What This Means For You!

By merging sites we’re combining our inventories. This means you visit one site, from one account and have access to all of the great files from both sites. Alongside the file migration, we’ve also bought over new authors and buyers to join our community! Of course with a larger author base brings more file submissions, so you’ll have more frequent submissions and more of a variety to look through when searching for that perfect project to suit your needs.

Some Insight

I was able to sit down and have a chat with Justin McClure (one of the masterminds behind the creation of Rerendered) about his thoughts regarding the merger, and the future of VideoHive.

Q. Tell us a little bit about why you got started in video?

A: When I was 12 years old my brother and I would borrow my parents (then state-of-the-art) VHS video camera and create short films which were entirely edited in camera WITH music being pumped through a tape walk-man that was duct taped to the microphone. Yep, that is where it all started. My true passion developed later in college with my first After Effects 4.0 course. I was a Design major, but at Fort Hays State University you were required to have a final portfolio on an interactive CD. So along with learning programs like Director and InfiniD, After Effects for the animation and interactive components was essential. I was hooked. I mean, come on… Photoshop in motion? I was in love.

Q. Why After Effects, and why not a different software package?

A: I have never been opposed to trying new things. When Motion first came out I must of gave it a good full month of test driving, because I was sure that it was the next big thing. I also bought Shake when it first came out, I knew it wasn’t really motion graphics driven, but I wanted to have multiple tools for different needs. In the end, After Effects was just so easy to use and robust, it was really the only tool I needed.

Q. Are you a Mac or a PC? Any specific reasoning?

A: I am totally a MAC snob. I don’t have an apple sticker on my F-150 anywhere, but I can’t even begin to figure out how to adjust the volume on a PC. MAC is all that I have ever known, even since the days of Lemon-aid Stand and Oregon Trail… I realize I just hit a soft spot with a certain age group.

Q. We all love to hear each other’s war stories. Got any great horror jobs?

A: Not so much a war story, but my first week at CMT was a rough one. I was given a very small introductory project, I was to develop and animated a logo for a 5 sec open that would be on CMT.com. So I of course started where I always start, sketching and filtering through my available fonts. For some ungodly reason, Extensis Suitcase was giving me huge headaches. I think because CMT has a trillion fonts first of all, and secondly because I was of course like a kid in a candy store activating all of the cool new ones I had never seen before. Reggie, our groups IT guy, took a look and seemed to fix the issues I was having, but I was left with zero fonts activated… got to have at least the basic ones right? Anyway, at some point while activating, waiting, watching pin wheel, activating, waiting, watching pin wheel, I mistakenly ‘Activated All Fonts’ bringing the already slooow G5 to a screeching crawl and the issue that had been fixed was back again and I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. My Art Director at the time, Amie Nguyen, somehow without fail only walked by my workstation while I had my hands over my mouth, staring at my fonts with the pinwheel rotating. Gut wrenching and nerve racking experience, I was already the newbie treading water in the deep end of the pool and I thought for sure I was going to get fired before I even finished my first project. I hope Amie reads this, because I’m pretty sure even to this day, she thinks I have some kind of weird font fetish.

Q. You’ve worked with some amazing clients, such as the Discovery Channel and Dell. What’s been your experience working with such large clients, and what’s the project you’re most proud of.

A: I have had the opportunity to work with a large range of clients, some big and some small, but the recipe to do great work is the same every time.  There maybe a few more pages in the branding guidelines and a couple more levels of reviews for the bigger fish, but that is to be expected. All in all, the process remains the same. I think I am most proud of the CMT Coyote Ugly show package, It was my first big solo project at CMT and I was able to get my hands dirty from start to finish. Directing the green screen shoot wasn’t so bad either.

Q. Can you tell us why you decided to launch Rerendered?

A: Rerendered started out as my personal library of experimental After Effects tests and cutting room floor materials. It certainly didn’t start out as a marketplace, it was simply an online location to keep my files available for download, instead of being scattered across multiple hard drives at home, work and in between. My friend, and later business partner, Larry Penrod, who at the time was helping me set up the site, had asked me if it maybe worth including other After Effects artists and also selling the files. We agreed to try it, but also agreed it should to be more like a garage sale and less of a corporate type of site. It was meant for AE artists to download and share files, very simple files, files that could save an hour perhaps and other files just to inspire creative things a third party plugin could do.

