[Digital Tutors] Photorealistic Camera Lens Effects in After Effects (After Effects CS6 + Knoll Light Factory 2.7.2) [08.04.2013, ENG]

In this series of After Effects tutorials we will be learning the causes of photorealistic camera lens, aperture, and film or sensor effects as they happen in real life image capturing. As we learn the mechanics behind each phenomenon, we will learn how to replicate this look inside of After Effects. We begin where light first enters the camera, through the lens, and follow it all the way to the heart of the camera, where the sensor or in some cases the film, lives. This training delves into the "why" behind complex light physics, and how it causes things like lens flares and bokeh effects. We then take a practical approach to making those effects look realistic rather than putting lens flares on top of everything and making it look amateurish. This course is for you if you want to learn the compositing secrets that take a normal looking CG shot and transform it into something that looks like it happened in the real world, on the other side of a camera. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to create these same effects inside of After Effects and for the most part, drop any piece of footage at the bottom of our nested comps and have a photo-realistic distortion visibly applied when you jump back to the main level of your project.