Bringing Still Images to Life with Photoshop & After Effects
If you’ve ever wanted to know how to make still images come to life, as you’ve seen in documentaries, Nick Harauz from Boris FX shows you how! He starts with an old photo of Johnny Cash in Photoshop, cutting out the people in the photo, expanding the background, and using some color effects, then he adds some gorgeous effects from Continuum and Sapphire.
Bringing Still Images to Life with Photoshop & After Effects, Part 1
He uses Photoshop‘s Generative Fill, powered by Firefly, to expand the original photo, then selects Johnny in the photo individually. Learn how to clone in the areas behind the people. Then, Nick shows you how he used Boris FX Optics EZ Mask to select people for hand-coloring effects, film effects, and more.
Bringing Still Images to Life with Photoshop & After Effects, Part 2
In part 2, see how the Photoshop layers were brought into After Effects. He adds camera moves and depth of field effects. In addition, he uses the Puppet Tool in After Effects to make Johnny’s head and hand move. He also adds some transitions to bring the photo in and out.
Bringing Still Images to Life with Photoshop & After Effects, Part 3
In part 3, Nick adds the finishing touches to the animated still image. He applies Boris FX Continuum Film Stocks, pulling in the custom effect that he created in Optics. Then, he adds some Continuum Light Leaks (Sapphire Light Leaks or other light leaks will also work). He also adds some moving dust particles to the background, generated from the Sapphire S_Dust plugin. He tones down both the light leaks and dust to add subtle movement to the photo.
He also adds some specialized transitions and a few more effects from Continuum and Sapphire to the photo. He also shows how to upscale the comp using UpRes ML, the new AI upscaling tool in Continuum.
Get it all with Boris FX Suite
Boris FX Suite
The Ultimate Visual Effects Package
With the Boris FX Suite, you can have ultimate creativity and cutting-edge technology at your fingertips. Get the best of award-winning tools such as Sapphire for visual effects, Mocha Pro for planar tracking and Optics to revolutionize rotoscoping - all accessible with one incredible annual price point! Unlock a world of possibilities with just $1,295 per year.
Boris FX Suite Includes:
• Continuum – The world’s most complete plugin toolkit
• Sapphire – The essential visual effects suite
• Silhouette - Roto, Paint & Compositing
• Mocha Pro – Award-winning planar tracking & masking
• CrumplePop – Easy to use, AI-drive audio restoration plugins
• Optics – Cinematic effects for photos
• SynthEyes – Fast 3D tracking and matching moving toolset
Need Boris FX Optics?
Boris FX Optics
Your Vision. Realized. Cinematic Effects Plugin for Photoshop & Lightroom
Bring your creative vision to life with Boris FX Optics, the ultimate photo editing toolkit. Designed for photographers, digital artists, and creators of all skill levels, Optics transforms your images with professional-grade effects inspired by the film and television industry. Whether you’re enhancing photos, creating dynamic cinemagraphs, or crafting one-of-a-kind visuals, Optics is your go-to solution.
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Boris FX Continuum Annual Subscription
Unleash your vision with Continuum plugins.
Continuum gives you access to stunning visual effects and workflow solutions that fit any content creation need. The easy-to-use interface includes 300+ effects, 40 transitions, and 5000+ presets and is optimized to give you fast performance in many popular video editing and VFX applications.
Use AI-powered tools to reduce noise and upscale images, add pro film textures, apply broadcast-ready transitions, fix footage fast, instantly generate motion graphics elements with Particle Illusion’s 3D particle animations, or even build 2D/3D vector titles with Title Studio. This isn’t just a plugin package — it’s creative freedom.
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Boris FX Continuum Perpetual License
Tools for Content Creators
Continuum gives you access to stunning visual effects and workflow solutions that fit any content creation need. The easy-to-use interface includes 300+ effects, 40 transitions, and 5000+ presets and is optimized to give you fast performance in many popular video editing and VFX applications.
Use AI-powered tools to reduce noise and upscale images, add pro film textures, apply broadcast-ready transitions, fix footage fast, instantly generate motion graphics elements with Particle Illusion’s 3D particle animations, or even build 2D/3D vector titles with Title Studio. This isn’t just a plugin package — it’s creative freedom.
Learn MoreTry Boris FX Continuum Perpetual License for free!
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Boris FX Sapphire Perpetual License
Award-winning VFX plugins
Boris FX Sapphire 2025 is an all-in-one plugin package that lets you create stunning organic looks unmatched by any other effect tools. It features over 270 effects and 3,000+ presets, a powerful Effect and Transition Builder, and the convenience of integrated tracking and masking with the Academy Award-winning Mocha. Sapphire’s superior image quality, control, and render speed offer massive time-savings — allowing creatives to focus on what matters most, delivering an impact that keeps audiences coming back.
Boris FX Sapphire Annual Subscription
Award-winning
Boris FX Sapphire 2025 is an all-in-one plugin package that lets you create stunning organic looks unmatched by any other effect tools. It features over 270 effects and 3,000+ presets, a powerful Effect and Transition Builder, and the convenience of integrated tracking and masking with the Academy Award-winning Mocha. Sapphire’s superior image quality, control, and render speed offer massive time-savings — allowing creatives to focus on what matters most, delivering an impact that keeps audiences coming back.
Learn MoreTry Boris FX Sapphire Annual Subscription for free!
Posted by Michele
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