I've tried my hand in the past at defining Steampunk, but as anyone else who has made a similar attempt will tell you, there's a significant backlash from the community against working to create a real definition of what Steampunk is. That may sound ridiculous to some, but it' ...more
Notch loves Halloween. He must, because he keeps putting scarier and scarier things into Minecraft around Halloween time! Today, Minecraft 1.4.2 was released, and it's a doozy. Versions 1.4 and 1.4.1 were actually skipped entirely, as lots of bug-fixes were patched between th ...more
A great free video training from tasktutorial on how to create a cool movie text effect in Flash. Start by creating the text; type in "cool", rename the layer and lock it. Now type "movie" and rename the layer. Type in "effect" and rename this layer as well. Now focus on the f ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to create picture-in-picture effects in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes ...more
This video tutorial from IndyMogul shows you how to create a blood squirting "axe in the back" effect, just like in Friday the 13th. This week on Backyard FX, Indy Mogul shows you how to create a classic horror effect. The axe in the back! It's a great way to kick off "Jason ...more
Learn how to edit videos in this quick and easy tutorial. Use iMovie in this project to make a 5x5, which is a series of 5-second video clips compiled together into a 25-second video project. This tutorial details the various steps of video editing, including importing footage ...more
Spooky fog-emitting items like coffins and cauldrons are iconic parts of many haunted houses, but are terribly expensive to buy premade. If you're got some DIY know-how, watch this video for a guide to building a coffin fog chiller for your fog machine yourself for a Halloween ...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.
Using an animated movie strip as an example, this tutorial for Blender shows you how to properly animate textures. You can achieve this effect by making use of the offset parameter function within Blender, and this tutorial demonstrates how.
The Alien movies, most notably Alien and Aliens, are icons of sci-fi horror, and one of their most well-known elements is the awesome power loader that Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley used to tear the aliens apart. This video will show you how to make your own prop r ...more
A LOT of movies have featured talking animals. Especially now that the technology is readily available to even low-budget filmmakers to make animals appear to be talking very realistically. If you've wanted to make your own talking-animal film, this video is here to help. It w ...more
If you find yourself viewing a lot of Flash content, you've probably seen a moving object or cursor that has a ghostly likeness trailing behind it. Have you ever wanted to create that effect yourself? Now you can, quickly and easily. This video will teach you how to create a g ...more
In modern action movies, the night vision goggles effect has become as much of a staple as exploding heads. This video will teach you, the budding action film editor, to create the night vision effect using Adobe Premiere Pro. Download project file here.
This video presents a simple setup for imitating the Transformers title text effect in Cinema 4D using Explosion FX. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions ...more
Ever wonder how to create movie magic right in your own home? This video shows you step by step everything you need to know and do to create the green screen effect, from properly setting up your green screen, to lighting it, as well as your subjects for a successful effect. F ...more
If you've ever wanted to make smoke using Photoshop you'll be able to watch this software tutorial and find out how. This smoke effect won't help your movie career but it will help you create cool photos.
This week, Erik shows you how to create the awesome effect of throwing a knife into a person's head! This effect is used in big budget movies like the "Matrix" and we're going to show you how to do it for less then twenty dollars!
If you've seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you'll know one of the greatest special effects of the film is where Mola Ram rips the heart out of someone's chest. In this episode of Backyard FX, Erik recreates that effect with the help of his family members. Don't forge ...more
Create a text effect using Photoshop that looks like the metallic text seen in the Spiderman movies' logo. Create Spiderman metallic text in Photoshop. Click through to watch this video on tutorialvid.com
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz returns to one of his earliest tutorials, "Creating TV Look," and shows how it can be used to create the look of a Hologram as seen in science fiction movies. Create a sci-fi hologram look in After Effects CS3. Clic ...more
Erik Beck of Indy Mogul shows you how to make a non-working jet pack for under $30. He'll also show you how to create a flying effect for the jet pack in post-production using a green screen.
