Animate Type the Old School Way
Final Product What You'll Be Creating
It’s easy to get excited over the latest plugin or technology, but that inevitably leads to stuff that all looks the same. So to get something new and original, sometimes you just need to go Old School! Before computers, the way to produce type animations was to get creative with some props and a camera. Lloyd shows us how to use some reflective paper and a camera to capture some very fresh type animation. Of course he will also show you how to use After Effects as a finishing tool to bring it all together; this is Aetuts+ after all!
Requirements:
Knoll Light Factory Unmult (download free version here)
Music used in the final piece:
Clenastro from AUDIO JUNGLE
Tutorial
Download Tutorial .flv
File size MB
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nice:)
Is it possible to have a view at the “official” Title Sequence you did?
I’m kinda curious to see it.
Maybe just some seconds ;)
Greetings from Germany
Awesome effect. Nice tut ;)
Love the old school, I hope more techniques like this will come.
Nice!
How the “Old School” video music is called?
more hands on is always good…nice one
Good. i Like AEtuts.com
very good)))
wow man magic music!!! could you give me a name of this track, please …
@Proof – Music is Clenastro from AUDIO JUNGLE
nice tutorial
but it can be done using standard AE plugins – CC turbulence, roughen edges.
@Abhay – I will politely disagree with you, there is no way to get this look using plugins. Besides this way you get something truly unique which is not always the case when using plugins.
I haven’t been able to open aetuts.com with internet explorer now for 2 days….anyone else having this problem? Can open with Mozilla….but not IE.
I’ve been waiting forever for a new Lloyd tutorial…and though cool….someone disappointing. Sorry Lloyd. I don’t think it says anything about THIS tutorial….just how awesome most of your stuff is. :)
I really dig this
I would say this is one of the best, if not the best tut on the site. This is finally something innovative, where you couldn’t find anywhere else.
Nice job.
Awesome, and ya IE keeps weirding out on me with this site now.
Nice one :D
@Abe….good to hear than I’m not the only one. I was having problems a while back. It would open up the main page but nothing else….then it started working fine on everything…and now it won’t open at all. Bizarre!
Thanks for reporting the problems with IE, I’ve notified the power that be.
good idea
u own!
I went out and tried this right away, took a different approach though. We had no reflecting paper so I took a ski goggle with mirror coating lens.. cool effect!
@tschiphorst – Nice one! This is what I was hoping to hear.. Remix!!
Man this i really want the song bad but i dont got 10 bucks right now =/
wurruuull
Muito bom!!!
Excelente advanced turorials…
Continuem sempre assim…
abraços!!!!
Brazil…
Excellent. Thank you so much for this tutorial. Very interesting.
I’ve only been visiting AETUTS for a few weeks now and I must say this is one of the best sites for Pro AE tutorials. It still amazes me that there are guys like you out there that are willing to share your hard work for free!! I’m a full time working dad who would love to go to college to learn AE but with everyday commitments its just not possible. What you do for people in my situation is incredible. The internet is at its best with sites like yours. I can’t thank you enough for these amazingly inspirational lessons!! This looks AWESOME!! keep em coming ;-)
Wow, this is an amazing tut…this would be great as an intro to a horror film or something…I could see the eeriness to it…beautiful job.
@Simon Thurman, these guys actually do get paid for making these tutorials…but for all the hard work, they’re still giving a lot for the price they’re paid (150USD/tutorial)…it is really generous.
I think Saul Bass did something very similar for the titles for ‘Seconds’ – a movie I watched the other night – I think they filmed body parts being distorted in a reflective surface – crazy film
Very good one. Maybe the best. Thanks for sharing !!!!!!!
Once again, amazing tutorial, Lloydl! Thanks!
Another idea: I didn’t use a sheet of paper as text source, but simply my tv. I boosted up the backlight, brightness and contrast and got a very clean, bright image. I positioned my cam right above the screen and didn’t need any other light sources. The resulting image has no shadows darkening the text.
@Xintare – That’s a very clever idea! Especially since it negates the need for a light kit.
@tschiphorst, @Xintare and anyone else trying this at home, post links to your finished pieces would love to see all the variations
Hi Lloyd,
this is a first test of the effect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTSxR33CYmc
I couldn’t use too extreme transformations, because the reflective paper isn’t that good. The surface structure is really strong, so I had to get very close to the paper.
I also found, that having a tv screen as source may give you a very clean matte, but that doesn’t look very interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8DI0YIzltk&feature=related
I will work on it some more with different paper.
Lovely effect!
Oldschool, baby! Reminds me on “A beautifull mind”
This is an incredible tutorial and a real breath of fresh air among the more conventional AE motion graphics toots. Right up my street!
Thanks
Why in gods name are you using IE up there?
Anyway, tutorial looks real good.
The thing is that i dont have a camera.Is there any way that this can be reproduces in after effects instead of using cameras/lights.
Just…stunning !
Great sound for this effect
excellent job! i love the technic and the effect keep it up
wow, very nice. tutorial makers never effectively communicate their intentions at every moment and what exactly their doing at every point to make it clear and concise to the viewer, but you have done a very good job at this, thank you so much, and this is a beautiful looking technique!
awesome tut! I like your work…
where did you go to college?
Если быть хорошо, я бы посоветовала поставить Вам баттон “Подари 5 рублёв”,
яб с удовольствием перевела владельцу 5 рублей. А вы? ;-)
Окна пластиковые
omg? i’m having a cardiac arrest :$
Nice lol!!
I also think that this is an amazing tutorial. I’m trying it now, with some “differences”. I don’t have reflective paper, so i try it another way: filming the reflection of the screen. Actually like this you have higher levels of contrast AND you can also film animations. :)
Maybe you can try it and tell what you think about it. (im just a noob in AE)
Thanks for your work, and sorry my bad english
Best tut I’ve seen so far…..
Greetings from Germany