Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join Design Director John Dickinson as he walks through how he built a detailed logo reveal using Sapphire and Continuum in After Effects — inspired by the self-repairing Plymouth Fury from Christine. You'll see how the background (smoke, road, flames, HDR car lighting, headlights, and rays) comes together, then a deep dive into the main event: the logo transformation itself.
Learn how to combine Sapphire's TexturePlasma and TextureRidges to build a custom "tendril" noise look, use it to drive Sapphire EmbossDistort for a melting/repairing paint effect, wipe between old and new logo states, add a classic Shatter break-apart reveal, and finish with fire, glow, and rays for extra atmosphere.
// PROJECT FILE //
Grab the project file and follow along: bit.ly/boris-fx-christine
// K E Y P O I N T S //
⦁ Blending Sapphire's TexturePlasma + TextureRidges (via the Effect Builder) creates a unique "tendril/vein" noise pattern used throughout the whole reveal — for the emboss distortion, the wipe matte, and the shadow.
⦁ The old, damaged logo "melts away" via Sapphire EmbossDistort while a Set Matte–masked wipe reveals the clean new version underneath.
⦁ Slightly offsetting related layers (shadow, char, wipe) in time — rather than syncing them — creates a more natural leading-edge/tendril effect, rather than everything happening at once.
Learn more about Sapphire and Continuum and download a free trial: borisfx.com/products/sapphire
borisfx.com/products/continuum
// D I S C O R D C H A N N E L //
borisfxdiscord.com
// C H A P T E R L I S T //
00:00 - Introduction
00:43 - Background breakdown
08:16 - Creating a distortion map using S_TexturePlasma & S_TextureRidges
11:52 - Using the distortion map as a bump map in S_EmbossDistort
12:46 - Wiping off the old logo with a custom noise matte
14:12 - Using Set Matte to confine the distortion to the logo
15:06 - Using S_EmbossDistort on the old logo
16:44 - Adding old logo detail back into the wipe
18:16 - Creating the charred look
19:12 - Combining and offsetting the layers to create the reveal
20:16 - Using After Effects' Shatter effect
22:44 - Adding motion blur with BCC+ Motion Blur ML
24:56 - Occluding the headlight S_Rays with the Shatter layer
26:07 - Creating the fiery tendrils
30:18 - Creating the ghostly tagline reveal
30:47 - Final thoughts
Join Design Director John Dickinson as he walks through how he built a detailed logo reveal using Sapphire and Continuum in After Effects — inspired by the self-repairing Plymouth Fury from Christine. You'll see how the background (smoke, road, flames, HDR car lighting, headlights, and rays) comes together, then a deep dive into the main event: the logo transformation itself.
Learn how to combine Sapphire's TexturePlasma and TextureRidges to build a custom "tendril" noise look, use it to drive Sapphire EmbossDistort for a melting/repairing paint effect, wipe between old and new logo states, add a classic Shatter break-apart reveal, and finish with fire, glow, and rays for extra atmosphere.
// PROJECT FILE //
Grab the project file and follow along: bit.ly/boris-fx-christine
// K E Y P O I N T S //
⦁ Blending Sapphire's TexturePlasma + TextureRidges (via the Effect Builder) creates a unique "tendril/vein" noise pattern used throughout the whole reveal — for the emboss distortion, the wipe matte, and the shadow.
⦁ The old, damaged logo "melts away" via Sapphire EmbossDistort while a Set Matte–masked wipe reveals the clean new version underneath.
⦁ Slightly offsetting related layers (shadow, char, wipe) in time — rather than syncing them — creates a more natural leading-edge/tendril effect, rather than everything happening at once.
