How to Make Effects in Films

Steve Nelson from Indy Mogul shows you how to create cool falling or jumping from a building effect. Use a combination of camera angeles, green screen, and editing to create this cool action effect for your films.

Do you need that special human touch to your special fx? Indy Mogul's Mike Johnson shows you how to make ballistics gels to create flesh and gore effects for your films.

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

The Trapcode suite is a set of plug-ins for After Effects that allow video artists to create a variety of effects for inclusion in video and film productions. This particular guide demonstrates the power of Trapcode Particular and Trapcode 3D Stroke. Specifically, Wes Ball fro ...more

Replicate the Predator-style video camouflage in After Effects by using displacement maps. This uniquely stunning and groundbreaking visual effect has been seen countless times in film and television to show video camouflage, invisibility, heat distortion, holograms, and stati ...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

Apple's iconic silhouette people-dancing-against-colored-background iPod commercials may not rule the airwaves anymore, but they still look really cool. This video will show you how to recreate the effect of these commercials in After Effects using greenscreens. Now all you ha ...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

Virtual cameras enable you to add all sorts of cool effects to your animations by making it seem like they were filmed with a camera that could move and focus. This video will show you where to acquire and how to use the vcam software plugin for Flash CS4 to create all of the ...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.

Whether you're new to Adobe After Effects or a seasoned digital film professional after a general overview of CS5's most vital new features, you're sure to be well served by this official video tutorial from the folks at Adobe TV. In it, you'll learn how to isolate moving fore ...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

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

One of the best features of Apple's Final Cut Studio is the graphics interface feature Motion. With its ability to create and edit motion graphics, you can easily create title sequences for your indie film, or maybe even a professional movie, with 2D or 3D visual effects compo ...more

This software tutorial shows you how to use Magic Bullet Frames plug-in. The plug-in is available for After Effects, Final Cut Pro,k Premiere Pro and Motion. Magic Bullet Frames allows you to take interlaced video and get the 24p look of film, right from within your editor — a ...more

Tomi shows you home to create that cool bullet ricochet dust effect for your low budget indie film.

Welcome to our Indiana Jones special. This week, we've been challenged by Eric Zala, the director of "Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation" to create an awesome face melt effect for cheap! This is probably Indy Mogul's grossest effect yet, so you better not get nauseous or ...more

Ben Slotover and Paul Elliott, aka Blunt Productions, shows how to make your own cheap 3D film. You'll need a straight flash bracket, two camera mounting screws, and of course - two cameras. Then use Adobe After Effects to merge the two videos together so you can get out those ...more

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

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.

If you've seen the films "Name of the Rose" and "Kingdom of Heaven", you're familiar with the medieval period, and if you want to create an animated intro in After Effects with a medieval style to it, follow along with Laurence Grayson in this three-part AE tutorial where he c ...more

After Effects contains all manner of cool tools that you can use to create really appealing title effects for your films. This video will show you how to create one quick easy text effect in this powerful software suite by using a camera, null object, 3D text layers, and a par ...more

Making really attractive titles for your films is just one of the way that you can dramatically improve them using After Effects. This video will help you make them by showing you how to create a pulse or pulsating wave effect from whence your titles can emerge. They look grea ...more

Many science fiction feature films and TV shows feature holographic communication and interfaces. Red Giant Holomatrix allows you to easily recreate that effect with just a few clicks. This clip, in particular, addresses how to make those few clicks as a complete and utter new ...more

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

The fine folks at Film Riot usually teach you how to do two awesome film tricks per episode, and this one is no different. It will teach you how to do really scary professional zombie makeup first and follow that with how to blow someone's head off with a shotgun. Using effect ...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

If you're trying to get in some last minute Halloween costume ideas, or have something that you're looking to do with one of your films involving knights armor, zombies, or giant Jim Henson style talking heads, this video from Indy Mogul might just be what you're looking for! ...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.

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!

Sure, there are a lot of videos out there that will teach you how to make burning letters or icy letters in Photoshop. But how many will teach you this? This video will show you how to make letters in Photoshop that look like glass, forming a window to the background behind th ...more

Fake wounds are one of the most popular makeup elements to include in Halloween costumes, and are also very useful in making films. This video will teach you how to create a realistic open facial wound using makeup. It looks so real, any doctors that you run into will probably ...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

Whether you're new to Adobe After Effects or a seasoned digital film professional after a general overview of CS5's most vital new features, you're sure to be well served by this official video tutorial from the folks at Adobe TV. In it, you'll learn how to turn spoken dialogu ...more

One of the best features of Final Cut Studio is the sound design feature Soundtrack Pro. With it's royalty free professional instrument loops and sound effects, you can easily compose music and edit audio for your indie film, or maybe even a professional movie. Watch this 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.

