After Effects Tutorial - Underwater scene with light rays and bubbles (Deep Thought Pt1) short-form video 2026-09-22 | After Effects Tutorial - Underwater scene with light rays and bubbles (Deep Thought Pt1)
After Effects Tutorial Bleed Out Part 2 short-form video 2014-06-01 | In the second part of this two-part After Effects tutorial, I'll be showing you how to create bload-soaked reveal for your logo without using any plugins.The After Effects project file is now available for free download from my website - shortformvideo.co.uk. If you use it, let me know :)
AE Tutorial Bleed Out Part 1 short-form video 2014-05-15 | In the first part of this two-part After Effects tutorial, I'll be showing you how to create a bandage texture background and a simple blood drops animation without using any plugins. Part two will cover the blood-soaked logo transition and reveal.After Effects project file will be available for free download from my website - shortformvideo.co.uk - but this won't be posted until after I've finished Part Two. So don't go looking for it yet!
After Effects Tutorial Preview - Bleed Out short-form video 2014-05-10 | A short indent / intro featuring a transparent logo or text layer bleeding through a bandage. No plug-ins required, tutorial coming soon!
After Effects Tutorial - REDACTED (Watch Dogs-style intro) Part 2 of 2 short-form video 2014-05-04 | Here's the second part of my Watch Dogs-style intro ident, which finishes the look off with broken horizontal lines and shears before adding an LCD monitor effect.Project file is available for free download from my website - http://shortformvideo.co.uk
After Effects Tutorial - REDACTED (Watch Dogs-style intro) Part 1 of 2 short-form video 2014-05-03 | Here's the first part of my Watch Dogs-inspired intro tutorial. As always, it uses no plug-ins - just the standard toolkit in After Effects CS5 and higher (it may even work in CS3/4, but I can't check that).Part two coming soon, and I'll be making the project file available for free download from my website - http://shortformvideo.co.uk
After Effects Tutorial Preview - REDACTED (Watch Dogs style intro) short-form video 2014-05-03 | WATCH IN HD TO SEE THE FULL EFFECTWith the release of Watch Dogs due for the end of this month, I thought I'd show you how to get a similar effect to the one used for game ident using After Effects. No plug-ins required.Even though it's pretty short (only 5 seconds), there's a lot going on here.Working on the tutorial right now - so keep your eyes peeled!
AE Quick Tip No Plug In Floating Embers short-form video 2014-04-27 | After creating a flame effect without plug-ins, I felt that there was something missing, so I've made this quick tip tutorial on how to add floating embers or sparks.You can download the animation preset for free from shortformvideo.co.uk
PREVIEW: Fire & Steel short-form video 2014-04-26 | Here's a quick look at a new 'Customise This!' After Effects intro that I'll be adding to my website soon - shortformvideo.co.uk/storeI can provide you with a customised version with your text/logo for just £15, including the audio track.
After Effects Tutorial - Create a realistic fire / flame effect without plug-ins short-form video 2014-04-21 | Want to create a realistic flame or fire effect, but don't want to spend money on royalty-free footage or expensive plug-ins? Here's a plugin-free method that works with the standard toolkit in After Effects from CS3 upwards.You can also grab an animation preset for this that will let you instantly add it to future projects by downloading it from my website - shortformvideo.co.uk
After Effects Quick Tip - Improving Your Green Screen short-form video 2014-04-19 | Here's a very quick After Effects tip that'll help anyone who's ever tried to create a chroma key or green screen effect with less than perfect footage.It's not a cure-all, by any means, but it can be a useful tool when it comes to troubleshooting difficult chroma key material.More tutorials, templates and project files can be found at my website - shortformvideo.co.ukIf you have any suggestions or requests, leave a comment.
After Effects Tutorial - Deep Water short-form video 2012-04-05 | A moody, sinister movie-style title effect using the standard toolkit in After Effects CS3 or higher. Project file for this and many other effects can be found at www.shortformvideo.com
After Effects Tutorial Preview - Deep Water short-form video 2012-04-02 | This is slightly similar to a previous tutorial that I made some time last year (called Deep Thought), but with a much more 'movie' look and feel. Was looking to get a more sinister, moody appearance. Should have this posted in the next few days, so keep an eye open for the tutorial (and subscribe if you want to see it the moment it's posted!)
After Effects Quick Tip - Create your own animation preset short-form video 2012-04-02 | If you've just spent hours creating the perfect sky/fog/flame/reveal effect, it's a good idea to keep that combination on hand in case you want to use it in future projects. So here's how you can store your favourite effect recipes for easy access.
