AE.TUTSPLUS - Video Tutorials for Adobe After Effects (Volume 2)

Aetuts+ is a site made to house and showcase some of the best After Effects tutorials around. We publish tutorials that not only produce great effects, but explain them in a friendly, approachable manner. We also stock up links to tutorials, articles, presets and plugins from around the web to help you get the most out of After Effects.

23. Create a MoGraph Urban Jungle - Day 1
In this tutorial Naim Alwan ventures outside of After Effects for a little bit of 3D Matchmoving to create this stunning Urban Jungle effect where vector graphics are perfectly tracked to some city footage. In day 1 you will learn how to do a track using Boujou (although any matchmoving software will work for this) and then import and apply that information in After Effects successfully.
In this two part tutorial you will learn the workflow for seamlessly integrating live action footage with motion graphics elements.
The first day we are going to be spending a little time familiarizing ourselves with the camera tracking process using Boujou, and the settings we need to get right in order to export an AE camera track.
We will then use the information contained on the nulls to setup the scene. Once the track is imported in AE and scene setup we will shift our focus to Illustrator where we will cover the layer setup we need in order to import an Illustrator file into AE.

24. Create a MoGraph Urban Jungle - Day 2
In day 2, Naim show us how to setup the vector graphics in Illustrator then track the man on the phone in Mocha AE. Finally, to wrap things up we jump back into After Effects to finalize the composite.
Naim explains: Today we will continue animating the floral elements, and position the elements into the 3D scene. We will use the camera data to achieve easy track mattes, only needing a small amount of keyframes. We will spend some time focusing on a roto workflow, learning the do's and don'ts of all things roto, the roto application of choice will be Mocha (it's free with CS4). Finally the mattes will be applied to specific layer concluding in a beautiful live action/motion graphics scene.

25. Create a Realistic Camera Move with Parallax
Wikipedia describes parallax as: "an apparent displacement or difference of orientation of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines." What this means to After Effects users is that real camera moves have parallax and in this tutorial we learn how to recreate this effect in After Effects using a single still photograph.

Introduction:
The effect that we will be creating in After Effects is called a parallax. The basic idea behind a parallax is that 3 dimensional elements appear to move differently depending on their position relative to the observer. (Image driving in a car, objects closer to you move faster than those that are far away). We will take a sample image (seen below), and turn it into a pseudo-3D scene using After Effects. As you see in the sample video, this gives us the impression that elements in the foreground are moving seperately from those in the background. This effect is often used in documentary films when they do not have film of an event, but only still-frames. Using the effect makes the image more interesting, and makes it seems like someone was there with a video camera and was panning back and forth.
Requirements:
- Photoshop
- After Effects (6.5, 7, CS3, or CS4)
- Source Image (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1002304)

26. How to Track Live Video to a Postcard
In this tutorial we continue exploring how to create some high-end techniques easily by using scripts to facilitate our workflow. Mathias Mohl teaches us how to track moving video to a postcard that was shot handheld with help from some scripts that he authored and are feely available. He also shows how to recover highlights from the tracked footage and apply them back over the moving video for a very convincing effect.

Tracker2Mask Script and Tutorial
In this Tutorial I describe how you use my After Effects script Tracker2Mask.jsx to assist rotoscoping.Tracker2Mask computes the movement of maskshapes based on the movement of trackpoints. It is easy and flexible to use. In particular you don't need one trackpoint for each maskpoint. In the tutorial I show how to rotoscope the shape of a moving car based on only four trackpoints, for simpler shapes often one trackpoint is sufficient.
Tracker2Mask Tutorial 2 - new features
In this tutorial I describe some new features of my After Effects script Tracker2Mask that allow local modifications of masks. As an example, I show how to animate speech bubbles.
KeyTweak Script and Tutorial
In this tutorial I explain how to use my After Effects script KeyTweak to quickly modify any keyframed property. Just modify a few keyframes by hand and KeyTweak will modify the keyframes in-between accordingly.

In particular I show how to use KeyTweak to:
- modify drifting tracks
- correct rotoscoping errors
- make non-uniform mask expansions

27. Cinematic Opening Title Redux - Day 1
In this 2 part tutorial we revisit the Cinematic Opening concept with an homage to all of you, our readers, by enshrining all of the comments left on the site in a "ready for Hollywood" delivery. It features a clever use of freely available scripts and expressions to create what would normally be a very complicated and time-consuming animation. The tutorial will be split into 2 days with a total of over 80 minutes of training.
In day 1 we cover cunning techniques to harness a large amount of text and quickly formats and animates it in a cinematic style. This tutorial has tricks and techniques that should appeal to all users from beginners all the way to the most seasoned and advanced users of After Effects.And best of all, it is all created by only using built it After Effects tools!

28. Cinematic Opening Title Redux - Day 2
In day 2 Lloyd finishes the tutorial and shows how to use scripts to split up and animate a logo into hundreds of pieces. He also adds the finishing touches including an alternate ending not shown in the preview. Even though scripts might be perceived as advanced tools, this tutorial aims to shatter this myth and guarantees you will feel comfortable using scripts to help automate and improve the speed your work.

