I wanted to try and created some cool energy in After Effects without special plug-ins that looked 3D... Here is a pretty cool AE project file that I came up with for electric energy using fractal noise and turbulent displacement. It's simple enough but has some complex layering. Have fun with it!

Download CS3 Project

Here are some free news templates I created for After Effects CS3. Now you can have realistic news crawlers that don't make your movie look fake. Just be careful what you write, people will believe anything.

Download Project File

Instructions: Full HD resolution, just place on top your footage, resize and edit headlines. AE CS3 only. Although I included the PNG file with now headlines, so if you need you can add your own...

Here is a fun method for creating translucent glass frames in After Effects that I"m working on.

When I record this tutorial I'll probably add a little more detail to make it look even better. Although the simplicity makes it very interesting and who knows maybe for the tutorial I'll go out of my way to make it look worse just for fun. You never know : ) Enjoy.

Here is the CS3 project file

Watch Sample Video

NEW SERIES ONE DVD:
Our Series One Tutorial DVD features 20 minutes of never before seen footage and free bonus features is now available and I have put together a free project file with similar particle effects as seen in the promo video.

Download AE Project File
Please note: The project file has been created with AE 7 Professional and uses the CC effects that come with After Effects, if you can't find yours, please contact Adobe.

ADVANCED CAR HIT TUTORIAL:
The new free tutorial featuring Sam and Tahna experiencing a pretty bad day, will highlight many powerful compositing techniques as well as expand on some interesting new features in AE CS3. The final video will be out this week after it passes the MPAA. The free tutorial will be online Tuesday, June 3rd.

EXCITING NEW DVD:
Our exciting New Training DVD is available in our Online Store for only $49.95. This DVD features 21 tutorials and over 5 hours of Advanced Training that will show you how to integrate After Effects with 3D. This training covers all steps necessary for creating the Slow Motion Bullet in Cinema 4D, Blender and 3Ds Max.

Read Product Information

Watch Promo in Higher Resolution

SHATTER TEXT SHOT BREAKDOWN:
Once we completed "The Bullet" training DVD, we went to work on the promo video featuring a 3D shattering text effect. This promo has generated a lot of excitement and I wanted to explain the basics of what was needed. Let me just say, it wasn't easy.

The text was created in 3Ds Max and fractured into pieces. These pieces were then linked to a particle system, where each piece was represented by one particle. The system was setup with gravity and a floor plane deflector. A collision event triggered the particles 'explosion' and the pieces went flying. I used Action Movie Essentials for the fiery explosion along with Trapcode's Horizon for the Sky Background in AE.

The setup for this effect took many, many hours to complete as well as several unsuccessful tests. A tutorial specifically on this title is not currently planned but I will experiment with the possibility of a tutorial if it can fit our normal tutorial platform. In the mean time a more detailed breakdown will be released along with images and my experiences with this shot.

NEW MOTION GRAPHICS TUTORIAL:
I've been experimenting with this Fold-Out Animation where After Effects Layers are linked together to form a fluid animation as layers animate sequentially. As you can imagine some interesting expressions will be used to make it easy and robust.

THANKS:
I'm excited to be able to contribute more to the Blog and the tutorial section as we build up this amazing community. We encourage everyone to join in and take part in these blog discussions, we would love to hear from everyone. Finally, I want to thank everyone again for there support on this latest DVD release. You guys and gals make this place happen!