After Effects Tutorial - Automating outline effects short-form video 2012-03-30 | Over a year ago I posted a tutorial on how to create a laser-etched metal effect, which is still proving pretty popular. However, it involved a fairly large amount of manual keyframing to produce, so I've come up with a way that you can automate this process using the Stroke and Tracker tools in After Effects. Using this technique, you can automate the tracing process, allowing you to create position-based effects (like Particles and Flares) that follow the outline of an object or text without having to spend hours creating keyframes. More tutorials and free After Effects project files can be found at www.shortformvideo.com.
After Effects Tutorial - Diablo III logo intro (Part 3) short-form video 2012-03-28 | Here's the third part of this three-part tutorial series showing how to create a logo ident for Diablo III. Again - a quick reminder that this doesn't require the use of any plug-ins, and can be achieved with CS3 or later. Project file is now available for download from http://shortformvideo.com/blog Diablo III is available for purchase from http://us.battle.net/d3/en/purchase and will be released on the 15th of May. Logo and trademark remain the copyright of Blizzard Entertainment.
After Effects Tutorial - Diablo III intro logo (Part 2) short-form video 2012-03-27 | Here's the second part of this three-part tutorial series showing how to create a logo ident for Diablo III. In this part, I focus on creating the three background spikes, as well as making a couple of small changes to the existing project. Again - a quick reminder that this doesn't require the use of any plug-ins, and can be achieved with CS3 or later. Project file will be available for download from shortformvideo.com once the series is complete. Diablo III is available for purchase from http://us.battle.net/d3/en/purchase and will be released on the 15th of May. Logo and trademark remain the copyright of Blizzard Entertainment.
After Effects Tutorial - Diablo III intro logo (Part 1) short-form video 2012-03-24 | Here's the first part of my Diablo III tutorial series. It doesn't use any plug-ins, so you should be able to recreate it with CS3 or later. You'll need to download the following assets before starting: Font - http://www.dafont.com/blade-2.font Ornate Vector - http://www.vectoropenstock.com/2451-FANTASY-HEART-ANGEL-ORNATE-FREE-VECTOR-vector Project file will be available for download from shortformvideo.com once the series is complete. Diablo III is available for purchase from http://us.battle.net/d3/en/purchase and will be released on the 15th of May. Logo and trademark remain the copyright of Blizzard Entertainment.
After Effects Tutorial Preview - Diablo III short-form video 2012-03-23 | I'm very excited - Diablo III should be hitting the shelves soon, so I thought I'd celebrate by creating a tutorial showing you how you can get pretty close to the Diablo III intro logo without using any plug-ins. (Obviously, this is nowhere near as good as the original, which uses some pretty sophisticated flame and glow effects that I've not been able to reproduce with the standard AE toolkit.)
After Effects Tutorial - Progress Bar Percentage short-form video 2012-02-29 | After uploading the Simple Loading Screen tutorial, I was asked if there was a way to show a progress value as a percentage. So here's how you can feed the output from a Slider Control into a Text layer to screen a simple per cent indication. Standard toolkit in After Effects, no plug-ins required. Not sure how useful it might be, but the project file is also available to download from my website (CS5-only)
After Effects Tutorial - Digital Music Player short-form video 2012-02-29 | Here's how to use the standard tools in After Effects to create a slightly retro-looking LCD display like the ones you'll find on older MP3 players. No plug-ins required. Project file is available for free download from my website - shortformvideo.com.
After Effects Tutorial Preview - Digital Music Player short-form video 2012-02-18 | In my next tutorial, I'll be using the standard toolkit in After Effects to create a slightly retro-style digital music / MP3 player monochrome LCD display.The project is available for download from http://shortformvideo.co.uk/product/mp3-player, so you can swap out your own music track and change the text/colours etc to suit your requirements. Enjoy!
Free After Effects Project - Valentines Day Heart TItle short-form video 2012-02-10 | To celebrate Valentine's Day, here's a free After Effects CS5 project file to download and use in your own projects. You can download it from here: http://shortformvideo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/heart_logo.zip
After Effects Tutorial - Simple Loading Screen short-form video 2012-02-04 | Here's a quick and easy loading screen intro for you. I'm sure most of you know your way around track mattes, but those who aren't may find this useful.The project file is already up on my website - http://shortformvideo.com/blog/2012/02/ae-project-file-simple-loading-screenSo you can skip the tutorial part and just grab it from there - but be nice and give me a shout-out on your channel if you end up using it.
