ANgiE tAYLoR 🧷

Category: Blog

Latest news from Angie Taylor

  • Happy Holidays After Effects Presets

    Happy Holidays After Effects Presets

    Well, it’s that time of year again – time for my gift to you – free, festive, After Effects animation presets. It’s my way of thanking everyone who has supported me throughout the year by buying my books and tutorials. I’d also like to thank everyone who’s helped spread the word by sharing my free tips and techniques on Twitter, Vimeo, Facebook and Google Plus.

    Here is a free After Effects project, complete with animation presets, expressions and some custom vector artwork. Download Winter Holiday After Effects Presets.

    This project is not intended as a finished design piece but rather as a way of presenting a few little ideas I’ve been experimenting with. I’ll provide you with the ideas, it’s your job to take these experiments & make them look cool! Please post them on my Facebook page if you do use them in a project you’d be happy to share.

    It contains some interesting techniques to help add a little festive cheer to your seasonal animations. All the effects used are native After Effects plug-ins so no extra software is required and it was created in After Effects CS4 so can be opened in any version from CS4 upwards.

    It includes a couple of particle animations. One using a custom snowflake-shaped layer as particles, creating a 3D snowstorm with CC Particle World. The second uses Particle Playground’s Persistent Property Mappers to make particles of snow stick to layers as they fall from above. I also use these to create a wind effect to blow the particles around as they fall.

    The third composition features some cool expressions that create a realistic blinking effect on some 3D festive lights. the 3D lights were created in Illustrator. I’ve even included the Illustrator file so you can see how it was created. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

     

  • Bargains & “Free Stuff” for Designers

    There are bargains & “free stuff” for designers and VFX artists right now in the Holiday sales.

    I know that may of my readers are students and professionals who are just starting out in their career. Many of you may not be able to afford the full cost of commercial software so these sales give you a chance to make big savings.

    For those who are really finding the financial crisis too much there are also some freebies here! I found this article about some of the free plug-ins for After Effects here at Filmmakeriq.com. It lists many of the free AE plug-ins you can download to make yourself feel like you’re getting a holiday treat! AE Tuts also have a list of free plug-ins here.

    My friends at Artbeats have a massive 50% off all of their HD footage through to December 30th. Some collections are selling for as little as $100 so it’s worth a browse to see if there’s any footage you need to keep your library up to date. Their footage is Royalty Free so once you’ve bought it you are free to use it as many times as you wish.

    If you’ve ever wanted to get up to date on third party plug-ins for After Effects and other software applications, now is the time to “get legal” as there are deals out there that will be hard to beat. Red Giant has a secret “one day sale” which they announced yesterday. Sadly the secret nature of the sale meant I wasn’t aware it was happening in time to include it in a blog till today but there are still 5 hours to go, it runs till 4pm GMT on December 14th. It includes must-have plug-in packs for every motion graphic designer and visual effects artist as well as individual plug-ins from the Magic Bullet Suite, Trapcode Suite and Red Giant’s own great suite of tools.

    Toolfarm are also running a sale right now in tandem with the Red Gaint sale so if you have an account there, or would like to set up an account with the number one reseller of all things After Effects, now is a good time to set up that profile! They also have some freebies for the holidays so it’s definitely worth signing up.

    Digieffects also have a sale on with plug-ins selling for as little as $49 in their winter sale.

    Of course if you want something completely free there’s my “Style Eyes” Collection for Genarts Sapphire which is still available.

    Happy Holidays people! 🙂

  • “Style Eyes” – Genarts Sapphire Preset Collection

    “Style Eyes” – Genarts Sapphire Preset Collection

    I’m pleased to announce “Style Eyes” my latest Sapphire preset collection of 25 free presets from the Stylize category of the plug-ins for After Effects and other hosts.

