2016 Tutorials

How to Extract Elements from Footage with the RotoBrush & Refine Edge Tool in After Effects CC

Sometimes you want to composite elements into the background of a shot, but a character is in the foreground, and you need the VFX elements to go between the character and the background. Or you have a really tricky shot where you need to isolate and extract one element from a shot, but didn't have a green screen handy.

Using the RotoBrush and Refine Edge tool in After Effects CC, you can mask out elements of a shot over time. Frame-by-frame masking and rotoscoping you say? Not in my workflow, grandpa! The rotobrush lets you quickly paint the element that you want to retain, and After Effects will use this data over time to handle the movement. The more information you give the RotoBrush tool the better, but it'll still be much faster than the painful process of frame-by-frame roto work. With the Refine Edge Tool, new to After Effects CC, you can now adjust the edges of the element even further, to account for tricky shots like hair.

Looking for more After Effects Tracking, Compositing, and Visual Effects Tutorials?

Learn about working with the After Effects 2D Tracker

Check out how to track Matte Paintings using the 3D Camera Tracker

Learn How to Track & Composite a 3D Object in Cinema 4D & After Effects

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Top 5 Customization Tips & Preferences in After Effects CC

One of the cool updates to After Effects CC 2015 is the new Blue UI. In addition to changing the blue even further, you can further customize many elements of After Effects CC. Did you know that you can change all of the default layer colors in the timeline, or create a solid that defaults to the current position of the playhead in the timeline? Learn this and other After Effects CC customization tips in the video above.

My Top 5 After Effects CC customization Tips are:
• Create new layers at Current Time
• More Colorful layers and Masks
• Stacked Panels and new Workspace options
• Dashed grids and grid-lines
• An even BRIGHTER Blue UI

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to Link Optical Flares to Element 3D Animations in After Effects

One of the major benefits to working with Element 3D in After Effects is that it works directly in the 3D Space of After Effects. This means that when you add an After Effects camera, BOOM, you can orbit around your 3D object. This also helps to be able to link up Element 3D scenes with additional plug-ins, like another Video Copilot plug-in, Optical Flares. In this video, learn how to link up Element 3D V2 with Optical Flares, and have everything move and animate together.

New to Element 3D? 

Start with How to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to link Optical Flares to Cinema 4D Animations in After Effects

One of the the best things about the newer integration between Cinema 4D and After Effects CC is the Cineware integration, which allows you to bring Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite files into After Effects directly, without needing to render them out. Additionally, you can use Cineware to extract elements out of Cinema 4D and bring them into After Effects, and have everything perfectly line up. 

In this video, we'll talk about taking an animated logo from Cinema 4D into After Effects, and use Cineware to link up Video Copilot's Optical Flares plug-in, and have everything work in alignment. We'll also talk about using Cineware to rip out a depth pass, in order to occlude certain parts of a scene.

Want to learn more about Cinema 4D Lite to get off the ground in 3D?

Learn how to Create a 3D extruded logo in Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite.

Then learn how to Work with Materials and Reflectance textures in Cinema 4D.

Next learn about 3D Lighting and HDRI Sky images in Cinema 4D.

And then learn about Creating Animation, working with Keyframes, and the Cinema 4D Timeline.

Finally, learn some Fancy post-production effects like linking Optical Flares to Cinema 4D Animations.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Working with Animation, the Timeline, and Keyframes in Cinema 4D

Creating animation using Keyframes and the Timeline is one of the core skills when working in Cinema 4D, or any animation program for that matter. If you are coming from After Effects CC, the Cinema 4D system of animation can have some slight differences. Once you understand these differences on how the timeline and keyframes work, you'll be an animation pro in no time.

In this video, learn how to create Position, Scale, and Rotation keyframes in Cinema 4D Lite. Once we have that down, we'll talk about the full timeline, and how to manipulate timing uses eases and animation curves. We'll also talk about concepts like creating overshoot, and other animation principles. 

Want to learn more about Cinema 4D Lite to get off the ground in 3D?

Learn how to Create a 3D extruded logo in Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite.

Then learn how to Work with Materials and Reflectance textures in Cinema 4D.

Next learn about 3D Lighting and HDRI Sky images in Cinema 4D.

And then learn about Creating Animation, working with Keyframes, and the Cinema 4D Timeline.

Finally, learn some Fancy post-production effects like linking Optical Flares to Cinema 4D Animations.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Intro to 3D Lighting, Shadows, and HDR Sky Images in Cinema 4D

Creating a 3D logo in Cinema 4D Lite and then adding custom Materials is great and all, but what does it matter if there are no lights in your scene to light anything? 3D lighting can drastically impact how your scene appears, the same way that manipulating the lighting on a film set can completely change the look, tone, and mood of a scene. 

