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In this tutorial I am going to show you how to create a very nice animation based in solids by using very simple effects and camera movements. All of this will be done totally inside After Effects and using nothing else than solids, rotations and camera postions. We will learn how to put a small box inside a bigger box to display you images or 3D elements in a cool way.

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Preview

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Tutorial

We have a new set of vector illustrations available exclusively from Vectortuts+ as freebie for anyone to download. This pack is created by Anastasiia Kucherenko. There are numerous cartoon interiors, which you could use to accompany your next character design. Learn more at the jump!

Continue reading “Exclusive Freebie Pack – Cartoon Interiors”

Adobe Illustrator contains a number of Raster Effects such as the Drop Shadow, Feather and Glow. Application of these effects greatly accelerates the creation of your artwork. However, sometimes the result is not what you’re expecting. The following quick tip will outline these raster effects, some of the issues to watch out for and how to use the them to your advantage.

Continue reading “Quick Tip – Using Raster Effects to Stylize an Artwork”

If any of you follow my tutorials then you’ll know I have started a few different series dealing with key subjects. In this series I’m taking a look at various aspects or arrangement using modern DAWs. You can see the first part of the series (looking at fills and transitions) here.

Although the previous tutorial did touch on using automation, we’ll take a closer look at editing, moving and creating automation and some situations it can be useful in. I’ll be using Logic Pro 9 here but the theory is pretty much the same in any DAW, so it should translate to your environment without issue.

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Step 1: Reading and Writing

I’m sure the vast majority of you will have the basics of recording automation down, but for those of you who are less experienced lets take a very brief look at the concept of recording automation data.

Simply put automation is simply data that resides on its own dedicated ‘tracks’ and runs in the background of your mix. This data is capable of controlling just about any parameter in your DAW, be it simple tweaks to your mixer or more in depth edits involving multiple parameters within software instruments.

Automation data can be recorded in real time, drawn in using dedicated tools or placed point by point using ‘handles’ to create curves and fades. This data can then be moved with parts, copied, muted and deleted at will. If you haven’t spent much time working with automation then you should certainly start to familiarise yourself with it as it is an extremely important part of the modern production process.

When recording your own automation data it’s important to familiarise yourself with your DAWs read and write modes. Many DAWs feature a number of modes, usual suspects include ‘read’, ‘write’, ‘touch’ and ‘latch’. Think of write mode as a simple record button where any movement made will be recorded, the only downside here is that using this mode will also record over any previous movements made.

Touch and latch modes are often a much less destructive method of recording your movements. Latch will only record when it senses incoming data and will leave any previously recorded data untouched. Touch modes are often similar to latch in that they only record when a touch sensitive controller is used. This can be great for owners of these controllers as it allows very intuitive input of data.

As I said previously different DAWs feature different modes so it’s well worth checking your manuals for exactly how these different modes operate. Although they maybe named the same they may work in slightly different ways.

In the following steps I’ll show some basic ways of recording and manipulating automation data and demonstrate these techniques in a real world setting. This should help you when constructing your arrangements and give you ability to make your tracks that little bit more interesting.

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Step 2: Basic Fades and Curves

The most basic form of automation editing is the creation of a simple fade. This can be achieved by adding two ‘handles’ and lowering or raising one of them. Of course the effect created will be very linear and perhaps a little inhuman for some uses but for a quick fade out in volume or frequency this can often be perfectly useable.

Try these simple fades on key instruments when moving between sections of your track or use them to raise or lower energy. If used over longer sections, fades like this can be great for subtly introducing an element over time and let’s face it they are quick to create. Of course you may want to make your fades sound a little more natural and this often requires a little extra leg work.

Download audio file (2.mp3)

A drum loop and bass patch being faded out over time.

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Step 3: Convex or Concave?

There are a few ways to make your automation curves sound a little more human and natural. One route is to edit your simple linear curves and create concave or convex curves. Some DAWs will require the entry of extra automation handles and the result may not be totally smooth. Other applications such as Logic Pro however features specialised automation tools to create these custom curves.

Any curve with a non linear signature will give you a very different sound to a more uniform one. Convex curves come in very quickly but then ease off and become more gradual and obviously concave shapes produce the opposite with a slow attack and then speeding up towards it’s apex.

Download audio file (3b.mp3)

The linear curve in action.

Download audio file (3c.mp3)

The concave curve in action.

Download audio file (3d.mp3)

The convex curve in action.

