Click here to view the embedded video.

Every couple weeks we will showcase the tutorials from the past weeks so you can brush up and hone your After Effects skills to learn some new tricks and broaden your horizons when it comes to our favorite application.

42 Crazy Awesome VFX Breakdowns

So, one of my favorite things to watch on the internet are VFX Breakdowns.  Being able to see the steps that were taken to create that amazing matte painting, a complex roto shot, or a full CG environment.  These breakdowns give us a little glimpse of what the big studios as well as freelancers go through to get their shots to look perfect

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All Access Pass To Club Tuts – AE Plus

Learn how to create this awesome looking  club promo equipped with some awesome lighting and typography moving to the beat of the music.

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Drop Some 3D Into AE Days 1 & 2

Eventually you are going to run into a situation where you are going to need to integrate some 3d elements into your After Effects work flow, whether it is created by you or not.  Knowing how to do this, and the correct work flow is essential to becoming a well versed mograph and AE artist.  This isn’t really an advanced tutorial, or a beginner tutorial, but more of a beginner’s look at integrating 3d and AE.

Link to Day 1 Link to Day 2

Understanding Linear Workflow

Quite possibly one of the most useful tutorials in this list, but also (depending on your outlook) one of the most boring… haha, this tutorial shows you how understand linear work flow for better compositing when dealing with certain kinds of file formats and camera RAW imagery.

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36 Awesome Files By Rerendered Artists!

You know we here at VideoHive merged with Rerendered a month or so ago, so I thought it was just fitting to compile up a list of some of my favorite Rerendered files that got ported over from the previous site.

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A Delightful Swirl of Audio

Trapcode Form really is a wonderful thing… There are so many possibilities with this plugin, you can never run out of cool animations to make.  In this tutorial Robert Iagar shows you how to use the AudioReact parameter to create the pulsing effect of the particles.

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The Birth of a Logo Days 1 & 2

With this tutorial you will be creating the Big Bang, except with logos and type in stead of planets and matter.  Use individual characters as particles, and create an awesome looking logo reveal.

Link to Day 1 Link to Day 2

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So that’s it guys, the last two weeks over at AEtuts+. If you want access to these project files to experiment with, and full downloadable tutorials and materials that you check out the Plus Membership option available. On Plus you get exclusive access to tutorials like the Sniper Scope tutorial a couple weeks ago, and you can get that being just a free user, and its $9 a month! Oh, and one more reason… you get access to PSDTuts+, NetTuts+, VectorTuts+ and all the other Plus content across the Tuts+ platform as well! So what are you waiting for… check it out!

Ustream Live iPhone Streamer

Thought only to be a concept for the, at least, further off future than present day… You can now stream live from your Ustream.tv account!  This is a breakthrough in online video and personal media syndication, and Ustream is at the forefront of it!  The application allows most of the functions of the Live Broadcast window including polling, auto record, sharing on social media sites, viewing chat, chatting and social stream, managing videos, and tons more.  You can also tune into channels and watch shows from your phone too!  The app uses the iPhone OS 3.1 and is only supported on 3G and 3GS phones… oh yeah, and did I mention its free?

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iTimelapse Pro

I was lucky enough to scoop this app up when it was free for a few days at the initial release, and it couldn’t be any cooler.  It essentially is a photography app that you set it up to take pictures at certain intervals throughout a certain period of time.  Usually you would take those pictures into an editor and time them correctly to create a time lapse movie, but with this app, you don’t even have to transfer to your computer!  Its all available to do on you iPhone!  You can render your videos directly to your phone, and then publish to Youtube, Facebook or whatever to show all your friends!  Price on this one is $2.99 but I highly recommend it if you are fascinated by time lapse photography.

iVideoCamera

Now, this is kind of an iffy app right now, but I can tell that it is going to be great down the line.  What iVideoCamera does, is utilizes your iPhone’s still camera to record 3 frames per second (I know… there is an update on the way), and then you can save that to Youtube, Myspace, Facebook… whatever.  The limitations on this are pretty bad though; 160×213 frame size, and a minute long of video only allowed.  Obviously if you have a 3GS iPhone you don’t need this, and the quality on the 3GS is phenomenally better, but its just a matter of time before Laan Labs cracks through and figures out how to make this a must-have app.  Right now it is only $0.99, but personally I would hold off until the next update to see if it gets any better.