In this Cinema 4D Lite tutorial, learn about the basics of working with 3D lights and shadows. Next, learn how to work with the Sky image to create environment reflections that will appear throughout your scene. You'll be a professional 3D gaffer in no time!

Want to learn more about Cinema 4D Lite to get off the ground in 3D?

Learn how to Create a 3D extruded logo in Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite.

Then learn how to Work with Materials and Reflectance textures in Cinema 4D.

Next learn about 3D Lighting and HDRI Sky images in Cinema 4D.

And then learn about Creating Animation, working with Keyframes, and the Cinema 4D Timeline.

Finally, learn some Fancy post-production effects like linking Optical Flares to Cinema 4D Animations.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Intro to Cinema 4D Materials - Working with Reflections & Reflectance Materials

Creating custom materials in Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite can be a very powerful way to drastically change how your 3D scenes appear. There have been some major updates to how materials and reflectance works starting in Cinema 4D R16, so whether you're completely new to materials, or familiar with Materials in Cinema 4D and want to know where the hell the Reflection tab went, you'll be up to speed in no time on how 3D materials work in Cinema 4D.

In this video, I'll cover how to make a quick reflective material using the legacy settings, and then get into how the new layered Reflectance system works starting in Cinema 4D Lite R16.

Want to learn more about Cinema 4D Lite to get off the ground in 3D?

Learn how to Create a 3D extruded logo in Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite.

Then learn how to Work with Materials and Reflectance textures in Cinema 4D.

Next learn about 3D Lighting and HDRI Sky images in Cinema 4D.

And then learn about Creating Animation, working with Keyframes, and the Cinema 4D Timeline.

Finally, learn some Fancy post-production effects like linking Optical Flares to Cinema 4D Animations.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to Create a 3D Extruded Logo in Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite

Completely new to working in 3D using Cinema 4D, or looking to create a 3D animation using a logo? One of Cinema 4D's most powerful features is how quick and easy it can be to create a nice looking 3D logo from an existing logo. In this 5 part series, learn about getting started with Cinema 4D using Cinema 4D Lite, packaged for free with After Effects CC. In this first part we'll talk about bringing your logo from illustrator into Cinema 4D, creating the 3D geometry, and building out the 3D logo in a smart way.

Want to learn more about Cinema 4D Lite to get off the ground in 3D?
 

Learn how to Create a 3D extruded logo in Cinema 4D or Cinema 4D Lite.

Then learn how to Work with Materials and Reflectance textures in Cinema 4D.

Next learn about 3D Lighting and HDRI Sky images in Cinema 4D.

And then learn about Creating Animation, working with Keyframes, and the Cinema 4D Timeline.

Finally, learn some Fancy post-production effects like linking Optical Flares to Cinema 4D Animations.

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to import 3D Characters and OBJ Sequences from Cinema 4D into Element 3D V2

So you can build out custom 3D characters in Adobe Fuse, then send them to Cinema 4D, but what if you want to bring animated characters into Element 3D? This can be done by exporting an OBJ sequence out of Cinema 4D, or your preferred 3D app, and bringing it into Element 3D. While you can now import Cinema 4D animations directly into Element 3D V2, this will only bring in Position, Scale, and Rotation animations, and not keyframes on rigged skeletons. Check out the video above to learn some fun tips on bringing 3D character animations into Element 3D V2.

Want to learn more about Element 3D?
 

Learn about the Top new Features of Element 3D V2!

New to Element 3D? Start with how to create a 3D Logo with Shadows & Reflections!

Learn about how to use Cinema 4D Animations in Element 3D V2 in this video! 

And my shortcut tips and tricks for Element 3D V2 in this video!

Want to Motion Track a 3D Object using Element 3D? Learn how in this video!

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

How to Create the MLB World Series Trophy in Cinema 4D with MoGraph Effectors

Let's face it - the Cubs are not going to win the World Series. I'm not saying the White Sox are going to do any better any time soon, just being real. Now that that is out of the way, I recently had a project where I needed to model the World Series trophy in Cinema 4D. Creating one 3D flag is simple enough, and I knew I could manually build out the ring of flags, but I wanted to see if I could come up with a smarter way to design it by using only one flag and repeating it using MoGraph Cloners. I was able to get the ring design for the World Series trophy by adjusting the cloner falloff. Learn how it is done in the video above!

Want to learn more about Cinema 4D R17? Be sure to check out these videos:
• Rebuilt Pen Tool for R17
• NEW Variation Shader
• Working with the New Takes System
• Updates to the MetaBall Object
• 3D Motion Tracking Updates for R17
• New Lens Distortion Tools
• Easier SketchUp Import
• Updated Color Chooser
• NEW Book Generator

Like this tutorial? Consider becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/SeanFrangella to get additional benefits such as project files and more! 

To get weekly Motion Graphics, VFX, and 3D animation tutorials be sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube!

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