Guys. [AE][QUESTION]

[DJColeTPony]

What you use to make visuals?

[LFP]

After effects is the most common and probably the best one :3

[ChromaticChaosPony]

Most bronies tend to use After Effects for their visuals. It's relatively easy to use for simple visuals, such as audio spectrums and interesting lighting sequences.

If you're making your own PMVs, learn to use Flash and get a team of decent vector artists. After Effects can make good PMVs, but Flash animations are much higher quality (assuming you're any good at it). Or just do what everyone else does and organize clips from the show.

[LFP]

Actually from my experience rendering a visualizer and then playing around with it in a different editor (such as Sony vegas and FCP X) gives me the best results and saves me from rendering a lot of stuff like blurs in After effects (takes forever v.v) it depends on your computer of course experiment a bit to find out what you're most comfortable with.
Here's an example of mine :3

[Lavender_Harmony]

I use Photoshop to make a widescreen coverart for the track. I regret making an after effects video for Arrivederci, I think they're obnoxious.

[Nine Volt]

MS Paint.

[Acsii]

I use Photoshop and Illustrator to make vectors and stuff for the videos then I use After Effects and Premiere Pro to do the video stuff

[Makkon]

I usually do my own artwork in Photoshop, or in Paint Tool SAI.

Also, these vague topic titles need to stop.

[LunchBagMusic]

Also, these vague topic titles need to stop.

[Acsii]

*Agrees with makkon*

[Dr_Dissonance]

MS Paint.

This is what I use too! WOAH!

[Friv]

I use Photoshop to make a widescreen coverart for the track. I regret making an after effects video for Arrivederci, I think they're obnoxious.

Do you mind if I ask why you think they're obnoxious?

[Nine Volt]

MS Paint.

This is what I use too! WOAH!

Great minds think alike I suppose

[Lavender_Harmony]

@lavender harmony.


Out of curiosity, what do you use for actual visualizers now? Is that something you can do in photoshop?
(I can't use these programs to save my life, so please pardon my ignorance)

I findto the visuals... a vector or other free to use graphic that suits and I add the title and my name.

I find them obnoxious because some artists seem to implement them as if it makes their track better, I've heard and read about tracks where they have stated "Here is a track I spent a bit of time on, it's not very good but whatever" amd they've clearly invested a lot more time in

[LFP]

Art>visualizer, without art the video loses a lot of feeling IMO which is why I dislike "plain" visuals on a black screen etc, however you can obviously have both and get the benefits out of both.
Variation in the video while still having that feeling you got from the art.

[Stars In Autumn]

Oh snap, I just edited the topic title.

I use GIMP because it is free and like photoshop.

[Matthew N.]

Art>visualizer, without art the video loses a lot of feeling IMO which is why I dislike "plain" visuals on a black screen etc, however you can obviously have both and get the benefits out of both.
Variation in the video while still having that feeling you got from the art.

Now who said a (youtube) video needs to have a visualizer and nothing aside of it?

[LFP]

Art>visualizer, without art the video loses a lot of feeling IMO which is why I dislike "plain" visuals on a black screen etc, however you can obviously have both and get the benefits out of both.
Variation in the video while still having that feeling you got from the art.

Now who said a (youtube) video needs to have a visualizer and nothing aside of it?

I have absolutely no clue/memory of this. :3

[DJColeTPony]

Actually from my experience rendering a visualizer and then playing around with it in a different editor (such as Sony vegas and FCP X) gives me the best results and saves me from rendering a lot of stuff like blurs in After effects (takes forever v.v) it depends on your computer of course experiment a bit to find out what you're most comfortable with.
Here's an example of mine :3

Audio Specturm on Sony Vegas?

[DJColeTPony]

Oh snap, I just edited the topic title.

I use GIMP because it is free and like photoshop.

I EDITED THE TOPIC TITLE!

[Friv]

Oh snap, I just edited the topic title.

I use GIMP because it is free and like photoshop.

I EDITED THE TOPIC TITLE!

You really shouldn't have done that......

[Lavender_Harmony]

Okay let me expand on my point. I feel some flashy visualizer detracts from the art. Imagine if you got an album, and it had a really nice cover, but half of it was obscured by glitter and stuff.

[Freewave]

I use Sony Vegas 11 but i really should check out After Effects at some point just to see what i can do additionally with it. I'm quite happy with switching to Vegas from my old XP version windows media maker as obviously that was kinda weak sauce and didn't have half the power or the HDV quality. Sadly Windows 7 Movie Maker is only good if you want something basic and w/o video to sync but still want it in HDV. I like to do a lot more ornate pmv videos then the standard visualization as i just think that adds to the music and gives it an extra quality to it. It's important to me in showing the concept of the track, the beauty of the link to the show, where that inspiration comes from, and often highlighting some great pony art i get to include as well. I know a lot of people think there should be a designated split betwen musician and pmv artist but i dont see why people can't and shouldn't do both.

[Freewave]

Okay let me expand on my point. I feel some flashy visualizer detracts from the art. Imagine if you got an album, and it had a really nice cover, but half of it was obscured by glitter and stuff.

I was watching Radiohead's Paranoid Android just the other night which is widely regarded as their best song as well as some saying its one of the best songs of the 90's. However it really does have a terrible and meaningless cartoon video that really does not add OR help the appreciation of the song. Hopefully it's actually forgettable.



Definitely if you (this is not directed to Lavendar Harmony but to anyone who's debating about the use) use a visualizer that's annoyingly flashy (strobes and such) but repetitve it likely would be perceived as annoying. Either give something interesting for someone to watch for 4 or 6 minutes (which is why i recommend a pmv if you go that route) or don't make a visual that doesn't quite capture a person's attention, tries too hard, or doesn't reflect the point of the song. In which case stick with a more simple static image that captures their ears rather than their eyes if you want.

Then again imagine how popular Gangnam Style would be W/O the video and a static image.

[LunchBagMusic]

Personally I don't stay on the page to watch the video. I go back to another tab and leave it playing in the background. There could be R34 on there and I wouldn't know...