useful Things (RIP). As mentioned in the Type Resources sidebar, we've created a page of links to our favorite font-related websites.

Music Mangling Techniques <DV April 2002>

A number of tricks and techniques for editing music more effectively so you can get the exact duration you need and introducing variations when you need to loop a section. Assumes you know how to count time or spot music; read Timing Video to Audio in the June 98 issue or the column MG13 in the September 1998 issue for more background.

Urban Legends of Video <DV November 2001>

Explaining the facts and fictions on subjects including Field Order versus Field Dominance, adding fields to a render after it has been rendered, and drop frame versus non-drop frame timecode and footage.

Keeping that Syncing Feeling <DV September 2001>

A technical overview of how audio should synchronize to film and video, and a guide for what to do when it doesn't. Includes workarounds for some of the most common 29.97 vs. 30 fps and film pulldown issues.

Open Wide <PVC> <DV July 2001>

Creating widescreen and 16:9 graphics, including anamorphic video and how to create the impression of widescreen when limited to 4:3 sources and output media.

Enter a New Dimension (Intro to 3D) <DV February 2001>

An increasing amount of motion graphic design calls for 3D elements. Learning 3D can initially be daunting. However, you can create a wide variety of looks with a minimal amount of effort, if you stick to the basics and create objects to use within larger compositions. This feature serves as a gentle introduction to 3D, and presents a trio of case studies on jobs we've executed with the help of 3D.

Motion Graphics Columns

 

Click on header link to read any column on PVC (if noted) or DV.com. If a newer version of After Effects (v.7 or CS3) makes a topic obsolete, it is noted in parentheses. If you find a broken link, please let us know.

MG81: Motion 3 = 3D <PVC> <DV Sept. 2007>

A quick review of the newly-implemented 3D space inside Apple Motion, including some tips on navigation and using 3D camera behaviors.

MG80: The Shape of Things to Come <PVC> <DV July 2007>

A short workshop on taking advantage of the vector-based Shape Layers introduced in After Effects CS3.

MG79: Brighter Whites, Richer Colors, Part 2
<PVC> <DV February 2007>

MG78: Brighter Whites; Richer Colors, Part 1 
<PVC> <DV January 2007>

Correct working practices for handling 601-spec video footage and sRGB photos inside After Effects. Written for AE7; CS3 introduced a more comprehensive color management system, but these “old” techniques provide quick alternative workflows for those not ready to dive head-first into full-blown color management.

MG77: Work Smarter, Not Harder <PVC> <DV Nov. 2006>

An introduction to GridIron’s Nucleo Pro, which enhances your productivity in After Effects by pro-actively rendering previews as  well as your final versions.

MG76: Camera Control Part 2 <DV May 2006>
MG75: Camera Control Part 1 <DV March 2006>

The first part contains a handful of tricks and techniques you can use to more easily animate the 3D camera in After Effects, including one-node cameras, two-node cameras, auto-orientation, and building a special orbiting camera rig using parenting and null objects. In the second part, we show you how to build a dolly rig for the camera in older versions of After Effects as well as the new version 7.0, plus give a quick introduction to the new Graph Editor also introduced in 7.0.

MG74: Map Exploration <PVC> <DV Feb. 2006>

A common task is navigating around a map-like image. We discuss three different approaches to this challenge: stroking a line, animating text elements along a path, and auto-orienting an object of your choosing along a path. Includes example AE6.5 project. (New in CS3: animate dashed lines using Shape Layers and the Trim Path effect.)

MG73: Visual Rhythm Part 2 <PVC> <DV Nov. 2005>
MG72: Visual Rhythm Part 1 <PVC> <DV Oct. 2005>

Techniques for easily creating and coordinating multiple objects. Rhythm – repetition, with variation – is the backbone of many pieces of fine art, as well as motion graphic designs. However, it can be tedious to create and animate hordes of layers. In Part 1 we discuss approaches for easily creating visual rhythm with techniques that can be executed inside Adobe After Effects. Part 2 covers techniques for Apple Motion and Maxon Cinema 4.

MG71: The Almost Perfect Font <PVC> <DV July 2005>

What do you do when the client loves your font choice, but wants you to change just one character? A light editor such as TypeTool from Fontlab can be just the ticket for improving font legibility or creating a custom font.

MG70: A Different Light <PVC> <DV March 2005>

A light introduction to the subject of gamma and compositing within a "linear light" model, with examples from Adobe After Effects, Apple Motion, and Discreet combustion.

MG69: Resurrection of Final Effects Complete <DV January 2005>

Bundled free with the upgrade to After Effects 6.5 is Cycore FX, featuring 61 plug-ins ranging from simple color manipulation to a complex 3D particle system. For the old-timers, this is essentially Final Effects Complete (FEC), updated with multiprocessor support and ability for many of its 3D effects to follow a composition's camera.

