Have Digital Special Effects Added To Your Video
RTFFX can add any of the following effects to your video. There are too many possibilities to define price packages. so contact RTFFX for a quote. Just indicate what you want done and RTFFX will provide an estimate (even if it is not on the list below). Special offer: If you are having other work done and you think of something in the effects area you would like to see incorporated into your video, don't hesitate to ask about it. If it is a good idea and the results can be offered to others, there's a good chance you can get it done for free!

2D (Two Dimensional) Special Effects

  • Digital Compositing (adding layers of video on top of other video)
    • Adding of layers of stationary or moving still images
      • As a simple example of still image compositing, the still image of "Digital Winston" has been composited onto the logo background at the top of this page. Winston as well as the logo background were created using 3D software packages (each by a different package).
    • Adding of layers of motion video - Clips of video can be stationary or themselves moving, or even change size.
    • So called "blue screen" effects or "chromakey". One or more objects are shot in front of a blue screen (other background colors can also be used). One can then have the blue background made transparent so that the object or object(s) can be easily placed onto another scene.
    • Complex scenes can be created using many layers of compositing.
  • Other 2D Special effects - the following list shows some of the possibilities.
    • Text and titling - including captioning and credits, made up of stationary or moving text. Text may "fade in", "fade out", scroll, or all of the above. Just watch the credits at the end of your favorite movies for example.
    • Digital Image Stabilization - This can be used to correct shakiness when the camera was handheld as opposed to having been on a tripod. Many digital camcorders have this capability to stabilize the video internally (it is built-in), but it may be limited. The alternative is to stablize the video externally, typically on a computer. This disadvantage of this process is that the outer regions of the image may be clipped (replaced with black areas) since the image is moved to keep a particular spot in the same place. The clipping effect can be softened by essentially fixing a black area around the image. The image appears smaller but it will appear stable.
    • Blurring - the most common use of "selective blurring" (blurring parts of an image only) is to obscure the face of someone to protect their identity. Hiding a face can also be done by changing the area to "blocks" (pixelating the area). Pixelating is actually done by vastly reducing the "resolution" of the image (the number of pixels or "dots" ) in a particular area of the image. Blurring also is a way to remove "noise" (visual "noise" as opposed to "noise" one can hear) from an image or video.
    • Fog - Actually fog "looks" like a flat 2D effect, but when done realistically, a 3D image is used to indicate the relative distances of objects in the scene. 2D images usually include no information about "depth". With 3D, this means that objects which are distant appear more "foggy" than objects closer to the camera.
    • Lightning
    • Color or Tint Adjustment - Artificially changing the color of something in a scene or adjusting the tint (color balance) of a scene. Typically color balance is adjusted to change the tint of someone's face if he or she appears too yellow or too red (or some other color!)
    • Removal of unwanted objects in a scene - an image of the background which is present behind the unwanted object usually is needed, though often another background can be substituted.
    • Hand drawn objects added on the frames, i.e., "rotoscoping". (Example: ray gun battle with the ray gun blasts hand drawn)

3D (Three Dimensional) Special Effects

  • Animated or still image logos for your business (Note the still image logo of RTFFX at the top of this page), See the QuickTime Demo Page for an animated version of the above logo).
    • Many times a 3D model should still be created for the right "look" even though the final result is going to be a 2D flat image. Several versions can be easily created which show the 3D object(s) from different angles.
  • Digital characters or mascots for your business or for any other purpose
    • "Digital Winston" who appears in the logo at the top of this page is the official mascot of RTFFX. "He" is a 3D computer model of an Old English Sheepdog.
  • 3D Architectural Models
    • Need to see what a building is going to look like? A digital model of it can be created. A "virtual tour" type of animation can be created where it appears that the viewer is flying around or through the building.
  • Product Visualization
    • One can create a model of any type of existing or to-be-developed commercial product and look at it from any angle.
  • Adding 3D computer-created objects to real scenes. This is the classic "special effect".
  • Other Types of Animations
    • Animating the inanimate - Giving life to objects which aren't alive (dancing toothbrushes for example).
    • Animating a look-alike of the living to appear to make the living do the impossible
    • Cartoon characters - a 3D animation can be "shaded" (colored) in such a way to give it a "cartoon" appearance.
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