Effects Videos & Video Copilot

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Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby irriadin » Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:24 pm

I'm not sure if this is the best forum for this (the Adobe subforum seems to be more about how to use stuff), but here goes anyway. I've noticed that effects videos that use Video Copilot FX (Twitch, etc) are, in general, disdained for their use. As someone who is just beginning to explore After Effects, I'm kind of wondering exactly why Copilot is viewed in such a negative light. Is it because people will abuse the presets / tutorials and not change them in any way and think they're awesome? Is it because you expect people to make all of their own FX, or at the very least, not just copy Copilot?
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby Mastamind » Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:48 pm

I guess it's because it'll be looked down upon as unoriginal for using what's essentially a stock effect, or because a viewer would be under the impression that the editor was trying to substitute flashy effects for actual substance in a video. That said, it's not like people will necessarily dislike the video for using such effects.. Property of a Lady uses Copilot-like effects throughout the whole thing, and it won 4 VCA's. It's just a matter of how you use it.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby gotenks794 » Thu Aug 19, 2010 2:12 pm

People frown upon the stock footage (Such as Riot Gear) more than Twitch, I would Imagine. IDC though, I still like Riot Gear.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby Castor Troy » Thu Aug 19, 2010 2:28 pm

Videocopilot's literally becoming the new cross dissolve.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby competitionbros » Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:05 pm

When you see the same thing over and over with little to no variation the it gets a little irritating.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby ZephyrStar » Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:19 pm

Nothing wrong with using these, but people use them without a need or a reason to. It's always better if they somehow support what you're trying to say, instead of vomiting all over it. And a lot of people are guilty of just doing the tutorials for these, going "hey, I can use this," and not bothering to change anything from the tutorial besides plugging in their anime. It's just lazy, and if you've seen it a couple of times, it becomes like lens flare.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby Bauzi » Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:24 pm

I can't agree more with all of these posts.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby Brad » Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:41 pm

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Video Copilot. His tutorials and methods are extremely helpful and educational for new VFX and motion graphics artists, and people that hate on him are actually hating on the wrong thing. The thing they actually hate is what the vast majority of people that go through those tutorials use them for, which is, to copy. I can't tell you how many demo reels I've seen that have straight-up Video Copilot tutorial stuff all over it. The tutorials are meant to show you how to use the tools available in After Effects and other things. He uses these tools to create a specific look or shot, because he wants to show how those methods COULD be used in a practical setting. If he just went through the tools but never made anything that looked cool, it would be very difficult to actually get the idea of what those tools were doing.

So, while I can't say in all honesty that I've seen a bunch of this happening in AMVs, I'm sure it does. And yeah, it's kind of lame. Do those tutorials and then use your new knowledge of the software to create your own ideas.

And as far as Twitch goes, it's the same story. It's a plug-in. It comes with presets to give you an idea of what it's capable of. The problem comes when people just slap the presets on there and don't change a thing. It's SUPER obvious to anybody that's used them (that chromatic aberration jitter thing has just gotten crazy). So, find new and unique uses for the plug-in that suit what you're going for. If it doesn't suit it, don't use it.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby Niwa » Thu Aug 19, 2010 4:45 pm

x2

On what Brad just said.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby irriadin » Thu Aug 19, 2010 4:55 pm

Brad wrote:There is absolutely nothing wrong with Video Copilot. His tutorials and methods are extremely helpful and educational for new VFX and motion graphics artists, and people that hate on him are actually hating on the wrong thing. The thing they actually hate is what the vast majority of people that go through those tutorials use them for, which is, to copy. I can't tell you how many demo reels I've seen that have straight-up Video Copilot tutorial stuff all over it. The tutorials are meant to show you how to use the tools available in After Effects and other things. He uses these tools to create a specific look or shot, because he wants to show how those methods COULD be used in a practical setting. If he just went through the tools but never made anything that looked cool, it would be very difficult to actually get the idea of what those tools were doing.

