The Text Animation Tool – Adobe After Effects tutorial
So you want to animate some text do you? Well After Effects is good for that. The text animation options can be a little dodgy at times but this tutorial or lesson or whatever should see you clear to getting on the right track.
A more advanced tutorial on these things is coming up but for now this should get you using the properties, the range selector, and all those fun easing options right fast.
Thanks for watching and have a nice day 🙂
Evanabrams.com
Twitter.com/ecabrams
The Time Script
Want to make things faster? Save time? Turn back the clock? Well it’s time for the “time” script to change your life for the better. It can’t fix things like how old you’re getting before you’re ready but it can help you beat project deadlines and make quick revisions. Also it’s just great for lazy bums like me!
Leave any questions in the comments below and I’ll help you out best I can.
Here’s the project file I promised! http://www.mediafire.com/file/1cswft6b4ttuxny/Time Tut Project Files.aep
Scripts used in order of appearance:
time
Math.round(time)
n = time;
d = 100;
Math.round(n*d)/d
time*360
time*30
wiggle(time,time)
Follow me on twitter @ECAbrams or check me out on the Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/ECAbrams/193708234045591
Stabilize Shaky Footage
Feeling unstable? Shaky? unsure of your self and your camera skills? Well than don’t worry because your crappy footage can be saved with the adobe after effects image stabilization tool. Just get two decent tracking points and get ready for a long wait. Then once you’ve watered the cat and taken the plants outside your footage is fixed and you don’t looks like a dummy any more… or you look less like a dummy at least.
Those links I talked about?
Movember – http://mobro.co/ecabrams
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/ecabrams
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/ECAbrams/193708234045591
Thanks for watching and hit me up if you have any questions about mustaches or after effects. As you can see i know a thing or two about both.
Get Loopy wit LoopOut
Let’s get loopy with the loopOut. A simple script with many possibilities. Also it’s a good way to ease yourself into scripting things to save time, which is the first step to making the computer do all your work for you. And when you figure that out I’ll be out of a job and go back to living in my mom’s basement.
The correct spelling of loopOut is just like that and it should look like:
loopOut(“cycle”)
loopOut(“pingpong”)
loopOut(“continue”)
loopOut(“offset”)
and that’s about it. If you have trouble just let me know and I’ll do my best to helo you out in the comments below!
And you can see the loop out hard at work in my cat keyboard animation *plug* here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhE0XFlNQtM
Chroma Key
Here are the keys to successful chroma keying… and terrible pun making. All you need is one chromatic green bed sheet. Which you can get at most swedish bedding stores. And then someone to stand infront of it while you point a camera at them!
Tips for actual success:
1. Evenly light your green scree! The fewer wrinkles, shadows, and etc it has on it the better things will be later.
2. Make small changes in the number. Fine tuning makes the best matte, you want to be just at the limit that makes the image good.
3. Have fun. It might seem like a stupid step but after 5 hours of looking at the same dude in front of that screen you better be having fun or getting paid a whole lot of moneys!
If you have any questions leave them in the old comments section below and have fun!
Vignettes
Vignettes are those fancy pants gradients around the edges of the frame in hipsters photographs. They make you look cool and like you know what you’re doing. So let’s fake that in post! There are 3 simple Vignette methods:
1. Using a solid layer and mask
2. Using a Shape layer and a fill
2.a. Calling someone else to do it for you
3. Using a solid layer and the circle effect
I’m sure there are other less simple ways but I think you’ll like these ones. I know I sure do because I use them all the time. I hope you enjoy my terrible instructions on how to make these things happen and if you have any questions just leave them in the comments and I would love to help you out!
Custom Transition
Impress your friends, family, and only moderately appease your producers or clients with these custom transition techniques. I’m just going to be blah blah blahing and showing some of what you’ll be making while I in turn, make terrible transitions based puns and bit gags. Really if you take anything way from this it’s that I really should not be in front of the camera if it can be helped.
Stick around after the break to see what Evan does when the camera is just left on… the results will not surprise you.
Cross Dissolves are weak! You need to step your transition game up son! Get it going with the luma matte and some turbulent noise! Or not, it’s totally cool if you don’t want to but I’m just going to put it out there. If you don’t like it you just put it right back…
Wipe on, wipe off young grasshopper! Sometimes the linear wipe isn’t good enough. You want to use the alpha channel to make some cool stuff? It starts here. Radial wipe? You can do it! Heart wipe? You can do it! Butt wipe? You’re on your own, get out of here.
I’m over here! Now I’m over here! Wow this guy is all over the place with the new camera whip tutorial.
Though the simple version just requires that you plan ahead the important thing is that you can fake it in post even if your DP didn’t think it was a good idea to shake his 10,000$ camera around on set. And they might be right. But then to have the nerve to ask you to do it later when all the filming is done and there is no way to go back and get the shot again well that sir takes some brass ones.
But I digress. Now you can fake it if you need to but I would urge you to do the right thing and plan ahead. Because planning is cool! Or you know what just spontaneously get the shot anyway just for fun so you might use it later.
You know that time when some real jerk walks in front of your shot and ruins your day? Well before you throw your lighting kit at them just remember, you can turn that crisis into an opportunity with this wicked cool transition!
Or you can intentionally do it using people, cars, lamp posts etc to switch from one scene to another as seen in CSI and other such poorly written shows. Does anyone even watch that any more? Guess what, the bad guys did it, and spoiler alert, they get caught!
But here is how to mask out an object and use it in the scene to cover and edit and cover your shame…
Muzzle Flashes
For those who like to shoot each other on video, this one’s for you, Make muzzle flashes,flares, front gun explosions things blam blam! This uses a little null object and some 3d action to make it faster and a little bigger and better.
This technique uses some pieces from the action essentials pack from video copilot but you don’t have you. You could make your own if you want to I suppose, but this is quicker.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll try to help you out.
If you want to see what it looks like head back and look at the ol intro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRZRhGsT3KA
Thanks for watching and have a nice day!
Hinged Text Transition
I’ve had a number of requests about how I did parts of the Drama B – Lady in my life motion typography. Here is just one of them.
In this tutorial we will be making text come onto the screen and then opening it up like a door and pushing through it. It gets a little heady at times but bare with me because this technique is very versatile and I’m sure you’ll love it in promos, lyric videos and on a bun with coleslaw.
To watch the whole Drama B video go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y5ufKJXW7c
or here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoP9GxCjNK8
Connect with me on the Internets?
Freeze Frame Titles
I like the old pulp movies where characters were introduced with a freeze frame and plate with their name and sometimes something about them. Looking back on it that was a lame visual device to save on writing, but now you can make one too!
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask in the comments.
Thanks for watching and have a nice day!