Recent VFX Articles

How to Get the Film Look With Digital Footage

If you're creating digital videos and you want them to have more of the look you would associate with film, then this video might be perfect for you. Film Riot breaks down the differences and how to mimic film with digital files.
Can You Recreate Hollywood’s Movie Scenes Using Toys?

Watching Back To The Future as a kid, I always wanted to recreate the flame line scene after the DeLorean hits 88 mph. In my photography career, I have yet to come across one that works and has a Mr. Fusion. YouTuber Sirdork has beaten me to the punch by using toys.

Playing with Hot Wheels, I always remember staring deep into the vehicle to look at the smallest details. At an older age, I look back and wonder why someone would ever spend that much time making a steering wheel look so real, especially something that would likely fall victim to a child wielding a hammer...

Creating a Michael Bay-Level Rig in the Back Garden

It seems that every year we see crazier and crazier setups, usually reserved for high-end cinema productions, made available to the average person. In this video, you can see an absurdly cool orbital shot made in a back garden.
7 Cinematic Gimbal Moves You Can Create Without a Gimbal

When it comes to videography and cinematography, the gimbal has risen to a staple of the craft, whether you're an amateur or a professional. However, if you don't own one or don't have one with you, there are plenty of substitutes that offer similar results.

5 Steps to Edit an Amazing Trailer

We've all seen it: the movie was a letdown because the trailer ended up being better than it. Although this is a flaw of the movie creators, it's a testament to good work from the editors of the trailer. So, what makes a good trailer?

Creating Realistic, Cinematic Rain With VFX

If you are shooting on a budget, many desirable effects are tantamount to impossible to guarantee, particularly if you want to capture them in camera. Rain is one of the trickiest and with this tool, you can add it in, realistically, in post.

5 Cinematic Gimbal Moves for Wedding Videography

The coverage of weddings has grown exponentially with the improvement of technology. Where once wedding videos were a high-end luxury, now they're closer to a staple. So, here are five gimbal moves you can do when shooting a wedding for a polished, pleasing feel.

Using a 4K UHD Projector for Cinematography

As all facets of technology take large, confident strides forward, there are many unintended synergies and applications between them. One example of this, which is still relatively new to being viable, is using a projector as a background for photography and videography.

How to Add Light Rays to Your Images in Adobe Photoshop

If you're open to more heavy-handed retouching of your images, you have almost limitless possibilities of what you can do with even the blandest of images. In this tutorial, learn how to create realistic light rays and dappled light to add some atmosphere to a photograph.

3 Rare Gimbal Shots That Can Improve Your Videos

Gimbals are now as much of a consumer item as they are a high-end professional one, which means far more videographers are using them. Although stabilized footage is the goal, you can get extra creative with how you use it, and these three techniques can really help you stand out.

How to Balance Color Tones With the Blue and Orange Look

There are many staple looks in cinematography and they are popular for good reason. One is the classic blue or teal and orange, and while it's easy to execute in theory, striking the right balance can be tricky. In this video, go behind the scenes of a video shoot to learn how they balanced everything out.

$369 Gimbal Versus $10,000 Stabilizer Rig

The price disparity between entry-level and high-end equipment in photography and videography is larger than every, and in many ways, that makes comparing them more interesting. In this video, one videographer shoots b-roll with a cheap smartphone gimbal and an expensive stabilizer rig to see just how much difference there is.

5 Easy but Creative Video Tricks With the DJI ACTION 2

Action cameras revolutionized videography in many ways, opening up possibilities for shots that would have previously been somewhere between difficult and impossible. In this video, learn five quick and easy video tricks that can result in some beautifully creative shots.

How to Create a 3D Scan Effect In Premiere Pro

I've been looking for ways to get the outline, scan effect for product videos, and this video was the easiest and best out there. If you can put your product on a rotating turntable, shoot it with a green screen and open up Premiere, you're good to go.

How to Turn a Basic Product Image Into an Expensive-Looking Advert

What can be achieved in post-production alone is incredibly impressive of late, with simple in-camera work undergoing transformative changes once it's loaded onto a computer. In this video, watch one videographer turn the most basic of product images into an expensive-looking advert.

5 of the Best Cameras for Filmmaking Under $1,000

Filmmaking at a decent level has been opened up to the masses over the last decade or so, with cameras that boast great video specs being available at all price points. This video breaks down one filmmaker's top five cameras for filmmaking that are under $1,000.

How to Set Up Sony Cameras for Great Looking Slow Motion Video

Slow motion is one of the most common and powerful techniques in videography, but it has a few elements to it that can be tricky to get right without some prior knowledge. In this video, get a brilliant beginner's tutorial on how to get your Sony camera setup for slow motion footage.

