Using an Environment Layer for Reflections in After Effects

-An object in 3D Space needs something in order to create color. Now either the object itself needs to have color, but more likely with a 3D environment, you need to remember that color is often what's reflected, so we need to create something in the environment so the 3D object can pick up on colors. To do this, we're going to import some footage and set it to be the environment that the object exists in.

Using an environment layer for reflections from Motion Graphics for Video Editors: Creating Animated Logos by Richard Harrington

Sharpening Video

All cameras tend to have some softening that happens after the fact. It's not that the lens was out of focus or that you did anything wrong. It's that the compression that's applied to the digital files can lead to a slight loss in detail. Fortunately, there's sharpening. Now, there are many different tools available for sharpening but one of my favorites is a recent addition to the Adobe Lumetri Effect, which is available in both Premiere Pro and After Effects. If we take a look at the clip here, you'll see that this is a shot that's a little bit off. Let's apply the Lumetri Effect,Effect, Color Correction, Lumetri.

Sharpening video from Repairing and Enhancing Video by Richard Harrington

How to Simplify Your After Effects Timeline

Using shy layers to simplify the timeline from After Effects Guru: Mastering the Timeline by Richard Harrington

Using shy layers to simplify the timeline

As your timeline starts to fill up, you might want to get rid of some layers.Not permanently, but rather hide them from view. Let's say, for example, we know that these blood cells don't need to be animated, and this locked layer, as well. So, I can minimize these. What I'm doing is clicking on this small icon,which is based on the historical Kilroy icon. It's a little guy peeping over a wall. This means that you can hide objects that you don't need to change.

Maybe the solids for the background, and some of the graphic elements.Well, I'd like to see the text. Now, in the normal timeline, it's very difficult to see those text layers side by side. I'd have to keep scrolling up and down in the timeline. But, by marking some of the layers as shy, I can click the icon up here to hide shy layers. And you'll notice that the little guy peeping over the wall goes and hides. And all those layers that were marked shy are going to be hidden from view.

Now, all of the elements are still in play. You'll notice that the numbers go one, 11, 14, and 15. That means that layers two through 10, and 12 and 13, were marked as shy. They still appear up here in the composition, and they'll still render. But, the ability to control what's displayed in the timeline's quite useful. And then, if needed, you can click that button again, and all the shy layers are made visible.

The use of the shy switch can make it much easier to control a cluttered timeline.

My Favorite New Plugin for Greenscreen Work

A while back, I had an in-depth conversation with my friend Jim Tierney who's the founder of Digital Anarchy.  We talked about the challenges of getting good looking green screen shots.    Often things just look pasted together.

Enter The Light Wrap Fantastic

"Creating convincing green/blue screen composites has always been a challenge. The Light Wrap Fantastic enables better composites by easily allowing users to blend the background with the foreground in such a way that it appears the light of the background is affecting the foreground. The plugin has all the controls you need to create a realistic light wrap making it a quick and easy process."

The Light Wrap Fantastic 1.0 runs in Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Apple Final Cut Pro X. 

Features of The Light Wrap Fantastic:
    - Easy compositing of green/blue screen or masked images on a background
    - Control every aspect of the light wrap within one plugin
    - Fast Rendering using Your GPU
    - Different modes for different workflows
    - Use built-in masks to control where the light wrap appears
    - Works with all keying software: Keylight, UltraKey, Ultimatte, Primatte and more.
    - Standalone plugin, no need to buy an expensive package with tools you don't need

Here's my take on why it's so awesome.

Looping a Motion Graphics Background

In this tutorial, see how to generate a seamless loop of background footage for your video productions. Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-tu....

This tutorial is a single movie from the Motion Graphics for Video Editors: Creating Backgrounds course by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course is 2 hours and 32 minutes and shows how to create backgrounds for video projects using Photoshop and After Effects.

Motion Graphics for Video Editors: Creating Backgrounds table of contents:

Introduction
1. Background Essentials
2. Gathering Source Materials for Backgrounds
3. Working with Gradients
4. Designing Backgrounds with Photo Sources
5. Designing Backgrounds with Video Sources
6. Designing Backgrounds with After Effects
Conclusion | lynda.com

Useful Websites for MoGraph Source Elements

Don't have a budget for your video production? Don't let that hinder you. This tutorial provides some excellent resources for source imagery that you can use for free. Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-tu....