    Give your footage that something extra! Pre-defined looks designed for music videos, outdoor locations, sport and weddings. Includes “Rubber Nightvision” inspired by a job that I worked on a long time ago, Aphex Twin and Chris Cunningham’s infamous “Rubber Johnny” music video. You can read more about that on my “About” page.

    There’s a full list of links to the “Before and After” preset previews, including descriptions, below.
    For more information, visit Sapphire.

    Original Footage Courtesy of www.artbeats.com
    Original Footage Courtesy of www.artbeats.com
  • Creative Graphic Design: Essential Typography

    Creative Graphic Design: Essential Typography

    My new workshop, Creative Graphic Design: Essential Typography is due to be released next week, just in time for the festive season! The folks at video2brain have kindly allowed me to give my readers a sneak preview and access to one of the movies from this workshop so here it is.

    Master the Art of Arranging Text

    Typography, the art of arranging text, has a long and storied history. In this one-of-a-kind workshop, art director, illustrator, and motion graphic designer Angie Taylor introduces you to the essential principles of typography. After exploring the terminology, history, and anatomy of traditional and computer-based fonts, she brings you all the way up to the present day by looking at how text is formatted in today’s creative applications. You’ll also learn specific software techniques for creating your own lettering from hand-drawn text, animating text on a path, using operators and effects to customize existing fonts, working with 3D text, and more.
  • Tip of the Week

    Tip of the Week

    Animating Characters with the Puppet Tool
    from: Adobe After Effects CS5: Learn by Video.

    Animating characters with the puppet tool

    Welcome to this week’s Tip of the Week feature in a brand new video format. After Effects has great tools for character animation called the Puppet tool. The Puppet Pin tool places a mesh over your footage using the alpha channel. You can add points to this mesh that allow to distort it and animate it, using gestural animation with your pen or mouse. This provides some really natural movement for your animations and motion graphics projects. You’ll see an example of what can be done with the Puppet tools in this video.

    December 7, 2011
  • Training via Subscription Promo

    Training via Subscription Promo

    My Top 10 Reasons to take advantage of this introductory pricing offer.

    Access the entire library of video2brain training via this amazing Training via Subscription Promo and you can have all the video training you’ll ever need for as little as 35 cents a day – that’s even cheaper than a bottle of water!

    Before now if you wanted to access my training, you could buy individual workshops from my store or the video2brain store. You can still do that but if you prefer you can subscribe to video2brain for as little as $10.75 per month (Annual Subscription).

    As you may know I create all my video training workshops with video2brain. In my previous post I talked a bit about why I work with them, here I’d like to explain a bit about the brand new subscription options for accessing the training.

    With a video2brain training subscription, not only will you get access to all of my workshops but also all the other titles, by other authors that video2brain has to offer. Here are a few more compelling reasons:

    1. Get complete access to an extensive training library: video2brain training subscriptions give you easy, affordable, unrestricted access to the full range of video2brain courses – a library with more than 130 courses, and nearly 500 hours of training, and over 5,600 lessons. With access to the entire library, you can watch lessons from dozens of trainers and get a wide variety of perspectives and approaches to rich topics.
    2. Stay up to date: Today’s knowledge may be outdated tomorrow. The video2brain library will be updated several times a month, and all new courses will be included in our subscriptions as they’re released. In addition to covering current technologies,the video2brain library will offer courses on some upcoming software releases and technologies, helping you stay ahead of the curve.
    3. Enjoy an exceptional value: As individual products, the courses in the video2brain training library have a value of well over $4,000. With a video2brain training subscription, you get unlimited access to all the videos in the library for the duration of your subscription at a fraction of the cost.
    4. Benefit from introductory pricing: We’re launching the library with low, introductory pricing, and we’re thanking early adopters with a three-year price guarantee, to ensure that you can enjoy that benefit in the years ahead.
    5. Experience world-class training: video2brain has been creating video training for nearly 10 years. Our library offers world-class training from a team of some of the best trainers in the business. Our authors are not only top experts in their fields and working artists, photographers, designers, and programmers, but just as importantly, they’re skilled and passionate instructors. All video2brain courses undergo rigorous quality assurance, and are presented in our easy-to-use, feature-rich interface. And we’re committed to continuously improving your learning experience by adding new features throughout the year.
    6. Learn anywhere, anytime you want: Your video2brain subscription lets you access the library anytime you’re online, and even from different computers. Our unique Platinum subscription includes the option to download courses for offline use. It makes no difference whether you’re at work, at home, or traveling. And all titles in our library work equally well on your Mac, Windows, or even Linux computer, as well as on popular tablets, including the iPad and iPad 2.
    7. Go at your own pace: One of the fundamental advantages of video training over other approaches to learning is its flexibility. You can watch a whole course or just the lessons that interest you. And when you need a break, just click Pause and come back when you’re ready.
    8. Scale our training to suit your needs: video2brain subscriptions are available in multiuser licenses too, making it easy for your organization to find the solution that fits your needs and budget.
    9. Invest your technology budget wisely: The comprehensive video2brain training library lets you learn about new applications and new releases before you invest in expensive software. Our authors give you concrete advice on what these programs can and can’t do and how they might fit into your workflow, so you can make informed decisions and invest where it counts.
    10. Explore new areas: Even if you sign up to enjoy our courses on topics like digital imaging, design and video editing, your learning doesn’t have to stop there. The video2brain library includes workshops on making eBooks, mastering green screen techniques, the art of craft photography, kinetic typography, and Facebook, iOS, and Android application development, and more! And your subscription gives you the freedom to explore any areas that interest you, grow in new directions, and reap the benefits of new and upgraded skills – without spending another penny!

    Learning is a lifelong adventure. I and the team at video2brain would love to help you make the most of it.

  • Something’s happening in Europe!

    Something’s happening in Europe!

    Me with Gerhard & some of the team at video2brain

    I’m very excited, something’s happening in Europe that’s going to be fantastic for all of us – I think you’re going to love it! First of all, let me set the scene for why I’m telling you this.

    Once in a while, if you’re lucky, you end up working with a bunch of really special people – I’m so lucky it’s happened to me. I create video training workshops with the fantastic team at video2brain which is led by one of the nicest men I have I ever met, Gerhard Koren.

    Gerhard and I used to be demo artists for Adobe, traveling to trade shows and events, speaking about how we used Adobe software in our work. We clicked right away, Gerhard was so knowledgeable and talented, and as with most truly gifted people – humble and genuine with it. He always took time to help people to really understand the software and went out of his way to be friendly and kind.

    Gerhard set up video2brain in 2002 and it quickly became established as Europe’s premiere go to place for video training. They gained a reputation for quality and innovation that has never been matched.

    In 2009 they started creating English Language titles and were joined by Dan Brodnitz who came in to head up the amazing English language team. Dan has an extensive experience in the publishing industry having worked at Lynda.com, O’Reilly and IDG. As well as bringing his publishing expertise to the table, he also brings a passion for creativity, ideas and people. Like Gerhard, he’s what we call in the UK “a top bloke”. Friendly, full of ideas and he cares about quality and integrity.

    I’ve worked with video2brain since 2009 when I created my first After Effects Learn by Video product with Adobe’s Todd Kopriva. Since then I’ve created lots more titles and made many more friends at video2brain who I’d love to mention by name but are too numerous to list (you know who you are and how much I love working with you!) We have gradually built a fantastic team of English language trainers who you can find out more about here.

    2011 marks another great landmark for video2brain which will be announced this week. I wish I could tell you now but my lips are sealed. All I can say is please keep an eye on the countdown on our video2brain website. And if you want to get an idea about the kind of video training we offer, take a look at some of the 600 plus free tutorials we offer online as a taster of what’s to come.

  • Typography Video Training

    Typography Video Training

    Creative Graphic Design: Essential Typography

    – a typography video-training workshop on the principles of designing text.

