Best of Illustrator plug-ins

Andrew's Vector Plug-ins Collection

The collection comes with 22 different sets of plug-ins and some of them may be a bit “fluffy,” but they’re all interesting. If you like to experiment with designs and effects in Illustrator, you should check out these plug-ins. Some of them could be used for things that Illustrator should have already, such as PerspectiveGrid and Layers.
The various plug-ins come with a folder full of bonus material, which can be a good starting point to learning what they’re capable of. Also, each plug-in comes with HTML-based documentation, which is fine for one or two plug-ins, but I would have preferred a printable PDF covering all functions. Sometimes it’s nice to print out a manual and refer to it while playing around onscreen.
www.graphicxtras.com

FILTERiT 4.2

FILTERiT plugin offers a range of different cool effects for illustrator. Some of the effects like live trail and radial wave which might take some time to create, can now be easily done with this plugin. Below is a list of functions that can be found in FILTERiT4.2 plugin.

DownloadLink:
http://rapidshare.com/files/143228833/F42MOS.Lemon


BetterHandles 1.3

BetterHandles 1.3 brings a simple yet good plug-in for Adobe Illustrator that combines a tool and palette to make working with Bezier curve handles easier and more powerful. Select multiple handles, and collectively move, extend, rotate, or retract them. Extend or retract handles without changing their angles. Copy and paste handles. Edit points numerically: anchor, in handle, out handle. Convert multiple points from corner to smooth or vice versa.
www.nineblock.com

MultiPage 4

MultiPage is about as simple a plug-in as you’ll find. But, as is often the case, this simplicity makes it very effective and very usable. MultiPage cleverly uses layers, in combination with its own palette, to set up the effect of having multi-page documents in Illustrator.You can even use master pages.The plug-in is handy for the occasional longer print job and very inexpensive. But if longer print jobs come your way more often, you might as well get your hands on InDesign.
www.hotdoor.com

SymmetryWorks 5

Making repeat patterns is yet easier with SymmetryWorks 5. The plug-in is now tightly integrated with LivePresets, and a combination of the two plug-ins, called SymmetryWorks LP, brings you crucial improvements in the pattern design workflow.
http://www.artlandia.com

Best Animation Books

	The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles, and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion, and Internet Animators by Richard Williams Properly the best and most advanced book on animation technique. Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator -- from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer animation whiz -- needs. Urging his readers to "invent but be believable," he illustrates his points with hundreds of drawings, distilling the secrets of the masters into a working system.
	Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair The best book to get a clear overview of the principles. Famed animator Preston Blair shares his expertise on how to develop a cartoon character, create dynamic movement, and coordinate dialogue with action.
	The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston The definitive account of the development of Disney animation explains what made Disney's style unique. It covers topics as diverse as animation technique, the 12 principles, storytelling, sound effects, drawing hair, acting, pacing, comedy, and design. A lot of animators have over the years referred to this as the bible of animation.
	Animation from Script to Screen by Shamus Culhane Shamus Culhane one of the old classical animators. He created the walk cycle of the seven dwarfs in snow white. He explains the basics of animation. This book is a great way to understand the techniques of hand drawn animation; it also offers good exercises and points out other sources of great value. Even though the book is a little old-fashioned it still provides important information about animation.

Free Photoshop Plugins

1) The Works : Photoshop Plug-In Filters (Download Link)


This filter pack is been around for quite a long time. These Photoshop Plug-In Filters provide the user with a base of very simple effects that can be handy on a regular basis for Graphic art. These simple filters or combination of filters can be used to create many awesome effects. “The Work” filters pack comprises of :

AlphaWorks : 6 filters with various transparency properties
ColourWorks : 20 filters for modifying the colors in your images
EdgeWorks : 20 filters for producing edge/contour effects
ScreenWorks : 30 filters with different screen/mesh overlays
EmbossWorks : 20 filters containing simple emboss variations
SwapShop : 15 filters that "swap" color values in your images
MasterBlaster : 20 filters to "blast" colors giving a strong cast
Mezzy : 15 filters for producing mezzo and grain effects


2) Vanderlee : Plugins Filters (Download Link)


Vanerlee offers five free and handy plug-ins, which you will find highly useful time to time. Camouflage - The patterns the Camouflage plug-in makes don't have any seams. This means you can use them as textures. You can use the patterns for 3D models or as a background for web sites. They can even be used as a pattern for clothing. The patterns are seamless at any image size. SnowScape - Cover any landscape or object in snow with this Photoshop plug-in. Harmonix - Mix and render harmonic waves with this Photoshop plug-in. Snowflakes - Render falling snowflakes, confetti and other particle effects in Photoshop.