After Effects Tutorial Preview - Simple Loading Screen short-form video 2012-01-29 | Here's a short preview of my next tutorial - how to create this fully-procedural, fully-customisable loading screen intro. Project file will be up on my website once the tutorial is posted - www.shortformvideo.com
After Effects Tutorial - Aero Compass short-form video 2012-01-22 | OK - so this may not be a dashboard instrument that you'd ever find in an airplane (thanks to EdEditz for helping me out with that one), but here's how to create a fairly convincing aeronautical ball compass using After Effects. Project file is available for free download from shortformvideo.com, and includes an attitude indicator / artificial horizon instrument as well.
After Effects Tutorial Preview - Aero Compass short-form video 2012-01-15 | In my next tutorial, I'll be demonstrating how you can create this ball/gyro compass using the standard toolkit in After Effects. Project file will also be on my website for download.
After Effects Tutorial - Woodcut Logo Reveal short-form video 2012-01-09 | How to create a woodgrain effect, then a procedural shatter effect to reveal your logo in the style of a woodcut. No plug-ins required, CS5 project file is available for download from my website - shortformvideo.com
After Effects Tutorial Preview - Woodcut Logo short-form video 2012-01-07 | Here's a preview of my next series of tutorials, showing you how to create a wood grain effect, along with a procedural logo reveal for a woodcut effect. Project file is available for download now from my website - shortformvideo.com.
After Effects Tutorial - Satellite Tracking Display short-form video 2011-12-24 | A military-style HUD screen that may be familiar to players of the Modern Warfare series of games. Satellite tracking / mission briefing / war movie / sci-fi use. Project file available to download from my website shortformvideo.com
After Effects Tutorial Preview - Satellite Tracking short-form video 2011-12-21 | I was asked if I could do a tutorial on a satellite tracking HUD like the one in this video watch?v=lRlNF5x7GpY around the 1.20 mark. So I've had a bit of a play and this is the end result. Not quite the same, but pretty close.I'll be posting a tutorial soon, and of course the AE project file is also be available for download from my website - shortformvideo.co.uk
After Effects Tutorial - Christmas Project 2011 Part 2 short-form video 2011-12-08 | Here's the second part of my festive-themed greeting project for Christmas 2011. The project file (CS5-only, I'm afraid) is now available to download for free from shortformvideo.com.If you're using an earlier version of AE, then you'll just have to follow the tutorial ;)Hope you enjoy it - have a great holiday!
After Effects Tutorial - Christmas Project 2011 Part 1 short-form video 2011-12-06 | Here's the first part of this two-part tutorial showing you how to build this festive greeting template in After Effects. No plug-ins required.The only thing that isn't created within AE is the bow, but the graphic will be included in the free project file download on my website - shortformvideo.com.Second part will be up in a couple of days - project file will be posted shortly after that.
After Effects Quick Tip - Loop a Pre-comp short-form video 2011-12-06 | A question that comes up quite a lot is 'how do you loop a precomp?' And the answer is pretty simple - though there is a small catch that you need to fix if you want this technique to work.
After Effects Tutorial - Christmas template preview short-form video 2011-12-05 | Currently working on a festive-themed After Effects project tutorial, and will be making the project file available for free download from my website - shortformvideo.com. Believe it or not - the whole scene is created entirely in After Effects using the standard toolkit (with the exception of the bow image). NO PLUG-INS REQUIRED.
After Effects Tutorial - Tarmac Title short-form video 2011-12-02 | A really quick and easy effect that uses only the standard toolkit in After Effects (CS3, CS4, CS5.5) to create a grungey, road marking-style title. Fully procedural, so the logo or image can be altered to suit your needs. Project file available for free from my website - shortformvideo.com
After Effects Quick Tip - Lens Blur Cheat short-form video 2011-11-27 | Lens blur is a really processor-intensive effect, but you can get a similar look and feel without the five-hour render times with some creative use of adjustment layers and the fast blur effect.
Kinetic Typography - Happy Birthday Lisa! short-form video 2011-11-24 | I've been meaning to give kinetic typography a go for ages, so when my boss asked me to create a quick birthday message for a colleague, I thought that I'd use this as an opportunity to see how it's done.It takes AGES. Big respect to the guys who do it well - this was just a first crack at it, and it's okay - but I see just how much planning goes into the good ones.Hopefully, I'll get the chance to put together a quick tutorial showing you some of the techniques I've used here.
