Chapter 14
Effect Essentials

Some Effects to Spark Your Creativity

While effects should only be used as a spice to good design, they still can be fun and essential to the overall project. Effects can catch your audience's eye as well as set you apart from the competition.

In this chapter we unlock several popular looks using built-in tools. These techniques are all fast and you should be able to record them as actions or animation presets. Be sure to not stop here, the techniques used in these effects can be easily modified into new and exciting looks as well. Jump into the effects pool and see how things turn out.

Film Look in After Effects

There are several solutions for achieving a realistic film look… most involve the use of third-party filters. While we believe in and support third-party filters, we thought we’d share a way that uses only built-in tools.

1. Add your clip into a new comp. The easiest way to do this is to drag your shot onto the new comp icon at the bottom of the project window.
2. Duplicate the shot by pressing Cmd+D (Ctrl+D).
3. Apply a blur filter to the top layer. Fast Blur, Gaussian Blur, or Box Blur are all good options. Adjust the blur so it is fairly heavy.
4. With the top layer still selected, press Shift+= to cycle through your blending modes. Different modes may be required due to your original source material. Stop when the saturation and blooming matches your artistic goals. Press Shift+- to move backwards through your blending modes.
5. Choose Layer>New Adjustment Layer.
6. Now add the grain by choosing Effects>Noise & Grain>Add Grain. Adjust the Softness, Intensity, and Size of your grain to taste.
7. Add a Black Solid by choosing Layer>New Solid or pressing Cmd+Y (Ctrl+Y).
8. With the Black Solid selected, switch to the Toolbox and double-click on the Rectangular Mask Tool to make a new mask.
9. Select the mask for the black solid by pressing MM to call up mask properties. Set the following values: Invert (check on), Pixels 35 (adjust to taste), Mask Expansion -10 (adjust to taste).
10. Make the shot broadcast safe by adding a new adjustment layer at the top of your stack, then apply Effect>Video>Broadcast Colors.

Cartoon Look

Need to pull of that cel-animated look? Try this technique on your stills or footage.

In Photoshop

1. Open and size the image.
2. Run the Find Edges Filter (Filter>Stylize>Find Edges). There is no dialog box for this effect.
3. Immediately after running the filter, Fade it by Choosing Edit>Fade Find Edges or pressing Shift+Cmd+F (Shift+Ctrl+F). Remember this shortcut by saying I want to command (or control) how the filter Shifts (i.e. Fades).
4. Try Overlay mode and adjust the opacity slider to taste. Depending on your source image, you can use different blending modes.

In After Effects

1. Add your clip into a new comp. The easiest way to do this is to drag your shot onto the new comp icon at the bottom of the project window.
2. Duplicate the shot by pressing Cmd+D (Ctrl+D).
3. Apply the Find Edges effect by choosing Effect>Stylize>Find Edges.
4. Change the blending mode an opacity of the layer. You may also want to add a Fast Blur effect to smooth out your results.

Realistic Scan Lines

This effect is a cliché… yet nothing says “high-tech” like some scan lines. As an added bonus… make it green and glowy (like the Matrix)… clients love that. No really they do (PLEASE make it stop). But since bad taste won’t change your deadline… lets at least learn the fastest way of pulling of this effect.

1. In Photoshop, make a new document that is ten pixels tall and one pixel wide.
2. With the Rectangular Marquee, select the top five pixels.
3. Fill with a color of your choice or black (how boring).
4. Choose Select>Inverse then fill with a second color or white.
5. Choose Select>All.
6. Create a pattern by choosing Edit>Define Pattern. Give the pattern a descriptive name such as scanlines (again, how boring).
7. Create a new document that matches your video frame size.
8. Choose Edit>Fill and select Pattern. Navigate to the pattern you created.
9. Soften the image slightly by blurring it at a low value.
10. Save your Scan Lines as a file for Import into After Effects.
11. Import the scan lines into After Effects and place it over your footage.
12. Adjust its blending mode to taste (remember Shift+= is a fast way to experiment). You may want to lower the opacity as well.
13. Place an Adjustment Layer on Top and apply a blur such as Effect>Blur>Fast Blur.
14. Blend the blurred layer slightly to create a glow. Setting it to Soft Light at 40% Opacity often works well.

