Optical Flares for After Effects

We have discovered a plugin for after effects called Optical Flares :) This helps out a lot in the SFX department and will help do some advancements in our future projects. However, first we need to learn how to use it haha

Video Copilot actually has a tutorial course that teaches you the basics of this plugin. It's two parts with part one being 16 chapters. It's an investment to watch - but chock full of information from working the design interface to working with mask positioning and shimmer animations. Everything you need to get started!

You can watch it here: Optical Flares: The Creative Lens Flare Studio

Adobe Dynamic Link

Use Adobe Dynamic Link to link sequences between various adobe products (for easier editing). We use it mainly for moving between Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects. Here's a quick tutorial on how to import a sequence from Premiere into After Effects using Adobe Dynamic Link:




Here's one from Adobe.com. Adobe Beginner's Classes Episode 41: Dynamic Link Workflows in Premiere Pro CS6

Applying Camera Shake

Looking to apply subtle camera shake to talking heads to give a more documentary feeling. We looked into whether or not there was a filter to do this in After Effects. Via Video Copilot, we stumbled upon "The Wiggler"

Camera Shake with Wiggler

There also exist a few presets that can be downloaded and used in After Effects for this motion:

Real Camera Shake for After Effects
FxFactory Pro Camera Shake filter for FCP, Motion and After Effects

Here's an AdobeTV video - Adobe Beginners Classes: Episode 19 - "Bootleg 4" - Camera Shake