Q. What makes you feel that Rerendered is a good fit with VideoHive?

A: I think Rerendered is a great fit for VideoHive, because it fills a void. Most of the files you find on the current site are much more elaborate files that a producer might be more inclined to purchase as opposed to an After Effects artist. Having these types of smaller presets and pre-comp type files allows AE artists another outlet. Artist such as myself are not looking for, “replace photo & type here” plug and render types of files. But, I am however searching for little nuggets that I can change and alter very quickly and then sprinkle into a commercial or promo. Items such as trees and birds, simple little particular effects for a quick transition and so on and so forth. I am really excited for more of these types of files to start showing up, and I am looking forward to downloading them.

Q. In your opinion, what are the advantages that come with using stock motion graphics?

A: Besides the advantages I listed above, I would say the other big advantage, is introducing different styles and elements to your work. Of course they are also great time savers as well. One of the most creative things i have been exposed to while working in this field, is collaborating with multiple artists on a single project. I have always grown creatively every time, with no exceptions. Whether it is being exposed to a different way of animating or simply an introduction to a different style, I believe we all can grow from interacting with and learning from other artists and this can easily be achieved via stock items and the online community of VideoHive as easy as it can be from working with another artist sitting right next to you.

Q. Tell us a bit about SqueezeMe.tv?

A: SqueezeMe.tv (link: http://squeezeme.tv/) started out as another internal idea actually. I wanted to create a home page that had nothing but the latest motion graphics industry’s news, highlights and tutorials all in one place. It is simply a one stop shop and I think if you are in to motion graphics or video at all, you will fall in love with it. Special thanks to Dominic Flask (link: www.dangerdom.com) and Jeff Lang for bringing it to life.

Q. Where do you see the industry going in the next ten years?

A: Without giving up my plot to rule the galaxy, here are a few things to be aware of. First off, there is a great new tool coming out soon called the internet. It will be amazing; you will be able to collaborate with people from around the world from the luxury of your very own home. All joking aside, most agencies and studios still are not utilizing this amazing tool, they simply don’t get it. They want to hire people in house and on site, and build with bricks and mortar. This method is on the brink of extinction, or at least a silent revolution. Times have changed, and a new trend has been set in motion and will remain to be the norm for the next 5 to 10 years. Everyone is looking for a bargain, including big businesses. I’m not saying you should lower your price tag, but you better be able to offer something new and have incentives for your customers. And if you are a big agency or studio you better be able to leverage your overhead, by hand picking temporary talent for each particular project as opposed to hiring someone full time with benefits that is mediocre because you think they can fill multiple rolls. You also might want to rethink those round trip plane tickets to Los Angles for your two creative directors, because you no longer need to be sitting right next to an editor, to be art directing. You no longer have to have everyone is the same building to collaborate effectively, you just need to have them on the same page.

Q. Do you have any advice for aspiring video artists?

A: Find something you love and then work your ass off owning it.

We couldn’t be more excited about the decision. We welcome the Rerendered team, authors, and buyers over to VideoHive. We’re looking forward to a long lasting relationship, and some really great files! Visit VideoHive now to check out the files that have already made it over, and be on the lookout in the coming weeks for a Best of Rerendered article highlighting some fantastic Rerendered files!

New Feature: “Follow Me” Link

A brand new feature released in the last 48 hours is a personalized link that you can add to your own personal Web sites, social media Web sites and/or e-mail signatures etc… that allow other Envato members to “follow” you immediately, with just one click! Here’s how to create/add your own link:

The address for this feature looks like this:

http://www.videohive.net/user/username/follow

So if I were to provide a link for you to follow me it would appear like:

http://www.videohive.net/user/MarkBrodhuber/follow

All you have to do is fill in your user name where you see the bold text above. You might then add this to your own HTML Web page as shown below, or by creating a graphic that when clicked, allows another Envato marketplace member to follow you:

<a href=”http://activeden.net/user/MarkBrodhuber/follow”>Follow Me on Envato!</a>

And the text will look like:

Follow Me on Envato!

