Today we have a new After Effects script to help you work with shots on a large VFX project like a Commercial or a music video that has many edits. One of the nice things about doing VFX inside of AE is seeing your shots in sequence to make sure they flow together, but it can get tricky if you start adding hundreds of layers into a single composition as we all know.

A more organized solution is to Pre-Compose each shot into individual compositions and do the work inside. The Trim Compose Script helps make that job fast and easy but wait there's more. The script automatically takes selected layers and then pre-composes each one into time accurate pre-comps, based on the length of each edit.

Benefits:

• Create edit accurate pre-comps based on final cut
• Keeps projects organized and VFX inside individual comps
• Create proxies for specific range based on the edit
• Batch process shots to work with multiple artists
• Adds frame handles automatically

This probably doesn't make any sense, check out the video for a full demonstration.

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I was experimenting with some interesting energy fields and I discovered a fun combination of effects. I used the standard fractal noise effect to create a basic turbulent map and then applied a Find Edges effect on top. I added some color correction and a glow to give it more punch and even animated the evolution settings. Feel free to play around with the fractal noise settings with the Find Edges effect applied and see what other interesting looks you can discover.

The project file is only cs5 because I don't have CS4 on my laptop right now but I took a screen shot of the settings so that should help.

Download Project File CS5

Breakdown with Settings

I went to NAB this year in Las Vegas and attended the Media Motion Ball, it was great to talk with many people in the industry and eat a delicious meal. One of the highlights was a funny and meaningful speech by Brian Maffitt of Total Training, and it was about the issues that arise when artists starts thinking they know everything. You can imagine the issues that might come up but I won't go into the specifics of the speech because I'll probably screw it up

However, it did remind me of a interesting piece of advice I heard a few years ago...

"Don't let what you think you know, get in the way of learning things you don't."

In other words, if you start to think you know everything about one particular subject, it might be difficult to keep an open mind when it comes to learning new techniques and solutions. When I do VFX work, I always try to think about the objective as freely as possible so I don't get stuck working around a technique that causes problems in other areas of the shot. Not every comp will have the same requirements so it is important to identify all of the problems and objectives so you can design a more efficient solution.

Anyone have an experience or story that might relate?

I'm currently working on some VFX for an upcoming feature film and we are finishing up this month on about 50 shots.

I'm still very anxious to show you what we have been working on at Video Copilot and I think this will represent a solid direction and a new level of content on the site. Needless to say it has been busy as of late, from finishing the FX on my "Magic Orb" project to getting involved on a feature film that actually requires the FX to actually be good. Obviously it has been really fun and sometimes really late but I've been exploring some fantastic new VFX and workflows so I can't wait to share them with you.

Of course behind the scenes, Video Copilot is moving forward on 3 new plug-ins, one of which is being shaped around the needs of real film work and experiences. I believe they represent the next-generation of tools that will open up some amazing possibilities...

Believe me, I don't mean to tease but I just want everyone to know what we are up to and what we are working on!

Until soon, All the best!!

Build a procedural crumble effect in After Effects using the shatter plug-in in a unique way. We also composite dust elements from Action Essentials 2 and talk about following your dreams.

Sample Video

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