If your Keanu-loving client insists, add a second adjustment layer.

• 15 Apply the Colorama effect by choosing Effect>Image Control>Colorama.
• 16 Under the Output Cycle, choose Ramp Green (RGB creates a nice Infrared Effect and Fire can create a nice old-school amber monitor look).
• 17 Change the Colorama layer’s blending mode to Hue (or experiment with others).
• 18 Take the red pill (or blue… your choice).

Bad Boy Cop Blur

Often times you’ll have someone in your shot that you need to obscure (such as an underage individual or maybe a bystander who you didn’t get clearance on). This technique works in both Photoshop and After Effects.

1. Duplicate your footage or background layer.
2. Apply the Mosaic effect. In Photoshop, choose Filter>Pixelate>Mosaic… and adjust to taste. In After Effects, choose Effect>Stylize>Mosaic (increase the number of blocks)
3. Apply a layer mask or vector mask to the top copy around the individual’s face on the mosaic layer
4. Feather your edges on your mask and expand the edges as needed.
5. If the person moves, you’ll need to keyframe the mask in After Effects.

As a side note, cop blurs can be used to help hide cultural differences. For example, take your stereotypical bad gangster rap video. In the US, we’re quick to cover up any nudity. The same video at MTV Europe, they’re worried about obscuring the guns in the frame. Rich says he likes European thinking much better sometimes.

Glass Bug

Need to create a network jelly bug? Those semi-transparent logos that sit in the corner and look like they are made from glass?

1. Split your logo or bug up into as many layers as you need so the pieces are clearly separated.
2. Be sure you have transparency in the objects.
3. Place a reference photo or frame grab below the
4. Apply a Bevel and Emboss layer style as well as a slight drop shadow. Keep the Bevel thin and crisp.
5. Adjust the Fill command for the layer, which will lower the original fill, but preserve the opacity of the effects. You can do this from the Blending Options: Custom area of the Styles dialog box or from the top of the Layers palette.
6. Turn off all layers except the bug. If you have Photoshop CS2, run the Alpha Channels from Visible Layers action (part of the Video Actions set. Skip to step 11.
7. Make a new (empty layer) and select it.
8. Choose Layer>Merge Visible while holding down the Option (Alt) key. You will get a merged copy that is perfectly registered with the layers below.
9. Cmd+Click (Ctrl+Click) the new layer’s thumbnail in the Layers Palette to load the Selection.
10. Switch to the Channels Palette and click the Save Selection as Channel button to create an Alpha Channel.
11. Save the file as a PICT, Targa, or PNG-24.
12. Import into After Effects or your NLE. You should tell it that the graphic is pre-multiplied with white to get the cleanest edge.

Liquid

A lot of the top motion graphics designs are being done “outside the box.” By “the box” we mean your computer. Get out and film or videotape something.

Here’s a fast way to create liquid effects from your illustrations:

1. Set up a camera and lights with a card stand or area that is well lit for a piece of paper containing artwork.
2. Print out your artwork and dissolve it while the ink is still wet with rubbing alcohol. While recording, you can pour this on or spray it on and let it get smeared and organic looking. For best results, shoot a progressive frame rate.
3. Capture the footage into your system.
4. Then in After Effects, simply run your footage backwards and you’ll have that mess turn back into a beautiful illustration or logo. (Assuming, of course, that your illustration IS beautiful.) Nonetheless, you’ll have a cool-looking effect that couldn’t have been achieved with filters.

By Jayse Hansen, http://www.xeler8r.com

Zoom Lines in Photoshop

This effect produces a nice light blast from the focal point of an object and is a popular advertising look.