So, while I can't say in all honesty that I've seen a bunch of this happening in AMVs, I'm sure it does. And yeah, it's kind of lame. Do those tutorials and then use your new knowledge of the software to create your own ideas.


Ok, that's kinda what I figured. I just bought Twitch and was hoping using it wouldn't turn me into a pariah :uhoh: I'd never use just a vanilla preset because then my video would be just like thousands of other videos doing the same thing!

And I do agree that the tutorials are very helpful in showing what After Effects can do. AE was a very mystifying program to me, and the tutorials + site have helped me immensely in understanding how it works.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby JaddziaDax » Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:29 pm

ZephyrStar wrote:like lens flare.


This was what I was going to say... it's not the effect that is frowned upon, it's how it's used.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby Niotex » Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:39 pm

irriadin wrote:
Brad wrote:There is absolutely nothing wrong with Video Copilot. His tutorials and methods are extremely helpful and educational for new VFX and motion graphics artists, and people that hate on him are actually hating on the wrong thing. The thing they actually hate is what the vast majority of people that go through those tutorials use them for, which is, to copy. I can't tell you how many demo reels I've seen that have straight-up Video Copilot tutorial stuff all over it. The tutorials are meant to show you how to use the tools available in After Effects and other things. He uses these tools to create a specific look or shot, because he wants to show how those methods COULD be used in a practical setting. If he just went through the tools but never made anything that looked cool, it would be very difficult to actually get the idea of what those tools were doing.

So, while I can't say in all honesty that I've seen a bunch of this happening in AMVs, I'm sure it does. And yeah, it's kind of lame. Do those tutorials and then use your new knowledge of the software to create your own ideas.


Ok, that's kinda what I figured. I just bought Twitch and was hoping using it wouldn't turn me into a pariah :uhoh: I'd never use just a vanilla preset because then my video would be just like thousands of other videos doing the same thing!

And I do agree that the tutorials are very helpful in showing what After Effects can do. AE was a very mystifying program to me, and the tutorials + site have helped me immensely in understanding how it works.

If you don't want your video to look like thousands of other videos. Then don't use presets in general.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby irriadin » Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:53 pm

Niotex wrote:If you don't want your video to look like thousands of other videos. Then don't use presets in general.


Presets give you a standard end-point, so it's really not different than copying. But when you take something like a preset and modify it significantly or incorporate it into a larger effect / work, then it becomes more original. At least, that's my perspective on templates / presets in general. So I guess I agree.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby machina21 » Thu Aug 19, 2010 7:49 pm

Brad wrote:There is absolutely nothing wrong with Video Copilot. His tutorials and methods are extremely helpful and educational for new VFX and motion graphics artists, and people that hate on him are actually hating on the wrong thing. The thing they actually hate is what the vast majority of people that go through those tutorials use them for, which is, to copy. I can't tell you how many demo reels I've seen that have straight-up Video Copilot tutorial stuff all over it. The tutorials are meant to show you how to use the tools available in After Effects and other things. He uses these tools to create a specific look or shot, because he wants to show how those methods COULD be used in a practical setting. If he just went through the tools but never made anything that looked cool, it would be very difficult to actually get the idea of what those tools were doing.

So, while I can't say in all honesty that I've seen a bunch of this happening in AMVs, I'm sure it does. And yeah, it's kind of lame. Do those tutorials and then use your new knowledge of the software to create your own ideas.

And as far as Twitch goes, it's the same story. It's a plug-in. It comes with presets to give you an idea of what it's capable of. The problem comes when people just slap the presets on there and don't change a thing. It's SUPER obvious to anybody that's used them (that chromatic aberration jitter thing has just gotten crazy). So, find new and unique uses for the plug-in that suit what you're going for. If it doesn't suit it, don't use it.


This.

I'll willingly admit i've shamelessly used the tutorials in the amvs I've done but at the same time, i've learned an assload of stuff about AE in the process.
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Re: Effects Videos & Video Copilot

Postby Megamom » Thu Aug 19, 2010 8:55 pm

Andrew Kramer is god!!!

Brad's wrote It's true!
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE
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