29. Quick Effect: Create a Mac OS X Leopard-style Aura Effect
In this tutorial you learn how to create an aura effect which can used as a background for a dramatic title, similar in style to the default desktop background shipped with Mac OS X Leopard. This is a simple effect with an attractive end result that will be of use to all users of After Effects.

30. Create a Futuristic Floating Hologram Effect
This tutorial will show you how to make a futuristic floating hologram over a cellphone. The techniques included here will help you understand how to track one object to another. The final result is something that may make your indie science-fiction film look better or it may just inspire you to create something new.

31. Create an Animated Homage to Bruce Lee - Day 1
In this tutorial Markus walks us through the creation of a video accompaniment to Bruce Lee's 'Be Water' philosophy. It features vibrant motion typographic sub-titles, animated illustrations and clever camera techniques. The training will be split over 3 days for a total of 71 minutes of tutorial video.In day 1 of the training Markus designs and animates the typography for the video. This tutorial is an excellent compliment to Markus's 'Create Rhythmic Motion Typography' tutorial and demonstrates some more advanced typographic techniques.

32. Create an Animated Homage to Bruce Lee - Day 2
In day 2 of the training Markus demonstrates how to animate realistic water physics moving between a cup and a bottle. You'll learn how to create pouring water animations and realistic impact ripples.These clever animations will be combined with the typographic ground-work we laid out in day 1 of the training. The complete video will begin to take shape.

33. Create an Animated Homage to Bruce Lee - Day 3
In day 3 of the training Markus demonstrates how to construct an interconnected After Effects scene from many different animations. You'll then learn how to track a moving camera to the scene.This is the final video in the "Be Water" tutorial series, and should leave you with all the techniques needed to create a similar style of typographic and animated video.

34. Create a Historic Naval Battle Scene
This tutorial will teach you how to create a VFX naval battle scene similar to those seen in period war movies. You'll learn how to take ordinary footage shot with a DV camera and transform it into a realistic looking old film war battle scene

35. Design a Breathtaking Body Shatter Effect
In this tutorial we learn how to create a body shattering effect similar to the one at the end of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" video. For this tutorial we'll be applying the effect to a still image, but it can also be used to great effect on green screen footage.

36. Design Rhythmic Motion Typography in After Effects
In this tutorial you'll learn how to create animated typography synchronized with musical events (lyrics). You'll learn how to fit your typography to a rhythm, add dynamic animations and use the camera and motion blur to create a high-end final effect. This tutorial showcases a technique that is highly sought after in motion graphics today.

37. After Effects for Beginners: Getting Started
When we launched we asked you to tell us what content you wanted and quite a few of you told us you wanted the basics. Well we are listening and this is the first installment of a 3 part series for after effects beginners. Each section lists at the top the topics that are covered in that section. Even though this series focuses on the latest CS4 release, most of the concepts apply to all the versions of After Effects.This first part of the Essential Training series will teach you how to get started in After Effects. You will learn all the basics you need to be able to use After Effects and understand the cool tutorials posted here on AETUTS.

38. After Effects for Beginners: Effects & Animation
When we launched we asked you to tell us what content you wanted and quite a few of you told us you wanted the basics. This is the second installment of our 3 part series for after effects beginners. Each section lists at the top the topics that are covered in that section. Even though this series focuses on the latest CS4 release, most of the concepts apply to all the versions of After Effects.
This second part of the Essential Training series will teach you how to get started using effects and creating basic animation in After Effects. You will learn all the basics you need to be able to use After Effects and understand the cool tutorials posted here.

39. After Effects for Beginners: Advanced Techniques
When we launched we asked you to tell us what content you wanted and quite a few of you told us you wanted the basics. This is the second installment of our 3 part series for after effects beginners. Each section lists at the top the topics that are covered in that section. Even though this series focuses on the latest CS4 release, most of the concepts apply to all the versions of After Effects.
This third part of the Essential Training series will teach you some advanced techniques in After Effects. You will learn all the basics you need to be able to use After Effects and understand the cool tutorials out here.

40. Create an Elegant Signature Written With a Whisp of Smoke
In this tutorial you'll learn how to create a written title that appears to be written in smoke with the use of Trapcode Particular. The final effect can be used for many purposes, particularly to create a very unique personal signature for your work.

41. How to Create Explosive Flower Fireworks
In this tutorial you will learn how to create a unique twist on the traditional fireworks display.
The tutorial shows you how to create fireworks with Trapcode Particular, and how to reflect this effect over water.

42. Quick Effect: Magnifying Track Matte
This tutorial will teach you how to generate a magnifying effect with the use of an animated track matte. The final effect can be used for many purposes, particularly to create a sophisticated background for other elements, such as logos and text.
This tutorial is ideal for beginners or experienced After Effects users who want to quickly learn an attractive and simple technique.

43. How to Create Glowing Elegant Lines
In this tutorial you'll be creating elegant glowing lines using shape layers within After Effects.
We'll create a few basic arc layers and then stylize them by using the find edges effect, glows, and blending modes. I enjoy this technique and you can easily adapt this concept to many different shapes to create some stunning looks.

44. How to Create a Cinematic Opening Title
In this tutorial you learn how to create a cinematic opening title using Trapcode Form similar to those used in movie trailers and openings.