Logo Reveal After Effects Template: Optical Scanner – Logo Stinger

Optical Scanner - Logo Reveal After Effects Template

For those Folks following my logo reveal After Effects template, this time I decided to do something radically different and it’s actually hidden in plain sight. This may seem to you like any other AE template but in fact it’s really not, you see, this whole template, except for the pre-rendered particles and  lens flare, is 100% rendered inside After Effects! Which may not sound like a big deal to you but in reality, this gives you the flexibility to extend it for as long as you want or change most animations to suit your needs, provided that you have the music to go with the new length, as every single element in this logo reveal After Effects template (except for the lens flare) reacts to After Effects’ native depth of field and lighting system.

The caveat, of course is that the specular effects on the textures are accomplished through the CC Glass plugin which, yes, is native to After Effects, but unfortunately it’s pre-composed in every “Texture” and has to be dealt with manually for each element if you want to change the animation.

One of the biggest challenges with this template was that lens on the optical scanner, which doesn’t look out of the ordinary, but it will actually render simulated reflections! And the way this is accomplished in this logo reveal After Effects template is by duplicating the assets in a pre-composition and positioning them in such a way that it looks like they are reflected.

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New After Effects Template: Anchored – Undwerwater Logo Stinger

Anchored - Undwerwater Logo Stinger After Effects Template

Some time ago I created a very cool and popular After Effects template called “Ocean Blue”, people seem to love it and I always had that one regret; I wanted an anchor in there somewhere. At the time I made it, I wanted the shot to be seen from near the water surface so the ocean floor wasn’t visible from that particular camera angle and having the anchor just slowly pass by for a few frames was kind of a waste of resources. This is why I decided to make a whole new After Effects template dedicated specifically to the anchor itself, so here we are.
Anchored was made with the same text effect as Ocean Blue, however I wanted it to have a slightly different feel of depth, to convey the calm and peacefulness of the bottom of the sea, which is why I specifically avoided marine life in this After Effects template.

For this version, I decided to go the extra mile and make the text even better than the last one, featuring full texture, which was achieved by layers, to give the illusion of 3D text that can usually only be achieved via plugins such as Element 3D without the need for one.

Hit the break to watch the template in action.

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New After Effects Template: Jungle Temple – Overgrown Temple Logo Stinger

Jungle Temple After Effects Template

Lush vegetation, vivid colors and nature all over. Jungle Temple is one of those After Effects templates that scream “Adventure!”. Whether you are a Tomb Raider or an Indiana Jones fan, Jungle Temple is perfect for those engaging gaming YouTube channel intros or for your short or feature film!

This is an AE template that presented a lot of technical challenges, since I wanted the text to look wickedly cool and realistic, but still remain editable. Now, you might be surprised, but the theme for this After Effects Template was not really Tomb Rider nor Indiana Jones, it was Angkor Wat; a beautiful temple complex in Cambodia. The temple today is covered in vegetation and is a well know landmark that has been showcased in numerous films and I came across a bunch of photos of it doing some research for a different project and fell in love with the exquisite textures and imagery.
This template went through several iterations, including one with a pyramid and a stone Buddha face. But somehow none of them could carry across the message I wanted to convey in this  template. In the end I went with a minimalist approach for the overall design, splashed with a dash of detail in the textures, adding the complexity back into the stone text and the grass patches growing out of it.

The music was also an interesting journey. Since Cambodia is situated in Asia, I added a Tibetan flute and ethnic drums combined with chourus-y chants to make it sound like some sort of Buddhist monastery, but at the same time I wanted it to sound like something stereotypically out of a jungle. The result was an interesting marriage between ancient ruins and the green wilderness.

Hit the break to watch a video of the AE template in action!

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Nevermore Graphics: New Photoshop Templates!

New Photoshop Templates

So, I was going over my inventory today and found lots of unused material in the form of PSD Stock Graphics and Photoshop templates and I thought to myself: “Boy, some of this stuff is never going to see the light of day on my old and dusty website, some of it will NEVER see the light of day at all, because it was never released!” and I kind of felt bad. Because as an artist I like my art to be used, to be useful. To decorate someone else’s life, to be seen by the world. And after all, what good are PSD stock graphics if no one uses them or sees them?

Many people over the years came to love and appreciate my graphic style and aesthetics so I decided to put these designs for sale as Photoshop templates for everyone to use and enjoy at very affordable prices!

Hit the break to read and find out more.

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After Effects Templates: Pre-Made Motion Graphics Are Not a Crime!

I often found myself wondering… Should I or shouldn’t I make After Effects templates? Why on Earth would anyone buy pre-made motion graphics? You know? I actually thought templates were sort of a waste of money to buy and a waste of time to make. But after making a few myself in my spare time, … Read more

Why Are Motion Graphics So Expensive?

Why are motion graphics so expensive?

As a motion designer, I often hear many of my customers and potential customers ask me why is this stuff so expensive? And I used to get really annoyed at that question, because for me it is obvious why, but after speaking to a few of my customers, who over the years I became friends with, I realized why there was this perceived notion that motion graphics, like graphic design, are easy to do, that the computer does it all for you and that all it takes is just technical know-how. Either that or “Hey, you are an artist, buddy, come on, it’s like fun anyways, right?”.
But why are motion graphics so expensive? Well, you are in luck, ’cause today I’m going to talk just about that! Hit the break to read more.

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