    Design Essentials for the Motion Media ArtistI’ve just finished recording my latest workshop with the fantastic team at video2brain. It’s a workshop with a difference.

    If you want the salient points delivered to you quickly so you can get on with your work, this product is perfect for you. It’s a series of short videos that form an educational and enjoyable workshop that you can sit back and enjoy – imbibing my knowledge as you go!

    It’s based upon the Typography chapter from my book, Design Essentials for the Motion Media Artist. Not everyone likes to read books or needs the level of detail covered in Design Essentials so this provides an alternative.

    It provides a quick-reference guide in the format of a video presentation. All the essential key principles of Typography that every designer needs are covered. And it won’t bog you down with too much detail (that’s what the book is for right?) it’s fast-paced and illustrated throughout with helpful animated diagrams and examples of work.

    Learn about the history and anatomy of type as well as the terminology used to describe the components of text. Discover the difference between typefaces and fonts, glyphs and characters, serifs and sans serifs, kerning and tracking, leading and baseline shift. Find out when and why you would use specific fonts based on  aesthetics, cultural associations and characteristics.

    The anatomy of type

    This workshop expands on the content of the book with additional software exercises to improve your typographic software skills. You’ll learn how to apply the principles of typography in practical ways to graphic design projects. Software exercises will show you how Adobe’s Character and Paragraph panels can help make the most of your text, creating unique and exciting effects.

    I’ll also teach you lots of neat tricks like animating text along paths in After Effects and making text write on the screen. In Illustrator we’ll use operators to customize lettering, giving it a hand drawn look,. We’ll create 3D Text in Photoshop and add Layer Styles to brighten up our graphic designs. In InDesign you’ll make the most of its powerful Open Type features such as ligatures, glyphs and other special characters.

     

     

    With this comprehensive typography video training workshop you can simply sit back and watch as I present the principles for you. If you feel like following along, all the exercise files are provided. The videos are short and easily digested and you won’t get bogged down with technical jargon as I explain difficult concepts using easy-to-understand, real-world terminology.

    If you’d like to be notifies when this title becomes available please click on this link.

     

  • Effect Cafe

    Effect Cafe

    I’ve created a new website called Effect Cafe for sharing my effects, presets, tutorials and other resources. I will be slowly migrating content over to the new site as well as adding new content that will not be available on this website.

    Please make sure to register free at my new site. As a member you will have access to lots of goodies in the coming months as the site gets more established. Thanks for your support.

  • Wacom Masterclasses

    Wacom Masterclasses

    I’m pleased to announce the release last week of the new Wacom Masterclass series of workshops. I’ve worked with Wacom tablets for years and love the creative flexibility they provide to my work. In these tutorials I share some of the techniques I’ve learned over the years.

    If you want to check out some free lessons from these workshops please use the highlighted links listed below. Subscribers to my newsletter qualify for a 20% discount on this course through to the end of December. You can sign up for my newsletter here.

     

    Wacom MasterClass Vol. 1: Photography & Image Editing

    Join Angie Taylor and Steve Caplin for this multifaceted collection that includes a basic course covering the tablet’s tools and settings as well as lessons on beauty retouching, optimizing your architectural and landscape images, and image retouching with Photoshop’s healing and cloning tools. You’ll also get crash courses on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture, designed to get you working right away. Each class features lessons with picture-in-picture live footage of the artist working with their pen and tablet, enabling you to see and learn from their techniques up close.

    Wacom Meet the Masters - Volume 2

    Wacom MasterClass Vol. 2: Digital Drawing, Painting & Illustration

    Join Angie Taylor, Daniel Lieske, and Uli Staiger for this information-rich collection that includes a basic course covering the tablet’s tools and settings as well as lessons on drawing and painting in Photoshop, photo illustration, and drawing in Illustrator. You’ll also get a crash course on Painter, designed to get you working right away. Each class features lessons with picture-in-picture live footage of the artist working with their pen and tablet, enabling you to see and learn from their techniques up close.

