Plug-in to After Effects

Plug-in to After Effects

by Michele Yamazaki
Released July 2013
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136040016

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Book description

Take your After Effects projects to the next level by mastering its third-party plug-ins. Whether it's keying and compositing, adding particles of swirling smoke to a composition, or importing XML files from Final Cut Pro, third-party plug-ins can greatly enhance your After Effects capabilities. From sexy effects and graphics enhancements to workflow automation and file conversion, it's all covered in this lavishly illustrated, full-color book.

Coverage of hundreds of essential third-party plug-ins is provided, showing you when, why, and how to use each plug-in. Plug-ins for color, style, effects, distortions, warps, transitions, lens flares, text and graphical elements, and more are all covered in depth.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Contributors
  7. About the Author
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. Foreword
  10. Chapter 1 Introduction to Plug-Ins
    1. What Is a Plug-in?
    2. Why You Need Third-Party Plug-ins
      1. Criteria for Choosing What Plug-ins to Include in the Book
    3. Big Suites versus Single Plug-ins
      1. Boris Continuum Complete
      2. GenArts Sapphire and GenArts Monsters
      3. Noise Industries FxFactory Pro
      4. Trapcode Suite
      5. Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite
      6. Digieffects Delirium
      7. RE:Vision Effects Effections Bundle
      8. Tiffen Dfx Digital Filter Suite
      9. CoreMelt Complete
      10. The Foundry’s Plug-ins
    4. Timeline of After Effects Plug-ins
    5. About the DVD
  11. Chapter 2 Color Correction and Color Effects
    1. Three 3-Way Color Correctors in After Effects
      1. Boris Continuum 3-Way Color Grade
      2. Red Giant Magic Bullet Colorista II
      3. Synthetic Aperture Color Finesse
      4. Improving Color with Boris Continuum 3-Way Color Grade
      5. Adding a Vignette with Boris Continuum 3-Way Color Grade
      6. Isolating a Single Color with Red Giant Magic Bullet Colorista II
      7. Saving Underexposed Footage with Red Giant Magic Bullet Colorista II
      8. Dazzling Black and White with Synthetic Aperture Color Finesse
    2. Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks, Magic Bullet Quick Looks, and Magic Bullet Mojo
      1. A Tour of the Magic Bullet Looks Interface
      2. A User Story: Shooting Video with Looks in Mind, with Anthony E. Griffin, UnSafe Film Office
      3. Using Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks for Compositing Greenscreen Footage
    3. Color Effects
      1. Bleach Bypass
      2. Film/Video Tinting
      3. Day for Night
    4. Working with Skin Tones
      1. Working with Skin Tones in Red Giant Magic Bullet Mojo
      2. Using Gels to Correct or Warm Skin Tones
      3. Improving Skin Texture with Red Giant Magic Bullet Colorista II
      4. Automatic Skin Retouching Digital Anarchy Beauty Box
  12. Chapter 3 Effects
    1. Blur, Defocus, and Lens Effects
      1. Gaussian Blur, Fast Blurs, and Box Blur
      2. “Smallgantics,” a.k.a. the Tilt-Shift Effect with Sapphire Rack Defocus or Other Blurs
      3. Motion Blur: RE:Vision Effects ReelSmart Motion Blur
      4. Bokeh
      5. Cycore FX CC Vector Blur
      6. Radial Blurs and Spin Blurs
    2. Light Effects: Light Rays, Glints, and Glows
      1. Dream Look with Boris Continuum Complete BCC Colorize Glow
      2. Comparing Some After Effects Glows
      3. Light Rays, Glows, and Glints with idustrial revolution Volumetrix
      4. Create a Creepy Atmosphere with Trapcode Shine and Digieffects Delirium DE Fog Factory
      5. Trapcode Shine Samples
      6. Boris Continuum Complete BCC Light Zoom from within a Planet
      7. Glints
    3. Making Your Composition a Masterpiece
      1. Creating and Applying Custom Brushes using RE:Vision Effects Video Gogh
      2. GenArts Monsters M_Brush
      3. Storek Studio nVeil by FxFactory
      4. Warhol-Style Art with Noise Industries FxFactory Pro Pop Art
      5. Cartoon Look
      6. Creating a Comic Book Look
    4. Aged Film Effects
      1. Creating an Edgy, Chaotic Look with Digieffects Aged Film and Digieffects Damage, by Joe Mason
