Homemade Special Effects

There are a lot of videos out there that offer instructions for creating all sorts of fake wounds. Most of them, however, focus on cuts and gashes rather than that other devious and action-packed type of wound: the burn. This three-part video features detailed instructions for ...more

Adding special effects to your video can make it look more professional and entertaining. Learn how to add Apple iMovie effects to your clips with ease.

This tutorial goes over a few of the advanced features offered in the special effects and video editing software WAX 2.0. Specifically, you'll learn how to add particle effects (like snow) and create a picture warp for transitions to add to your films and projects.

Running over someone's head or burying them alive so that they can rise from the grave are dangerous, and not worth using in filmmaking generally speaking. But yay, there are special effects! Watch this video for a guide to running over someone's head with a car or burying the ...more

If you have a DSLR, you can take some interesting photographs of Christmas trees and holiday lights this year. Here are six different ways to achieve a special effects look for your Christmas photographs by adjusting the settings on your camera.

No matter how desperate they are for work, most actors will not let you crush their heads for your film. The potential for career development afterwards would be limited. This video will teach you how to crush a head with special effects for a film and then how to use three-po ...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

The Terminator— it might not seem like an obvious choose for a woman's Halloween costume, unless you're thinking of the T-X from "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines", played by Kristanna Loken. But this Halloween makeup look actually feels more like the Governator's famous por ...more

Does your low-budget film need an explosion, a fireball explosion? This video tutorial shows how to build a simple cremora (fireball) and safely use it. There are many filming techniques, you'll have to figure them out on your own though. This video is for pyrotechnic special ...more

Indy Mogul shows you four ways to create movie effects to make yourself look like a giant both with and without a green screen.

This short video is on how to use your new Eye Mold Kit from Ken Banks. It's simple and easy, and it makes a great looking acrylic eye for any special effect.

Alien invaders are a constant threat, so it is important that filmmakers continue their long tradition of making educational films like Independence Day to ensure that we know what to do when the invasion comes. If you want to make aliens films yourself, watch this video for t ...more

In this video, learn how to create a realistic looking bite mark on your skin for Halloween, film or theatre projects. This look is actually easier to do than you may think and looks completely real. So, get ready to take a bit 'ol bite outta your arm with this informative vid ...more

Want to stick a load of blood and guts in your film? Don't have a lot of money? No problem! Just go to your local butcher shop.

A quick and easy way to achieve the effect of fountains of the red stuff flowing forth from a zombie-bitten neck. Your film will look so real, for what it's worth, that nobody can deny your greatness.

Let's learn how to create some cool special effects in iMovie HD. In this video tutorial you will learn how to make night vision, old time movie, and stormy effects. The effects are really cool and easy to do too! Create special effects in iMovie HD. Click through to watch thi ...more

This week Brandon demonstrates how to perform a few special effects that can improve the visual dynamics of your videos. He explains special effects such as projector feedback loop, levitation camera trick, "use the force" trick.

In this video, we learn how to use food for special effects film makeup. Using familiar ingredients you find in the kitchen, you can make a scene from a movie that looks real! Food can be made to look like really gross things in movies, using the right colors and consistencies ...more

Check this video to learn how to make DIY squib special effects for your film.

For those who want to make zero budget films with special effects, there's only one way to go these days... with a computer. They may look like crap, but they're cheap!

This video shows you how to light up a bluescreen for special effects. The bluescreen must be well lit in order for the effect to be more seamless win post production.

This tutorial tells you about most common variables and extra special effects and others to make your character better in Mugen - the custom PC game engine.

This is an interesting video that shows you how to use special effects make-up to turn a 20-year-old into an old woman. So, if you can make, or get your hands on the proper products, this video will show you how to use this cool stuff.

PhotoKey is a cheaper alternative to Photoshop if all you want to do is work with green screen effects. This tutorial shows you the basic Chroma Key functions available to editors in PhotoKey, so you can start adding your own backgrounds and special effects.

Watch to learn how to turn an ordinary photo into an interesting photo using special effects either created by you or provided by Photoshop.

John demonstrates an easy way of creating an out-of-body special effect.

This video will give you basic ideas on how you can create special effect squibs, or fake gunshot wounds, from materials such as rocket fuses, fake blood and condoms.

