NASA -- the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the United States government's most infamous agency, the powerhouse of space exploration -- teaches you the basics of Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion. Who better to learn motion theory from than NASA? This NASA video se ...more
This two part episode shows you how to use Trapcode Form to create a dramatic transition where footage breaks into binary code, and re-forms as different footage. In Part 2, Aharon shows you how to improve on and finish the binary transition project by working with Time Remap ...more
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern will show you how to create a fiery iris animation which has laser beams shooting from a girls eyes. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, video editing, and media production professionals in ...more
Get started using Adobe After Effects with the help of The New Boston! This beginner's tutorial is bound to answer the many questions you have about the popular digital motion graphics and compositing software. The main purpose of After Effects is for film and video post-produ ...more
Flash CS4’s new inverse kinematics tools allow users to create and arrange symbols in a collection called an Armature. These armatures contain bones that have relationships with other elements which can be animated. Users can create and control their own dancing puppet. You co ...more
Creative Cow Leader Jeff Bellune demonstrates how to use the tools available in particleIllusion and After Effects to get a particle emitter source to track an element in a video clip. Part One details how to animate the Layer Offset in particleIllusion to eliminate motion in ...more
OKay, so this video is not the easiest to follow. But you get the basic idea - this stop motion video shows you in slow motion (without any hands blocking your view) how to assemble an origami tetrahedra.
Watch this great stop motion animation tutorial to learn how to make a wire armature for a stop motion puppet. Also, learn some tips on adding clay to the armature and animating the puppet.
As a kid I fell in love with stop-motion animation while watching the superb mastery of Ray Harryhausen (who didn’t? I mean, skeletons! Fighting!). I’ve always wanted to make an animated film and I just might do that now that Boinx Software has released iStopMotion for the iP ...more
Mike explains stop motion animation, which is incidentally the coolest kind of animation out there.
This tutorial shows you how to download, install and use the free program Stop Motion Animator. See how to set up and configure your animation settings, how to set the proper compression and then use the camera on your computer to shoot the frames for a stop motion animation. ...more
Good morning. A little inspiration in the realm of stop-motion animation. By the talented Kirsten Lepore, something heartbreakingly sweet... ...and something a little spicy:
Nowhere Near Here, by Pahnl, is made with the graffiti light writing technique (stop motion animation that uses a combination of light with stencils and long exposure photography). Over 300 hours in the making and more than 200 stencils later, the tale of a "dog running around ...more
French artist Alexandre Dubosc celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival with this stop motion animation of baking a cake in a laboratory-like kitchen.
As a slightly belated birthday tribute to Photoshop (Photoshop turned 20 this past Friday), here is a clever stop animation short honoring the software. "Adobe Photoshop Cook" by Lait Noir. (Ok, so the "How To" in the headline above is slightly false - no, you can't really bak ...more
If you have yet to see the work of famed graffiti artist/filmmaker Blu, you're in for a real treat. Blu creates films with painted still images (graffiti style), installed in various public spaces. He photographs the paintings, and then assembles them into a stop motion animat ...more
Here's a beautiful stop motion instructional video on how to fold a paper Koi fish. Origami a Koi fish. Click through to watch this video on flickr.com
Check out this video for stop-motion instruction on how to make The Prison Break Origami Swan. Diagram: http://www.fcowm.com/pdf/prisonbreakduck.pdf but extend the neck a little in step 3!!
Claymation is an animation form by using stop motion filming. Learn the technique and how many frames or shots you need to make your movie.
