If you couldn’t make it to last week’s webinar, check out Michele Yamazaki’s Presentation showing how to make a couple of different title effects with Boris Continuum Complete 3D Objects in Adobe After Effects. I also use Imagineer mocha AE.
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Archive for the ‘Continuum Complete’ Category
Which glow should I use?
Question: Hi, I have CS5 Production Bundle (PPro + AE, etc). I am looking for a 'Glow' plugin that is SIMILAR to the Sapphire Effect: "GLOW" That ideally I can purchase separately or in a SMALL bundle? I can't justify $1600 even if the other effects are amazing…as I just never used them. ANY products you can suggest?
Answer: There are a ton of glows out there. I'm attaching a small excerpt from my book Plug-in to After Effects, which gives an example of some of the glows. I'm adding extra info to the details.
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Original Image
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After Effects Glow (Free with AE). It works either on the Color Channels, which can be used for creating a glow for full-frame footage, or Alpha Channels, for creating light ray effects around layers with alphas such as text and logos. There are a decent amount of options but the look just isn’t as nice as with the third party glow options. It has no presets.
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Noise Industries FxFactory (MSRP $399, TF Price: $379) The FxFactory Glow (Box-shaped) is a nice looking glow, but there are no presets. Even at a Strength value of just 0.01, the effect is still viewable. This is a great plug-in for bright bloom transitions. There is an option to Use Image Colors or to choose a Color with the eyedropper, an option not included in a lot of glow plug-ins. There is a built in Mask Tool, which has custom Mask Shapes or the option to choose a path on the layer. FxFactory is Mac only and works in AE, FCP, Motion and Final Cut Express.
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Boris Continuum Complete (MSRP $999, TF Price: $945) BCC Glow is a robust plug-in comes with multiple presets and allows for the glow to be based on RGB Channels, Luminance, Lightness, Red, Green, Blue or Alpha. There are the usual glow adjustments such as the radius, threshold and compositing mode. BCC Glow has the added options of a built in Motion Tracker, a Pixel Chooser to isolate areas of the shot and Beat Reactor, to animate with audio input. There are quite a few glow plug-ins included and it's one of my favorites because of the variety of options and speed. We sell Continuum Complete for $945 (list price is $999) and it's well worth the price because there are so many great filters with it.
Update: Peter McAuley of Boris FX contacted me to let me know that the filter used in the sample is now obsolete with the release of BCC 8 (looks like I need a major revision to the book!). It was replaced with BCC Film Glow, which is "capable of generating an exact match to the Sapphire Glow filter, and in fact it even matches Sapphire Glow at it's default settings. One of the added advantages of the BCC Film Glow is that, again by default, it renders a glow all the way to the edge of the source clip… the Sapphire Glow filter stops short of the source edge, regardless of the setting used."
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GenArts Sapphire ($1699) Sapphire's S_Glow is interesting because it works with a Background and Matte layer, so it is made specifically for compositing. Width X and Width Y allow the glow to be stretched and this is not something seen in other glow plug-ins. Not only that, individual Red Green and Blue widths can be adjusted. It also has options to Glow From Alpha and Glow Under Source, so the glow can come from behind the text or keyed footage, not just on top of the image. There are no presets with S_Glow, but it’s a solid choice.
- Digieffects Delirium (MSRP $299, TF Price: $284.05) Delirium's DE Glower, which does not have a lot of options but it does include the basics and the option to set a Dark Color and Bright Color, or use the Original Colors. There are a few presets as well. Delirium is fairly inexpensive and has a lot of fun filters with it. Note, the image above, from the book, is out of date. Glower is from the older version of Delirium. Delirium DE Glow is included in the new version and looks like this:
Here's another quick sample (Thanks, Brandon!)
- Tiffen Dfx Digital Filter Suite (MSRP $599.95, TF Price: $569.95). DFX Glow is a plug-in that doesn’t seem too special on the surface but once the Color Correct settings are pulled down, there are options not seen in other glow filters. There are Hue, Saturation, Brightness, Contrast, Gamma and Red, Green and Blue controls for the color of the glow for precise control of the color. I love this package. It's mostly not glows but gels and lens effects that recreate the look of their gels and lenses in the real world.
Another option, not pictured is Red Giant Warp (MSRP $199.00, TF Price $179.10). It includes a glow plug-in.
All the plugins here are available as free trials or demos here. I'd highly recommend downloading a few and checking them out to see which gives you the look that you want. I'd definitely suggest trying the Boris Continuum Complete package and if you're on Mac, Noise Industries FxFactory.
Upcoming Webinar: Creating FOX’s Fringe 3D Text Effect and the TRON Legacy Title Animation Effect
Free live webinar presented by Michele Yamazaki, VP Marketing & Plug-inologist for Toolfarm
When
Thursday, March 22, 2012 @ 1:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time
Join Michele Yamazaki as she teaches you how to create the following effects…
FOX's Fringe 3D Text Effect
J. J. Abrams' science fiction television series Fringe revitalized the old-school technique of incorporating 3D text in video. Now, numerous shows are creating their own spin on this same concept. Learn how you can easily create this unique 3D text effect combining Boris Continuum Complete with Adobe After Effects' 3D cameras and lights. Then, get ready to put it into practice in your next creation.
TRON Legacy Title Animation Effect
TRON Legacy puts a modern twist on the classic TRON title design, keeping the retro tech feel. While it looks complicated, you’ll learn how you can easily create this amazing title effect in Adobe After Effects with the help of Boris Continuum Complete's 3D Objects and After Effects’ built-in camera and lights.
