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Category Archives: Blog

  1. My First Industry Experience

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Dec 09, 2009

    In this video, I’ll tell you about my first experience with the broadcast industry. Maybe it will inspire you to share yours. Feel free to post your story in the comments below, or to make a Vimeo video and paste the link in the comments. Looking for other advice or inspiration? Don’t forget to read [...]

    26 comments
  2. Red Giant’s Secret Sale is On, Baby!!!

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Dec 07, 2009

    This was just posted on the Red Giant Software site – get 40% off EVERYTHING from Red Giant for the next 24 hours! That means 40% off Trapcode, Magiuc Bullet, Knoll, Warp… and everything else! From Red Giant: ———- We want to show our appreciation to all our dedicated fans with a Secret Sale. We [...]

    2 comments
  3. You’re Not That Talented, and Other Advice

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Dec 03, 2009

    Lately, I’ve been asked to share a lot of career advice. I was interviewed at aetutsplus.com and on MotionWorks Unplugged, where I shared a few of my thoughts on getting work and being successful. But a few nights ago I was asked by my friend Jay Ignaszewski to sit down with a group of students [...]

    45 comments
  4. “Ink” The Movie

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Nov 27, 2009

    Two nights ago, while browsing our Netflix “Watch Instantly” options, we found a new sci-fi/fantasy movie called “Ink.” I’d never heard of it, but it had really good ratings, so we added it to our Instant Queue. It was, of course an independent film, and while it didn’t have a big budget feel, it didn’t [...]

    7 comments
  5. Looking for work? Check out the Motion Exchange.

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Nov 22, 2009

    My good friend Harry Frank just started The Motion Exchange, a new social networking group for people in the motion graphics industry. If you’re looking for work, register there, and start connecting with other people who might just hire you. You can watch a video where Harry explains the Motion Exchange, by clicking on the [...]

    No comments
  6. Ask Aharon Rabinowitz – Episode 1

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Nov 22, 2009

    A few months ago, I asked people to send in their questions about me, and that I would answer anything  they asked (with the exception of a few things). Here the first video where I’ll do that (See description below): Ask Aharon Rabinowitz is a low-budget show where people email Aharon with their questions and [...]

    6 comments
  7. Holomatrix and the B-FLoT Factor

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Nov 19, 2009

    I love plug-ins. They do cool stuff. Trapcode Particular – Boo yah! Knoll Light Factory Pro – Awesome. But some of my favorite plug-ins are of the B-FLoT variety – as in the Big Fricken Lot of Time you Save by using them. For example, Red Giant Planespace is probably my favorite plug-in. There’s no [...]

    1 comment
  8. Holomatrix is Here!

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Nov 16, 2009

    Holomatrix is here… but, alas, I’m not. I’m on my last day of vacation enjoying the beach. I’ll be telling you more about Holomatrix in the next few days, but in the mean time, check it out here, ad Red Giant Software.

    9 comments
  9. Death Eater Apparition Effect

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Nov 11, 2009

    There’s a new tutorial at Red Giant TV that shows you how to create the Death Eater Apparition Effect seen in the Harry Potter films. It may not look exactly like it, but it’s a really cool result, none the less. Very interesting manipulation of Trapcode Particular 2. Michael also covers some color correction techniques, [...]

    2 comments
  10. I love the 80′s

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Oct 30, 2009

    UPDATE: Video Rock is now available – get it here. OK – that’s a terrible lie. When I was in the 80′s it was an awkward time. The chicks didn’t dig me. I wasn’t on the football team. I watched Dr. Who and Star Trek, and did lots of other geeky stuff. I was more [...]

    6 comments
  11. Working a Film Shoot from 10,355 Miles Away

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Oct 20, 2009

    Last Sunday night, this was my schedule: 7:00 PM – Dinner with wife and daughter at home, in NYC 8:00 PM – Film Shoot in Melbourne, Australia 12:00 AM – Back home and brushing my teeth before bed I know what you’re thinking: I probably should have brushed and flossed right after I ate. I [...]

    12 comments
  12. My Interview on Motionworks Unplugged

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Oct 17, 2009

    Hey folks – I had the pleasure of being interviewed by my good friend John Dickinson, of Motionworks, last week.   In this up-close and funny chat, we discuss how I started in the industry and my years working with Creative Cow and now Red Giant Software. I also talk about the online tutorial phenomenon, plus [...]