    5. Television Inspired Effects
      1. CoreMelt Channel Change
      2. GenArts Sapphire S_TVChannelChange
      3. Boris Continuum Complete BCC Damaged TV
      4. Closed Circuit Television with GenArts Monsters CCTV
    6. Quick and Easy Reflections Using the Video Copilot Reflect Plug-in, by Joe Mercier
  13. Chapter 4 Distortions, Warps, Tiling, and Time Effects
    1. Create the Predator Effect, by Eran Stern
    2. The Push Effect with GenArts Sapphire Distortion Plug-ins
      1. Create an Instant Alien with Cycore FX Warps
    3. Morphing in After Effects
    4. Morphing with RE:Vision Effects RE:Flex
    5. Repeating Video with Cycore CFX Path Tools Rakka
    6. Time Effects
    7. Creating Super Slo-Mo Effects with Re:Vision Effects Twixtor
    8. User Story: Jeremy Hanke on RE:Vision Effects Twixtor
    9. The Foundry Kronos
  14. Chapter 5 Creative Transitions: When a Simple Cut Just Isn’t Enough!
    1. CoreMelt Complete Transitions: PolyChrome Transitions, TRX-Filmic and High-Color Transitions, and Delta V Motion Transitions
      1. Sci-Fi Wipe with CoreMelt C2 Film Blowout Wipe
      2. Allergy Ad Page Curl
    2. Noise Industries FxFactory Transitions
      1. idustrial revolution ParticleMetrix Sci-Fi Teleportation Effect
    3. Pixelan CreativEase Transitions
    4. Boris Continuum Complete Wipes and Transitions
      1. Footage Shatter with Boris Continuum Complete BCC 2D Particles
      2. “Orbing” with Boris Continuum Complete Particle Array 3D
    5. GenArts Sapphire S_SwishPan Transition
  15. Chapter 6 Generators
    1. Lens Flares
      1. Comparisons of Lens Flare Plug-ins on the Market
      2. Faking a Sun with Video Copilot Optical Flares
      3. Quick and Dirty Concert Lights with Video Copilot Optical Flares
      4. Creating a Glowing Eye with Boris BCC Lens Flare Advanced
      5. A Simple Light Array Backdrop with Knoll Light Factory by Harry J. Frank
    2. Particle Systems: Fire and Bubbles and Snow Flakes, Oh My!
      1. VIRUS23: Distorted Text with Trapcode Form (Part 1 of Tutorial)
      2. VIRUS23: Explode Text into Particles with Trapcode Particular (Part 2 of Tutorial)
      3. Wondertouch particleIllusion for After Effects by GenArts versus Trapcode Particular
      4. Making a Title Animation with Noise Industries FxFactory Particle System
      5. Willowglow: Sparkling Text Wipe-on with Digieffects Delirium Fairy Dust
      6. A Tornado with Cycore FX CC Particle World
    3. Backgrounds and Textures
      1. Gradients and Ramps
      2. Recipes for Ethereal Moving Backgrounds
      3. Make a Planet with Boris Continuum Complete BCC Granite and BCC Sphere
  16. Chapter 7 Invisible and Natural Effects
    1. Generating Water
      1. Creating Photorealistic Water with Red Giant Psunami
      2. Simulating Water Movement with Boris Continuum Caustics and Fractal Noise
      3. Generating Moving Water with GenArts Monsters Pool3D
    2. Generating Rain
    3. Replacing Skies and Cosmos
      1. Recreating Long Exposure Star Trails
      2. Replacing a Sky with CoreMelt Pigment Sky Replace
      3. Clouds Generators
      4. Sun
    4. Other Atmospheric Effects
      1. Spooky Title Animation with Digieffects Delirium Fog Factory and Trapcode Shine
      2. Lightning and Electrical Arcs
      3. Rainbows
      4. Aurora Borealis
    5. Fire and Fireballs
      1. Muzzle Flash
  17. Chapter 8 Text and Graphic Elements
    1. Text Elements
      1. Create a Custom Side and Bevel in Boris Continuum 3D Objects Type On Text
    2. FxFactory Type Plug-ins
      1. idustrial revolution Decimal Counter
      2. Yanobox Motype (FxFactory)
      3. Futurismo Titles
    3. Creating a Mock User Interface or Heads Up Display
      1. Red Giant Text Anarchy
      2. SUGARfx HUD by FxFactory
      3. London Underground Station Graphic Animation with Yanobox Nodes (FxFactory)
    4. Lines and Paths
      1. Create an Animated Spirograph-Style Animation with Cycore CFX Path Tools Wiggle Stroke
      2. A Newsreel Style Globe with a Travel Path with Cycore Systems Sphere Utilities Map Lines, Cycore FX CC Sphere, and Boris Continuum Complete Film Damage
      3. Swooshing Lines with Trapcode 3D Stroke
  18. Chapter 9 Generating 3D Elements in After Effects
    1. Creating Unique Structures in Zaxwerks 3D Invigorator by Joe Mason