After Effects Quick Tip - Pickwhip to another composition short-form video 2011-11-05 | If you're using the pickwhip, but want to attach it to a value that's located in a different composition, then After Effects lets you split the view. It's one of those things that you don't know that you don't know, until you need to know it.
Perfect webcam lighting - LifeCam Studio + RotoLight RL-48 short-form video 2011-10-31 | Webcams are often used in poor lighting conditions, but the RotoLight RL-48 works perfectly as a low-cost fill light in these situations. Even better, it pairs up really well with the Microsoft LifeCam Studio thanks to the latter's flexible tripod mount. Here's a video on how to combine the two devices for really great webcam lighting on a fairly low budget. For more information visit: www.rotolight.com www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/webcams
Studio Acoustics - Stage 2 short-form video 2011-10-14 | Thanks to the hard yards that Steve the fitter has been putting in today, we've already got the underlay and most of the carpet down. And it's made a significant difference to the reverb in the room.
Studio Acoustics - Stage 1 short-form video 2011-10-12 | I'm currently having a new recording studio built for me, and the paint is nearly dry. It's at stage 1 right now - that means that the structure has been built, so we're properly isolated from sounds coming in from the outside, but internally the acoustics are terrible. I thought I might record some videos of the studio as it progresses through the various stages of acoustic treatment.
After Effects Quick Tip - Missing animation presets (UPDATE - only works with CS5.5 or earlier!) short-form video 2011-03-15 | A couple of you have asked me where your animation presets are hiding. Find out how to enable them with this quick tip.UPDATE: This solution only works for CS5.5 or earlier. The behaviour of this drop-down menu has been changed in CS6 and later, so that it now ONLY shows custom presets that you have created. I'm looking for a way around this and will let you know if I find it.
After Effects Tutorial - De-rezzing your video, pt4 short-form video 2011-03-03 | In the fourth and final part of this series, I'll show you two more techniques that you can use to give your projects that tech grunge look. The first is a travelling black bar (like you get when you film old CRT monitors), the second is a quick way to create a colour separation effect. No plug-ins required - project file is now up on my website.
After Effects Tutorial - De-rezzing your video, pt3 short-form video 2011-02-16 | Here's the third of this four-part tutorial series showing you some techniques to give your video a grunge, TV interference look. This part covers three of the remaining five effects, namely rolling picture (horizontal hold), severe noise and ghosting. The fourth and final part will be out shortly, and will cover the final effects - scrolling black bar and colour channel separation. No plug-ins required.
After Effects Tutorial - Quick HUD element / Sci Fi Doohickey short-form video 2011-02-13 | A couple of you asked how to create the little spinning scifi doohickey in the bottom of the example video in the De-rezzing series, so I thought I'd show you how to create one of your own.Great for sci-fi heads up displays, video comms, military look and feel, computer readouts etc.
After Effects Tutorial - De-rezzing your video, part 2 short-form video 2011-02-09 | This tutorial covers some of the basics in creating a classic 'low-res' video monitor including scan lines, static and vignetting. The theme will continue in the next two parts, showing horizontal image breakup, frame flip (rolling screen), black bars and colour channel separation.
After Effects Tutorial - De-rezzing your video, part 1 short-form video 2011-02-07 | Here's the first of a new tutorial series showing you how you can add all of those funky distortion, interference, blockiness and noise effects to your footage. Broken transmissions, static bursts, digital compression artefacts, ghosting and colour separation will be covered in later tutes, but this one shows you how to 're-interlace' your progressive-scan video to make it look more like old-school MiniDV.
After Effects Tutorial - Christmas Greetings short-form video 2010-12-16 | A simple festive title theme for you. Got to the end of the tute and realised that I'd missed out on the snow - just add the CC Snow effect to your Inner Text layer and it'll be complete. Project file is up on my website.
Tutorial Preview - Christmas Greetings! short-form video 2010-12-09 | Getting into the Christmas spirit with this one. Preview of my next tutorial where I'll show you how to create this seasonal message using After Effects CS3, CS4 or CS5 without the need for additional plugins.
After Effects Tutorial - Laser-etched metal pt2 short-form video 2010-12-08 | The finishing touches include highlights, sparks, heat haze and smoke. Had to butcher the original footage to squeeze it into 15mins, so it's a bit choppy, and there are bits missing - like the masking of the smoke layer and the re-adjustment of the transparency keyframes.
