Overview
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This Specialization is intended for filmmakers and visual storytellers seeking to develop advanced 3D animation and VFX skills using Blender and Adobe After Effects. Through four courses, you will learn to transform 2D photos into immersive 3D scenes, create detailed set extensions, animate floating 3D objects, and produce futuristic hologram effects. Taught by Alden Peters, an award-winning filmmaker and VFX artist, this program prepares you to boost production value and bring sci-fi storytelling elements into your films.
Syllabus
- Course 1: Blender for Filmmakers: Turn 2D Photos into 3D Scenes
- Course 2: Blender for Filmmakers: 3D Set Extension & Camera Tracking
- Course 3: Blender for Filmmakers: Create Floating 3D Objects
- Course 4: Blender for Filmmakers: Animated Sci-Fi Hologram Effect
Courses
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Unlock the power of worldbuilding within Blender by creating a 3D set expansion. When instructor Alden Peters first started exploring the world of 3D animation and VFX, he saw it as a way to combine his love for 3D and sci-fi films filled with aliens and robots. Since then, Alden has gone on to work full-time as an independent filmmaker, motion graphics, and VFX artist and created award-winning projects like Friends of Sophia, Femme, and Coming Out. Now, Alden wants to show other filmmakers how to use 3D animation to boost the production value of any feature film, short, or show. In this class, Alden will share how you can transport your audience to other times and places by building out 3D set extensions. You’ll learn how to expand your footage by using camera tracking and movement tools to move out of your scene and then into a detailed 3D set. With Alden by your side, you’ll: * Create high-quality 3D camera tracking in both Blender and Syntheyes * Build out your set extension * Add realistic details to your new scene * Composite the final product in After Effects Whether you’re a filmmaker working on an independent budget who wants to add a ton of production value to your projects or you want to use 3D set extensions in your projects, you’ll leave this class knowing how to take any film to the next level through an intricate 3D set. You can also take what you’ve learned today to create a one-minute film by watching all five of Alden’s 3D animation classes. Plus, you can find more details about add-ons, additional software, and exclusive discounts in the class resources. General knowledge about Blender and Adobe After Effects, and how to navigate the software, is required to take this class. You’ll also need a computer, Blender, Adobe After Effects, fSpy, a camera, and a tripod. Alden uses After Effects 2023/2024. If you’re using a prior version, the Alpha Matte and Luma Matte functionality changes slightly. Instructor bio: Alden Peters is an award-winning independent filmmaker whose work has been celebrated at film festivals worldwide. His 2024 queer sci-fi film Friends of Sophia, starring Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), premiered at BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA Film Festival. An expansion of his 2021 proof-of-concept short, it follows a string of acclaimed projects including FEMME, a short comedy about navigating dating apps as an effeminate gay man, and the feature-length documentary COMING OUT, which won multiple international awards and is streaming on Amazon Prime. Alden’s films have earned directing, acting, and production design awards, and his collaborators include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once). A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, Alden currently lives and works in Los Angeles, where he continues to create bold, original storytelling.
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Transport your viewers to a sci-fi world by adding a hologram effect to any 3D object in Blender. When instructor Alden Peters first started exploring the world of 3D animation and VFX, he saw it as a way to combine his love for 3D and sci-fi films filled with aliens and robots. Since then, Alden has gone on to work full-time as an independent filmmaker, motion graphics, and VFX artist and created award-winning projects like Friends of Sophia, Femme, and Coming Out. Now, Alden wants to show other filmmakers how to use 3D animation to boost the production value of any feature film, short, or show. In this class, Alden reveals how to create 3D holograms and motion track them to any object. You’ll follow along as Alden animates and renders out a few 3D objects in Blender and then motion tracks them to a book and finally composite everything together in Adobe After Effects. With Alden by your side, you’ll: * Add tracking markers for 3D object tracking * Create your holographic 3D models in Blender * Replace and mask out undesirable aspects of your footage in After Effects * Composite your final product in After Effects Whether you’re a sci-fi lover and can’t wait to use a hologram effect in your work or you just want to learn the power of 3D object tracking, you’ll leave this class with a new set of 3D animation tools you can carry forward within any of your other projects. You can also take what you’ve learned today to create your own one-minute film by watching all five of Alden’s 3D animation classes. Plus, you can find more details about add-ons, additional software, and exclusive discounts in the class resources. General knowledge about Blender and Adobe After Effects and how to navigate both software, is required to take this class. You’ll also need a computer, Blender, Adobe After Effects, fSpy, a camera, and a tripod. Alden uses After Effects 2023/2024. If you’re using a prior version, the Alpha Matte and Luma Matte functionality changes slightly. Instructor bio: Alden Peters is an award-winning independent filmmaker whose work has been celebrated at film festivals worldwide. His 2024 queer sci-fi film Friends of Sophia, starring Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), premiered at BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA Film Festival. An expansion of his 2021 proof-of-concept short, it follows a string of acclaimed projects including FEMME, a short comedy about navigating dating apps as an effeminate gay man, and the feature-length documentary COMING OUT, which won multiple international awards and is streaming on Amazon Prime. Alden’s films have earned directing, acting, and production design awards, and his collaborators include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once). A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, Alden currently lives and works in Los Angeles, where he continues to create bold, original storytelling.