1. Duplicate your layer by pressing Cmd+J (Ctrl+J).
2. Desaturate the duplicate layer by pressing Cmd+Shift+U (Ctrl+Shift+U).
3. Apply a Zoom Blur by selecting Filter>Radial Blur>Zoom.
4. Use an amount of 100 at Good quality. Move the center-point by dragging within the dialog box.
5. Specify the maximum blur and position the focal point for the blur at the focal point of your object. Click OK.
6. Repeat the Blur filter by pressing Cmd+F (Ctrl+F).
7. On the top layer, make a Levels adjustment (Image>Adjustments> Levels). Bring the black and white sliders towards center. Move the gray slider, (the midpoint) away from black.
8. Change the blend mode of the layer to taste.
9. Run a levels adjustment on the background to add some additional contrast.
10. Using a soft-edge brush and the eraser tool set to 30 percent opacity, erase away parts of the blast layer, leaving just the image below. This can be useful on areas with detail such as faces or text.

Zoom Lines in After Effects

Need to pull the same zoom effect in After Effects? Here’s how.

1. Add your clip into a new comp. The easiest way to do this is to drag your shot onto the new comp icon at the bottom of the project window.
2. Duplicate the shot by pressing Cmd+D (Ctrl+D). Name the layer Rays.
3. Desaturate the duplicate layer by choosing Effect>Image Control>Hue/ Saturation. Set the Saturation Slider to -100.
4. Starting with AE 6.5, the Cycore Effects are bundled on your install disc. Choose Effect>Blur>CC Radial Fast Blur. If this is not an option, choose the regular Radial Blur and be prepared to go walk down the street for a cup of coffee. Adjust the Center and Amount of your effect.
5. Adjust your Levels on the Blur Layer by Choosing Effect>Adjust>Levels. Pull your Black and White Input sliders in towards the edges of your Histogram. This will increase the contrast of your layer
6. Experiment with different blending modes and opacities. You may want to adjust the gray slider on the Levels effect to tweak the rays’ intensity.
7. To limit the effect, duplicate your original source layer, name it Mask and place it on top. If you have a lot of motion in the shot, you’ll need to keyframe a mask and roughly rotoscope the shot with a soft edge. If the shot is fairly static, just double click it to load in the footage window and use your Eraser tool.
8. Change the Track Matte of the Rays layer and set it to Alpha Inverted using the Matte layer.
9. You may want to combine this effect with the previously mentioned Film Look technique to boost saturation.

Cast Shadows in Photoshop

A lot of folks we know express frustration at the ability to make believable drop shadows inside of Photoshop. When using layer styles… you get a very tight drop shadow, but it contains no perspective or sense of being cast.

1. Position the logo or element where you want it. It needs to contain transparency and be on its own layer.
2. Duplicate the layer by pressing Cmd+J (Ctrl+J).
3. Press D to load the default colors of black and white.
4. Lock the transparency of the layer by clicking on Lock Transparent Pixels icon at the top of the Layers palette.
5. Fill the selection by pressing Option+Delete (Alt+delete).
6. Apply Free Transform by pressing Cmd+T (Ctrl+T) to the layer and select the Perspective Transformation. Access the perspective distortion by Ctrl+clicking (right-clicking). Be sure to grab the transform handle in the middle of the top edge. Put it to the right or left, depending on your “light” source.
7. Access the scale command by Ctrl+clicking (right-clicking). Adjust the length of the shadow to taste.
8. Click the Apply Transformations box, or press Return (Enter).
9. Blur the shadow and change its blending mode to Multiply.

Instant BG - Fractal Noise (After Effects)

Everyone can use motion backgrounds! Here’s a technique to make some from scratch within After Effects.

1. Create a new comp sized for your tape format.
2. Add a new solid by pressing Cmd+Y (Ctrl+Y).
3. Choose Effect>Noise & Grain>Fractal Noise.
4. By default it looks like Photoshop's cloud filters,...try switching the fractal type and noise type for dramatic results.
5. Adjust Contrast, Brightness and Transform properties to taste.
6. Set a keyframe for evolution at the start and leave it set to 0 (zero). Go to the end of your composition and add a second keyframe. Set this to a whole number if you’d like to create a seamless loop. Be sure to check the Cycle Evolution box under Evolution Options.
7. If you’d like greater movement, use the Offset Turbulence command under the Transform option. Add two keyframes, one at start and finish. Double-click one of the keyframes to modify it. Switch to Percentage of Composition and change the value from 50 (which is centered) to 150 (which is one full offset cycle).
8. To add some depth, you can duplicate the layer and modify its fractal and noise type. Then blend the two layers.
9. Add an adjustment layer with a Fast Blur effect applied. Blur heavily and then blend to produce highlights.
10. Add another adjustment layer with either a Colorama or Tint effect to colorize the layer. Then blend as desired. Be sure to adjust the Output cycle on the Colorama effect.

