In addition to 2D/3D animation, special effects are an integral part of motion design. Special effects or tricks are a set of techniques used to create the illusion of certain actions, they are used in particular in the field of cinema to simulate objects, characters or phenomena that do not exist or cannot be filmed at the time of shooting. In cinema, there are two categories of special effects, namely 2D and 3D.
2D special effects
With a powerful software like After Effects, you will soon learn how to make special effects just by following tutorials.
You’ll be able to insert images shot on a green background, replace the content of a panel or screen, cut and assemble videos, modify the landscape in the background of a video, create clones of the same person) and make all kinds of animations.
If you speak english, it’s an extra, you can find a lot of tutorials to learn how to use After Effects. You can also find databases containing explosions, shots, or smoke, etc… shot by professionals.
3D Special Effects
These effects are more complicated than its predecessors, they require the learning of animation softwares require patience and above all practice. But even if you are a beginner you can manage to do some basic things, there are several sites that offer downloadable 3D models. You just have to animate them and inlay them on the real video. There are powerful software programs that analyze the images and extract the camera’s movements, and then realistically inlay the 3D model.
For those who don’t know After Effects, it’s a compositing software, in principle it looks like a photo editing software such as Photoshop. But its great advantage is that it has a range of tools related to animation and editing.
Now you have an idea about what a special effect is and what it can be used for, this short introduction should give you an idea. However, mastering a software program alone is not enough to be a good rigged video editor : a solid training in editing techniques and special effects is essential as well as a good knowledge of the professional chain in which they are part and obviously a good communication between the different positions.
If you wish to go further and deepen your knowledge, our advice may be to follow an efficient training in a qualified school. Nowadays, there is no lack of quality training courses. For example, the MJM School of Applied Arts and Graphic Design offers several interesting courses, including motion design, 2D/3D animation and video editing / special effects.