      1. Gnarly Man-Eating Devil Flowers with Zaxwerks 3D Serpentine
      2. Jumping into 3D the Painless Way by Zax Dow of Zaxwerks
    2. Create a Spooky 3D B-Movie Title with Boris Continuum Complete 3D Extruded Text
    3. Animated Cables with Trapcode 3D Stroke
    4. Extruding Mountains from a 2D Picture of the Earth with an Elevation Map and Digieffects FreeForm or FreeForm 3D Displacer by Dustin Klein
  19. Chapter 10 Working With the 3D Camera
    1. Digieffects Camera Mapper
    2. Trapcode Horizon
    3. User Story: One-Click 3D Workflow with Zaxwerks Layer Tools by Matt Silverman
    4. Stereoscopic 3D in AE
    5. 3D Snow in After Effects with Digieffects Snowstorm and 3D Glasses Plug-in
    6. Stereoscopic 3D ViewMaster with Dashwood 3D Toolbox
  20. Chapter 11 Automation and Keyframe Generators
    1. Automated Motion and Keyframes Generated from Audio
      1. Trapcode Form Audio Reactor Presets
      2. Creating an Audio Reactor Animation from Scratch in Trapcode Form
      3. Dance Club Eye Candy with Trapcode Sound Keys and Video Copilot Twitch
      4. Dancing Letters with Boris Continuum Complete Beat Reactor
    2. Automating Photo Montages with CoreMelt ImageFlow Fx
      1. Cover Flow Effects
  21. Chapter 12 Keying and Compositing Greenscreen Footage
    1. Preprocessing Greenscreen Footage
    2. Keyers and Tools
      1. The Foundry Keylight
      2. Red Giant Primatte Keyer
      3. Digital Film Tools zMatte
      4. Boris Continuum Chroma Key
    3. Compositing Tools and Matte Tools
      1. Alpha Channel and Matte Cleaners
      2. Spill Suppression Comparison
      3. Edge Blending
      4. Color Matching Plates
      5. Light Wraps
      6. Special Effect Lighting for a Natural Composite: Digital Film Tools Composite Suite Gobos
  22. Chapter 13 Tracking, Matchmoving, Motion Stabilization, and Rotoscoping
    1. Motion Tracking
      1. Depleted: Tracking with Imagineer mocha AE
      2. Corner Pinning with mocha AE
      3. Pixelation of a Face with Boris Continuum Complete BCC Witness Protection
      4. Matchmoving Text to Live Footage with The Foundry CameraTracker
    2. Motion Stabilization
      1. Motion Stabilization with Boris Continuum Complete BCC Optical Stabilizer
      2. Stabilizing Shaky Footage with CoreMelt Lock & Load X
    3. Rotoscoping Tools in After Effects
      1. Imagineer mocha shape
      2. Colorization Effects with Digital Film Tools Power Stroke
      3. Feathering Individual Mask Vertices with RE:Vision Effects PV Feather
    4. Removing Unwanted Elements from a Shot
      1. Removing an Element with Boris Continuum Motion Key
      2. Wire/Rig Removal
  23. Chapter 14 Fixing Video Problems
    1. Noise and Grain
      1. Noise and Grain Comparisons
      2. Matching Grain or Noise
    2. Flicker, Strobing, and Lighting Shifts
    3. A Comparison of Video Upscaling Plug-ins
    4. Interlaced Video
    5. Rolling Shutter
    6. Lens Distortion/Barrel Distortion
    7. User Story: Fixing the Worst-Case Scenario—Stabilizing, Uprezzing, and Deinterlacing SD Footage, by Rob Birnholz
  24. Chapter 15 Reference and Workflow
    1. Practice Safe Broadcasting: Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope
    2. Masks and Guides
    3. Speed Up Workflow with Templates
    4. After Effects Integration with Other Hosts
      1. Automatic Duck Pro Import AE by Wes Plate
      2. Working Boris XML Transfer from Final Cut Pro to After Effects
      3. The Maxon Cinema 4D Exchange Plug-in for After Effects by Dr. Sassi
      4. Boomer Labs MAX2AE for Autodesk 3ds Max to After Effects
  25. Chapter 16 More On Plug-Ins: The FAQ
    1. 64-Bit Platform in CS5 and Your Plug-ins
    2. How Much Memory Is Allocated to After Effects?
    3. How to Install Plug-ins
    4. Deactivating Plug-ins
    5. Node-Locked versus Floating Licenses
    6. How to Move Plug-ins from After Effects CS5 to CS5.5 Without Reinstalling
    7. How to Transfer Licenses to a New Computer (or Uninstall Plug-ins)
    8. Plug-ins in Render Farms: Specific Render Farm Policies
    9. How to Contact a Company if You Need Support
  26. Index

Product information

  • Title: Plug-in to After Effects
  • Author(s): Michele Yamazaki
  • Release date: July 2013
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136040016