Show and Hide Properties in After Effects

This video tutorial and article covers different keyboard shortcuts in Adobe After Effects to show and hide layer properties.

What is an After Effects Template?

What is an After Effects Template? Learn what they are, their pros and cons, and where to get them (free and premium versions) in this article.

How to Create a Grid in After Effects

This tutorial will teach you how to create a grid in After Effects. You’ll learn how to change the color and size of the grid and how to animate it in AE.

The Fundamental Flaw in the Profession of Video Editing

Fundamental Flaw in the Profession of Video Editing

There’s a fundamental flaw in the profession of video editing.

When a carpenter goes to work they have their tools – a hammer, a saw, a drill, a screwdriver and a pickup truck filled with a hundred other tools. Each tool has it own job and does it’s own little thing when the carpenter is building something. Every once in awhile a new tool will come around that’ll make things easier for the carpenter. He or she can decide whether or not to learn how to use that tool and whether it should be added to their tool belt.

Editors face a similar situation except that the growth of new tools is out of control. Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Anything that’ll make our lives easier as editors is awesome. However there’s a point where we physically cannot keep up with the rate of new tools available to us. Then we get docked for not knowing this one random piece of software and might lose out on a job or gig over it.

Read more

Export PSD Sequence in After Effects

Learn how to export a PSD Sequence in After Effects in this tutorial. You’ll learn to send a Comp to the Render Queue and export it as a PSD Sequence.

Over the Editor’s Shoulder: Part IV

OverTheEditorsShoulderPartIV

This is Part IV and the final chapter in a series called Over the Editor’s Shoulder where I document my daily progress on a freelance editing project I’m working on. I chronicle what I do in the edit bay, what I learn, my struggles, failures, successes and more.

Read more

Play Composition in After Effects

This video tutorial and article is on the different options to play (preview or playback) your composition in Adobe After Effects.

One-On-One Video Editing Coaching

AnnouncingPremiumOneOnOneCoaching

I want to make you a better video editor. That’s what I’ve been doing through my site, YouTube channel and other avenues for the past year. Pretty much this entire time I’ve been helping a faceless audience. I’ve been guessing at what you want to learn and hoping I’m using something relatable to be able to teach you. I know it’s working for a lot of you (I love the thank you emails I get!). However a lot of the time I still don’t know what you are struggling with. You, the one reading my words right now, I want to help you. That’s why I want to be your coach.

Recently I’ve had a huge problem. I have had several requests come in for complex custom tutorials that can’t be reused for everyone. I want to help these individuals out but I have such limited time after my 9-5, creating content for this site, walking Peyton, another new secret project I’m announcing soon (!!!) and trying to have something close to a social life. I have two options. I can:

  1. Spend several hours creating these custom tutorials, which results in lost time either with my family or creating content for this site or
  2. I can keep my family time and EVF content creation time but not be able to help these individuals in the way that they want/need help since email and screen shots aren’t enough sometimes.

Neither option works for me.

I cannot justify helping one individual person at the expense of not being able to create content for this site (and thus helping many). It isn’t fair to everyone else…that means you! My family time will always come first and with my limited free time I need some grounds for cutting out on one of them. That justification comes in the form of private, one-on-one premium coaching.

Read more