Happy 25th Birthday Adobe Photoshop

25 years since Photoshop hit the market. As a traditional airbrush retoucher, I was a little hesitant to use this new program when it came out. There were no layers, computers were slower than heck. As there were no digital cameras, all images had to be scanned by an outside company. Usually a prepress house. Unless you had a new item called a flatbed scanner – I used to set up a scan of a grayscale image and it took so I long I could walk up to the gas station by my office and get a soda before it was done. You really couldn’t retouch anything that was large. The basic agency macs just couldn’t handle the file sizes or the processing needed. Adobe photoshop has come a long way since the early days. The videos I create always have a super or an animated 3d skin that originated in photoshop. My professional retouching and illustration work almost always includes some form of photoshop work. Adobe Photoshop has also allowed me put that finishing touch on all my professional photography projects. Whether it’s architectural, interior real estate or just basic product photography, Photoshop is always in the mix. Happy 25th Birthday Adobe Photoshop.

Freelance TV Animation Project for the Milwaukee Auto Market

A still shot from my new animated car commercial promoting auto service from Milwaukee’s ADAMM new and used car dealers. I have video links for the spot at YouTube – http://youtu.be/shPajAfv8Sc and in the previous WordPress post on this blog. I created all the visuals from scratch within a 3d environment. The script and audio was provided by the ad agency. I handle freelance animation projects for the Milwaukee, Chicago Minneapolis, Eau Claire and Madison markets. Anyone interested in working with me on a future project can email me at sranderson@wi.rr.com or call 262-751-6026. Most animation spots run between $750 to $2500. Obviously, it depends on the style and content of the spot but this is a typical price range. There’s also additional samples at my YouTube channel  – http://www.youtube.com/user/StudioN51 or my website at http://www.studion51.com .

Motion Graphics Animator in Milwaukee and Chicago

I just wrapped up this animated TV commercial for a financial client. All items except the audio and the 3 stock photos in the middle of the spot were created at my studio. Most of the ballons are the same ballon with the colors altered in After Effects. I then mirrored or flipped them with some extra key frame movements to give each one it’s own personality. The noise makers had the same treatment. While this spot went to the northern Wisconsin and Minnesota markets, I also do freelance animation work for the Milwaukee and Chicago television markets. You can read more about the spot under the Digital Animation section of this blog. I also have a few more samples posted at http://www.youtube.com/user/StudioN51?feature=mhee .

This is an animated commercial I did for the 2013 Auto Show Gala put on by ADAMM. If you’re interested in some of the details, I’ve posted additional information under the Digital Animation page.

Motion Graphics Animation for a Loan TV Commercial

I just completed this freelance TV animation project for an ad agency in Wisconsin. This is a reworked spot from one I did a few years ago. The motion graphics animation was originally done in SD – standard definition – so I needed to update any footage used and reformat for HD – high definition broadcast. The beach footage and the remodeling image were purchased stock items while the rest I created from scratch. It was a little hard to look through hundreds of beach video clips when I was sitting in a snow covered farmhouse studio. I used a clip that provided a nice warm sunset tone to contrast with the cooler snow colors within the spot. In the original TV animation, I had a couple envelopes with the words “bills” on them but it looked a little like cheap clipart. For the new TV commercial, I created a couple 3d ornaments with some cash skin wraps and had them consolidate into the 2 main ornaments. While the VO was pretty quick, I wanted to show a visual that conveyed a winter vacation. The 3d beach ball animation I created fit well. It bounces in at the “vacation” mark and leaves just in time to reveal the remodeling image. If time allows, I usually like to drop something in at the end that maintains the flavor of the spot. The beach ball was small enough and with a little snow, the spot wraps up nicely. I also added a couple small sound effects for the 3d beach ball I created and the loan super. The rest of the audio and VO was supplied by the ad agency.