MG68: Behavioral Traits <DV October 2004>

Apple's Motion uses ”procedural behavior animation” as opposed to keyframes. We explain how behaviors work, and how you can use them to create keyframeless object or text animations. (Update : AE7 includes Animation Presets > Behaviors.)

MG67: Liquid Text <DV August 2004>

Distorted text that appears to flow along with water or fabric is a graceful evergreen effect appropriate for many projects, including the opening titles for the movie Cold Mountain. Includes tips on using displacement mapping and gradient wipes. The AE5.5 and AE6.0 project files accompanying this column can also be downloaded here (as a stuffit archive).

MG66: Your Personal Assistant <DV March 2004>

A tour of two significant third-party Keyframe Assistants for After Effects: Digital Anarchy's 3D Assistants, and Profound Effects' Useful Assistants.

MG65: Managing Moving Masks <DV February 2004>

Better ways to control the shapes of animating masks. Also includes a look at the Professional edition's Smart Mask keyframe assistant.

MG64: A Track of the Clones <DV December 2003>

Using AE6's new Paint and Clone engine in conjunction with its revised motion tracker to automatically rotoscope undesired elements out of footage. (Note: also covered in the Paint chapter of Creating Motion Graphics, Volume 2, 3rd Edition.)

MG63: Between Dimensions <DV November 2003>

Transferring camera animation data between 3D applications and After Effects to better integrate your 3D elements and 2D graphical elements.

MG62: Build Your Own Effects <DV September 2003>

An exploration of the Useful Things plug-in from Profound Effects. (Obsolete: Useful Things was discontinued in 2005.)

MG61: More Motion, Less Control <June 2003>

Making your faux motion control camera moves on still images appear more realistic by using keyframe assistants or expressions to introduce some humanization to their paths.

MG60: Pulse Rays <DV April 2003>

Bored of the standard "light ray" effects? Here are some techniques to make them more animated, using a combination of fractal noise, polar coordinates, animated masks, and other tricks.

MG59: Gobos and Gels <DV March 2003>

Completing our lighting trilogy, we explore how to use other layers to selectively block light, or to cast colors and images onto our main visual layers.

MG58: Lurking the Shadows <DV January 2003>

Continuing our exploration of lighting in After Effects, a review of all the parameters that need to be set up properly to create pleasing shadows.

MG57: Blinded by the Light <DV December 2002>

Explaining the new lighting features in After Effects version 5, with a focus on how diffuse, specular, and ambient qualities add, plus an exploration of the important but underused Material Options.

MG56: Working Effectively <DV September 2002>

Using the new Effects Palette in After Effects to track down your favorite plug-ins.

MG55: Translation Services <DV August 2002>

A survey of how four different NLEs - Premiere, Media 100, Avid, and Final Cut Pro - integrate with After Effects through the use of special export and import plug-ins.

MG54: 3D Remix <DV July 2002>

Using the new multipass render integration between Maxon's Cinema 4DXL and After Effects 5.5.

MG53: Let There Be Light <DV May 2002>

A comparison of the Final Effects Complete, Foundry Tinderbox, and Trapcode Shine light ray plug-ins, including tips on using them effectively.

MG52: 2D and 3D Rendering Orders <DV March 2002>

A companion piece to the above, this column explains the intricacies of which layer gets rendered in front of or behind which other layers when you combine 2D and 3D elements in an After Effects composition.

MG51: Retro 3D <DV February 2002>

Using expressions to make older fake 3D plug-ins (such as Final Effects Sphere) follow the new 3D camera in After Effects version 5. This workaround actually has some advantages over directly choosing the camera in newer plug-ins, as it does not force a break in the 2D/3D rendering pipeline.

MG50: Hidden Gems, Part 2 <DV December 2001>

Part 2 of a round-up of useful shortcuts, command keys, and hidden functions that make After Effects that much quicker to use in production. This part focuses on properties, keyframes, nesting, precomposing, rendering, templates, and gems new to version 5. (Note: Updated in Hidden Gems PDF for AE 5.5.)

MG49: Hidden Gems, Part 1 <DV November 2001>

Part 1 of a round-up of useful shortcuts, command keys, and hidden functions that make After Effects that much quicker to use in production. This part focuses on source management, windows, panels, entry dialogs, masks, previews, and displays. (Note: Updated in Hidden Gems PDF for AE 5.5.)

MG48: Expressive Animation <DV October 2001>

An introduction to the new Expressions language introduced in After Effects 5.0, including simple ways to create expressions, and some suggested applications.

MG47: Parenting Skills <DV September 2001>

Taking advantage of the new Parenting features in After Effects 5.0, including applications, tips, and gotchas.