If your DAW doesn’t feature automation curve tools you can try recording or drawing these shapes in live and perfecting them once completed. Although these DIY curves can often look rough and ready they can sound more natural and once your automation lanes are closed it can be very hard to tell the difference. Using your ears as opposed to your eyes here can be a good idea.

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Step 4: Cross Fading

Although a lot of DAWs feature cross fade tools for blending audio files I often find that using automation for this task gives you more control. Crossfade tools often give you set curves to work with and although these can work very well, using automation can allow you to much more accurate.

By simply placing your two overlapping files in separate tracks simple volume fades can be placed at the start and end of the files, these fades can then be continuously tweaked to get the perfect blend. Another plus point here is that you can also automate other processors such as effects and eq to make the join even smoother.

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Step 5: Automating Multiple Parameters

When using automation during the arrangement process one of the best tricks is to automate a number of parameters at once. This is the perfect technique for creating tension, building massive intensity and building impressive effects based fills. It can also be used for attention grabbing spot effects, which are especially effective when used on a top line or vocal.

There are pretty much endless possibilities here and it’s really a case of letting your imagination run free. The main thing is not to limit yourself to any one parameter, keep tweaking and recording your movements and don’t worry about moving between devices. Any new information will be recorded on a new track and can be tweaked or deleted at a later stage.

This technique of automation ‘performance’ works very well with soft synths and other virtual instruments and can make an ordinary baseline or synth sequence come to life. These movements will generally make your tracks more dynamic and keep the listener interested.

Download audio file (5.mp3)

The automated fill.

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Step 6: Copying and Moving Automation Data

When you have got to grips with the way your chosen DAW handles the recording and editing of automation data it’s pretty likely that you’ll end up with a lot of recordings across your tracks. On occasion you’ll find that some of this works and some doesn’t.

The handy thing about automation data is that it can be selected, deleted and moved in blocks just like audio or midi regions. Most DAWs make this process very easy and supply tools for selecting large portions of data. With your chosen data selected you should now be able to move, copy, paste and duplicate it. This is really handy for replacing duff data or simply repeating a really successful section.

In today’s screencast we will revisit a quick tip tutorial by Bree L. that demonstrates how to create your own wooden panel texture in Adobe Photoshop. This tutorial shows how to use the liquify tool and noise filters to create a realistic texture.

Here is a link to the written version of this tutorial Quick Tip: Create a Wood Panel Texture in Photoshop

This tutorial is the second installment of a 2 part series on designing graphic tees in Photoshop. If you have not already checked it out, please take a look at Part 1: An In-Depth Look Into the Graphic Tee. As printing technology and methodology improve, designers are given more freedom to push the canvas – in this case a t-shirt – to its limits. Don’t feel like you have to design in your favourite Vector package, Photoshop is a powerful creative tool that can be used to great effect. In today’s tutorial I will demonstrate how you can create a composite t-shirt design from photo assets and basic drawing techniques.

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Resources

The following resources were used during the production of this tutorial:

• A photo of myself
• Top Hat
• Bow Tie

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Step 1

Open your start image and draw a path roughly around the face using the Pen Tool (set to Paths). Imagine you’re using scissors to cut the face out of the background and work loosely. This doesn’t mean you can’t create sharp corners though. Do this by drawing in an anchor point with a handle and then splitting the handle by holding Alt and drawing out from same point.

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Step 2

Create a selection from your path by opening the Paths palette and Cmd-Clicking the path thumbnail. Copy this to the clipboard. Create a new canvas set at 300dpi 300×400 mm for a nice, big, bold print. Paste your face into and the new document and rename the layer, I’ve gone with STEVE.

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Step 3

Use the Free Transform Tool (Edit > Free Transform) to resize STEVE so he’s massive.

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Step 4

Download the Top Hat images from Deviant Art, cut it out using the Pen Tool and paste it into your working document. Use the Free Transform Tool to resize the hat to fit STEVES head. I think the hat could be taller so stretch the height more than the width

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Step 5

Download the Bow Tie from sxc.hu and copy & paste it into your working document. Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal and use the bounding box to resize and rotate the Bow Tie to fit. You should also skew it – using the same bounding box – as the perspective is slightly off by holding the Cmd key whilst manipulating the top central point. I also shifted the top right point to adjust the perspective slightly.

