Creation effects
Noel Powell, the mastermind behind Creation Effects, talks us through his rise and rise
Discover this range of creative tools for After Effects
“Iwas an artist before I ever touched a computer. Even as a kid, people would often commission me for portraits and illustrations,” says Creation Effects founder Noel Powell. Since 2012 he has been the solo mastermind behind a series of increasingly innovative Adobe After Effects templates, but in the early days he had different ambitions. The son of two missionaries creating writing systems for unwritten languages in West Africa, he would spend much of his time alone in his room, drawing and watching movies. “I was determined to be a famous Hollywood director,” Powell admits. “As I got older, I came to realise I was lacking an important component, the right personality. I don’t like telling people what to do and I don’t like doing what people tell me. That left me with one option: working for myself, by myself. A lonely existence? Sure. I love it.”
After his studies in fine art and multimedia communications, Powell began working in corporate video production and graphic design. He continues: “As my soul was slowly dying, I started shooting and selling stock footage on the side. The microstock industry was less competitive then, and it wasn’t long before I was making enough to quit my day job and go full time with it.”
As Powell continued to branch out, he became hooked on Adobe After Effects and the creative possibilities it presented. “Once I had created a good number of After Effects templates, I decided to make a website and put the best templates on it just to see what
“I have always tried to explore the boundaries of what Is possible In after effects. I choose effects that editors or animators wouldn’t normally think are possible to create” Noel Powell, Creation Effects founder
would happen. I called it Creation Effects,” adds Powell.
Creation Effects is comprised of a unique selection of Adobe After Effects templates, but as Powell makes clear, they are not what users might expect. “You won’t find any lower thirds or slideshows at Creation Effects. Actually, customers constantly and mistakenly refer to them as ‘plugins’ because, in a way, they enhance the capabilities of After Effects.”
He continues: “Ink bleeds, flocks of birds, custom 3D books, pencil sketch effects and aurora borealis are a few examples of the custom effects you can find on the site. I have always tried to explore the boundaries of what is possible in After Effects. I choose effects that editors or animators wouldn’t normally think are possible, or practical, to create.”
It didn’t take long for Creation Effects to become a hit with the After Effects community, but despite the success, Powell insists he is not cut out for the business end of things. “I’m not a businessman. The creative part of this gig comes naturally to me, and I don’t even see it as work because it’s just so much fun. But the marketing, incorporation, networking and other aspects have been a nightmare for me,” he explains. “I can’t honestly say I’m a one-man operation anymore. Dan Benson, entrepreneur and my best friend since high school has recently joined Creation Effects to handle the business and marketing aspects, so that I can focus on creating templates. I don’t see him as an employee, more like a trusted friend who’s willing to do all the stuff I don’t want to do. The success the site has seen almost entirely through word of mouth has been amazing, but in a few short months Dan has brought Creation Effects to another level.”
As his creation continues to grow, Powell has begun to see how and where the effects are used across a broad spectrum of music