Instant BG - Directional Blur (After Effects)

Need a soft, amorphous background? All you need is some footage, a couple of effects, and some render time.

1. Create a new comp sized for your tape format and make it 12:00 long.
2. Add a piece of footage to your composition and trim the ends to match your comp. You can trim the out point by going to the end of your comp and selecting the footage layer. Then press Option+] (Alt+]) to trim the outpoint.
3. Apply blur effects to your footage. Any of the effects will work, but Directional Blur is particularly nice here.
4. Go to the middle of your comp, and split your footage layer by pressing Shift+Cmd+D (Shift+Ctrl+D).
5. Shorten your composition to 10:00 by pressing Cmd+K (Ctrl+K) and typing in the new duration.
6. Select the top layer and press the Home key. Move the top layer to start at the beginning of the comp (shortcut key [ will move the in point to the Current Time Indicator).
7. Select the bottom layer and press the End key. Move the bottom layer to end at the end of the comp (shortcut key ] will move the outpoint to the Current Time Indicator).
8. Place an Opacity fade between the top and bottom layer.
9. Add Adjustment Layers with additional blurring and colorization effects such as Colorama or CC Toner. Be sure to adjust the Output cycle on the Colorama effect.

This effect works very well on almost all footage. You can easily set up several clips to run overnight in your render queue to build up your backgrounds library.

Instant BG - Wave World (After Effects)

Need a rounded, undulating background? Then check out Wave World (but skip Waterworld… not worth seeing).

1. Create a new comp sized for your tape format set to 12:00 long.
2. Add a new solid by pressing Cmd+Y (Ctrl+Y).
3. Choose Effect>Simulation>Wave World.
4. Initially, you see a Wireframe Preview. Switch to view the Height Map.
5. Adjust the various controls to taste, there are several options, but they provide quick feedback. Be sure to adjust the pre-roll effect so the waves are in full force at the beginning.
6. Go to the middle of your comp, and split your wave footage layer by pressing Shift+Cmd+D (Shift+Ctrl+D).
7. Select the top wave layer and press the Home key. Move the top layer to start at the beginning of the comp (shortcut key [ will move the in point to the Current Time Indicator).
8. Shorten your composition to 10:00 by pressing Cmd+K (Ctrl+K) and typing in the new duration.
9. Select the bottom layer and press the End key. Move the bottom layer to end at the end of the comp (shortcut key ] will move the outpoint to the Current Time Indicator).
10. Place an Opacity fade between the top and bottom layer.
11. Add an adjustment layer with a CC Radial Fast Blur effect applied. Blur heavily and then blend to produce highlights.
12. Add Adjustment Layers with additional blurring and colorization effects such as Colorama or CC Toner. Be sure to adjust the Output cycle on the Colorama effect. Then blend as desired.

Write It On (After Effects)

It's pretty easy to get your text and other graphic elements to have that "written on" look. Whether you are using your own hand-drawn graphics, scanned artwork, or computer generated art, the technique is pretty much the Same.

1. Place a new solid above your artwork by pressing Cmd+Y (Ctrl+Y)
2. Set the solid to 50% opacity so you can see your art below it
3. Use the pen tool to trace over it. Add as few points as possible, and add them in the order that you would draw the piece on.
4. Add Effect>Stylize>Write On effect and set it Paint Style to On Transparent.
5. Select the solid layer and press M and select Mask Shape.
6. Press Cmd +C (Ctrl+C) to copy the mask.
7. Press E to reveal the effects on the layer, then twirl down the Write On effect and select Brush Position.
8. Press Cmd+V (Ctrl+V) to paste the mask position as keyframes
9. Play the animation to see it draw on. You may need to increase the brush size to see it.
10. Increase the brush size until it covers your artwork.
11. Decrease the Brush spacing to .001.
12. Drag the end keyframe to slow the animation or speed it up. You’ll notice that the inner keyframes are pasted as roving keyframes so they’ll adapt automatically.
13. Set your artwork/text layer’s track matte as the Alpha Matte of the Write On layer. It should now reveal the layer beneath it.