Learn more about Sapphire and Continuum and download a free trial: borisfx.com/products/sapphire
borisfx.com/products/continuum
// D I S C O R D C H A N N E L //
borisfxdiscord.com
// C H A P T E R L I S T //
00:00 - Introduction
00:43 - Background breakdown
08:16 - Creating a distortion map using S_TexturePlasma & S_TextureRidges
11:52 - Using the distortion map as a bump map in S_EmbossDistort
12:46 - Wiping off the old logo with a custom noise matte
14:12 - Using Set Matte to confine the distortion to the logo
15:06 - Using S_EmbossDistort on the old logo
16:44 - Adding old logo detail back into the wipe
18:16 - Creating the charred look
19:12 - Combining and offsetting the layers to create the reveal
20:16 - Using After Effects' Shatter effect
22:44 - Adding motion blur with BCC+ Motion Blur ML
24:56 - Occluding the headlight S_Rays with the Shatter layer
26:07 - Creating the fiery tendrils
30:18 - Creating the ghostly tagline reveal
30:47 - Final thoughts
![SynthEyes 2026 - The Important Stuff in Under 3 Minutes [Boris FX]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pISFgzMkpRY/mqdefault.jpg "SynthEyes 2026 - The Important Stuff in Under 3 Minutes [Boris FX]
Boris FX SynthEyes 2026 is an important upgrade for all 3D matchmove artists. Whether you are a veteran tracker or just starting your journey, youll find some big improvements aimed at you.
This release marks the beginning of a UI modernization effort, improving discoverability and readability, while respecting the muscle memory artists have built over years. We’ve integrated award-winning Mocha technology to power a new Supervised Tracking option. This holds onto features through challenging motion blur and 3D rotations, without needing to babysit.
For those working with complex rigs, the new Live GeoH preview is a game-changer. It transforms GeoH into an interactive, intuitive experience, closer to posing or animation, providing instant feedback as you adjust constraints or trackers. Combined with expanded USD/USDZ support and a dedicated ST Map exporter, SynthEyes 2026 is the most approachable and capable version yet.
Download a free trial or upgrade your existing license: https://borisfx.com/products/syntheyes/
// K E Y P O I N T S //
⦁ Mocha Point Tracker: A robust new tracker type that handles rotation, scale, and skew for superior stability on difficult shots.
⦁ Live GeoH Interaction: Real-time previews for object hierarchies, making it easier to refine complex setups like wheels, arms, and suspensions.
⦁ UI Modernization Phase 1: A refreshed interface designed for better readability and discovery without disrupting established workflows.
⦁ Expanded USD Support: Comprehensive import capabilities for USD meshes, assets, and full scenes to fit any modern pipeline.
⦁ ST Map Exporter: A dedicated tool for generating distortion maps via the exporter or multi-exporter in a single pass.
Learn more about SynthEyes here: https://borisfx.com/products/syntheyes/
/ / C H A P T E R L I S T / /
00:00 Overview
00:39 UI Modernization
00:59 Mocha Point Tracker
01:34 Live GeoH Preview
02:13 More USD & USDz Support
02:27 ST Map Exporter")
![3D Camera Tracking for Easy Paint & Roto in Silhouette [Boris FX]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r5HiV2aaDR4/mqdefault.jpg "3D Camera Tracking for Easy Paint & Roto in Silhouette [Boris FX]
Explore the powerful new camera tracking capabilities integrated into Silhouette 2025.5 and powered by industry-leading SynthEyes technology. Solve 3D scenes directly within Silhouette without needing any other software.
Learn how to perform an automatic solve, generate a point cloud, and create 3D cards for precise paint and compositing tasks. Join Ben Brownlee and walk through several practical examples. Utilize these 3D planes for stabilized painting with the unproject and matchmove functions. Learn professional tips for the best solves by adjusting settings and using occlusion mattes to exclude problematic areas like water or sky.
This workflow is essential for tackling difficult shots with parallax, where traditional planar tracking falls short. Follow along to see how this integrated tool makes challenging paint and roto work more manageable and accurate than ever before.
// K E Y P O I N T S //
⦁ Intro to the 3D camera solver, powered by SynthEyes technology.
⦁ Perform an automatic solve and create 3D cards from the resulting point cloud data.
⦁ Use solved 3D planes for stabilized painting with the unproject and matchmove functions.
⦁ Best practices for improving your solve by adjusting feature settings and using occlusion mattes to guide the tracker.
Learn more about Silhouette here: https://borisfx.com/products/silhouette/
// D I S C O R D C H A N N E L //
https://www.borisfxdiscord.com/
#digitalpainting #VFX #videoeffects
/ / C H A P T E R L I S T / /
00:00 Intro
00:28 Solving the Scene in 3D
01:29 Creating the 3D cards
02:24 Unprojecting the viewer
05:16 Dive deeper into the camera solve controls
08:36 Why use 3D cards instead of planar tracking
10:31 Things to consider with Autopaint")
