7 Free Cloud Based Apps Every Designer Needs to Use

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Category: Articles, Useful tools

Everyday is a battle to get your work done on time, on budget and to the highest standards possible. To increase your productivity you need to inlist the help of other applications and services to fight beside you on the front lines. Here is a list of resources we use on a daily basis that keeps our team on target.

1. Dropbox - Dropbox allows you to easily transfer files between you and your clients, sync files between your different workstations, backup important files and create public links to share with the world. Go get your free 2GB account today and start integrating cloud based storage into your workflow. You will soon wonder how you lived without it.
2. Skype - Forget MSN and ICQ! Skype is the leading tool to interact with your clients, associates and friends. With features like video calling, screen sharing and group calling, this is way better than what any landline could ever offer.
3. Evernote – Gone are the days of scrapbooks full of clippings, print outs and notes. Evernote is your digital scrapbook and filing cabinet that captures anything you want and keeps it organized using notebooks, notes, titles, tags and web links. Start storing your text, images, webpages, audio recordings and video clips with a free account.
4. CloudApp - Quickly share images, links, music, videos and files with a drag and drop of a mouse click. This small application will take your piece of media, upload it to the web and create a shortened URL that points directly to it. Plus it keeps track of clicks! Could we ask for anything easier?
5. Wunderlist - Life is a list and Wunderlist keeps them up to date across platforms and devices. You will not be disappointed with the rich features this simple application possesses.
6. MailChimp - This is your one stop shop for all of your mailing list needs. It has every feature you would ever want in a mailing list service and a ton of extras. Don’t bother trying the other services out there because this one is the best!
7. Twitter - As the online world becomes more social, so must you! Start building a social network using Twitter and get immersed into this new form of communication. Feel free to add us now! @jmdesign

The applications we are gravitating towards are those that sync with the cloud. To stay nibble and mobile we need tools that are accesible from any Internet enabled device so our data, networks and communites go where we go.

Top 7 Motion Graphic Design Demo Reel Mistakes

Monday, July 4th, 2011

Category: Articles

We see a lot of demo reels roll through our doors and we see the same mistakes happen over and over again. Here are the top 7 mistakes we see regularly.

1. Using template material – Come on designers! Stop using material in your reels that is not your own. If you can buy it, download it or learn it in a tutorial it should not go into your reel, no matter how cool that sparkly lens flare looks. You may fool the average consumer, but any design firm or agency can sniff someone else’s design work in your reel from a mile away.
2. It is so long we fell asleep - Your reel should be no longer than a minute. Only put work in your reel that shows that you have the skills and the experience to get the job done right. If it is outdated, poorly designed or doesn’t show well than don’t put it in your reel. The purpose of your demo reel is to get more work, not deter it.
3. Poor render quality – You could have the best work in the business, but if it doesn’t show well than you will have a hard time landing that big contract. If you work in HD then render in HD! Who doesn’t love watching great reels in 720 HD at fullscreen? When you output your reel at standard def or lower it demonstrates that you lack the care for quality and preservation of detail.
4. Who made this? - We hate coming across great reels and having to hunt and peck to determine who made it. Open or close your reel with your contact information. This could include your name, email, website and phone number.
5. Lacks presentation skills – When we look at reels we look at everything and take it into consideration when we hire. This includes your website design, branding, video quality, typography, color theory, communication and overall professionalism. We also snoop past your reel if it is linked to a Vimeo account, Twitter feed, YouTube account, website or blog. Make sure your links, sites and accounts are squeaky clean. The more professional you look, the more likely we will trust you with our cherished clients.
6. Stale hard bread – Just the other day we were sent a reel with a date that was four years old! In the design industry four years is like four decades. Especially when it comes to motion graphics. As times passes, design style change and your level of craftsmanship should be improved . Your reel should be updated yearly and only contain your most current and best looking work.
7. Flat out lying - Not too long ago we received a resume from a designer who stated they had twenty years of experience in motion graphics and After Effects. We found this hard to believe because the most early seedlings of After Effects weren’t born more than 18 years ago. Nonetheless we gave the designer the benefit of the doubt and let his reel do the talking. If his reel could speak it would say, “I’m an average designer that lacks creativity, style and experience.” Let’s just say they never got a call back from us. In short don’t lie. It will be obvious your a fake when we watch your reel or past work examples.

For more tips on creating a better motion design reel check out “Five Steps to a Better Motion Demo Reel” by GSG.