For more information on this new feature, please see the Envato Wiki.

In only a few steps, I’ll show you exactly how to implement this plugin into your own project.

Screencast Version

Written Version

Step 1: Install the Plugin

We begin by accessing the control panel of our WordPress installation. Next, within the sidebar, we choose “Add New”, under the “Plugins” widget.

Once the page loads, search for “Envato Marketplace Items.”

Look far to the right, and click “Install.” A modal box will pop up where you can then officially install the plugin. Once the installation has completed, simply click “Activate!”

Step 2: The Settings

The next step is to choose your settings. Don’t worry, it’s simple. Refer back to the sidebar of your control panel, scroll to the bottom, and under “Settings,” choose “Envato Marketplace.”

Most of the options are self-explanatory. You have the ability to choose your marketplace, select which kinds of files to display, and the text for the heading of your widget. An additional nifty little feature is the ability to append your referral id to the end of every link. This means that you’ll receive 30% from your referred user’s first deposit! Please refer here for more details.

When choosing which files to display on your blog, you have three options:

1. Files According to User
2. Files by Category
3. Popular Files

If working with one of the first two options listed above, you’ll need to fill out the following textbox, “API Set Parameter.” The value within this box should reflect your desired outcome. For example, if I wanted to display only WordPress templates, I would type “wordpress.” Alternatively, if I only wanted to display my personal items, I would simply type in my username.

Step 3: Add the Code Snippet

The final step is to place the provided code snippet (available in the “Envato Marketplace” settings page) anywhere within our project:

Most likely, you’ll choose to place this snippet somewhere within your sidebar, as I have.

Once you’ve added this snippet, save it, and upload the revised file to your server! That’s all! It’s as easy as that.

Please note that this tutorial assumes that you’re using WordPress 2.8 or newer. If you happen to be using an older installation, you’ll need to manually download the files, and then upload them to the “Plugins” folder of your WordPress installation.

To enter, head over the Jungle blog, and leave a comment with your favorite AJ file. Remember to read the post fully to find the posting guidelines required to enter. Click the banner above, or this link: Celebrate 10,000 Files on AudioJungle with our Free iPod Giveaways

Once again, huge congrats to our sister site. We’ll see you there soon!

The one requirement for these assets is that they need to be musically themed. Any music is sufficient. While full details regarding part two have yet to be released. I can only speculate that the second part will involve some sort of Flash file built around music with some integration of these assets.

There is $333 up for grabs to the winning author, so now might be a great time to get involved! Follow the link below for more information, and some examples of videos that would be acceptable.

FlashDen Music Competition – Phase 1

The license is called the Single Use Conditional Resale Permitted License ["Conditional Resale"]. You can read about it here:

http://activeden.net/legal/licences

Right now every author is automatically opted-out, so you will need to opt in if you wish to sell your files under this licence (see instructions below).

The Conditional Resale license allows a file to be used in an item for resale, and it’s priced at 50 times the cost of a standard single use license.

So for instance, you could buy this license if you wanted to:

1. Put a GraphicRiver graphic on a t-shirt for sale in a store.
2. Put a FlashDen preloader into a Flash theme for sale.
3. Put a VideoHive video and an AudioJungle loop into software that would allow people to make their own custom video with music.
4. Put a ThemeForest theme into software that would allow people to create intranets.

How Do I Opt-In?

If you wish to offer your file under this license, all you need to do is:
1. Go to your Account page.
2. Go the the Edit tab.
3. Click on Item Licenses.
4. Click the boxes next to the license name to opt-in.
5. Press Save!

If you have any questions support will be happy to answer them!

YoCreative comes from Brazil and has been with VideoHive since April 2008.

YoCreative, is one of those authors that excites me when I see a new submission from him. I thoroughly enjoy reviewing his files, because he nails every step of the process, and allows me to sit back and enjoy the show. The camera moves, graphic quality, time line, and even organizational methods are outstanding. Everything he submits is broadcast quality and I would not be shocked if I saw some of his work being used by national television channels.

Here are a few stand out files. But be sure to check out YoCreative’s full portfolio!