By Jayse Hansen, http://www.xeler8r.com

Scribble

This effect is a great way to color over a layer or fill it with something that looks a lot like licorice ropes gone mad. Okay so the description might make you think it’s not very useful, but it’s a surprisingly versatile effect and another way to create write-on effects or animated fills on letter or logos.

1. In order for the effect to work you need a mask. You can create it manually, or better yet, try the Auto-trace command (Layer>Auto-trace). Be sure to click the Preview box to see your results before creation.
2. Apply the results to a new layer.
3. On the resulting mask layer add the scribble effect by choosing Effect>Render>Scribble.
4. Adjust the angle, curviness, stroke width, and spacing.
5. Keyframe the Start or End to create an animated fill.
6. If desired change the Wiggle Type and Wiggles/ Second.
7. Set Composite to On Transparent.
8. If desired, you can also use this layer as a track matte to wipe another layer on.

Distressed Type in Photoshop

Want to make editable vector type with distressed edges? You can by harnessing a photo texture and layer masks.

1. Typeset your words over your background layer(s).
2. Add a photo to your document with a lot of texture (in this case a photo of a wooden fence).
3. Desaturate the image by pressing Shift+Cmd+U (Shift+Ctrl+U).
4. Increase contrast in your photo through a combination of Levels Adjustments and Artistic filters such as Film Grain. Be sure to achieve a high contrast, yet allow gradual transitions.
5. Switch to the Channels Palette and Cmd+click (Ctrl+Click) on the RGB composite channel to load a selection.
6. Switch back to your Layers Palette and turn off the texture layer’s visibility icon.
7. Select your text channel and add a Layer mask by clicking on the Add layer mask button and the bottom of the Layers palette.
8. You may want to add a drop shadow or slight emboss to your text using layer styles. Experiment with blending modes as well.
9. If you want to distress the type further, keep going. Load the text layer by Cmd+Clicking (Ctrl+Clicking) on the text layer thumbnail.
10. Create a new empty layer and fill it with Black.
11. Choose Filter>Artistic>Cutout… to process the image further.
12. Switch to the Channels Palette and Cmd+Click (Ctrl+Click) on the RGB composite channel to load a selection.
13. Switch back to the Layers Palette and disable the Cutout layer.
14. Select your layer mask on your text layer and choose to fill with black. Your edges should erode more (if not, you can inverse the selection).

Quick Sunrays (and Other Repeating Patterns)

Sunrays are useful for lots of designs and the easiest way is in Adobe Illustrator.

1. Create a long triangle with the point going down.
2. Fill with a gradient or color if desired
3. With the Rotate tool Opt+Click (Alt+Click) on the downward point.
4. In the dialog box that pops up, the percentage of rotation that you enter will determine the number of rays that you have. Remember that a circle is 360º so if want 10 rays, you need to enter 36 for your percentage and choose Copy.
5. Then Duplicate it 8 more times by hitting Cmd+D (Ctrl+D). This makes them evenly spaced.

Voila—you have a sunray. In After Effects you can add additional color or a gradient fill, and animate to your preference. This can also be used to create other tiles shapes as well.

By Jayse Hansen, http://www.xeler8r.com

Adding Complexity to Your Designs Via Layering

Beginning designers often forget about the framing of their images. They forget what’s “on top” of their imagery. Photography pros often vignette their images with darkened edges to enhance the focus on what’s “inside” the picture. This same theory can be applied to motion graphics.

Here are the typical “top-layers” that can also be combined for your work.

A Grain Layer

Beginners are often afraid to lose the crystal clarity of what they worked so hard on – but often – it’s that unreal sharpness that gives them away as amateurs.