About Michele Yamazaki
Michele Yamazaki is VP Marketing & Pluginologist for Toolfarm, a value added reseller and distributor of visual effects software. She recently wrote Plug-in with After Effects: Third Party Plug-in Mastery, published by Focal Press. In 2009, she co-authored Greenscreen Made Easy: Keying and Compositing Techniques for Indie Filmmakers with Jeremy Hanke. Michele started at Postworks as a motion graphics artist in 1995 and worked there for a decade before joining Toolfarm. She also taught Adobe After Effects and Photoshop at Kendall College of Art & Design. In 2001 she launched AEFreemart.com and in 2002 co-founded the West Michigan Animation and Effects User Group.
Michele Yamazaki showing BCC at Editors Lounge in LA Oct 30
Come on out Friday, October 30 to the Editor’s Lounge in Los Angeles, CA, for “Plug-ins, Pixels and Pumpkins: A Look at Tools that Take Your NLE to the Next Level… and Then Some”. Michele will be showing the incredible Boris Continuum Complete plug-ins. There will be food and networking. RSVP here.
The event will be held at AlphaDogs in Burbank. AlphaDogs is a full-service post production facility and design studio located at 1612 W. Olive Ave. #200, Burbank, CA 91506. (818) 729-9262 or the southwest corner of Olive and Verdugo Avenues and Sparks Street. (Map)
Hope to see you there!
Generate a Volumetric Light Effect on Animated Text
In the latest Boris FX podcast, learn how to use Boris Continuum Complete’s Rays Cartoon filter in Apple Final Cut Pro to generate a volumetric lighting effect on an animated text element. The BCC Rays Cartoon filter will also give the text the appearance of being made of neon lights. We’ll complete the effect by using the BCC Light Sweep to add a light sweep across the face of the text element and then we’ll use the BCC Colorize Glow filter to provide a soft glowing look.
Watch podcast here (pops)
If you don’t have Boris Continuum Complete, you can download a free demo here. BCC works in a whole slew of hosts, so check it out, even if you’re not a FCP user.
And if you’re loving it, buy BCC here.
Free Rays Cartoon Plug-in for Adobe, Apple and Avid!
Toolfarm is hosting the Boris BCC Rays Cartoon Plugin! For a limited time, we’re offering a free, fully-licensed plug-in from Boris Continuum Complete 5 – Rays Cartoon.
Download BCC Rays Cartoon (trial download form)*
Tutorial: BCC Rays Cartoon for Adobe After Effects CS3 and FxPlug (Final Cut Pro/Motion) – Use the BCC Rays Cartoon in Adobe After Effects CS3 or Final Cut Pro or Motion to generate a volumetric lighting effect on an animated text element.
*If you download the BCC Rays Cartoon plug-in, your information will be shared with Boris FX. Normally we do not share any of this information with any of our vendors or anyone else, but in this case, we’ve made an exception, so we can bring this free plug-in to you. With any other download, your email will not be shared with anyone.
Free Rays Cartoon Filter for Adobe, Apple, and Avid + Tutorial
For a limited time, Boris offering a free, fully-licensed plug-in from Boris Continuum Complete 5 – Rays Cartoon, an innovative filter that creates light out of the user-defined ‘cartoon edges’ of an image. BCC Rays Cartoon is available for Adobe CS3, Apple Final Cut Studio 2, and Avid.
Download Rays Cartoon now! This free filter offer expires July 1, 2008.
Tutorial: Generate a Volumetric Light Effect
In this tutorial, we will use BCC Rays Cartoon to generate a volumetric lighting effect on an animated text element; BCC Rays Carton will also give the text the appearance of being made of neon lights. Then, we will use BCC Light Sweep to add a light sweep across the face of the text. Finally, to complete the effect, we will use BCC Colorize Glow to provide a soft glowing look.
Michele Yamazaki Presenting in NYC Thursday, June 12
Come meet me at the Motion Picture Collective NYC‘s meeting this Thursday, June 12. I’ll be presenting Boris Continuum Complete and possibly Boris Final Effects Complete at Pratt Manhattan, 2nd floor.
Thursday, 12 June 2008, 6:00-8:30pm at Pratt Manhattan, 2nd floor. Google Map
Seating is limited to first come, first serve, but the meeting is open to members, subscribers and their friends, so please join us.
Michele Yamazaki Demoing in NYC June 12
Yep, that’s right. I’ll be at the Motion Picture Collective meeting demoing Boris Continuum Complete and maybe Boris Final Effects Complete if there is time.
From the MPC newsletter:
Toolfarm has been taking a proactive community approach to EFX for a while now with the Plugged-In podcasts, the Experts Forums and their great compendium of plug-ins & software. Michele is the VP of Marketing for Toolfarm and is hence responsible for the awesome, 50% off One Day Sales (I keep missing). If not for the pizza or the auction, you must make it a point to meet the Software Diva, the Effects Dignitary, Michele Y and her Boris FX demo.
Oh, they flatter me. I’m certainly can’t take credit for the One Day Sales. Effects Dignitary…. I like that. Has a nice ring to it. 
The Moving Pictures Collective NYC’s June ’08 is scheduled for Thursday, 12 June 2008, 6pm-8:30pm at Pratt Manhattan, 2nd floor.
They have a full card this evening with a bunch of great plug-in developers and Sony’s EX-3. The meeting will start promptly at 6:00pm with pizza. Seating is limited to first come, first serve, but the meeting is open to members, subscribers and their friends, so please join us.
Pratt’s Manhattan campus is located at 144 West 14th St between 6th and 7th Avenues on the south side of the street. Best train stations are Union Square (4/5/6, Q/W + N/R), 1/2/3 at 14th St (7th Ave), the F/V or L at 14th Street (6th Ave) or the A/C/E at 14th Street (8th Ave). Google Map.