Watch this video to learn how to use glove molding systems. Glove molding systems are ideal for working on medium and large projects, this process involves creating a thin layer of flexible material and backing it up with a stronger, rigid material.This process can be used in ...more

Check out this video for creating a one piece mold using a repro laminating system. This is a professional video not for beginners. The repro laminating system is ideal for working on medium-sized projects, this process is easier, faster, and more economical than the epoxy lam ...more

Check out this video to learn how to make a professional epoxy fiberglass layup and epoxy laminating systems. This process is ideal for working on larger projects, a typical 'fiberglass layup' is a popular process for those who need a large, strong, and lightweight tool.This p ...more

This video covers creating a detailed professional surface cast mold for creating mechanical parts. Ideal for working on medium-sized projects, this process of pouring a high quality material around a lower quality core creates a highly accurate, yet economical part. This proc ...more

This excellent detailed video demonstrates how to create rigid molds with a fast cast urethane. Ideal for smaller models/molds with a flat side, fast-cast urethanes are widely used for their ease of use, low cost, and quick de-mold times. However, their use requires careful ap ...more

This video illustrates in great detail how to create a perfect urethane rubber mold. Urethane Rubber molds are widely used when a flexible mold material is required and a more expensive or less abrasion-resistant silicone rubber is not desired. However, their use requires care ...more

Check out this video for how to create simple one piece silicone rubber molds. This technique is ideal for smaller projects (less than 12" x 12"), this is the easiest process for creating parts, patterns, tools, & molds. We demonstrate creating a silicone rubber mold and then ...more

This is an excellent video that covers creating a clear silicone rubber mold to deal with a complex parting line or irregular shape. When a project requires a complex parting line, it is often easier to pour the entire mold in one process with clear rubber, then cut your parti ...more

Erik from Indy Mogul teaches you how to build a miniature space ship for your films for under $20. Also covered, are using green screen to create background effects for your UFO film.

If you're looking to learn how to use Adobe After Effects, which for anyone doing film or graphics work, it's important that you do learn how to use this amazing program, you've come to the right place. In this two-part tutorial you will learn the absolute basics of using Adob ...more

Photoshop might be the best software out there for creating effects on text and other still images. This video will show you how to create one really cool effect in Photoshop on a title. The creator calls this a glowing particles dust effect, and that sounds about right. The e ...more

Making titles in After Effects is fun, relatively easy, and sure to make your film make a better first impression. This video will show you how to make a cool light ray text swipe effect with particles, like the one in the thumbnail. This isn't too hard as far as our After Eff ...more

There is not limit to the amount of cool title effects that you can create for you film using After Effects. This video will show you how to create a cool digital futuristic title effect by making use of a plane of particles animated based on your audio levels with the Fractal ...more

Very few effects can be considered standard in After Effects, many are unique creations made by combining After Effects many tools. This video will show you how to create one such effect, an audio particle spray that will looks very cool in either titles or ending credits for ...more

If you've ever wanted to make an even slightly fantasy-flavored film, you've probably wanted to make one of your characters fly. Unless you're working with a bird or some really crazy rigging, you're going to need to make this special effect happen in After Effects, or whateve ...more

In this Episode, Rob Birnholz shows you a great technique for quickly creating a 3D picture montage with Trapcode Particular. It takes just minutes to set up, but can save you hours of work. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, video editing, and media produ ...more

In this episode of Red Giant TV, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create the effect of text (or a logo) dissolving to sand and blowing away. You'll also learn how to reverse the transition, so that sand forms into text. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, ...more

In this video tutorial, CreativeCOW leader, Eran Stern demonstrates using paint strokes brushes to automatically morph between path shapes. Creative Cow is a support community for digital video, video editing, and media production professionals in broadcasting, motion graphic ...more

In this 2 part video tutorial, Eran Stern shows you the first step to create a retro design title animation for a fictional sci-fi movie. In Part 2, CreativeCOW leader, Eran Stern takes the next step in the science fiction classic and finalizes the promo by projecting graphic ...more

In this Red Giant tutorial, Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to create a realistic traffic pattern backdrop - great for a scene in which the camera overlooks a low lying, but developed area - perhaps looking down from a high hill onto a residential neighborhood. Creative Cow i ...more

In this video tutorial, CreativeCOW leader, Eran Stern demonstrates how to create flower trails using Trapcode Particular in this special holiday episode. You'll also work with the light emitter and use 3D layer to obscure particles. Creative Cow is a support community for di ...more