Animating a Camera: Tracking to a Null Object. Rick Gerard presents a five minute tutorial movie as the first in a series that teaches basic After Effects Camera animation. In this first example you'll learn how to simplify animating a camera over a still image and how to cont ...more
This tutorial goes through the basics of how to add an expression in After Effects. It focuses on setting up a simple counter expression using the slider control effect. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professi ...more
In this video tutorial, CreativeCow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you a menu item for speeding up the process of copying expressions to other layers, without typing or altering the current values in After Effects. Copy expressions to other layers in After Effects. Click throu ...more
In this tutorial, give a little life to your drawings by using the wiggle expression attached to the puppet tool in Adobe After Effects CS4. This is a cool way to animate your project. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use these tools to add some life to an otherwise st ...more
If you know After Effects, you know how important expressions are to your workflow, but you may have forgotten about the expression controls. In this three part tutorial Aharon Rabinowitz introduces you to expression controls, a series of effects designed only for use with Aft ...more
In this clip, Aharon Rabinowitz walks you through the process of creating the look of a vector style arcade game from the early 1980's. He'll use PlaneSpace, Particular, & Text Anarchy, as well as expressions and other techniques. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion g ...more
Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern shows you a how to track objects that are moving out of frame in After Effects using expressions and AE motion tracker. Track objects moving out of frame in After Effects. Click through to watch this video on creativecow.net
This movie shows you how to create actual 3D objects in After Effects without expressions or 3rd party software. This example uses the shatter tool and some text, but you don't have to stick just to text.
Using Curious Turtle's Film Wash Color Effects in After Effects create a Super 8 look to your film. In this tutorial, you will learn how to build up a color grade using several layers, then using expressions and After Effects own filters to finish the look. To learn more about ...more
After watching this tutorial you will learn how to make your Volume Meter more dynamic by reacting to sound playing in the background while keeping total control over its sensitivity. The key to doing this is by using expressions in After Effects. You might have seen similar t ...more
In this After Effects video tutorial, you'll learn how to work with th loopOut() and Wiggle(2,2) expressions. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the progr ...more
Expressing the camera: animating along a path. Rick Gerard presents a five minute tutorial movie as the second in a series that teaches basic After Effects Camera animation. In this example you'll learn how to simplify animating a camera over a still image and how to orient th ...more
In this tutorial, Creative Cow leader, Michael Park, demonstrates another, more advanced method for creating shimmering glitter particles using Trapcode's Particular in After Effects. The main advancement is the implementation of 3d rotation of the glitter particles, as well a ...more
This After Effects podcast tutorial by Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to set up a basic odometer, ready for manual keyframed animation. If you've been wanting to create an odometer or slot machine display, this tutorial will get you on your way. The second part goes over auto ...more
In this video tutorial, Jerzy Drozda Jr demonstrates how to create a dynamic animation based on a 'chain rig'. You'll learn how to animate one layer using keyframes, expressions, or both, and make other layers follow the leading layer. The rest of this After Effects tutorial i ...more
In this Particle Playground tutorial, Jerzy Drozda Jr (aka Maltaannon) demonstrates how to generate particles from live action footage without using any keyframes or expressions. The idea of this is to show you how to generate particles that inherit motion and velocity from li ...more
Over the past few months, Google has prioritized the development of its video communications products as the demand for social distancing solutions continues to increase in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the well-publicized move of making Google Meet free for all ca ...more
Outside of plastic surgery disasters or costumes, augmented reality is the closest we can get to morphing our likenesses into those of animals. We've previously shared an anthropomorphic AR Lens that turns you into a horse. This week, we have two more examples of animal trans ...more
Ever since iOS 8, Apple's quick reply feature had made it easy to respond to messages without leaving the lock screen or whatever app you're currently in, but you can't utilize all of Messages features when responding this way. You can't add photos, use iMessage apps, record a ...more
As if its users weren't already having enough fun with dancing hot dogs and face effects, Snapchat is upping the ante with a new kind of shared augmented reality content. Called Snappables, the interactive Lenses include games that users can play with facial expressions and h ...more
