In this video tutorial, we learn how to create an animated watercolor painting effect with the Toonit plugin in Adobe After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint ...more
Take an object you've already created as a Collada file, like a die, and then use Away 3D Lite to control the animation! This tutorial shows you how you can use Flash to create this animated effect and roll dice!
No other operating system can create this awesome effect. Sure, not many people will want to use this fire effect, but this is just one of the many perks of owning a Ubuntu system. This video will show you how to use this fire paint effect via an eye candy plugin that enables ...more
A photographic effect blends the visual effect of creating different 'stills' of photographs and animates them in sequence; and then adds in an audio track to make it sound like the snapping of pictures. This tutorial shows you how to thread all the effects together to add a p ...more
Creating really cool animated characters in Flash is an art form that can take years to master. This video tutorial will teach you how to use shading to make your characters looks more dynamic and interesting. The more effects you know, the more that you can do in Flash, so wa ...more
Learn how to create simple animated normal maps for a realtime water effect within Blender 3D. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular open-source 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tricks, yo ...more
Sin City used some of the coolest visual effects of any recent film. This two-part video uses a clip from the iconic film as an canvas to which we can apply some other editing effects using Adobe Premiere Pro. Specifically, the first part covers using color passes to absorb co ...more
See how to add motion blur effect in animated scenes, how to control it and which kind of type of motion are supported by modo. Whether you're new to Luxology's popular 3D computer graphics application or are a seasoned digital artist merely on the lookout for new tips and tri ...more
In this tutorial, learn how to make an animated fire flame effect in Photoshop. Step by step instructions are gone over on how to create this perfect addition to any animation or presentation. Create fire flames in Photoshop with help from this tutorial. Create animated flames ...more
Flip book animation is a very cool video effect that is relatively easy to make. Check out this tutorial and learn how to make your flip book come alive as an actual cartoon! In this video, graphic designer and author, Alan Lastufka, shows you how to make your very own mini an ...more
This short video shows you how to create an animated fashion style logo in Flash. First he changes the background and frames per second to black and 24 respectively. He chooses the font for his text and then he converts the text into a movie clipping by hitting f8 and choosing ...more
If you own Sony Vegas, a good editing technique to learn is tracking motion. Track motion is the ability to rotate, scale, and skew an object in 3D perspective. This is great for making intros, titles, animated pictures in your homemade videos and much, much more. See how to t ...more
In this Adobe Flash CS3 tutorial you will learn how to create rain. Chris Georgenes shows you how to create animated rain drops in Flash CS3. He also shows you how to create puddles and put everything together for one cool rainy watery effect in Flash. Create rain in Flash CS3 ...more
VFX artist Roger Bolton has worked on films including The Lord of the Rings, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Kingdom of Heaven. He has also created effects for his own use -- in this case, a wide variety of 2D and 3D VU meters, automatically animated by the audio in your ...more
Windows Movie Maker has some pretty cool text effects. One of them is a layered effect for titles. Here is basically the same thing in Sony Vegas. I wasn't 100% sure if it was Furyp (I should have been saying Fury P)that requested this tutorial and I appoligize for not rememb ...more
In the first part of this video tutorial on creating a 3D watch animation, Creative Cow member Eran Stern shows you how to use Photoshop CS3 Extended to create different images of a 3D watch. In part two you learn how to use After Effects CS3 to create animated hands for the 3 ...more
A tutorial on character animation in Flash that teaches you how to create a walking stickman or stick figure. You'll also learn how to mulilate him and create blood effects. Part 1 of 2 - How to Animate a walking stickman with Flash. Part 2 of 2 - How to Animate a walking sti ...more
If you've ever wanted to quickly create a simple starfield (with a constellation) in Photoshop, here's how. This is part one, creating the source material for the After Effects project that follows in Part 2 ("Fish Star"). Part 1 of 2 - How to Create an animated star field wit ...more
Why is it so satisfying to squash, snap, squeeze and splatter? You know, squashing a juicy grape, snapping a twig, squeezing ketchup out of a packet—perhaps with your fist—or splattering mud across a sidewalk. But all of these actions are child's play next to animators Laura J ...more
This video demonstrates how to animate text in a PowerPoint presentation. From the people who brought you the Dummies instructional book series, brings you the same non-intimidating guides in video form. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to animate text in a PowerPoint pr ...more