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Step 6

Select the Ellipse Tool (set to Shape Layers) and draw a white circle. Hold down the Shift key to maintain a perfect circle. Then, with your new shape layer selected on the Layers Palette, go to Layer > Layer Style > Inner Shadow and set-up as in the screen grab.

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Step 7

Next we want to draw guides running through the Eyeball (circle layer you just drew) so go to View > Rulers and draw a vertical and horizontal guide by pulling them from the rulers. If you have the Eyeball layer selected, the guides will snap to the centre. Then, using the Pen Tool, draw in some black shapes on one quarter of the circle. Select Add shape layer so they’re all on one layer. Use the direct Selection Tool to clean up your shapes so they look exactly like the screen grab.

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Step 8

Duplicate the SHAPES layer so you have four of them. Use the Free Transform Tool to rotate each one by 90, 180 and 270 degrees (holding down the SHIFT key whilst rotating will snap at 15 degree intervals making it easier to hit the required angles.

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Step 9

Select all four SHAPES layers and go to Layer > Merge Layers. Then go to Filter > Liquify, select the Twirl option on the right hand side. Then use the Tool Options to make a brush that completely covers your black shapes. Hover this brush over your shapes and click & hold until your shapes resemble the screen shot. Keep the brush stationary.

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Step 10

Create a selection from your Eyeballs by Cmd + clicking the Eyeball path thumbnail, then selecting the SHAPES layer and clicking Add Layer Mask (bottom of Layers Palette). Duplicate these two layers and position over the eyes

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Step 11

Desaturate (Image > Adjustments > Desaturate) the TOP HAT, BOW TIE and STEVE. Then select the Dodge Tool and set it to Highlights with an exposure of about 15% on the Options bar. Then select STEVE and use a soft-edge brush to dodge all of the mid grays in the skin. We want to keep the details only.

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Step 12

I want to make the Bow Tie darker so select the Bow Tie layer and go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and tweak the settings as shown in the screen grab.

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Step 13

Duplicate all your layers and Group the duplicates. Call the Group ORIGINALS. Select all of your loose layers and merge them into one. Then Go to Filters and apply a Noise, Gaussian Blur and Smart Sharpen in turn. Use the settings as in the screen grabs.

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Step 14

Use the Dodge Tool to further bleach out any grays within the skin. Then use the Burn Tool to strengthen detail such as the mouth and nostrils.

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Step 15

Once you’re satisfied, run one more Smart Sharpen to further boost the contrast and strengthen the details. It should begin to look a little like a detailed sketch.

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Step 16

If you want to add a little colour here try the following. Turn the merged image layer Blending Mode to Multiply. Then create a new layer directly beneath it. Make a selection using your ORIGINALS by Cmd + Clicking STEVE’s layer thumbnail. Then Cmd + Alt-click the TOP HAT, BOW TIE and EYEBALL layers to remove them from the section. Then select a new colour and fill the selection on your new layer. You could now flatten this and send it to a print shop for them to separate.

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Step 17

If you have your own screen printing set-up or just want to send the print shop a more finished plate you could try the following. Bear in mind that printers have different set-ups (meshes, inks etc), use different software (some very expensive) or employ different techniques. There is no definite rule that works for every design and I’m sure some people who use a different method will comment on this, but I’ve found that this technique has yielded pretty good results in the past. Either way, the artwork you have just created should print well in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. Turn off all layers except your flattened and flatten the image.

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Step 18

Then go to Image > Mode > Grayscale. Then go to Image > Mode > Bitmap and set-up as on screen.

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Step 19

Click OK and input the settings as in the screen grab. In the past I’ve used a print shop that uses screens with a 220 mesh count. They recommended dividing this number by 3.5 to get your dot frequency – in this case is 63. The angle is more affected by the way the mesh interacts with the shirt weave. Trial and error is the only way to get this perfect as far as I know, but 52.5 or 45 degrees has never produced bad results for me. Apply this and zoom in to see your dots.

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Step 20

Here’s where it gets a bit homebrew but again, it has never failed for me. Select all and copy it to the clipboard. Open up your History Palette (Window > History) and go back to before you flattened the image. Then paste your half-toned image into the document.

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Step 21

Delete all layers except your Black plate (halftoned image) and your colour plate (Pink). Then use the Magic Wand Tool, turn Anti-aliasing off and uncheck the Contiguous box. Select any white space on your newly half-toned layer and delete. These are your two final plates.

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Final Image

That’s it! We’re finished! Thanks a lot and I hope you’ve learned something new.