.So that’s all that’s really new on the video app front, keep checking up on these to get the updates and utilize the new features that they will be coming out with, especially the iVideoCamera app… I have a feeling that it has a lot of potential that will be realized here in the near future.

Now, you have to know how to integrate your Cinema 4D renders into your After Effects pipeline… so let’s have a look-see at Nick Campbell’s tutorial on the subject.  I know there are a ton of different tutorials covering this, and that you might think that I am sticking this here because maybe he is my buddy… but this is actually the tutorial that Maxon chose to have on their website for the release of C4D R11.5 over the summer, so what better choice than that of the makers?

Garus Booth is a little new to the tutorial scene, but he has some good content utilizing After Effects and Cinema 4D as well as some Photoshop and Illustrator, but this tutorial I felt gives out some good information about setting up Global Illumination (GI), and also producing a great looking result.  GI is really essential to know how to set up, because you will be using it a lot in your 3D renders.

I’m not going to link to just one tutorial on this site, because each tutorial is very miniature in size, but I want you to check out all the little fundamental tips and tricks that he has on his site.  There’s a bunch of stuff on Xpresso and modeling techniques, it will probably keep you busy for hours.

Ahh Super Snail… who doesn’t love this guy?  Andrés Hurtado shows you how he went through and created his awesome little guy with the jetpack in this, more of a making-of, rather than a tutorial.  He might not be holding your hand step by step, but you get to see a great deal of what went into this amazing piece of art.

Probably one of my favorite looking tutorials, this one over at GoMediaZine.com by Barton Damer uses some really simple fundamentals of Cinema 4D to create some really killer looking typographic treatments.  It always is nice to be creating something awesome vs. something that is mediocre looking and teaches you the same thing.

Another one from the Gorilla… well another like, ten from him!  These are Nick’s tutorials on the CS Tools, a free set of plugins that you can download that can help with simple tasks like handheld camera rigs, lighting, and object creation.  These are great to have, and Nick’s ongoing look at how to use them all just makes the process easier to integrate them into your work flow.

Pariah Studios has been killing it lately… well I should say Robert Redman, but you know what I am talking about.  They have a ton of tutorials available, mostly all for Cinema 4D, and this one I felt deserved a spot on the list.  You will probably come to some project down the line where you are going to need some grass in your scene, and photos just don’t cut it in After Effects.  For this, you can use the Hair Module to create some realistic looking grass!

Over at one of our “sister” sites, CGtuts+ has had a ton of content being published, especially on the Cinema 4D side of things.  I figured that I would include a few tutorials to conclude our list, the first of which is “Model, Texture, and Render and Interior Scene with Vray.”  Its a two part tutorial spanning a long line of steps, but when you get to the finished product you will be very happy with what you have achieved.

Advanced Render is a very useful renderer, and when you know how to set it up correctly, it can produce some amazing results for you.  In this tutorial on CGtuts+, Mountaga Kane shows you how to utilize all the new features of Advanced Render 3 that ships with Cinema 4D R11+.

An unlikely place to find Cinema 4D tutorials, PSDtuts+ actually has quite a few utilizing 3D because, I mean… you can’t do EVERYTHING in just Photoshop!  This tutorial is great, because you model this steam punk style type element, and then use Photoshop to add in extra elements like gears and pistons as well as windows, class coverings, horns and all kinds of different gizmos.