3) Deep Paint 2.0 (Download Link)


Deep Paint offers a realistic painting experience for digital artists and graphics professionals. Deep Paint integrates stroke-by-stroke artistic photo-cloning, fully editable brush and canvas settings, and paint functionality for realistic and stunning paint effects. Experience thickly textured oils, bold acrylics, and dramatic watercolors.


4) Redfield Plugins (Download Link)


Seamless Workshop - is a freeware Adobe Photoshop compatible plugin filter. It composes seamless tile from any image. Also, a "surrealistic modification" of a picture can be produced. It is a powerful tool for texture creators, and a helpful toy for graphic designers. An advanced tileable algorithm is used. The unique 'Seamless Blur' effect can be useful for any available tile-able pattern. Sketch Master Plug-in - This is a manipulation tool for the creation of realistic looking hand-drawings derived from photos. You can simulate various tools such as lead pencil, ink-pencil, crayon, charcoal, airbrush, etc. Three layers with separate settings allow one to produce some effects of stylized fine-arts on all sorts of surfaces (water paper, squared paper, laid paper, canvas, leather, crepe, rag paper or any other kind of surface you wish). A smart random settings generator helps you to create your artwork by simply clicking on the Dice.

5) Richard Rosenman Filters plugins (Download Link)


Richard Rosenman, the maker of Depth of field Generator (DOF Pro) is offering a variety of useful free Photoshop plugins on his website.

3D Sphere Generator - This filter will generate a 3D sphere and allow you to configure many of its properties.

Color Bar Generator - This filter will create color bar templates for computer and television monitor calibration.

Scanlines Generator - This filter will create those hard to produce scanlines on your image to simulate a monitor.

Tiler - This filter will make an image tileable using edge bleeding and blending algorithms.

Pinch - This filter produces pinch distortion on an image.

Superformula - This filter generates a wide variety of geometric shapes using the Superformula. The Superformula, sometimes referred to as the Super shape, was discovered by Johan Gielis. It is a simple formula that can be used to generate a wide variety of geometric shapes. Special thanks to Paul Bourke for allowing his algorithm to be ported to this plugin.

Smart De-Interlacer - This filter performs various de-interlacing procedures with fully customizable convolution controllers.

Pinocchio - This filter performs image distortions using mouse strokes.


6) Telegraphics Plugins (Download Link)


Various Useful and free plug-ins for import/export as well as various other cross-platform functions. Each plugin can be used with all versions of Photoshop (3.0-7.0, CS, CS2), under Mac OS X, 9 and earlier, and Windows.


7) 3D Shadow plug-in (Download Link)


Tired of boring looking text or numbers in your graphics works? Want to improve the looks of your designs, but don't have the time or abilities to do it yourself? Then you will definitely like Lokas Software free 3D Shadow plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo Paint, Jasc PaintShopPro and other software.

This handy tool easily creates various types of 3D shadows from objects such as letters, numbers, shapes and so on. All settings are present in a single window - transparency level, perspective, shadow color and position, X/Y/Z angles, and some others. Even the seasoned designers are surprised by the simplicity of the plug-in and excellent results it generates. The text, processed with this tool immediately grabs the attention of the viewers. And the fact that 3D Shadow is a freeware makes it very popular among both amateurs and pros.


8) Fotomatic : Photoshop Plug-In Filters


A series of effects based on traditional photography equipment and techniques. They are not meant to be complex or exact matches, merely a quick and easy method to achieve results that are similar to what can be produced via conventional non-digital formats.