Shot with a Nokia N8 cell phone equipped with a 50x CellScope microscope, Dot is the world’s smallest stop motion animated film. Created by the makers of the Wallace & Gromit series, the figures were made with a 3D printer, each hand-painted with the aid of a microscope. Watch ...more
We've seen several examples of light graffiti on WonderHowTo (1, 2, 3), but this one is truly eerily beautiful. Australian photographer Denis Smith pushes the envelope with his project Ball of Light. "The Ball of Light is a mysterious portal into my world. It, and its friends ...more
Largely self-taught, Ryan John Kothe is an animator working out of Auckland, New Zealand. After picking up some rudimentary After Effects skills, he went on to create an impressive portfolio of beautifully rendered stop-motion animations with a distinctly tactile feel. Curious ...more
It's once again Monday, which means it's time to highlight some of the most recent community submissions posted to the Math Craft corkboard. Since two of these posts were on polyhedral versions of M.C. Escher's tessellations, I thought we'd take a look at building a simple tes ...more
WonderHowTo is made up niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. This week: A nostalgia-themed cell phone photo ...more
Without teeny little clay sculptures, you'd have no stop motion movies. While you can purchase a plethora of premade monsters to star in what you believe is the next "Godzilla," you can save some hard-earned money by making these monsters yourself. This video shows you how to ...more
This tutorial video, from tasktutorial demonstrates how to create animation using the motion guide function in Flash. You will learn how to create an object, in this case, a ball, and create an animation that makes it appear to bounce. The guide shows you, how to add a motion ...more
See how to influence an objects motion animation with controllers in this 3ds Max video tutorial. So if you're a digital 3D modeler/sculptor/animator, then this is the video for you. Autodesk's 3D Studio Max is a customizable and scalable 3D modeling and rendering solution fo ...more
Motion tweens are an important part of creating digital animation, and they work differently in Flash CS4 than in previous versions. This video tutorial teaches you how to use the new motion tweens to create great animation in adobe Flash CS4. It is much more intuitive than it ...more
In this video tutorial, Creative Cow leader Tony Ross demonstrates how to to create a simple text animation in Flash using Motion tweens and the Distribute to Layers command. Create a simple text animation in Flash. Click through to watch this video on creativecow.net
Add shape to your animation using a motion tween along a path. Learn tips for using motion guides, snapping to motion paths, and finishing up with alpha fades. Add shape to your animation with motion tween in Flash. Click through to watch this video on sessions.edu
Video games and art have somewhat of a sticky relationship. Many video games have large teams of talented artists doing amazingly creative work, and yet the art community is only just beginning to utilize video games as art (sometimes). Perhaps if video games were shown not ju ...more
Learn how to use After Effects CS5 to create a simple growing vine animation. 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 CS5's new features, you're sure to be wel ...more
This video guide offers a complete overview of how to create a seamless looping particle animation with Trapcode Particular and Adobe After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to ...more
If you're planning on being the next Ridley Scott of brickfilms, then maybe you need to start off with a few basics, like in this video tutorial about how to make a Lego man walking animation. Creating a world of moving legos for your "legomation" masterpiece starts with the s ...more
In this tutorial, you'll learn how to take text from a Blender .3ds file, import it into Photoshop and saving as .PSD, and then bring it into After Effects for animation. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video profess ...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
In this flash tutorial the instructor shows how to make a black and white mask animation. To do this, first start by importing your image into the flash tool and bring it on to the scene. The image should be wider than the scene. Now select and distribute the layers. Now conve ...more
Are you interested in 2D animation in Flash? First import a image in flash. Then create a new layer and choose oval tool and take a radial gradient. In the middle of the shape, we need to have zero alpha value and pick the colors from the background of the image. Create the sh ...more
In this tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how working with Null objects lets you get better control of your animation. He also shares a technique for using nulls to make 3D camera motion easier. Use null objects to control animation in After Effects. Cl ...more
Fireworks animation capabilities are perfect for creating web banner ads or for adding simple motion to your web site. In this Fireworks 8 video tutorial you will learn how to animate a banner. Learn how to set up documents, add and control frames and timing, animate the banne ...more
What happens when you combine Super Mario Land with Minecraft? Maybe some awesome pixel art, but how about if you go a step further? What if you add the computer game within a computer game idea and throw in a little stop motion? You get one hell of an impressive spectacle—yo ...more
How do you show that you love your job? You get "sleeved", like photographer Dabe Alan who has lined his arms with tattoos of all his favorite things in life, with the help of Toledo-based tattoo artist Tony Touch. Every time Dabe visits Toledo, he gets another photography-rel ...more
Angry Birds finally hits LEGOs. It was only a matter of time before some LEGO maniac constructed Angry Birds from those popular little plastic building blocks. Stop motion brickfilms are sure to follow. Tsang Yiu Keung has constructed the entire cast of Angry Birds in LEGO, t ...more
Are you a fan of those old-school animated stop-motion movies? You can make your own easily, and the best way to get started is to make some durable, bendable puppets. Check out this video to learn how to add skin to puppets and paint them.