You've seen them at Disneyland's Fantasia. And in big budget movies like "Waterworld" and "Lord of the Rings." Spectacular, glowing fire effects that seem to ripple with the wind are a staple of action movies, and though it may seem like you need a super good video editing tea ...more

Whether you're an aspiring makeup artist or someone looking to gross out your friends on Halloween, learn how to apply a bloody injury to your hand. With makeup and product, achieve a fake exposed-knuckle injury to gross out even the strongest of stomachs! Most of the products ...more

Dr. Diana teaches you how to make fog, a gaseous, bubbly pumpkin for your Halloween Party, and well as other experiments using dry ice. The guests at your Halloween party are really going to love these effects.

Watch this visual demonstration for detailed instruction on how to airbrush Psycho Paint brand paint on rubber. This is a great technique to make toys, props, or masks.

Learn how to use make up to create a fake slit wrist for Halloween or making movies.

In this video series, our experts Grace Fraga & Brad Schecter will teach you how to do special effects makeup. They will teach you how to apply gelatin, black makeup, and red to make it look like burning and charring. They will also teach you how to make fake shards of glass a ...more

Check out this video guide on how to make a cheap special effects blood cannon. This inexpensive SFX machine not only cheap, but an effective Special FX blood cannon for any zombie movie or gunshot wound or blood splatter effect! The blood cannon shooter parts: 22mm PVC pipe ...more

This video shows you how to add some smoke and muzzle type flash effects to video footage of a gun being shot. The video says it's using After Effects, but the software is really Adobe Premiere Pro.

Use this method to make a glowing, burning flower similar to the glowing tomato. Makes a cool trick to impress your friends.

Sure, you can buy Rice Krispies or something similar - but making your own puffed rice at home is not too difficult, and is much healthier! This techinque works with any starch. Fully cook your rice, and then dry it out (it usually needs about 24 hours to dry completely). Then ...more

The video is an episode of Indy Mogul. It opens with a man who tells us the topic of this show is to help people make fake prosthetics for a fish-man costume for Halloween. After an intro showing us that the show is about making homemade special effects and props on a cheap bu ...more

It's time to smash that iPhone, but wait… you don't really want to break your iPhone, do you? That's were a fake iPhone prop comes in, perfect for any homemade movie. Just make this, and switch it out with the real one during the anger attack. Watch this video tutorial to lear ...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

Remember the Rocketeer? The rocket jet pack that he wore? Jet packs are the coolest sci-fi props that haven't been perfected in "real life" yet. Almost, but not quite. For now, film rocket belts or rocket packs will do. Like in the Bond flick "Thunderball" and in the Star Wars ...more

Gambit is one of the coolest X-Men, and his kinetic energy powers are awesomely powerful. If you want to depict them using special effects in a film, this video will show you how to do it using three free pieces of digital editing software: Monkeyjam GIMP And our old friend ...more

What's a proton pack without a ghost trap? Useless, that's what. Don't pay megabucks for some fake Ghostbusters costume when you can build your own with household materials. This is a perfect movie prop for your indie Ghostbusters fan flick. Watch this video from Parker's Tut ...more

Home security is as important as having a job. You have to protect your family and your valuables. If you can't afford a high tech security system, then maybe a fake security camera will do the trick. This security camera dud is also a cheap alternative for a film prop. Watch ...more

This tutorial uses the Bloody Gouges kit put out by cosmetics and special effects company Cinema Secrets. Apply using spirit gum, and then use the Injury palette and stage blood to make it look like you're really and truly wounded.

The film Jumper may not have been critically acclaimed, but few can argue with how awesome the special effects that allowed the characters to teleport at will are. They looked great and were applied with great aplomb. This video will show you how to mimic that effect in After ...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

Time lapse videos can be used to distort a sense of time around your subject, which makes them very useful special effects in documentaries. By using time lapse, you can show the transition from sunrise to sunset in just a few seconds, or slow down a drop of water hitting a ta ...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

This is a great tutorial you can use for any costume or special effects you can think of. Make it look like your eyeball has popped out of it's socket by using Cinema Secrets makeup, especially the Injury colors palette.

Go beyond the broomstick and pointy hat! Use the Cinema Secrets special effects prosthetics and makeup collection to make yourself look like a warty, scary witch. This is a perfect way to make an impact with a traditional Halloween costume.

This is a great horror makeup tutorial that you can use to make it look like a bolt has been shoved through your cheek. This tutorial uses the Cinema Secrets makeup, especially the Injury makeup palette and special effects blood.

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.