MG46: Going Wide, Part 2 <DV August 2001>

Part 2 of creating an opening title in high def using After Effects, including conforming the hi def footage back to the offline, and creating separate 4:3 and 16:9 versions.

MG45: Going Wide, Part 1 <DV July 2001>

Part 1 of creating an opening title in high def using After Effects, including tracking the offline footage through a maze of editing systems and tapes.

MG44: Window Dressing <DV May 2001>

Using stock models and simple 3D objects, plus some color processing tricks, to simulate an illustrative style without having to draw everything from scratch.

MG42 & MG43: Free Stuff Part 1 and Part 2 <DV March & April 2001>

A large number of free or exceptionally cost-effective plug-ins, photos, textures, movies, fonts, 3D models, and even full-blown programs can be found on the net and in government agencies, if you know the right rocks to look under. This two-part column reveals where some of those rocks are hidden.

MG41: Breaking the 2D Barrier <DV January 2001>

Although we feel strongly that adding a 3D program to your arsenal is a good career move, in truth "just enough" 3D can be had through various plug-ins available for After Effects v4 and other essentially 2D compositing applications. Several of these techniques and plug-ins are covered.

MG40: Typecast (local) <originally published DV December 2000>

Type selection is a large portion of many motion graphics designs. However, many don't realize there are easier ways to manage and search large numbers of fonts.

MG23: Dots, Pixels & Inches (PDF) <DV July 1999>

We unravel some common misconceptions about resolution and dots per inch, and how they relate to scanning photos for use in video. (Note: Updated and included with Creating Motion Graphics, Volume 2, 3rd Edition; also available here as a PDF download.)

* MG21: Key to Success (PDF) <DV May 1999>

Roundup of bluescreen keying effects for AE, along with a tips for using the Adobe Color Difference Keyer from AE Professional, and working with the Light Wrap plugin from Composite Wizard (now distributed by Red Giant Software). [Note: The Color Difference Keyer was included as a Bonus Chaper in Creating Motion Graphic, Volume 2, 3rd Edition; or you can download (3MB ZIP) it here. The CDK has been replaced as the top dog keyer by Keylight, also bundled with the Professional edition of AE6 and later.]

* MG15: Anchor Away (local) <DV Nov 98>

When a layer is scaled or rotated in After Effects, it uses the position of the layer’s Anchor Point as the origin for these effects. Covers tips and examples on editing the anchor point. Project (.zip) for AE6.5 and later.

 

As mentioned earlier, only the more recent columns are online. Column summaries dating from Sept 1997 through Nov 2000 have been moved to Articles Archives, unless available as a bonus PDF.

Tips N Tricks for Artbeats.com

We have been creating a series of articles for the stock footage house Artbeats that includes generic tips on how to get the most out of stock footage, plus specific tips on using several of their libraries.

Click for a summary of all of Artbeats’ Tips N Tricks from all authors. Below are direct links to each PDF:

Adding a Filmic Glow (460 kB 2/08)

This explains the famous "instant sex" or "video love" treatment that increases contrast and adds puffy highlights to virtually any clip. At the end we also discuss other factors that contribute to a filmic look.

From Video to the Web (1.2 MB 1/08)

In here we give the web developers out there (as well as video newbies) a list of issues to be aware of while repurposing video for the web - namely, interlacing, pixel aspect ratio, frame rate, and color space.

Managing Interlaced Footage (542 KB 12/07)

Many people don't handle interlaced footage correctly, resulting in strange motion and artifacts. Here we describe what interlacing is, when to separate interlaced fields, and when to leave the footage alone.

Relighting Footage (348 KB PDF 11/07)

This trick uses 3D lights in After Effects (and other applications such as Motion 3) to change the appearance of how a scene was shot, after the fact.

Projected Text (1 MB PDF 10/07)

In this article, we walk you through making text appear to be projected onto bodies and other objects in moving footage.

Writing on the Wall (2.8 MB PDF 9/07)

In this article, we’ll give an overview of a few techniques that help give the impression of one element being painted or projected onto another and then worn away.

Crossing the Line (592 KB PDF 8/07)

A review of the Line Elements collection from Artbeats, with suggestions on how to use them in your creative composites.

The Kids Stays in the (Moving) Picture (420 KB PDF 7/07)

The extra pixels available in HD footage allow you to perform neat tricks in standard def projects such as using this favorite pseudo-3D trick with moving footage.

Enhancing Mattes (564 KB PDF 6/07)

Several stock footage collections come with track matte clips. Here we show you how to use them as well as customize them to the task at hand.

Creating Mattes (3.9 MB PDF 5/07

We share a few tricks for how to turn footage into a "matte" that can be used to partially reveal one image over another.

A Change of Pace (2.3 MB PDF 4/07)

There are several ways to change the speed of footage - but which one you should employ depends on what software you are using, and the nature of the footage itself.