Hopefully if you haven’t had the guts to dive into Cinema 4D yet, this might give you the push you need, because not all the tutorials that are out there are boring work flow tutorials, you can actually make some pretty cool stuff!  If you got a favorite tutorial that I should see, or should be featured, link it up in the comments!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Okay, done?  Good Now we can get down to business.  Now as for you, significant other, whatever your name may be… you want to get your video geek of a love interest something really good for Christmas, but you aren’t a nerd yourself.  Hmmm how to think like a nerd… it’s hard trust me, you aren’t alone (I am partially writing this so my wife gets some clues as well).  I am going to show you some of the cooler gadgets, tools, and overall gear that you probably would never think about getting as a Christmas gift, but are actually pretty rad.  I am here to help you and guide your way through our realm of the web… hold tight, you don’t wanna get lost!

Edit Suite Stuff

USB-Powered Beverage Cooler

There are edit sessions when sometimes we work late into the deep night.  For that we need Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew… now don’t buy us a case of that… we probably have three or four cases in the garage anyways.  What is really awesome is the USB-powered beverage cooler that holds a can of soda and keeps it nice and chilly for when we want to grab it… could be five minutes, could be an hour depending on the amount of concentration and sleep depravity that is brought upon us.

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Awesome USB Drives

This isn’t exactly a specific thing, but USB flash drives are a must, so we might as well have an awesome one instead of that generic looking gray drive we have had for the last few years.  You can check out this list of drives to get some ideas, or just poke your head in at one of the many online retailers of geeky awesomeness throughout the internet.  You will probably find something like humping dog drives and other ridiculous random gizmos.  Come to think of it… anything that can plug into the computer through USB and serves a purpose, minute or not… is fair game, at least for me.

Portable Hard Drives

Speaking of storage, portable hard drives are always a nice little thing to have around the office.  The smaller and more storage the better.  High capacity thumb drives are usually preferred, but it gets pretty expensive if you are trying to get 125GB onto one flash drive.  You can hit up Newegg or TigerDirect for some really good deals every once in a while.

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Video Stuff

Flip Camera

The Flip line of cameras is steadily becoming the go to solution for portable HD recording video cameras.  I have a Flip Ultra HD, and absolutely love it, and for the price that they are at, it’s a steal of a deal as well.  These record direct to disk, and you can transfer the video files directly to your desktop through USB, you don’t even need a cord, there is a plug built into the camera!   This is a killer little camera that really fits anywhere, and is about the size of your cell phone.

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Gorillapod

This is a little something that is good just to have around just in case.  I keep mini tripods in my car, along with my cameras so if I see anything when I am driving around, I can stop and I don’t have to set up a big lunky tripod.  The Gorillapod by Joby however, takes it a step further, and gives you the ability to wrap the legs of this miniature tripod around whatever you want, to let the camera hang on places your normally wouldn’t be able to get a tripod.  Door handles, lamps, car mirrors, my deck’s fence… anywhere you can get the legs around is a possibility.

Hard Camera Case

This is something I don’t really think about often, but a hard case to transport your still or video cameras, flashes, batteries, microphones and other production junk is something you should already have.  Right now, I am carrying my stuff around in a cloth messenger back, and I am realizing my gear getting more and more dinged up as time goes on.  Think about getting one of those aluminum or steel hard cases with the foam that you can customize the shape of your gear so that it fits inside without any wobble.  That way if you are in a hurry, not only does everything have a specific place, but you can chuck it in the backseat without having to worry about anything getting smashed!

iTunes Gift card to buy Production Apps

It kind of seems a little impersonal, but like every person with an iPhone, we are continually buying little apps to enrich our daily lives.  Why not have an iTunes Gift Card that is specifically for production apps like a Slate or pCam?  I mean, some of this stuff is really expensive and we haven’t had a good enough reason to buy it yet… but if we have a gift card, now we actually have an excuse to spend the $19.99 on the Hitchcock story boarding app.

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Home stuff

Blu Ray Player

If you don’t already have one (like me), and are waiting for prices to drop (also like me), an amazing addition to the home theater is a Blu-Ray player.  There are a couple different aspects to take into consideration to make a good decision, and you have to weight them accordingly.  Number one, make sure it has WIFI-enabled, and that it supports Blu-Ray Netflix streaming… this is huge, because some movies when they come out are $40.00 on Blu-Ray and you can subscribe to NetFlix for around $9.00 a month and get as many as you want without having to wait for them in the mail.  Second thing to take into consideration, is obviously the price.  Check online retailers like Newegg and TigerDirect as well as Costco Wholesale (there are more in store), all of these they always seem to have really good deals on stuff, just make sure there is WIFI or Ethernet connections available!

