Creative Challenge 41

Good evening, designer friends!

For this week's creative challenge, I asked ChatGPT for some ideas to spark my creativity. It suggested creating something (whether digital art, a photograph, or a costume) using only one color that represents the day I had. Since I was in a good mood, I chose yellow. 

I started making shapes and using gradients without any specific direction or idea of what would come out of it. I just dove in and this was my result. When I stepped back to look at it when I was done, I laughed out loud. You know what? I actually like it!

Learning After Effects: Adding Effects Tutorial

Good Afternoon, design friends!

I recently revisited a project tutorial that I started a year ago. It was from the first class I took in the graphic design program for After Effects. Here is the link:

https://www.adobe.com/learn/after-effects/web/add-video-special-effects?x-product=CCHome%2F1.0&x-product-location=Search%3ATutorials%3Alink%2F3.2.3&mv2=cch&locale=en&learnIn=1.

When I began this class, I had very little knowledge of Adobe applications. Now, I'm retaking the class with a much better understanding of how to use these programs and a stronger grasp of design principles. I thought it would be a great idea to revisit this tutorial.

I started by taking the moon layer and adding it to my background image. Then, I created a rectangle that completely covered the moon image layer and cut off the bottom of the moon to create a mask. I applied a classic color dodge effect, lowered the opacity, and feathered the moon to about 180. Next, I shrank the moon image down to around 50% and adjusted the levels and saturation to create a more realistic looking moon that fits seamlessly into the scene.

After that, I added the UFO footage. I began the clip a couple of seconds in, and I adjusted the tint highlights to match the foreground shadows at the beginning of the film, where the UFO was closer. I used the eyedropper tool to sample the shadows from the distance, allowing the UFO coloring to adjust as it moved farther away. I added a pale yellow tint for the lights on the UFO and animated its path by changing the direction using the pen tool.

I also added a lamp post to the foreground and used the rotation tool to adjust its position. To help it fit into the scene better, I applied a camera lens blur effect.

The final step was a bit challenging. I needed to create a new composition layer with settings of 1280 by 720 and 24 frames. I dragged my background footage into that new composition, a process known as nesting. I then shrank the background image so I could use the scale and position tools to create a handheld phone recording effect. Unfortunately, it didn't work as I had hoped, so I left that effect out for now. I plan to work on it a bit more as I continue to learn this program.

After Effects Tutorial: Roto Brush

Good evening, design friends!

I'm excited to share my experience using the Roto Brush tool in After Effects! It's pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. I started by importing my footage and double clicking it in the Project panel to open it in the Layer panel next to my composition.

Then, I selected the Roto Brush tool and painted over the subject I wanted to isolate ( in this case, I aimed to separate her from the background.)

To adjust the brush size, I held down the Command key and dragged in or out (or used the mouse wheel if available). After making the selection, I zoomed in to refine the edges. Holding down the Option key let me subtract areas from the selection, and letting go added more. Once it looked good, I hit Spacebar to preview and Freeze to lock in the selection.

After that, I went back to my composition panel, duplicated the Roto Brush layer with Command+D, and deleted the Roto Brush effect from the bottom copy. Then, I created a new text layer, placed it between the two video layers, and animated it to move across the screen from behind the subject.

I also changed the typeface and color of the text to match the feel of the scene.

That’s how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you all think! feedback is always welcome!

Here is the link I used for my tutorial!

https://www.adobe.com/learn/after-effects/web/rotoscope-subject?x-product=CCHome%2F1.0&x-product-location=Search%3ATutorials%3Alink%2F3.2.3&mv2=cch&locale=en&learnIn=1

Creative Challenge 40

Good afternoon, design friends!

During our class on Wednesday night, I realized that my creative challenges were lacking a key element, which is the very reason why we engage in these challenges. Being creative is not just about being artistic; it’s about problem solving and thinking outside the box while infusing relevance with novelty.

In class, we participated in a challenge where we took a pen and pushed it through a piece of paper to create a hole. Then, we were tasked with using that hole to create a face. I completed the challenge and was so amused by my creation that it made me laugh out loud!

Inspired by this, I decided to take the challenge into Adobe After Effects. I wanted to learn how to remove an object, so I used the Roto Brush tool to paint over the object I wanted to eliminate (the background seen through the opening in the mouth). It was definitely a learning experience!

I will go into detail about how to remove an object in After Effects in my next blog post, so stay tuned. It’s a work in progress, but here is what I have so far.

Learning After Effects! 1st tutorial:Time mapping

Good afternoon, design friends!

This week, we begin a new class: After Effects! I want to share how excited I am, even though I also feel a bit intimidated by everything After Effects has to offer. I know it can be overwhelming, but I am eager to learn as much as I can. From what I've seen, this is an incredible program, and I've been looking forward to learning it!

I chose a the time mapping tutorial https://www.adobe.com/learn/after-effects/web/the-unlock-karen-x-cheng-on-going-viral-and-optimizing-for-fun?learnIn=1

FIRST- Click on your footage layer in the timeline. Then click on the Layer and right click on Time then Enable Time Remapping.This will automatically add two keyframes. One at the start and one at the end of your clip.

THEN - Add Keyframes for Speed Changes

Move the playhead to the point where you want the fast section to end and the slow motion effect to begin. Click the diamond icon to drop a keyframe. Next, move the playhead to where the slow motion should end and the final speed up should start, then add another keyframe. You should now have a total of four keyframes:  

- One at the very start  

- One where the slow motion begins  

- One where the slow motion ends  

- One at the very end of your clip  

NEXT- Control the Speed with Keyframe Spacing

The spacing between your keyframes controls the speed of the video:  

- Keyframes that are closer together will result in faster motion.  

- Keyframes that are farther apart will result in slower motion.  

To adjust the speed, do the following:  

- Drag the first and second keyframes closer together to speed up the beginning.  

- Pull the second and third keyframes farther apart to slow down the middle section.  

- Bring the third and fourth keyframes closer together to speed up the end.  

LASTLY- Smooth Out the Transitions

• Highlight the keyframes, especially the two middle ones. Press F9 or right click them and choose Keyframe Assistant and choose Easy Ease. This will make the speed transitions feel more natural and less abrupt.

I then decided to add a clip of bubbles, change the blend mode to "screen," and lower the opacity. I also scaled the clip and adjusted its position to effectively cover the footage. I created a couple of versions, experimenting with different effects. I hope this helps you!

Brand Me!

Good afternoon, friends!

I was working on my resume and thought that if I was going to add a link to my Blogger page, I should have something nicer than what I had going on. I asked ChatGPT for feedback, and it suggested that as a design professional, I should create a logo for my personal brand and Blogger page. I thought, "Why didn't I think of this before? This is great!"

I really like steampunk, so I asked ChatGPT to help me create something that reflects my brand identity based on my Blogger content. It suggested an image with a steampunk style, which was a good start, but I wanted to design it myself! I decided to round the corners of the image, adjust the colors, and meticulously create a vine with each leaf in Adobe Illustrator. I sampled the colors from the image and used them to create a gradient.

Next, I grouped the elements and used a ruler to ensure they were evenly placed on top and bottom. I'm really pleased with how my leaves turned out. Overall, I'm happy with the design, and now I'm working on my Blogger page to create a layout that matches it. It's a work in progress, and I'm also trying to set up a WordPress account for more control over my content. But for now, here it is!

 

Design tutorial using Adobe Premiere Pro! My first tutorial!