Congratulations to everyone who undertook After Effects Assignment 4. Who’d have thought that the Fractal Effect could be so versatile!

For assignment 5 we’re using Beam, Find Edges and Curves. On first inspection Beam appears to be a one-trick-pony – lasers or light sabres anyone? But with a little experimentation you’ll discover just how diverse it can be.  Here’s my experiment, which took me an hour!

Remember the guidelines: Use only those three effects applied to a single Solid Layer and don’t use the Brainstorm Tool! Take at least 30 minutes to explore the effects and post a JPG (please compress) in the comments. Beam me up!

This look, inspired by the opening titles for Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters, was created using Cinema 4D, Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects with plug-ins from Borisfx,  GenArts, and Red Giant Software. Check out the breakdown below:  Read more…

In this short Photoshop walkthrough I demonstrate how I used Photoshop Oil Paint and Filters to create a woodblock print style.

Terrific results in After Effects Assignment 3 and wonderful to hear you’re enjoying these assignments and pushing your skills into new areas! It’s blowing my mind just how creative everyone can be. If you haven’t completed the previous assignments it’s never too late to join in and have a go.

For assignment 4 we’re still exploring After Effects’ Generate category, this time focussing on Fractal and CC Light Burst but adding CC Flo Motion from the Distort category. Fractal is one of those effects that gathers dust at the bottom of the effects draw because no one really knows what to do with it! So dust it off, mix in some Light Burst and Flo Motion and see what comes out! Here’s my experiment.

Remember the guidelines: Use only those three effects applied to a Solid Layer and don’t use the Brainstorm Tool! Take 30 minutes to explore the effects and post a JPG (please compress) in the comments. Don’t let Fractal defeat you!

Congratulations again to everyone who completed After Effects Assignment 2, the results are outstanding. The variety of styles that can be created from just two effects is staggering, and most importantly every one of them is unique and fresh, well done!

For assignment 3 we are going to stick with After Effects’ Generate category, this time focussing on Cell Pattern, CC Glue Gun and CC Light Rays. Here’s my experiment.

Remember the guidelines: Use only those three effects applied to a Solid Layer and don’t use the Brainstorm Tool! Take 30 minutes to explore the effects and post a JPG (please compress) in the comments. I can’t wait to see your experiments!

Well done to those of you who took the time to complete Assignment 1, the results were really terrific. By your comments it sounds like you really found some value in the exercise too which is great. For the next assignment, rather than choosing an entire effect category, we’ll be using only two effects from the Generate category — Radio waves and 4-Color Gradient. Here’s my result.

So, take 30 minutes using a Solid Layer and the Radio Waves and 4-Color Gradient effect, and see what you can create. Avoid using the Brainstorm Tool and remember, there’s no right or wrong result, the idea here is to explore and experiment without the pressure of clients and deadlines. Regular experimentation sharpens your skills and often results in fresh and unique styles. Post your result in the Comments (jpg format only).

The announcement that future versions of most Adobe products are only available via subscription to Creative Cloud has been greeted with mixed feelings. I’ve been using Creative Cloud for a year now and really like it, so for me this is not a problem. Creative Cloud is easy to use, gives me access to all of my tools where ever I am and ensures I’m always up-to-date with the latest versions. But what about you? How do  you feel about Adobe’s announcement? Are you using Creative Cloud? Will you upgrade?

The Pixel Lab has released Image 2 Plane, a plug-in for Cinema 4D that makes working with multiple images easy.