Ever wonder how actors get bruises that look so real? Learn how to make these bruises and start your own visual effects for movies. Perfect for beginners or advanced make up artists, create real looking bruises for your next Halloween costume. Make convincing fake bruises. Cli ...more
We know dolls are supposed to be children's toys, but there's something about them that scares the living daylights out of us. Maybe, just maybe, it's those lifelike eyes that appear almost too real to be fake? That seem to follow us as we move around the room? Okay, maybe we' ...more
Inception might be the most anticipated movie of the summer, and now that it's out and you've had the chance to bask in it's majesty, you may be wondering if you can use any of it's magic and trickery in your own films. You can! This video will show you how to create the title ...more
Not TOO many Western people want to see the United States nuked into the stone age. Some do, but not too many. Now you can simulate the effect on your computer! This video will show you how to use After Effects to simulate the effect of a nuclear blast or other major explosive ...more
Worried about a zombie apocalypse? Of course you are, we all are! This tongue in cheek video divulges the steps you'll need to take should zombies begin roaming the earth. Using clips from horror movies, this video shows you the right way to hide from zombies and even explains ...more
In this episode of Final Cut Help, Richard Harrington takes a look at keyframing the three way color corrector in FCP. As details change in a movie clip you can have the filter adjust its values over time. This example uses a video of a bird starting in a bright sky and ending ...more
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Michael Park shows you how to recreate the opening gun barrel sequence from the two newest James Bond movies in 3d Studio Max using the default scanline renderer, minimal modeling, and only standard materials. Creative Cow is a supp ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to build songs in GarageBand '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing your pho ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to mix songs in GarageBand '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing your photo ...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
Ever notice the dreamy quality of a British sitcom? How about the "shellshock" look used in war movies? And we're all familiar with the look of an amateur home video, which can be...surreal. Believe it or not, these effects are created in the camera's shutter speed, and very r ...more
The Black Swan hit theaters today, and everyone's raving about Natalie Portman's performance as Nina, the ballet dancer who must cope with her emerging evil side. In the film, Nina competes against Lily (Mila Kunis) to be prima ballerina in a production of Swan Lake. Whoever ...more
Whenever we get together and hang, my friends are always talkin' me into doin' the famed truffle shuffle from the movie 'The Goonies', made famous by the character Chunk. Well, this is where I got the idea for this prank. First, you would build a very interesting domino-type ...more
The mushroom cloud is one of the iconic images of the 20th century, calling to mind destruction, progress, and arguably the single most important event of the century. This video will show you how to create a 3D model of one using 3D Studio MAX 4 or higher. This can then be us ...more
Creating movie-quality 3D images takes more than just 3DS Max. It takes a village of graphics programs to really make it look professional. This nine-part video tutorial will teach you how to create a hole in a coffee table using a combination of 3DS Max, After Effects, and th ...more
This video will show you how to make a stop motion film using an editing program called Windows Movie Maker. Find a place to film your stop motion movie. Preferably a well lit area where the light source is constant. Set your camera on a tripod and position at the angle you pr ...more
This video tutorial from TutVid shows how to create a simple movie poster text effect in Adobe Photoshop CS4. * First create a new file by clicking File-New. Set Width to 650 , Height to 960 and Background Contents to White. Click OK. * Press the 'G' button to grab the gradie ...more
What would happen if you stick your hand in a pool of liquid nitrogen? Would your hand freeze to death? Would it harden to an unnatural state? Would it shatter as soon as you touched something? Well, real life isn't like the movies (i.e. Demolition Man), so believe it or not, ...more
This is a two part video tutorial. Be sure to click on Chapters 2 as well to get the full tutorial. Taking a look at the popular technique of designing lower thirds and the process it takes to design these using Photoshop. Photoshop is the perfect solution for this task with ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to apply photo effects in iPhoto '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing your ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to get started with iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing your photo ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to import video from your camera in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes man ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to enjoy and organize videos in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managin ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to make your favorite video in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to stabilize shaky video in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing yo ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to trim edits between video clips in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes ma ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to add photos to videos in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing you ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to add background music to videos in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes ma ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to add titles to videos in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing you ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to crop and rotate videos in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing y ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to add theme titles and transitions to movies in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPh ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to add voiceovers to videos in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to slow down, speed up, and reverse video in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to add animated travel maps in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managing ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to record video with the built-in iSight camera in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. i ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to publish videos to YouTube in iMovie '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes managin ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to play guitar with GarageBand '09 guitar lessons. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to play piano with GarageBand '09 piano lessons. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes ma ...more
Check out this informative video tutorial from Apple on how to record an electric guitar in GarageBand '09. iLife '09, the software suite from Apple, is the easiest way to organize, view and publish digital content, like pictures, movies, music, and webpages. iPhoto makes man ...more