JMDesign compatability site updates

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

Category: Articles

Over time your website runs the risk of having out dated technologies and may lack features that allow it to play well with new technologies. When I created the JMDesign website a year ago Flash videos players were all the rage. I decided to use JW Player as my Flash video player because of its rock solid platform, options and support. Times have changed and as Apple steadily becomes a force in the web standards industry, HTML 5 is in and Flash is being phased out to play video on the web. As you probably know any iOS device such as the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch cannot play Flash natively. I looked for alternatives, but none presented themselves until last week. Vimeo announced an embed code that detected device connectivity and delivered content accordingly. This was huge because I could now create a site that would work across any platform.

Over the past week I have made these updates to my site

• Changed all the video embed code (JW Player and Vimeo) on my website to Vimeo’s new embed code.
• Uploaded all the videos my website to Vimeo that were being played from my server as MP4 and FLV files.
• Added a Twitter feed to the Pro Blog and a Follow us on Twitter link to all site footers.
• Added social media links to every post on the Pro Blog.
• Added social media links to the player page.

Vimeo just got better

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Category: Articles

I use Vimeo to showcase a lot of my work and as a Vimeo Plus member, Vimeo offers a lot of powerful tools to make my embedded videos look great. Today Vimeo announced a slick new embed code called Universal Player for both Vimeo Plus and regular members. This new embed code (it is actually an iFrame) can automatically detect what kind of device is being used to view your video and will choose the optimum player based on the device’s capabilities. This is great news for anyone who wants to play their videos across multiple devices such as iPhone, iPads, desktops, laptops and HD boxes.

View the original article

6 Must have After Effects Plug-ins

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Category: Articles, Web links

After Effects is a great program that packs a lot of punch right out of the box. However as an experienced motion graphic designer you need more than what AE offers off the shelf. When looking to create particle, lighting and film effects it is best to go with a 3rd party plug-in to get the job done quickly and easily. Here is my short list of six powerful plug-ins that any serious After Effects designer should add to their arsenal.

1. Trapcode Particular

Trapcode Particular is one of the most talked about After Effects plug-ins of all time for good reason. Its powerful and easy to use particle system makes it the ideal choice for creating an array of effects like smoke, dust, clouds, grass, bubbles, rain, snow, debris and anything else you can think to throw at it.

More info: Trapcode Particular

2. Video Copilot Optical Flares

In 2009 Video Copilot launched the incredible After Effects plug-in Optical Flares. This affordable add-on creates stunning real life and artistic lens flares. Its ability to track 3D lights make it a truly indispensable tool and “wow” maker.

More info: Video Copilot Optical Flares

3. Magic Bullet Looks

Red Giant Software continually produces innovative plug-ins for After Effects users. Magic Bullet Looks is a toolkit for designers to add film moods and effects to their compositions. With over 100 presents and the ability to tweak your own, Red Giant Looks will not disappoint you with its overwhelming number of features.

More info: Magic Bullet Looks

4. Trapcode Shine

Trapcode Shine is an oldie but a goody. This simple plug-in can breath life into a composition by adding majestic light rays and glorious shine.

More info: Trapcode Shine

5. Trapcode Starglow

Trapcode Starglow is another classic plug-in that everyone should own. Similar to Trapcode Shine, this plug-in can add shinning twinkle and glow to your composition.

More info: Trapcode Starglow

6. Lenscare by Frischulft

Although this plug-in is the most obscure one on the list, it does not make it any less important. Lenscare is a remarkable plug-in and is in a class of its own when it comes to blurring effects. With a few simple steps this plug-in creates realistic rack focus blurs. Go check out this plug-in for yourself and get ready to fall in love.

More info: Lenscare by Frischulft

How to be a Motion Designer and get paid

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Category: Articles, Web links

Nick Campbell from Greyscale Gorilla made a great presentation at MGFest titled “How to be a Motion Designer and get paid“. He covers such topics as:

• What classes should I take?
• How do I market myself?
• I’m about to graduate. How do I get my first job?
• Do I need school?
• I’m the best at my job… Now what?
• How do I learn the skills necessary to become an artist?

How to Be A Motion Designer and GET PAID from Nick Campbell on Vimeo.

Digieffects Camera Mapper

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Category: Articles

I used this new plug-in called Digieffects Camera Mapper on my latest motion graphics project. “The Camera Mapper plugin allows you to isolate one or several objects in your footage, project these objects on a separate layer and pull that layer out of the background, creating the visual illusion of the object floating in front of the original footage.”

Key Features:

• Realistically create the illusion that a still image is fully dimensional moving footage.
• Subtly change the perspective of a shot, or animate it over time.
• Can be combined with 3D tracking to add or alter elements in a scene.
• Now you can step back in time and get another chance to move the camera.
• Allows you to stay in After Effects when working with fully dimensional models

I know it sounds complicated, but once you check out this tutorial it should become straight forward.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below.

