This term, to mark our 5th Background Fundamentals, we've got a blockbuster in store for fxphd members. Throughout the term, we'll look at what it means to be a Visual Effects Supervisor. What are the pressures, the roles and how do you manage a large Hollywood film?

This course introduces Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, using a project-based approach that introduces video editors to all the skills necessary to cut their own program. Using a short commercial project as an example, author Abba Shapiro walks viewers through a complete and logical workflow that begins with importing media, creating a basic rough edit, and then refining the cut with music and sound effects, transitions, visual effects, and titles. The course also includes troubleshooting advice, such as reconnecting offline media and using the History panel to undo multiple actions.

We wanted to lay out the game ahead in more detail than we ever have before – since people have asked for a tad more of an idea of the direction and focus of the future Background Fundaments. Based upon feedback from students, this new term and the following term’s Background Fundamentals will concentrate on the visual effects knowledge and tasks that artists run into on a daily basis – focused on method and theory not individual applications.

cmiVFX releases its latest amazing visual effects training video for animation. Aimed at anyone and everyone, this video is the sequel to one of the greatest videos in the cmiVFX library entitled, “Principles of Animation”. While we are showing the entire series in Autodesk Softimage, it is really agnostic principles of animation techniques being used. You can be using, Houdini, Cinema 4D, 3D Max, Maya…. and heck… even Adobe Flash if thats your thing! The point is, there will be several videos in this series that are aimed for each and every one of you reading this right now. We are covering everything from the basics, to advanced motions… so hang on to your hats! It’s gonna be a wild ride!

Follow celebrity photojournalist, Bob Davis, as he photographs Kristen & Brian’s wedding day in beautiful Lake Geneva. Learn as he shares his passion and knowledge about his camera settings, using available light and creating the light you want. Enjoy a special interview with Bob the day after the wedding. Find out what’s in Bob’s gear bag and so much more!

65 Photoshop lessons from Zinaida Lukyanova with project files.

In today’s tutorial I’m going to go through the entire process of creating an animation from a sketch on paper to the final render. I’ll specifically be going through the workflow I used for my animation ‘Nothing To Fear’. Let’s jump in!

This course covers the fundamentals of XML and is based on the XML Recommendation and the Namespaces in XML Recommendation. If covers the features and capabilities of XML using the standards it is based on and examples.

In this installment of the Photoshop Lightroom 4 Essentials series, author and teacher Chris Orwig guides photographers through the process of improving images with creative color, sharpening, and other effects in the Lightroom Develop module. The course covers each of the tools and features in the Develop module, and shows how to perform basic adjustments, such as exposure enhancement; how to improve image quality through noise reduction and clarity adjustments; how to apply creative effects, such as split toning and vignettes; and how to perform advanced tasks, such as correcting for lens distortion. Exercise files are included with the course.

Continuing the Lord of the Rings series we will be creating the Eye of Sauron with
fractal noise, vector blurs and CG fire. This will then be exported into Maya and composited back in after effects with the CG tower, lighting and background HDRI.