Hi-Spot (Link) - A single Photoshop compatible plug-in filter for high contrast black and white photos.
G-Force (Link) - A single Photoshop compatible plug-in filter for traditional monochromatic grain effects, and the results are similar to using "fast" B&W camera film, allowing more control than the standard "noise" filters included with most image-editors.
Techni-X (Link) - A single Photoshop compatible plug-in filter for very high contrast B&W effects which are ideal for certain illustration work.
NightScope ( Link)- A single Photoshop compatible plug-in filter for adding a basic "night-vision" effect to your digital photographs and/or 2D and 3D computer-generated images.
Pseudo-IR (Link) - A single Photoshop compatible plug-in filter for creating a similar look when using traditional B&W infra-red film.
SkyGrad (Link) - A single Photoshop compatible plug-in filter for tinting the sky area of your photographs.
BW-Plus (Link) - A single Photoshop compatible plug-in filter for quickly turning your color images into grayscale, but with the added option of using a colored optical lens filter as you would in traditional B&W photography.
FastFix (Link) - You can modify the brightness, contrast, saturation, red/cyan, green/magenta and blue/yellow balance settings all at the same time.

9) 2D Hyper Clouds (Download Link)


2D HyperClouds is an free Adobe Photoshop plug-in filter which lets you generate cloud textures and plasmas. It is based on Perlin's noise functions, and uses the background and foreground colors to make the clouds palette.

10) Virtual Photographer (Download Link)


virtualPhotographer lets you instantly apply high quality, professional photographic styles to your digital images, with just one click. virtualPhotographer includes over 50 presets that automatically apply combinations of film grain, color modification, B/W, soft focus, high contrast and many artistic effects to achieve the same professional-looking images that used to take hours of photo editing. Get results in seconds. Compatible with Photoshop®, Photoshop® Elements, Paint Shop™ Pro®, Photo-Paint and other popular imaging applications.!


10+1) Luce Effects plugin (Download Link)


Luce is an handy lighting effect plug-in for Photoshop. The volumetric light effects can be created for point or directional Light source. A handy manual is also available for download which explains each function.

Top Ten Animation Art schools

Sheridan College, Canada

One of the most famous animation schools in the WORLD is Sheridan College located in Oakville, Ontario. Sheridan prides itself on a reputation for leadership in the field of digital media studies. Sheridan College has different interesting courses related to 2d and 3d animation. The most interesting point about Sheridan is the fact that it was one of the first schools in the world that offered animation course. Some of classical animators on Walt Disney's classic features are Sheridan grads! Sheridan graduates include Academy Award nominees (three) and winners (two), and an Emmy Award winner. In 2005, animation professor Kaj Pindal won an Emmy Award. Sheridan film students have picked up awards at festivals around the world.
www.sheridaninstitute.ca

Vancouver Film School, Canada

Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, VFS is very well known for the 3d animation and visual effects course. It is a post-secondary entertainment arts school. In just one intensive year at VFS you receive a comprehensive education balancing theoretical instruction and hands-on production. VFS is known as the studio that teaches. At VFS you will receive a one-year education equal to four years at other schools. Whether you are making films, designing video games, or bringing animated characters to life, you will create a body of work to showcase your abilities and launch your career. There are lots of good demo reels coming out of VFS every year.
Their alumni work for leading companies worldwide, win awards for their projects, and have their films screened at international film festivals. VFS, like the entertainment industry, values the ability to produce quality results above all else.
www.vfs.com

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

The innovative School of Art, Design and Media of NTU was set up to educate creative art, designer and media professionals. The School offers studies in traditional, experimental and technological forms of art, design and media. ADM's courses are designed to develop creative individuals from artists to designers to animators to new media performers. The courses are visually and conceptually biased as the products students will make are visual and creatively conceptual rather than text based.
www.ntu.edu.sg

National Institute of Design - Ahmedabad, INDIA

NID is internationally acclaimed as one of the foremost multi-disciplinary institutions in the field of design education and research. The Business Week, USA has listed NID as one of the top 25 European & Asian programmes in the world. The institute functions as an autonomous body under the department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. NID is recognised by the Dept. of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR) under Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, as a scientific and industrial design research organisation. NID's graduates have made a mark in key sectors of commerce, industry and social development by taking role of catalysts and through thought leadership.
www.nid.edu

Gnomon Institute of visual effects, USA

Considered an advanced study institution, Gnomon was founded by a former Applications Engineers from Alias Wavefront who saw a need for a school that taught the tools and techniques necessary to produce high-end digital content. Gnomon's curriculum and facilities have been designed to constantly evolve to reflect any new demands that may arise from the entertainment industry.
www.gnomon3d.com