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Reimagine the world around you by learning how to bring any 3D object into your footage and levitate it within your scene. When instructor Alden Peters first started exploring the world of 3D animation and VFX, he saw it as a way to combine his love for 3D and sci-fi films filled with aliens and robots. Since then, Alden has gone on to work full-time as an independent filmmaker, motion graphics, and VFX artist and created award-winning projects like Friends of Sophia, Femme, and Coming Out. Now, Alden wants to show other filmmakers how to use 3D animation to boost the production value of any feature film, short, or show. In this class, Alden will teach you how to add 3D objects to any footage and animate and adjust the materials of those objects within your scene. Created for filmmakers who want to add 3D objects to their projects, these lessons will show you how to utilize 3D objects to seamlessly integrate more details, VFX, and motion graphics into your films. With Alden as your guide, you’ll: * Setup and build out your 3D scene within Blender * Insert your 3D objects and animate their position * Add materials and surface imperfections to your objects * Create a glitch effect within your scene Whether you’d like to direct an independent sci-fi film one day or you want to utilize the power of 3D in other types of videos, you’ll leave this class knowing how to incorporate and composite 3D models into any production footage. Plus, you can download a free pack of surface imperfection materials to add to your 3D objects in the resources. General knowledge about Blender and Adobe After Effects and how to navigate both softwares are required to take this class. You’ll also need a computer, Blender, Adobe After Effects, fSpy, a camera, and a tripod. RGB lighting will be helpful but isn’t necessary. Alden uses After Effects 2023/2024. If you’re using a prior version the Alpha Matte and Luma Matte functionality changes slightly. Instructor bio: Alden Peters is an award-winning independent filmmaker whose work has been celebrated at film festivals worldwide. His 2024 queer sci-fi film Friends of Sophia, starring Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), premiered at BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA Film Festival. An expansion of his 2021 proof-of-concept short, it follows a string of acclaimed projects including FEMME, a short comedy about navigating dating apps as an effeminate gay man, and the feature-length documentary COMING OUT, which won multiple international awards and is streaming on Amazon Prime. Alden’s films have earned directing, acting, and production design awards, and his collaborators include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once). A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, Alden currently lives and works in Los Angeles, where he continues to create bold, original storytelling.
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Create a realistic 3D scene within Blender using nothing but a still photograph. When instructor Alden Peters first started exploring the world of 3D animation and VFX, he saw it as a way to combine his love for 3D and sci-fi films filled with aliens and robots. Since then, Alden has gone on to work full-time as an independent filmmaker, motion graphics, and VFX artist and created award-winning projects like Friends of Sophia, Femme, and Coming Out. Now, Alden wants to show other filmmakers how to use 3D animation to boost the production value of any feature film, short, or show. In this class, Alden will reveal how to turn a still photograph into a full-blown scene in Blender complete with realistic materials, additional 3D objects, and animated details. You’ll leave this class knowing how to use software like fSpy, Blender, and Adobe After Effects to transform any flat image into a navigable 3D scene. With Alden by your side, you’ll: * Set up your origin point, X/Y/Z axis, and camera angle using fSpy * Create and join your scene’s geometry in Blender * Add your camera movement, lighting, and animations * Render your final scene in Blender and composite in After Effects Whether you’re just getting your start as a filmmaker or you’ve been creating films for years, by learning how to build 3D scenes like this one, you’ll be able to elevate the production value of any film project without blowing your budget. You can also take what you learn today to create a one-minute film by watching all five of Alden’s 3D animation classes. General knowledge about Blender and Adobe After Effects, and how to navigate both, are required to take this class. You’ll also need a computer, Blender, and Adobe After Effects. Alden uses After Effects 2023/2024. If you’re using a prior version, the Alpha Matte and Luma Matte functionality changes slightly. Instructor bio: Alden Peters is an award-winning independent filmmaker whose work has been celebrated at film festivals worldwide. His 2024 queer sci-fi film Friends of Sophia, starring Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), premiered at BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA Film Festival. An expansion of his 2021 proof-of-concept short, it follows a string of acclaimed projects including FEMME, a short comedy about navigating dating apps as an effeminate gay man, and the feature-length documentary COMING OUT, which won multiple international awards and is streaming on Amazon Prime. Alden’s films have earned directing, acting, and production design awards, and his collaborators include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once). A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, Alden currently lives and works in Los Angeles, where he continues to create bold, original storytelling.
Taught by
Skillshare