This Can be Static — Photoshop

1. Fill a layer with 50% gray (Edit>Fill>50% Gray).
2. Run the Add-noise filter (Filter>Noise>Add Noise).
3. Set the filter to Gaussian and monochromatic and add a very tiny amount noise to your taste.
4. If desired, you can choose Edit>Fade immediately after running on a layer filled with 50% gray.
5. Set this layer to the Overlay blending mode.

This Can be Dynamic — After Effects

1. Add an adjustment layer to the top of your image.
2. Use the above technique but choose Effects>Noise & Grain>Noise.
3. Adjust the blending mode and opacity of the adjustment layer to get the right balance.

Darkened Edges Layer (or Power Window)

This is typically a very dark colored layer (never pure black—always use a more organic super-dark blue, burgundy or dark brown to fit your art instead).

1. In After Effects, create a new solid layer that is filled with a dark color of your choice.
2. Apply an oval mask or a rectangular mask (your choice).
3. Set the mask to Subtract and feather the edges.
4. Adjust the blending mode of the layer itself. Usually multiply or color burn with a reduced opacity works best.

Soft Glow Layer

As a quick polish, you can stylize your footage by adding a specular highlight adjustment layer.

1. In After Effects, create a new adjustment layer.
2. Add a fast blur to the adjustment layer. Try Effect>Blur>Fast Blur or CC Radial Fast Blur.
3. Choose a healthy radius for the blur such as 15 or higher.
4. Set this layer’s blending mode to Soft Light, Overlay, or another blending mode of choice.
5. Adjust the opacity to taste.

By Jayse Hansen, http://www.xeler8r.com

Leave Color Effect (After Effects)

A quick way to get the effect of one main color being saturated whilst the others are grayscale is using the Leave Color effect inside After Effects. Whether you're enhancing sports footage or sophisticated red dresses, the process is similar. Let's say you're trying to isolate the color red in a scene. Firstly, try to ensure that everything in your scene does not contain the color red, except for something like the girl's lips and dress. Now, it's important that you don't think "literally" red. Think "red" tones. Wood, for instance, will have many red tones. Try to surround your subject with opposite tones. It doesn't matter if they match—after all they will all become grays anyway.

1. Inside After Effects, apply the effect Stylize>Leave Color and use the eyedropper to pick the red in the scene.
2. Set the Amount to Decolor to 100% and up the tolerance and Edge Softness in one-step increments until you get what you’re after.
3. You’ll often find that setting the Match Colors setting to Hue works better than RGB.
4. To enhance this single color, try adding an Adjustment layer with a Hue/ Saturation Effect and pumping up the Saturation values.

Keeping skin tones is harder than keeping more vibrant primary colors like blue and red. You’ll notice in Sin City when they are keeping skin tones that they also keep pretty much all the warm tones as well. For the other shots they had a distinct advantage: They filmed everything against a green screen, making it easy to control the colors and simply add in black and white backgrounds in post. If you’re adventurous, you could do the same.

By Jayse Hansen, http://www.xeler8r.com

The Secret FREE Effects Book

How did we learn to use all of the effects? Easy, we read the book. You know, the book that explains how every parameter of every effect works.

What? You don’t know about the book? Well, you own it. It’s on your AE installation CD. Just pop it into your hard drive and navigate to the AE6.5 DocumentationEnglish folder. The book is an Adobe Acrobat file called help_effects.pdf. We recommend that you print it out, take it to a stationery shop, and pay a couple of bucks to have it bound. It may just prove to be the most valuable AE book you own.

• Among it other virtues, this is the only book that explains, in detail, how to use the five free (awesome) effects you downloaded when you registered your copy of AE at Adobe.com. You did download the free effects, didn’t you? If not, reregister AE so you can grab them. You don’t want to miss out on the fun of Card Wipe, Card Dance, Foam, Caustics, and Wave World.
• While you’re printing the effects book, you might also want to print the Keylight and 3D Assistants manuals, which are also on the installation CD.
• Note: if you’re missing your install CD, you can download the AE 5.5 version of the effects books here (it’s almost exactly the same as the AE 6 book): http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/zip/ae_effects_pdfs.zip.