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Learn how to master smooth text appearances and animation using Offset and Ramp Up settings in After Effects.

Morphing is a distinctive effect that is best known from the movie Terminator 2 as well as the Michael Jackson music video Black and White. After Effects can do simple morphs with the Reshape filter - which is a Production Bundle only effect found under the Distort menu. Basically, a morph consists of one image changing its shape over time until it becomes another image. Morphing can be used as a visual effect - for example an actor may morph into an alien - or as an invisible technique - for example to change the perspective of a miniature so it can be composited more accurately with live action

The Beam Effect is a simple way of producing fairly good looking blasters. The effect can look quite nice if you put some time into it. But it will probably never look quite as good as rendering the blasters in your favorite 3D modeler and using After Effects to just supply the glow. I'm not saying the Beam Effect is bad, it's just that it's limitations can sometimes make the effect pretty hard to get.

Adobe After Effects Video Tutorials Free Video Training for After Effect 6.5, 7.0 and CS3