Whether it's terrorism or brain-hungry zombies you're neutralizing, first-person shooters are an awesome way to immerse yourself within a new world and kill some time with your iPad or iPhone. And with so many games available in this genre, we wanted to show off ten of our abs ...more
Set-up Get a bunch of the guys in a decent size van and travel somewhere to go film a stunt or a prank, or so you say. Have one or two guys not know about the actual prank you'll be playing on them during the trip, thus making them the victims. While you're driving, have an a ...more
One of the coolest aesthetic features of iMessage is its animated message effects. If you're like many users, you might even have discovered them by accident, where wishing your friend a "Happy Birthday!" or congratulating them on a promotion unexpectedly flooded your screen w ...more
Magic Leap, the virtual-reality software group backed by Google, just released a teaser video on their YouTube channel. In a word, it's amazing. Video: . But then you think about it, and other words come to mind, like ridiculous and, well, bullshit. I mean, how can this VR tec ...more
Collodion—it's one of those things that you probably never heard of before, but have actually come across many times in life. It's used for all kinds of applications, from photography to special effects, and it even has a few medical uses. So, what exactly is collodion? Photo ...more
Phone specs get better and better each year, and multiplayer mobile games are right there with them. Instead of playing solo, jump into some real-time gameplay with co-op and player vs. player modes, and battle friends, family, and strangers from around the world. But which mu ...more
Anyone who knows me well is aware that I am a cyberpunk junkie. The conflict between lowlifes, corporations, and the government, flavored with dystopian future, high technology, transhumanism, artificial intelligence, and noir storytelling, just does something for me. Since I ...more
Lenovo brought out the big guns for CES 2014, with the Vibe Z showcased as the Chinese company's' first foray into the LTE smartphone space. Slated for a February release, the ultra-thin and extremely light smartphone will certainly be in the running for top smartphones of thi ...more
Giveaway Tuesdays has officially ended! But don't sweat it, WonderHowTo has another World that's taken its place. Every Tuesday, Phone Snap! invites you to show off your cell phone photography skills. Submit your best shot to our weekly competition for a chance to win an awes ...more
Smartphone videos get better and better each year. Seven or eight years ago, who would have thought iPhone and Android phones could support 4K video recording. Some phones can even shoot slow-motion at 960 fps. But no matter the resolution or frame rate, a phone's rolling shut ...more
Kick Ass Review Part 2: Gameplay and Design In the game, you can play as Kick Ass, Hit Girl, or Big Daddy. Each charater has a light and heavy attack that can be strung together into small combos. Each character also has three special attacks assigned to the Square, Triangle, ...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
Kylo Ren, conflicted villain of the new Star Wars trilogy, will surely be a major presence again this Halloween, with The Last Jedi fast approaching. His costume, all black and layered, complete with dark-side helmet and crossguard lightsaber, seems quite perfect for Oct. 31 — ...more
What happens when a entrepeneur/theme park creator and special effects artist/magician team up? You get a team crazy enough to create the first true virtual reality theme park (sorry, Six Flags). They only have a single experience so far, but it's already taken a giant leap be ...more
It's December 11th. Only 14 days left until Christmas. But today is something more than just a countdown date for the quintessential holiday—it's Angry Birds Day, which marks the one-year anniversary of the popular mobile video game. Today, Angry Birds fans around the world w ...more
There's three types of animal lovers in the world. The first are your basic pet owners. The ones with a cat or dog in the home, meant to be their cuddly companion. They love and adore it and consider it a member of the family. The second are animal rights activists. They ten ...more
New Year's Eve. It will be one hell of a chaotic night. Trust me. The overcrowded streets. Long lines for the urinal. Maxing out your credit card on that shot of Cuervo. You'll be lucky to make it out alive. If you do manage to stave off alcohol poisoning and survive the asc ...more
SCRABBLE. To some it's just a game, but to me it's life or death. Well, not really, but it feels that way anyway. On a normal weekend, a game becomes much like Jon Thomas' "friendly game of death Scrabble." Video: . When I'm playing a game of SCRABBLE, my friends are not frien ...more
Are you having problems because the game was released a long time ago and the more experienced players are better than you? Then you should be very excited to find out that I will be giving you some general tips & tricks about the different classes that I have learned the hard ...more
Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a paper gun that fires! Yes, this homemade paper gun actually shoots paper bullets. You'll need paper, tape, and a pair of scissors to make this cool shooting paper gun.