13 Tricks to Master Your Gimbal

Consumer-level gimbals have changed the quality of videography for smaller productions for the better. Now, everyone from indie film enthusiasts to vloggers can have smooth, dynamic footage in their work. However, using a gimbal is more of a skill than it might first seem.

How To Practice Cinematography at Home

The beauty of cinematography is that a lot of the requisite skills are practicable in your own home. In this video, watch as a professional cinematographer creates a high-end shot in his own house, walking you through every step.

How To Fake Rain in Filmmaking

Rain is one of the most desirable and effective weather conditions for portraying mood and a more somber aesthetic, but waiting for it to occur naturally is rarely viable. In this video, watch as a small production team creates a melancholic scene by faking rainfall and controlling the light.

How To Make Your Videos Pop in the Edit

Videography has become more demanding than ever before in terms of expected quality. While much of this difficulty is found behind the camera, on location, your edit makes up a large part of it too. In this video, find out how one videographer makes his videos pop in the post-production phase.

How To Shoot a B-Roll Sequence From Start To Finish

There are a lot of keys that unlock great-looking video productions, and one, in particular, is your b-roll. Not only can it improve your story-telling and flow, but it can keep the viewer engaged and watching — something more important than ever in today's world of distractions. Here is how you can shoot a great b-roll sequence from start to finish.

How To Get the Look of the Netflix Show DARK Using DaVinci Resolve 16

The amount of high-end television and film on display in recent years is unparalleled. One show that got a lot of attention is the drama mystery, DARK after it was added to Netflix. Its acting and plot are both brilliant, but the cinematography is utterly superb.

How Did Flight of the Navigator Create Its Amazing Visual Effects?

Released in 1986, children’s sci-fi adventure classic "Flight of the Navigator" was one of the first movies to use computer-generated effects, but many of the practical visual effects used are equally mind-blowing. Check out this in-depth insight into how the production team created a movie that still looks good 35 years later.

Artlist Walks Us Through Their Advert

When you see an advert on YouTube, it either has to be gripping and interesting for you to continue watching, or it's clicked through. Artlist has a strong campaign, and they made a video explaining the process of shooting one of these ads.

Intel AI Tool Makes GTA V Look Incredibly Photorealistic

Just when you thought your brand new super-spec gaming machine was powerful enough to handle anything, something new comes along to dash your hopes and monster rig dreams. A recent video from Intel demonstrates an AI tool that "enhances" graphics to look photorealistic. The implications of this could be incredible for gaming and photography industries.

Creating Unusual In-Camera Effects Using Creative Filters

If you're striving to create more interesting and unique shots in-camera, one solution might be to use some of the creative filters on the market today. Here's how one videographer found using some and the results that came of it.

Why Are Brands Ditching Product Photography and Moving to CGI?

Shooting products has been a staple of many photographers, but with the advantages brought by CGI, more and more companies are starting to make changes to how they create images of their products. Why are they moving, and do photographers need to adapt?

How to Create a Black Void Filled With Reflective Water, in Camera

The show Stranger Things created a stunning way of representing the inner mind of the character Eleven, showing her in an endless black void and standing upon a reflective layer of water. How is this achieved, and how do you avoid electrocuting your cast in the process?

How To Create a Spin Smoke Effect in Your Photos

Using smoke has been a staple in photography and cinematography for some time, and to great effect. Here is a tutorial on how to create a spiral look to the smoke for an awesome result.

How To Create the Most Popular Music Video Effect

One of the most popular visual effects used in music videos at the moment is a reimagining of one of the more unusual tools in a cinematographer's bag. While you wouldn't be able to create the intended use of it in post, you can mimic the creative version rather easily.

The Top 100 Films To See for Cinematography

If, like me, you love cinematography, you probably have a few favorites in mind when you think of the term. But even the most dedicated film buff is unlikely to have seen everything on this list.

Do You Really Need a Gimbal? Sony IBIS Versus DJI RS2 Gimbal

The technology inside cameras is growing at an impressive rate and even the older technology has been improved and refined to near-unthinkable levels. One such area is in-camera image stabilization (IBIS) to the point where it can rival a gimbal in certain situations. But just how many situations can modern IBIS compete with a gimbal?

How To Color Grade Video in Adobe Photoshop

Color grading can make or break footage, no matter how impressive the clip is. But did you know you can color grade in Photoshop? If you're not familiar with Premiere Pro or other video software, this could be very useful indeed.

Mind-Blowing A.I. That Can Add Detail To Even Extreme Blur

The use of artificial intelligence in photo editing is becoming more prevalent with every day that passes. It never fails to impress me, but this has gone one step further, and perhaps, a step too far.