This tutorial is a single movie from the Motion Graphics for Video Editors: Creating Backgrounds course by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course is 2 hours and 32 minutes and shows how to create backgrounds for video projects using Photoshop and After Effects.

Motion Graphics for Video Editors: Creating Backgrounds table of contents:

Introduction
1. Background Essentials
2. Gathering Source Materials for Backgrounds
3. Working with Gradients
4. Designing Backgrounds with Photo Sources
5. Designing Backgrounds with Video Sources
6. Designing Backgrounds with After Effects
Conclusion | lynda.com

Useful Websites for Motion graphics Source Elements

Don't have a budget for your video production? Don't let that hinder you. This tutorial provides some excellent resources for source imagery that you can use for free. Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-tu....

This tutorial is a single movie from the Motion Graphics for Video Editors: Creating Backgrounds course by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course is 2 hours and 32 minutes and shows how to create backgrounds for video projects using Photoshop and After Effects.

Motion Graphics for Video Editors: Creating Backgrounds table of contents:

Introduction
1. Background Essentials
2. Gathering Source Materials for Backgrounds
3. Working with Gradients
4. Designing Backgrounds with Photo Sources
5. Designing Backgrounds with Video Sources
6. Designing Backgrounds with After Effects
Conclusion | lynda.com

Join Me At Adobe MAX

It's time for Adobe Max!  If you're coming, I hope you'll consider attending one or more of my classes.  It's also not too late to signup for the conference.

Sunday, Oct 5, 9:00 AM - 5:00 P
P2109 - Exploring Time-lapse Photography with Adobe Creative Cloud

With time-lapse photography, you can literally see the passage of time. This style of photography is easy to learn but tough to master. In this hands-on training you’ll learn all the essential skills needed to shoot, develop, and assemble beautiful time-lapse sequences.

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Monday, Oct 6, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
S2405 - Repairing and Enhancing Video with Photoshop and After Effects

Find out how to correct problems encountered in real-world projects, like lens distortion, camera shake, noise and grain, and overblown exposure. Plus, learn advanced techniques for speeding up or slowing down your video, rotoscoping footage, and using the numerous creative color and texture effects in Photoshop and After Effects. 

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Tuesday, Oct 7, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
S2406 - Shooting and Editing Time-lapse with Photoshop, After Effects, and Adobe Premiere Pro

Learn how to develop and assemble time-lapse sequences. This session will present Photoshop and Adobe Camera Raw tricks to get the most from each frame. Then you’ll find out how to assemble the shots in Premiere Pro and After Effects. Advanced options like key framing and flicker reduction will be shown to give you the best-looking shot. 

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Wednesday, Oct 8, 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Wednesday, Oct 8, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
L2349 - After Effects: Creating Motion Graphics for the Web

Learn new ways to enhance your web graphics toolbox. This class will cover the workflow of animating Photoshop and Illustrator files with After Effects.  If you want to take total control of your animations, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Pixels: The Origin of the Word

Essentially, computers, cameras, and video devices use pixels to express image information. Each pixel is a small square of captured light. The pixel is the smallest portion of an image that a computer is capable of displaying or printing. Too few pixels and an image will appear “blocky” because there is not enough detail to work with. Too many pixels and the computer or output device slows down because it has to process more information.

But where did the term pixel come from? Pixel is an abbreviation for picture element. The word was coined to describe the photographic elements of a television image. In 1969, writers for Variety magazine took pix (a 1932 abbreviation of pictures) and combined it with element to describe how TV signals came together. There are even earlier reports of Fred C. Billingsley coining the word at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1965. Although the exact origins of the word may be disputed, its meaning is not. The word pixel quickly caught on, first in the scientific communities in the 1970s and then in the computer art industry in the mid 1980s.

Use Brainstorm in After Effects

With the Brainstorm tool, you can create new, randomly generated effects for use in your After Effects projects. Find out how to use this tool and experiment with your own effects in this tutorial. Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-tutorials/After-Effects-Guru-Mastering-Timeline/144848-2.html?utm_campaign=hHYAqr6sOhs&utm_medium=viral&utm_source=youtube. This tutorial is a single movie from the After Effects Guru: Mastering the Timeline course presented by lynda.com author Rich Harrington.