    Wacom MasterClass Vol. 3: 3D & Motion Design

    Join Angie Taylor, Uli Staiger, and Daniel Lieske for this unique collection that includes a basic course covering the tablet’s tools and settings, an extensive video tutorial on motion design with After Effects, and crash courses on 3D with Photoshop, SketchBook Pro, and ZBrush, designed to get you working right away. Each class features lessons with picture-in-picture live footage of the artist working with their pen and tablet, enabling you to see and learn from their techniques up close.

    Wacom MasterClass Complete Collection

    This exceptional value includes all of Volumes 1–3 of the Wacom MasterClass collection, including lessons from artists Angie Taylor, Steve Caplin, Daniel Lieske, and Uli Staiger. In addition to a basic course covering the tablet’s tools and settings, you get training on everything from beauty retouching and painting in Photoshop to drawing in Illustrator and motion design with After Effects. The package also includes crash courses on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Aperture, Painter, SketchBook Pro, ZBrush, and 3D with Photoshop, all designed to get you working right away. Each class features lessons with picture-in-picture live footage of the artist working with their pen and tablet, enabling you to see and learn from their techniques up close.

    Free Movies to watch:

    Pressure Sensitivity
    ExpressKeys Overview
    Drawing with Sketcbook Pro’s Brushes
    Hiding the Veins with a Color Layer
    Lens Correction
    Cloning in Perspective with the Clone Tool
    Drawing the Mushrooms in Photoshop
    Distorting the Lens View
    Working with the Blob Brush Tool
    Creating a Complex Object from a Grayscale Image
    Rotoscoping
    Polysculpting

  • Happy Halloween Everybody

    Happy Halloween Everybody

    After Effects CS5 Presets for Halloween

     

    Cartoon castle and bats
    Cartoon castle and bats

    I’ve created some special little Halloween Software Tricks and Treats for you to use in your work. This download contains an After Effects CS5 project and artwork needed to create some spooky Halloween graphics for your projects.

    Pumpkin Particles falling
    Pumpkin Particles falling

    I love creating ideas and techniques for the community. In fact I’d love to dedicate more time to creating ideas, tips and tricks for you and make it a full-time venture. However these things take quite a long time to produce so I’m currently trying to fit these in-between paid freelance jobs.

    I’ve been trying to figure out ways to make this pay without having to charge people a fixed price for these. I’d also like to avoid having advertising on my site to earn income. So, as an experiment, I’ve included a free download link to the project files and a Donate button. I’d dearly love to prove that a business model, where people volunteer to pay what they think something is worth can work.

    If you find these presets useful and would like to support this risky venture please donate what you can afford, even $1 would make a difference and would be gratefully appreciated. This will help me dedicate more time to this project and continue to improve the website’s offerings. Thank you!

    Angie_Taylor_Halloween_Presets folder

    These designs use the Trapcode Suite of plug-ins and Magic Bullet Looks. If you don’t own these plugins you can download free trials here from the Red Giant website

    In the future I intend to provide privileges and special offers to those who contribute to this project.
    Thanks so much for your support!

  • Free Blood Splatter Preset for Halloween!

    Free Blood Splatter Preset for Halloween!

    I’ve just uploaded a new preset to Red Giant People. It’s my first foray into creating presets and projects as opposed to tutorials. If they prove popular I’ll create more for Halloween! I’m also going to be creating some presets for Genarts FX Central so keep and eye out for those before Christmas! I love coming up with ideas so if you have anything you’d like to see please feel free to contact me via the comments page.

    This preset features a complete After Effects Project containing a graphic design idea for a TV Ident. It features a graphic, stylised blood splat made with Trapcode Particular. The blood particles use a light emmitter and bounce against a layer used as a Wall. The blood “bleeds” around the text to reveal it and then another text layer animated on along a lower third strip with Logo.