While 3D motion capture via iPhone X is coming soon from Unity, software maker Reallusion offers similar functionality to 3D model animation producers today. With CrazyTalk Animator 3, users can now add animation to virtually any image, bringing it to life with motion effects ...more
Exposed to hormones, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals, the beautiful wild fish in Canada's Grand River have taken on some pretty odd characteristics—they're turning into females. A long-term study suggests using bacteria to manage polluted water could turn the tide for fem ...more
Contrary to popular belief, augmented reality apps have been available for a while now. I remember using the Layar app (still available for iOS and Android) to explore nearby businesses and landmarks with varying success via an early-generation Android handset. It would be ha ...more
Get a crash course on HScript Expressions, Variables, and Attributes in Houdini 10. If you don't even know what this means, then you probably need to check this video tutorial series out. Understanding how to massage data in Houdini is key to giving yourself the creative edge ...more
This video will show viewers how to use Adobe Flash and how to make a cartoon character talk in this program. This tutorial covers aspects such as recording the voice of your characters, drawing their mouths to speak, and how to sync the recorded speech to the animation. Furth ...more
In this tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Carl Larsen shows you how to build an expression-based vehicle rig that automatically calculates the rotation of its wheels based on the movement of the vehicle chassis. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, ...more
If you caught the Grammys over the weekend, the most memorable (and scarring) moment was probably Lady Gaga's "egg-cellent" performance of her hit new single, "Born This Way". Surely, Little Monsters everywhere were fascinated when Lady Gaga came on stage entrapped in a large ...more
In the first part of this After Effects tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create a customized, sound-reactive waveform using a stroke, a distortion effect and an expression. One reason you may want to do this is if you need a rounded wave (ie: a sine wave). Once you ...more
This 3ds Max tutorial covers how to use a look at constraint. This could be done more rigorously with expressions but to quickly test an effect the look at constraint is a great technique. See how to use the animation constraint look at constraint when modeling in 3D Studio Ma ...more
Does the above card seem a bit unfair to you? I see that Bacheeze has already poisoned your minds with his anti-blue propaganda. These are the words of one who has had his 7 mana-Force of Nature Unsummoned one too many times. He seems to think that those of us who play blue ar ...more
In this video, Mark Crilley presents viewers with four ways to draw anime eyes. The first set of eyes has an intense look to the them, with the face tilted slightly while the eyes are staring at the viewer. Eyebrows are added in a sloping manner in order to create a more drama ...more
This clip will show you how to do a picture-in-picture inside of Premiere Pro CS3 or later. Use this technique to start stacking your videos in a vertical fashion as well as opening new creative doors for your expression! Whether you're new to Adobe's popular non-linear editor ...more
Nobody could predict the success of Microsoft's Kinect, not even Microsoft themselves. So, it was quite a surprise when it ended up earning a Guinness World Record for fastest-selling consumer electronics device, and an even bigger surprise to see people buying one that didn't ...more
In my Wireshark article, we talked a little bit about packet sniffing, but we focused more on the underlying protocols and models. Now, I'd like to dive right back into Wireshark and start stealing packets. The filtering capabilities here are very comprehensive. You can filte ...more
The community here on Null Byte has always been great and helpful in sharing their know-how, even before I took up admin duties in this World. I jumped at the chance of leading Null Byte because I enjoy teaching and informing people on all of the important need-to-know things ...more
Over the past couple of weeks, there have been a series of high-profile hacks and leaks. From the rooting of CombinedSystems, to a secret FBI conference call leak, all the way to the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on U.S. government sites—with a lot in-between. A ...more
If you want to add some great effects to your videos and make some dramatic changes, you can do so by using Adobe After Effects. You will see how you can morph one part on a video, to transform a facial expression to turn into a demon face. You will get tips on how to achieve ...more
Despite the fact that over 600,000 Snap Lens filters have been created since Lens Studio debuted in 2017, and Facebook is reporting that more than a billion users have interacted with its Spark AR filters across Facebook properties, social augmented reality filters get a bad r ...more
Facebook may have shamelessly copied Snapchat and its camera effects for faces (as well as its World Lenses), but it might beat its social media competitor to virtual body augmentation. The AI Camera Team at Facebook has developed a method for detecting body poses and separat ...more
Augmented reality avatars that mimic facial expressions are no longer the exclusive province of Animojis on the iPhone X or AR Emojis from Samsung. Camera app Snow has added its own alternative to Apple and Samsung's features, which it also calls AR Emoji, for iOS and Android. ...more
