Axel continues his mocha training series today with an introduction to getting a high quality camera solve using mocha HitFilm. mocha is a hugely powerful part of HitFilm 2 Ultimate and is well worth the time investment to learn its

This post isn't about Kickstarter! I know, remarkable, isn't it? Instead, it's about mocha HitFilm, the bundled version of mocha that comes free with HitFilm 2 Ultimate and gives you access to the wonders of planar tracking and integrated camera solving.

As with any advanced tech, it can take a little bit of learning. mocha is hugely powerful but you do need to know what you're doing. To help you get up to speed, Axel has turned his inquisitive eye towards this very subject, delivering a vital …

Here's a blast from the past. Back in 1986 (or thereabouts), Majahr Pictures created a super cool magical orb effect. At the time, I gleefully declared that I would make a tutorial showing how to do it, which I never quite got round to.

Fast forward to now and Axel 'Axel Wilkinson' Wilkinson has finally put together a tutorial detailing exactly how to recreate Majahr's energy ball. It's easy, fast and produces great results.

This is actually the first part in a mini-series that Axel is now …

This week's tutorial is a little less epic than the last one but still contains a good few VFX tips on which to ruminate. This goes hand-in-hand with our atmospheric chaff tutorial from a few weeks ago, which I'll also handily embed just below:

This is a tutorial we've been intending to put together for quite some time now. Fact is, HitFilm 2 is so powerful that it makes planning and scheduling tutorials rather tricky: where do you start? Which features do you do first?

When it comes to the new 3D model features this conundrum is compounded. Up until now we've focused on very dramatic examples: spaceships, helicopters. We decided it was time to get a bit more down to earth and look at a real-world example.

Many of the tips and …

The ability to import 3D models into HitFilm 2 Ultimate is one of its more remarkable features, opening up superfast workflows for experienced 3D artists and providing a non-brain-melting route into the world of quality 3D for everybody else.

In today's tutorial I'm taking a look at a method for adding glowing lights to 3D models. It's a technique I used in the HitFilm 2 trailer on the UFO and I've since refined it somewhat - hence the UFO example shot in the tutorial actually looks better …

FXhome HQ is a hive of activity at the moment. We're gearing up for the launch of the new version of our other product, PhotoKey 6, including a major new photoshoot, plus prepping an exciting new HitFilm-related project which we'll be revealing soon. That's why the second tutorial in our What's Your Idea? series has taken slightly longer than anticipated to arrive but - at last - it's finally here.

Today we're taking a look at the shots from the opening of the UFO sequence, in which we see a …

Ever wondered how the particle simulator works? Do you sometimes confuse your emitters with your particle systems and your mobile emitters with your forces? In that case, check out Axel's latest tutorial in which he breaks it all down

OK, you can't use an actual pencil to control HitFilm. However, you can watch our latest tutorial to find out how to create a 'pencil sketch' look using very simple effects and blend modes. Even if you have no particular need for a pencil sketch in your next movie, it's worth a watch to see how blend modes can be used in innovative ways.

Obviously, the first person to recreate this classic music video in HitFilm gets some kind of award:

In a pleasing moment of synchronicity, today would have been Douglas Adams' 61st birthday. A memorable section from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sees Arthur Dent exploring the legendary Magrathea, a huge planet-manufacturing factory.

Which is a long-winded way of introducing Axel 'Slartibartfast' Wilkinson's latest tutorial, which shows you precisely how to manufacture your own planets inside HitFilm 2 Ultimate using none other than the handy Sphere effect.

We're …