All in one Remote

These are pretty rad.  If you are a home theater junkie like me… or even an aspiring one, you have to get an all in one remote.  No one like fooling around with one remote for the TV, one for the cable, another for the stereo, DVD, Blu-Ray… whatever.  It gets confusing, and forget about anyone helping you, it would take an hour just to explain which does what.  Check out one of these, a Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote.  They are a killer looking, easy to use, perfect solution for that pile of remotes that you will no longer need.

My Suite Stuff Pillows

The last little addition to your living room is a cute little couch pillow.  Now these aren’t just couch pillows, they are the My Suite Stuff Adobe App pillows.  Personally I am gunning for a PS and AE pillow myself this Christmas, but any flavor really works for whatever primary application your giftee spends time in.

OK Go’s WTF? Music Video

WARNING – This video contains adult language!

Click here to view the embedded video.

OK Go – HTF? – Official Making of WTF?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tutorial on How to Make the Effect

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also make sure you guys check out the director’s website, Tim Nackashi, who is responsible for the awesomeness that is the effects in the video.  Let me know if you all have ever used the Echo effect, and how, and if possible link us up to some of your work!

Scenario #1 Location Complications

So say you are shooting a movie that the main setting takes place in the middle of a forest.  Easy enough, go out to your local park deep in the woods and get all your shots of you characters.  Oh wait, but what about that sweet flyover of the thick, dense forest that could be your establishing shot?  You have a couple options: rent a helicopter, or plane, the pilot, and shoot it yourself, or find a piece of stock footage of the same thing.  One option could cost you hundreds of dollars, plus time, scheduling, and other budget heavy aspects, when the other could take you literally five minutes to find and purchase, and turn out to be a fraction of the cost.  Other possibilities could be to hook up with a Vue artist, or find some stock flyovers in CG and purchase those… again, much cheaper than renting a helicopter.

Scenario #2 Forgotten Shots

This is an editor’s nightmare.  You give your DOP or cameraman a shot list, and they forgot to get that close up on the eyes, the macro shot of the water faucet, or the establishing shot of the coast.  Moreover, it was shot on a rented camera that costs a couple hundred a day with a 35mm lens adapter, so now what do you do?  Do you re-rent the camera and go shoot it yourself?  No way… I wouldn’t, I would find the shot that I need online and purchase it… and do some handy After Effects work to make it look the way I need, and to make it match the other footage.  Obviously this won’t work with characters and specific locations like businesses, but it puts it in your brain to remember there are other avenues to take when it comes to forgotten shots.

Scenario #3 Low Budget Productions

We’ve all seen those commercials for 5 Hour Energy Drink, and there is not a more obvious use of stock footage on the air on ANY channel.  But, you have to hand it to them, they were probably able to put together an entire commercial for less than a hundred bucks and a copy of iMovie.  This is where weighing “I’ll shoot it myself” vs purchasing clips online can get you a few more gigs from places like Craigslist, that might have low budgets, such as $300-$500 but want quality footage, but it just doesn’t make sense to hire actors, scout locations and set up lighting for that price.  You can easily spend a couple hours online, put together a list of clips you think the client may like that tie into their voice over or titles they want, and put it together for a low rate, and bam… you are paid with minimal effort on your part.

Scenario #4 Impossible Shots

This kind of ties into the first scenario, but were talking flyover shots of football stadiums, volcanoes erupting, demolitions of buildings, a shot of the Colosseum in Rome… things that just aren’t possible especially with low budgets.  Being able to turn to shots on places like VideoHive really is a great option to have when you are trying to establish that your spy chase movie really has taken you to China and you running through the town in pursuit, but in all actuality you just grabbed a nice establishing shot online, and filmed on location in the local Chinatown.

