Map Exploration
The Hi-Def Checklist
The darker areas to the left and right of these images show what happens when a 16:9 image is...
Visual Rhythm, Part 2: Motion & Cinema Tricks
In the previous column, we detailed a number of techniques for animating multiple layers in Adobe After Effects. In...
Visual Rhythm, Part 1: After Effects Tricks
Rhythm – repetition, with variation – is the backbone of many pieces of fine art, as well as motion...
Motion + MIDI
An intriguing feature introduced in version 2 of Apple’s Motion Apple’s Motion is the ability to control it via...
The Almost Perfect Font
The LoveLetter Typewriter font had a few characters that were difficult to read (top line) until they were modified...
A Different Light: Gamma-Corrected Compositing
The image on the left is a normal computer crossfade; the image on the right uses linear blending –...
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...