Whittling seems hard, but not with this video tutorial... watch to learn how to carve a teeny wooden mouse with a small knife, sander and drill. These are stop motion animated instructions. See how to carve a miniature (under 1-inch) mouse out of wood with Steve Tomashek. Th ...more
Watch this in-depth video tutorial on how to animate LEGOs for stop motion animated brickfilms. This is a detailed peek behind the scenes of stop-motion animation from the director of the "Circle Circle Dot Dot" music video, Blunty3000. Brickfilms are animated films using LEG ...more
This short beginner's video series shows you how to make a GIF animation in Photoshop. Learn about setting up your work space, doing simple transformations and doing effects animations. Part 1 of 5 - How to Make an animated GIF with Photoshop. Part 2 of 5 - How to Make an ani ...more
In this Software video tutorial you will learn how to make animated GIFs with Adobe Fireworks CS4/CS3. It is easier than Photoshop and Flash. You can create a picture or you can drag and drop a picture. To drag and drop a picture, find out the dimensions of the picture. In the ...more
In this how-to video, you will learn how to make an animated optical illusion with paper. First, start off with one ball and copy it five more times so that it goes in a line to the corner. Make sure there are six balls in total. Next, create a striped pattern shown. There are ...more
First of all open adobe Firework CS3/CS4. Open the 'file', then 'new' and set a banner with 'width' as 900, 'height' as 100 and ‘resolution’ set as 72. It shall open a banner for you on the screen. Now from the side bar underneath the vector, select the 'ellipse tool' and then ...more
This Houdini 9 software video series focuses on examples of when and how to use Attribute Transfer. Part 1 covers Attribute Transfer One Point: A very basic example of how to use the attribute transfer sop, by using a single point to transfer a colour attribute to a grid. Par ...more
In this video series, our expert John Carstarphen will show you how to place objects on the floor, set animation, test motion, and use explosion effects. He will also teach you how to use the cluster tabs, teach you all about gravity, acceleration, subdivisions, and rotation i ...more
This colorful image may look like a miniature set of model cars, foam buildings and painted grass, but it's nothing of the sort. It's a still photo from a time-lapse video that Stu Kennedy shot in his hometown of Lincoln, England. But it's not your ordinary time-lapse. Kennedy ...more
Sometimes an iDevice is best used for idle, pointless fun. Today's segment of Making Art on Your iOS Deviceis a mixed bag of time-wasting cool effects and random, but useful art-making tools. Below, 10 apps for creating anything from erratic hand-shaken digital effects to your ...more
Most employed in the game industry have two-word job titles that start with “game”—game designer, game producer, game critic, game tester, etc. Usually, they’re one or the other, even though some can be both a game designer and a game tester or game critic and game tester. And ...more
If you've run out of time for all of our more time-consuming Halloween costume ideas, here are some places on the web for free, downloadable paper masks. There must be at least 100 options among these links to satisfy your last-minute costume needs! Just download, print, and c ...more
In our media-enriched world, past and present, SCRABBLE has made a name for itself, whether deliberately, subconsciously, or influentially. You may have a read a book that had the popular word game within a chapter, watched a movie that showed your favorite characters bringing ...more
I've been dealing with emotional difficulty for many years. It started when I had surgery for the epilepsy I was dealing, and quite literally, dying with. Since the surgery on March 28, 1990 I have had no seizures, but I have had plenty of emotional difficulty. Along with that ...more
ICELED UFO is a complete automotive underbody lighting kit consisting of four ICELED tubes, an advanced Electronic Control Unit and a wireless Infrared handset that allows the entire system to be remote controlled from inside or outside the car. The ECU can independently addre ...more
This tutorial teaches you how to create an animated cursor for Windows. The cursor is created with RealWorld Cursor Editor 2007.1 with 3D module installed. This guide is intended for people with basic knowledge about RealWorld Cursor Editor. In part two the individual frames a ...more
Motion trails in Autodesk Maya can be very handy at times when animating your scene. Keying a bone/joint or other object every so many frames can take up quite a bit of time and can sometimes be a big hassle, too. I have found many times when I could have really used one. I al ...more
Live Photos haven't caught on as much as Apple probably would like, but they're far from the gimmick that critics initially claimed they were — and things are only getting better as time moves on. Some aspects of the feature are somewhat hidden, however, and you need to find t ...more
With iOS 12, your iPhone's Messages app has more features than ever to enhance iMessage and FaceTime. Included in these changes are the new camera effects, which allow users to add fun and unique customizations to their photos and videos with the in-app camera in Messages. Sti ...more