School of Visual Arts, USA

SVA is considered a primary source of animation talent for both coasts. Their graduates work at Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks skg, Blue Sky Studio and Nickelodeon. Legends and prominent animators like Yvette Kaplan (Beavis and Butthead Do America, Ice Age) are here to give you instruction, feedback and to nurture your artistic vision. SVA is in the forefront of offering best-of-breed, state-of-the-art technology to beginning animators.
www.schoolofvisualarts.edu

Royal College of Art, UK

The RCA is the world's only wholly postgraduate university institution of art and design - fine art, applied art, design, communications and humanities - offering the degrees of MA, MPhil and PhD. The student’s work is nourished by the vibrant, creative environment and is particularly supported by the close links with the Drawing Studio. Mark-making and drawing, abstraction, creative narrative and exploration of the material of film are explored by Master’s students and provide a stimulating environment for animation research. Research students are encouraged to question and reflect on their own practice and that of others at a deeper level.
The teaching staff have their own areas of research, which include the representation of water and cloth in three-dimensional animation, the creative slip between film and digital methods of production, devising a creative editing toolkit, exploring the relationship between painting and writing, and animation and psychoanalysis.
www.rca.ac.uk

Academy of Media Arts, Germany

The Academy of Media Arts is a teaching and research institution for audio-visual media in Cologne, Germany. It offers an undergraduate degree program, as well as post-graduate and further education programs.
www.khm.de

University of The Arts, USA

The University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia is one of the nation’s oldest universities dedicated to the arts. UArts College of Art and Design programs are tailored to your talents. If you want to master your discipline, you can. If you want to experiment with other art forms, you can. If you want to learn how technology can modify your work, you can.
www.uarts.edu

Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemburg, Germany

In the space of only fifteen years has won the right to count itself amongst the very best film schools. The Baden-Württemberg Film Academy as a whole is rightfully held in the highest regard by the film and media industry.
www.filmakademie.de

Animated Movies Release (2009)

Coraline (Laika Entertainment/Universal)

Release Date: 6 February 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :
A young girl walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life - only much better. But when her adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents (including Other Mother) try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home - and save her family.

WATCH TRAILER : :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO3n67BQvh0


Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (SonyPictures Animation)

Release Date:

18 September 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :The most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children's book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain
WATCH TRAILER :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP9wtdwgeok

Disney's christmas carol (Imagemovers Digital/Disney)

Release Date: 6 November 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :Charles Dickens' timeless tale of an old miser who must face Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come, as they help to bring kindness to his otherwise cold heart. The Ghosts remind him of the man he used to be, the hard truth of what the world is today, and what will happen if he does not strive to be a better man. Set around Christmas, the most joyous day of the year, Scrooge realizes the sharp contrast of his own personality.

WATCH TRAILER :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV7SwUmSuvc


Planet 51 (Ilion Animation/Sony)

Release Date: 20 November 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck!
WATCH TRAILER : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n8PGnc_cV4

The Princess and theFrog (Disney)

Release Date: 11 December 2009 (USA)

Plot Summary :A fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age.

WATCH TRAILER :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8N-kIiELUA

What is Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways. The most common method of presenting animation is as a motion picture or video program, although several other forms of presenting animation also exist.

Basic Bouncing Ball Tutorial

Principles of Traditional Animation

The following principles were developed and named:

1. Squash and Stretch - defining the rigidity and mass of an object by distorting its shape during an action
2. Timing and Motion - spacing actions to define the weight and size of objects and the personality of characters
3. Anticipation - the preparation for an action
4. Staging - presenting an idea so that it is unmistakably clear
5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action - the termination of an action and establishing its relationship to the next action
6. Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose Action - The two contrasting approaches to the creation of movement
7. Slow In and Out - the spacing of the in-between frames to achieve subtlety of timing and movement
8. Arcs - the visual path of action for natural movement
9. Exaggeration - Accentuating the essence of an idea via the design and the action
10. . Secondary Action - the action of an object resulting from another action
11. . Appeal - creating a design or an action that the audience enjoys watching