Shadowbox.js Flash media and Google Analytics

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Category: Articles

One breakthrough that I made when developing my new website was the ability to track when Shadowbox.js was initiated to view an FLV file. Traditionally the standalone JW FLV Media Player that Shadowbox.js utilizes can call the flashvar “callback” with the value “analytics”. Unfortunately it looks like this flashvar is no longer supported and if it was it would not work because Shadowbox.js uses AJAX to load its player and content.

The premise of the solution comes from Google’s Analytics Help article: How do I track files (such as PDF, AVI, or WMV) that are downloaded from my site? The solution is to place a piece of JavaScript code within the HTML link’s <a> tag. Here is an example that relates to calling Shadowbox.js content from a website:

<a href="myvideo.mp4" rel="shadowbox;width=640;height=480;" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/videos/myvideo');">Click here to play my video</a>

Here is the breakdown of what is happening: the video myvideo.mp4 is being called to play in my Shadowbox player at a resolution of 640×480. An onclick JavaScript is also being called at the same time telling Google Analytics to track the page view for the category “videos” for the item “myvideo”. The category does not have to be named “videos” however you will want to choose a name that helps keep things organized because this is what will come up in your Google Analytics Top Content Report.

One last note is that you need to place your Google Analytics Tracking code at the top of your page within your <body> tag and not at the bottom. This is necessary because the tracking code needs to be initiated before the onclick Javascript links can work.

Written by Jeff McIntosh

Demystifying After Effects Render Settings

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Category: Articles

A lot of new After Effects users and sadly even seasoned users get hung up when it comes to rendering their videos. The most common mistake that I have seen people make when rendering their videos is choosing the “Animation” compression type when outputting a QuickTime video file. This results in ridiculously huge file with an unnecessary level of detail. This blunder is soon followed by another when the inexperienced user tries their hand at the AVI output setting. More frustration overcomes the user when they experience a tremendous loss to the level of quality in their video, long render times and large files. When it comes to rendering videos for the playback or further video editing leave the “Animation” and “AVI” outputs to the pros.

Rendering High Quality Video for Further Encoding

The Quick-Time “Photo – JPG” compression type is what you should be using if you are archiving source files from AE, rendering video to import into your video editor or rendering video to later encode into video playback format like WMV, MP4 or MPEG. “Photo – JPG” compression can create relatively small video files without sacrificing much of the the quality of the video. That is why “Photo – JPG” is the compression type of chose when it comes to stock video clips bought over the web. The quality is superb and the file size is manageable.

Two things you should keep in mind when it comes to the settings for these two compression types. One is compressor depth and the other is compressor quality. The depth is the bit-depth of color. For “Photo – JPG” you want to keep this on Color. Compressor quality is something to be noted when using “Photo – JPG” because it determines overall compression quality. It is a good practice to keep this marker somewhere on “High” (If you choose “Best” you are going to be left with a very large file.)

Rendering High Quality Video for Easy Distribution and Playback

It is common to render a video straight from After Effects into a playable file that is good for the web or universal distribution. On a Windows machine or on a Mac equipped with Flip4Mac, Window Media Video (WMV) is a good choice if the viewers will be Windows based. A general set of WMV export settings are as follows: WMV Standard, One pass, constant bit rate (CBR), Quality of 80 and a Bit rate of 2000 Kbps  SD, 3000 Kbps for WS-SD and 5000 Kbps for 720p.

Another common form of distribution is the Flash Video (FLV) file format. A general set of export settings for this file format are as follows: Max data rate 650-2000 Kbps, On2 VP6 video codec (Sorenson Spark is a less desirable alternative) and a frame rate “Same as Source”.

Lastly one of my favorite formats to render video in is xH.264. This produces a very high quality video that that is small in file size. At times this can be a very complex format to use because of all the setting variations, so stick with the factory presets if you are unsure. Here are some general settings I like to use: NTSC, CBR of 2Mbps, Progressive field order, square pixels and “main” profile with a level of 3.0.

Written by Jeff McIntosh

Becoming A Freelance Motion Graphic Designer

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Category: Articles

Harry J Frank from Graymachine.com wrote an insightful article titled “Becoming A Freelance Motion Graphic Designer”. It covers such topics as:

• Visualize Your Competition, and Strive to Be Better
• There’s Always Going to be Someone Better Than You
• Know How to Drum Up Work
• Be Ready for Any Opportunity
• Know When to Make the Switch
• It’s All About the Reel