When shooting action shots such as runners, bikers, cars, or sports shots, a cool effect that you will see in a lot of professional photography where the person is nice and clear, but the background is blurred to give the intention of being in motion and having a lot of speed. ...more
So You're New to Counter Strike Source? So you're new to Counter Strike Source and you want to improve your gameplay? Great. You've come to the right place. The first step to improving your game is to admit that you are a NEWB or NEWBIE. Do not confuse this with NOOB. A "new ...more
In this three part After Effects tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to change the weather from a sunny day at the beach to a very cloudy day, with a chance of showers. Part one goes over color correction and compositing, part two covers how to add rain to your shot, as ...more
The mysterious, still unidentified missile that was seen yesterday off the coast of Southern California is stilling boggling Los Angeles residents. The projectile was seen on November 8th, shooting straight up into the sky, just north of Catalina Island. Watch a video of it f ...more
This video is quite good, but to be fair, one needs more than 10 minutes to really be able to replicate the task. Mounting a taser is somewhat tricky. Watch this tutorial video and make this spud gun or otherwise known as the taser totter! You can use either a taser or a BBQ i ...more
Are you interested in becoming an amazing Sniper in Battlefield 3? This guide will show you which guns are the best for Snipers to use in BF 3, how to drag shot, and more. Be sure to aim for the head!
The Camera Mapper plugin for Adobe After Effects shows you how to create a realistic zoom, where objects in the foreground move faster than objects in the background. Set up a realistic parallax and sell your shot by using Camera Mapper.
To make a Gauss gun, all you need is a piece of metal rail, two magnets and steel ball bearings that fit on the rail. Then rig it up, and you have your own magnet-powered gun that shoots ball bearings!
Film Noir, or black film, is a type of film that can easily be attributed to classics such as the Humphery Boggart films of old (Maltese Falcon, King of the Underworld, ect.). If you're looking on how to create the effect yourself without a big budget, check out this video! Jo ...more
MY IDEA FOR YOU GUYS IS TO RECREATE THE SCENE IN MATRIX WHERE AGENT SMITH AND NEO HAVE A BUST UP AND ICONICLY LAUNCH TOWARDS EACH OTHER IN SLOW MO SHOOTING AT EACH OTHER THEN IT GOES INTO BULLET TIME AND PANS ROUND. YOU GUYS COULD COME UP WITH A WAY OF LAUNCHING EACH OTHER TOW ...more
CCTV's (closed-circuit televisions) are more common than ever before, and have become more and more popular to depict in films and in video games like Manhunt. This video will teach you how to create a CCTV monitor effect akin to what a security guard would see on their camera ...more
There are an infinite number of things that you can make out of K'nex. A disproportionate, but entertaining, number of these are toy guns. This video features an innovative design for a powerful K'nex (it also has a rubber band in it) gun that shoots small K'nex pieces across ...more
Muzzle flashes are basically firing and explosive effects that come out of the pistol or barrel of a gun. These firing effects can be created on Sony Vegas using a masking technique. Watch this video to see how to have fully customizable muzzle flashes using masking tools as ...more
In this tutorial, learn how to create the appearance of text being written with a liquid using Adobe After Effects. This clip will show you how to use CC Glue Gun, Fractal Noise, CC Toner, Turbulent Displace and CC Mr. Mercury effects to create this cool illusion. This video i ...more
Special effects are so cool and so..expensive! In this tutorial, learn how to make a portable green screen for very cool effects for less than 30 bucks. This green screen can move with you so you are ready to shoot no matter where you are! Follow these step by step instruction ...more
This is a pretty brief tutorial on how to make your own Nerf Gun. This gun is air-powered and can shoot almost 200 feet. So, why buy manufactured Nerf Guns when you can build your own?
Installing a titanium rammer in your paintball gun will help reduce the kick when you shoot it. Here's how.
All-American Skeet Champion Todd Bender explains the safety "does and don'ts" of shooting clay targets. He shows how everyone in the family can enjoy the game and still use proper gun handling techniques.
The Northern Lights is a beautiful meterological effect, but it can be difficult to capture this beauty on film. This tutorial shows you how to use the Sony XDCAM (because it has a slow shutter) and a time lapse techique to photograh the Aurora Borealis. Shoot effective photog ...more
Three awesome film special effects, one video. Ryan at Film Riot sure knows how to make one-stop shopping filmmaking tutorials. This video will show you how to shoot someone's head off, use a jib and dolly together to get more dynamic shots, and also how to make a great cheap ...more
If you like to learn filmmaking techniques from internet videos fast, then you've found the holy grail right here. This video will teach you how to do four different effects, including text motion tracked to your shots, motion tracking, make a prop sniper scope, and how to dun ...more
Take a look at a single film shot, from start to finish, and watch this tutorial which teaches you some in-depth advanced compositing and special effects to use on your film clips and movies. This tutorial is aimed at users of Eyreon Fusion video editing and sfx software.