A brand new Japanese prototype offers users the ability to manipulate real 3D forms, employing a touch interface with a squeezy, rubbery feel. From New Scientist: "The system is based on a large LCD panel built into a tabletop. Users interact with it by moving objects sculpt ...more
35-year-old artist from Shandong, China, Liu Bolin, has created a series of photographs entitled "Camouflage". No trick photography employed, no photoshop alterations. Every effect was created by anal, fastidious painting and the exact alignment of subject to background. Boli ...more
While new features in Safari, Camera, Photos, Notes, Weather, Messages, and other Apple apps may steal the show on iOS 17, there are some impressive new features you need to know about when it comes to FaceTime audio and video calls. A step beyond mere upgrades, Apple nudges ...more
If the name Leroy Jenkins elicits a reaction from you, then you are old enough to remember the iconic title World of Warcraft from its heydey (whether or not you actually played the massively multiplayer online role-playing game). To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the game ...more
The marketing team for Marvel Studios is doing "whatever it takes" to make sure you see Avengers: Endgame when it hits theaters in a couple of weeks, including offering an updated set of augmented reality Playmoji for the Playground app on Google Pixel. Included in an update ...more
Just in time for the release of Pixar's highly anticipated sequel, AR Emoji based on characters from The Incredibles 2 have arrived for Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+. Originally announced at the launch of Samsung's latest flagship devices, Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet, Dash ...more
It may be cheesy, but whipping out an origami flower while you're at the dinner table can really make someone's day, whether it's made out of a napkin, dollar bill, or burger wrapper. It's great for showing your waitress how much you appreciate the service, or for breaking the ...more
My autistic son loves music. One afternoon, when he was nine, I downloaded GarageBand to his iPhone to help with the boredom of a long wait at a doctor's office. Instead of pacing or escalating into a meltdown, he spent the entire hour and a half practicing, learning, and comp ...more
You've probably heard of RCS messaging. The new standard has been promoted by Google as their answer to iMessage and is the backbone behind the new "Chat" features in Android Messages. With RCS, Android phones will now enjoy enhanced messaging like iPhone users have had for ye ...more
On Wednesday, Apple released a new batch of Animoji characters that gives iPhone X users more virtual masks to play around with, but what many have been waiting for is an app that lets you put on a virtual mask of another person, not an animated emoji. Well, that day has final ...more
Say goodbye to boring video chats over Messenger. Now the app is rolling out new features that can make any chat interesting and fun. There are a ton of them too, ranging from filters, to AR masks, to reactions. Reactions can be found by clicking on the 'thumbs up' icon at t ...more
I am an English major physically allergic to all algebraic formulas, so you're unlikely to get any help from me when it comes to solving any expressions. But in the glorious technological age we live in, there are plenty of apps that actually make math and problem solving fun, ...more
For enterprise augmented reality platform makers, remote assistance apps represent one of the greatest opportunities to show off the power of immersive computing. These apps enable experts to guide front-line workers or customers with AR prompts and other content in the field ...more
People fundamentally distrust magicians. And they should. The illusions they proffer are just that, illusions meant to astound rather than tangible interactions and results that have weight and meaning in our real world. Our lizard brains know this, and, no matter what the out ...more
Since its debut, retro thriller Stranger Things and its characters have become ingrained in our popular culture — especially the telekinetic Eleven. For cosplayers, it didn't take long before they grabbed their boxes of frozen Eggo waffles, blonde wigs (or bald caps), and pink ...more
With Avatar, Facebook's personalized stickers for use on its social and messaging platforms, those who aren't on Facebook or have otherwise dumped the social network may feel left out. Whatever your reasons for shunning Facebook may be, there are other ways, each with its dis ...more
On Tuesday, at the Unite Berlin developers conference, Unity unveiled new tools designed specifically for augmented reality that could literally raise the technology to the next level. Coming this fall, a new extension for Unity called Project MARS (short for Mixed and Augmen ...more
We might think of Zika as a mosquito-borne virus that effects developing fetuses, but, it also can be passed through sex by either a man or a woman, just like herpes and other STD viruses. New research has shown that vaginal bacteria can inhibit sexually transmitted Zika virus ...more
Since the 1960s, bacteria have been hopping a ride into space on space vehicles and astronauts, and have been cultivated within experiments on space shuttles and the International Space Station (ISS). The extreme growing conditions and the low gravity environment on the Earth- ...more
Soda bottle jello went viral when the popular YouTube channel AwesomeDisneyToys posted video directions for this revolutionary gelatin confection. I just had to try it out to see what the hype is all about. Video: . My takeaway: Yes, it really is as easy and fun as described i ...more