In this video tutorial, we learn how to blend real-world elements and CGI within 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 yourself with the program and i ...more
Looking to achieve an icy text animation within Apple Motion 4? This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're new to the Apple's popular motion graphics editor/compositing application or are a seasoned digital video professional simply wishing to get better acquainted ...more
Parkour + Papercraft + Animation... what could be better? Truly original piece of work entitled "Parkour Motion Reel" by Serene Teh and Noel Lee. Previously, Sick. Decapitating-Head-Exploding Paper Animation (NSFW!) Trip Out On This (Perhaps NSFW). Evil Pixels Demolish New Yor ...more
Starting a film? A storyboard is a great way to visualize a motion picture or animation through a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence. Learn how to go about creating a storyboard in pre-production with help from this free video from EOS Lighting.
Far-out animation entitled "Love and Theft" by Andreas Hykade of Germany. Careful - there's some slightly risqué imagery in there (depending on how liberal-minded your boss is). Apparently Hykade was inspired by Bob Dylan: "And I'm still carrying the gift you gave, it's a par ...more
In this how-to video, you will learn how to add movement to still images using Final Cut Pro. Click on the view mode button in the canvas window. Set the mode to Image and Wire Frame. Move the canvas play head to the clip you would like to affect, and select the time line. To ...more
As a beginning stop-motion animator, there's a lot of trial and error. What tools and materials do you use? How do you sculpt realistic clay figures? This video tutorial walks you through some of the essential materials, and demonstrates sculpting a torso out of Super Sculpey.
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
Go beyond the traditional 3D workflow to an immersive creative experience with the software Modo, created by Luxology. Modo is the next evolution of 3D modeling, painting and rendering for Mac and PC. Modo includes 3D sculpting tools, animation and network rendering, and advan ...more
Learn how to use Boris Continuum Complete's Pan and Zoom filter in Final Cut Pro for easy, documentary-style animation! BCC Pan and Zoom filter will allow you to create Ken Burns style effects on still images in Final Cut Pro. The BCC plug-in is available for other motion grap ...more
A beginner's introduction to CINEMA 4D. Learn how to use the basic tool set in Maxon CINEMA 4D R10 for a variety of purposes including animation, motion graphics, modeling, and rigging. Use the basic toolset in CINEMA 4D - Part 1 of 2. Click through to watch this video on film ...more
This software tutorial shows how to make stop animation movies with Windows Movie Maker and a digital camera. Learn how to shoot the frames of motion with your camera, import them into Windows Movie Maker and turn them into a stop motion animated movie.
How many trips up and down the stairs do you think it took artist Janne Parviainen to create this incredible topographical light painting? Apparently, quite a few. Using only one LED, he moves around his house, tracing all of the surfaces. Sometimes the exposure times are up t ...more
VIDEOGIOCO, an insane animation by Donato Sanson and Enrico Ascoli. Careful. Definitely NSFW, particularly in the 0:30 range. What the.....? Can't quite figure out how this was made. Not traditional animation, not stop motion. Regardless, this animation is truly sick (meaning ...more
Take one down, pass it around, 99 bottles on which to play classical music? As someone who has studied music extensively, I've seen many interpretations of famous pieces of music played on glass bottles, but hearing these four interpretations of famous pieces (not all classic ...more
It's a tight race! Every vote counts. Community members, your vote counts twice! Decide now, what is more WONDERFUL Pancakes or Sleevefaces!?! Sleevefacing? Ahh this fantastic video is a find of WonderHowTo intern Jonah. To sleeveface is to take pictures matching the pose on ...more