If you shoot in a studio, or if you find that you're getting a black bar and are having a hard time freezing motion when shooting, this video will be a great help. In it, you will get a full lesson on what sync speed is, flash duration, camera curtains and more to help you cap ...more
Have you ever wondered how all of the blood and dust that flies from wounds and bullet holes in Hollywood films gets shot through the air so convincingly? The answer is a pneumatic dust system. This video will show you how to make one yourself for almost no money, allowing you ...more
A green screen lets you add any sort of background to your movie in post-production. Part of a successful green screen shot is properly lighting your set so you can easily add the special effects later. Teach your camera crew these tips for your next film!
Kipkay from Make Magazine shows us how to create a photographic illusion, making things look smaller than they really are with tilt-shift photography. Materials needed include rubber plunger, an oversized lens, a plastic body cap, a single lens (or digital single lens) camera, ...more
Get wide-angle and fish-eye effect for about $5 with this DIY lens attachment. Expands your camera's viewing angle up to 200 degrees. Great for tight-quarters indoor shots, stunning landscapes, and funny fish-eye photos. Amazing results. For use on photo and video cameras.
Here is a Final Cut Studio software suite tutorial on how to use the green screen function in Final Cut Pro. Footage that has been shot on a green screen can be brought in and isolated with Chroma Key settings. Once you have your subject removed from the green screen backgroun ...more
Does your video look flat? By using Three Point Lighting, you will be able to give your flat video more dimension. In this tutorial, Israel Hyman demonstrates the effects of the key light, the fill light, and the back light. This is a long standing lighting technique that you ...more
Killstreaks: Advantages and Disadvantages 3 Kills – Spy Plane: Advantages: This lets you see enemies on the radar in the upper left hand part of your screen. Though it is one of the lowest killstreaks, it is very beneficial and gives you a huge advantage. Disadvantages: It ca ...more
Destroy Black Ops Noobs First of all, these tips are great for any consoles that run Black Ops. Whether it be your Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii, XBox 360 or your PC. Internet Connection Before you put the game in to your console, make sure that your internet connection is consist ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to make simple special effects for movies. First, you will need to set up a ladder that's tall enough to make the rail look like it's falling down naturally. Make sure the rain is hitting all around the person or you have sealed off an area. Make ...more
Using guns in your independent films is risky business, and expensive to boot. Since you probably don't need to actually shoot anything, you can probably get by with a replica prop gun. If you're gonna do that, why not make it yourself? This video will show you how to make a r ...more
Just a few years back, spray cans glorified their artists, writing reputations in stone with florid colors and extreme street stylization. These days, though, graffiti artists are increasingly glorifying spray cans, the very tools of their art and, for some, livelihood. Glori ...more
In case the name didn't give it away, After Effects has all kinds of... effects... that can be applied to your video... after... you've shot it. This video will teach you how to create and use an RGB split in a video. The RGB split causes the colors in the video to separate an ...more
Do you find that ordinary Nerf guns lack power, DIY flair, and intimidating looks? This video can take care of that. It provides instructions for making a sort of Nerf crossbow out of common household materials. It shoots like the dickens, and looks like it could kill a vampir ...more
Want to grab some great shots at your friend or family member's wedding? Create a glowing, diffused, soft focus wedding photo effect through the power of Adobe Photoshop CS4. Add a whole lot of "mood" to an image by softening and increasing contrast, that also features a vigne ...more
Training to be a deadly assassin? Why not practice on something a little less dangerous, and make a homemade paper blowgun to begin with? In this two-part video tutorial, learn how to make a sturdy paper blowgun that shoots steel-top darts, and can shoot up to fifty feet. To m ...more
In this tutorial, Creative Cow contributing editor Carl Larsen shows you how to approach a 2.5D rig removal shot using Photoshop, After Effects and the Mocha AE tracker. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, video editing, and media production professionals i ...more
We have no doubt that famed photographer Annie Leibovitz takes perfect photos right at the photo shoot that require minimal retouching. But for the rest of us, as it is for most photographers, the photo editing process is just as important as the photo taking process, if not m ...more