    6 comments
  13. Holomatrix is Coming…

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Oct 13, 2009

    A new set of tools designed by Dan Ebberts and myself, and which will be published by Red Giant Software. More info coming soon…

    11 comments
  14. WIP: Fly Into a Picture

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Oct 08, 2009

    One of the effects I’ve always wanted to pull off was flying into picture – similar to what was done in the opening credits of HBO’s Carnivale: Some tarot cards are dropped on a table and then the camera flies into them revealing a full 3D (Well, 2.5D actually) environment. I’ve always admired it because [...]

    12 comments
  15. The People I Work With (and Who You Should Work With Too)

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 30, 2009

    Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of people, and I’m at the point in my career where I can be a little picky about it. Aside from the team at Red Giant Software (which I am honored to be a part of) there are a few people and companies that I have really [...]

    3 comments
  16. Free After Effects Project File: Microscope

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 29, 2009

    Years ago (2006), I had planned to do a tutorial on creating a microscope look with After Effect. I put together a project file, but then got pretty busy with work. When I was finally ready to do it, Andrew Kramer had already done a fantastic tutorial on the subject,  so I moved on to [...]

    7 comments
  17. Interview on AEtuts+

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 24, 2009

    Adam Everett Miller, the editor for AEtuts+, was in NY last week and asked to stop by my office to talk for a bit. I wasn’t expecting to be interviewed, but then the dude whips out a camera, and well… you know me. I’m an attention whore. If you’ve got nothing better to do with [...]

    8 comments
  18. Free After Effects Project File – Page Rip

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 23, 2009

    A long time ago, I wanted to do a tutorial on creating a page rip effect. People were emailing me about it, and while I managed to get the project file together, I never got around to the tutorial itself. Not sure when I will. But in the mean time, here’s the project file so [...]

    11 comments
  19. Free After Effects Project File: Old World Map

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 21, 2009

    A while back I did at tutorial for Creative Cow called Shape Layer Tip #3: Trim Paths. In that tutorial I did an old-school map animation using shape layers to create the animated red line. Recently I was asked to share how the map itself was created. The short version is that I read a [...]

    11 comments
  20. Audio in After Effects

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 14, 2009

    Recently I ran into a problem, where I discovered that Audio Levels in After Effects can’t work with expressions. I had never tried it in all the years I’ve been using AE. But for a tutorial I have planned, in which the video effects the audio, I needed to use expressions to effect my audio [...]

    5 comments
  21. The Art of the Editor

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 10, 2009

    I think it’s safe to say that, as animators, who focus on single effect shots, most of us tend to forget how important the final edit can be. While the work we do helps support an overall project, the editor has the repsonsibility of taking everything created for a project, and arranges it to tell [...]

    5 comments
  22. Mojo Rising – Magic Bullet Mojo

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 09, 2009

    The latest from Stu Maschwitz and Red Giant Software is finally here – Magic Bullet Mojo . Mojo is a plug-in that allows you to easily  create the film look seen in almost every action/sci-fi/blockbuster  movie made in the last few years. The look is characterized by any non-skin toned colors being pushed it into [...]

    1 comment
  23. After Effects: Effects from A-Z

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Sep 07, 2009

    Recently I heard about a series of tutorials being done at Motionworks, John Dickinson’s website. The series is called After Effects: Effects A-Z, and it’s an ambitious undertaking of going through every effect that ships with AE, and explaining it’s purpose. There are several contributors so far – Maltaannon, Topher Welsh, Harry Frank, Eran Stern [...]

    1 comment
  24. Color Link Tutorial

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Aug 31, 2009

    I just watched this tutorial by Eran Stern over at CreativeCow.net. It’s called Color Link. It’s a great tutorial with some simple techniques for working with Shape Layers. But Eran also shows the Color Link effect, which I had never used or even noticed before. Off the top of my head, I could have used [...]

    4 comments
  25. It’s All About Me

    By Aharon Rabinowitz
    Aug 31, 2009

    People are always emailing me all sorts of questions – some of them a bit wierd and inappropriate, but most are more about my history – how I got started, some of the work I’ve done, any advice I might have…etc. There’s only so much time in the day, so I can’t often respond, or [...]

    50 comments