Apple just upped its sticker game on iPhone and iPad. We've already had stickers available for Memoji, Fitness activities, and third-party iMessage apps, but only some could be used outside the Messages app. Now we can use stickers practically anywhere from the new stickers dr ...more
In iOS, Apple provides a few live wallpapers that you can use for the background on your iPhone's lock screen, but these animated options are just wavy color shifts and ink-in-water effects. To really customize your lock screen, you can use a Live Photo for your wallpaper. If ...more
While you may not notice them at first, iOS 11 included some pretty significant improvements to the Photos app on your iPhone. These upgrades will help you make your Live Photos livelier, surprise you with photos you totally forgot about, keep your photos and videos organized, ...more
Stories are everywhere in social media today, but that wasn't always the case. In 2013, Snapchat introduced the world to these temporary windows into our daily lives. Since then, stories have infiltrated other popular apps. However, to stand out, you can't solely rely on the a ...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
Facebook essentially strong-armed us all into installing their standalone Messenger app for mobile devices, but the recent initiative that allows third-party development on the platform definitely makes it worth your time. We've been having a lot of fun with all the new Messe ...more
Google recently updated the camera software for the Nexus 5, and in doing so, made the app available to all devices running Android KitKat. This means that not only do we get a nice new camera interface on our phones, but we also get the benefit of an expanded development comm ...more
Your iPhone's Messages app has some impressive new features and changes with iOS 17, and you've probably already noticed some of them just by using the updated app. But there are less apparent features, even hidden ones, that have likely eluded you that you're going to want to ...more
A simple trick in the Messages app for iOS and iPadOS can make your iMessage conversations more fun for you and your recipients by sending a full-screen blast of any Memoji sticker you choose. Apple introduced Animoji in 2017 as a part of iOS 11, then Memoji in iOS 12 the fol ...more
Sometimes incorrectly referred to as "iMessage," the Messages app is where iPhone owners go to chat with iOS users across the world. Apple has made some significant improvements to the messaging app with its iOS 12 update for iPhone. If you're interested to see how your Messag ...more
Apple's iOS 11 is finally here, and while they showed off several of the new features it brings to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch back at WWDC 2017, they've only just touched the surface of what iOS 11 has to offer. There are a lot of cool new (and sometimes secret) feature ...more
When you enable Low Power Mode on your iPhone, it's not always clear what measures it's taking to reduce battery drain and conserve power. Changes to energy-hungry features you use daily may be immediately noticeable, but some things you use frequently may be disabled or reduc ...more
The next big iOS version for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch was revealed by Apple at WWDC 2018 and dropped for everyone on Sept. 17, 2018, less than a week after Apple revealed the new iPhone lineup. We've rounded up all the big picture items and secret features and changes we c ...more
Apparently, Amazon's new year's resolution is to bulk up its fitness fashion sales by pumping up its augmented reality muscles. Last November, Amazon updated its iPhone and iPad apps with ARKit to display a limited selection of furniture, home decor, electronics, and toys in ...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
Overall, iOS is more impressive than ever with its stability enhancements, security tools, suite of apps and services, and intuitive user interface. With each passing update, things just get better and better for iPhone users. But don't think for a second that this is all beca ...more
Nowadays, with the convenience of online shopping, brick-and-mortar retailers and malls have to work harder to draw shoppers to stores. This year, many of them are turning to augmented reality for assistance. Mall mainstay Swarovski has partnered with AR developer Perfect Cor ...more
The music and sound effects that play in the background of any videos you edit helps set the tone, so it's essential to get it right. Enlight Videoleap, an extremely powerful and popular mobile video editing tool for iOS, lets you quickly and easily add audio from your iPhone ...more
There are many things Apple doesn't tell you about its products, and that's definitely the case when it comes to its Messages app. Hidden features lurk in your SMS and iMessage conversations just waiting to be found, and we've unearthed some of the most secret ones. Instead o ...more
Google Photos is one of the best photo management services out there. It allows you to back up an unlimited amount of high-quality images without ever paying a dime, the photos and videos sync flawlessly across all of your devices, and its neural network-powered visual search ...more
Out of all the questions that we receive from our readers and viewers here at Gadget Hacks, the most frequently asked one is "What wallpaper is that?" On occasion, our wallpapers may be personal or images from the web, but for the most part, they come from dedicated wallpaper ...more