Going Wide (2.5 MB PDF 3/07)

We discuss some dos and don'ts as you move your production to widescreen, give suggestions on how to future-proof new assets you acquire, and provide ideas of how to repurpose older footage for this new format.

Pixel Aspect Ratio, Part 2 (1.2 MB PDF 2/07)

It is essential that you understand pixel aspect ratio (PAR) issues when creating graphics, especially as you move video to the web. Otherwise, client logos may look out of round, and your talent may look fatter or thinner than they are in real life.

Pixel Aspect Ratio, Part 1 (1.6 MB PDF 1/07)

In this article, we will help explain the tricky subject of pixel aspect ratio or "PAR" for short, including PARs for common video formats.

Replacing Data Screens (1.5 MB PDF 12/06)

We give a tutorial on how to use motion tracking plus other effects to replace a sign, poster, television screen, or video display with a different image.

On the Right Track (download 2.6MB ZIP)

You may think motion tracking is an exotic feature that you will rarely have need for, but it’s a handy skill to have. It can help you create a variety of visual effects, including having a “target” icon follow an object on screen, or placing text boxes over the head of a person walking down the street.

Smoke and Mattes (944K PDF 10/06)

Light rays emanating from an image: It’s an effect we all use at one time or another. However, you’ve heard the phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” - and just slapping on an effect at its default settings is not exactly a way to set your work apart from that of others. However, there is a relatively simple technique that employs stock footage to make light rays and other “volumetric light” style of effects look much more compelling.

Getting Down with Pulldown (340K PDF 9/06)

A substantial number of clips in the Artbeats library originated on film. Film is usually associated with a frame rate of 24 fps (frames per second). However, all Artbeats NTSC and high-definition clips are provided at a rate of either 30 or 29.97 fps. How do they resolve this difference?

Going for a Loop. How to Create Seamless Loops. (1.1MB PDF 8/06)

This tip gives insight on choosing the right footage, plus lining up, trimming and fading to create a seamless loop that you ordinarily wouldn't think possible!

Artificial Lighting (3.8MB PDF 7/06)

One of our favorite tricks involving stock footage is to use looping, abstract backgrounds to provide interesting lighting effects for other, more normal-llokming footage. It's a great way to sex up almost any shot.

Through the Looking Glass (1.8MB PDF 6/06)

The new Artbeats Glass Illusions collection includes a number of cool-looking clips. This got us thinking: Wouldn't it be even cooler if we could create the illusion of viewing a second clip through this glass-like imagery? Here's a few ideas of how to pull that off.

Visual Groove: Re-timing animations to match music (1.8MB PDF 5/06)

Backgrounds are perhaps our favorite category of stock footage. This article shows a great trick we learned from Lloyd Alvarez of Milkshake Design on how to retime footage that has obvious visual events - such as some of the clips in the Artbeats Chromatica and Glass Illusions collections released at the 2006 NAB show - to the beats in music.

Harnessing Electricity (3.6MB PDF 4/06)

Long-time users of Artbeats footage are probably familiar with their ReelExplosions and ReelFire collections, which were based on combustible themes. So after you've blown things up and set them on fire, what do you do for an encore? Apparently, electrocute them.

Managing Transparency Part 2 (3.4MB PDF 3/06)
Managing Transparency Part 1 (2.2MB PDF 2/06)

Not all footage needs to be full-frame - in some cases, parts of the frame may be transparent, so you can see bits of the image underneath. However, it's not always obvious how to extract and manage transparency for a clip; the result can be unsightly fringing or an unsatisfactory final composite. We demonstrate a series of correct working practices to get better alphas from the clips you're provided, plus some more creative ways to create transparency.

Building Better Backgrounds (2.4MB 1/06)

It was both empowering and enlightening to design our own nature-based background libraries for Artbeats: Nature Abstracts and Liquid Abstracts. We want to share with you some tricks we learned along the way, and the design criteria we followed to improve the usability of our clips. Hopefully this will give you some ideas of how to better employ whatever clips you've chosen for your own job.

A Gentle Introduction to Creative Colorization (3MB PDF 12/05)

Color is one of the most important concepts in motion graphics. Often, your client has corporate or otherwise favorite colors that they would like you to reinforce. Choice of color can also evoke a certain mood, such as red's association with heat and blue with cool. Or maybe you're trying to find a way to unify the look of a disparate assortment of clips you've edited together.

A Heads-Up on Using Reticles (255K PDF 11/05)

Stock footage continues to evolve beyond scenes and backgrounds into the realm of graphic design. A great example of this is the Artbeats Reticles collection, which contains nearly 30 full-screen data displays with alpha channels for you to place over your own footage, plus a number of useful graphic elements to mix in or use on their own. As employing this product isn't quite as simple as cutting it into your timeline, we thought we'd share a few ideas on how to get the most out of it.

 

 

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