Scenario #5 The Green Screen Shot

Getting the funding to fly an actor and the camera crew to the middle of Egypt or the Sahara Desert is a difficult task, but grabbing some stock footage of the pyramids, and buying a green screen can make things a bit simpler.  Yet another great bit of technology that is movie magic is to use the keying method to place your actors in a virtual environment or even mix multiple clips to create a multi-layered scene that can make up an overlook of Hollywood without you having to leave your house.  You could grab a basic clean plate of a cityscape with lights, a piece of footage of the Hollywood hills, some shots of some trees or bushes, and stagger them in 3d space to give some depth and do a move back with your camera, and have your actors walk into frame.  Viola!  You look like you had a camera crew overlooking Hollywood with a couple actors, when all you did was light them accordingly and shoot it in your garage.

There are hundreds of different scenarios in which it is smarter and financially easier to use stock footage over shooting it yourself, because I mean, if it looks the same, no one is going to know the difference but you.  So my question to you all is, have you used stock footage in your productions, how did it work out, did anyone notice, and has it ever saved you in a bind?  Let us know in the comments!

Aharon Rabinowitz posted some details over on the Red Room Blog as to what some of the features of the extension are and exactly what they do.  Talking more with Aharon, he told me about how this extension is going to work… and it seems like they are pushing (if you own KLF Pro already and get this extension) for you to almost exclusively have your lens flares linked the 3D AE lights.  The way this is going to operate, is with one click you can choose the light to rig your lens flare to, and it’s done.  You will have a full 3D capable Knoll lens flare to move around and use in your composition.  Let’s take a deeper look at some of the other new features:

• 3D Camera Aware – This is a feature that you have been able to do for a while, but needed some use and knowledge of expressions, but what this does is lets you link a lens flare to a 3D AE light’s XYZ position so that you can orbit around in your 3D world and let it have a true 3D position in your compositions.
• Z-Depth – Nice… more real world simulations being introduced.  This makes the distance of the camera from the flare effects the flare’s intensity, just like it would inside of a camera.
• Color Linking – Again, another feature that has been able to be created with expressions just got easier.  This will make your AE light’s color effect your flare’s color, saving you a bit of time without having to write out expressions.
• Intensity Linking – Same as the previous, except with the intensity of the flare being affected by the AE light’s intensity.
• Multiple Lights – Now, this might seem like an obvious feature, but there are some plugins out there, like Particular 1.5 and actually integrated effects like Shatter that don’t support past 1 or 2 lights.  This is a big jump in having all lights in your comp influence each other and all the layers.
• World Scale – This allows you to control the amount of flare scaling relative to a light’s distance from the camera, for added realism, and to take take into account how flare’s would act in a camera.
• Edge Flareup – This is one of the features that really caught my eye with Optical Flares, and its great to see that Knoll is taking this into account.  What it is, is when your lens flare source hits the edge of the frame of your camera in the real world you get some weird sparkling, moving flare effects.  This replicates that effect when you move your lens flare to the edge of the composition.
• Full 3D Obscuration – Kind of obvious what this is from the name, but what happens is ANY 3D layer in your comp can obscure your lens flare causing it dim when behind objects.  This only works if your flare is linked to a 3D light though.

There is also one other feature that is being developed that wasn’t reported on the Red Room Blog, which they are calling RGB Obscuration.  What this does, is say you have 3 solids, all different colors, set to 25% transparency each.  The lens flare (linked to an AE light), gets obscured behind the solids, but you can still see see the light partially.  The RGB Obscuration feature then takes effect, taking into account the colors of your lens flare + the colors and transparencies of the solids, and mixes them to create the appropriate effect.  You can imagine what this can open up for creating more and more realistic effects.

Like Aharon says in the blog posting, this is by no means a complete list, but it does give us an idea of what is to come and to combat the imminent release of Optical Flares.  Knoll does have an advantage though, already being an industry standard, but they are going to have a run for their money when Video Copilot released the new product.  It is going to be very interesting to see who comes out on top in this battle.