Benjamin
GILSON

I use After effects mainly for 2D projects and can't imagine working without Overlord, TrueCompDuplicator and, of course, expressions.
When rigging a character, Joysticks&Sliders and/or RubberHose2 are used for simple movements (Limber for very simple ones!) but when it comes to walk cycles and complete body structures, I use Duik (and recently switched to Angela as it is more complete than Bassel...).
I don't use AE much for compositing (to each his own) but it has already been useful for some projects requiring error masking on shot sequences, and possible tracking effects...
I used to rely on Elements 3D but, it was never very useful for my projects and I don't use it anymore since a long time (sorry Andrew... :-/).

Common use of Illustrator to create designs, characters and environments.

Character Animator is a fun tool to use and it can save time for repetitive sequences. However, when it's not the case or when a character has to switch to quarter face or profile, I prefer to move to J&S with AE. Character Animator is still very useful to manage the lip sync of the characters or for its management of physics and gravity.

I use Premiere Pro whenever (video) editing is required and I find it very useful for its voice recognition, subtitles and audio management features. But I must admit that I am not a big fan of the effects and graphics options it offers, which I find too limited. This is why I tend to switch to AE as soon as these features are needed.

I use Photoshop whenever an image needs to be retouched, corrected and optimized or when a composition needs to be reworked. It is also thanks to Photoshop that I create animated gifs and produce the storyboards that I will submit to clients. In short, this software is for me a practical tool more than a creative tool.

I use Audition in particular for the audio mixes of my projects (especially in multitrack, when it is necessary to adapt musical backgrounds to a very precise duration). After recording a VO, I also use Audition to clean up or adapt the recording. However, my knowledge of Audition remains rather basic compared to what this program can offer.

I've got a good handle on InDesign for simple layouts of my clients' magazines, brochures and annual reports (which may or may not go to print). And Indesign has also been very useful for making some basic interactive forms. So I have a very global knowledge of this program, even if it is useful to me only in a occasional way.

HTML5 / CSS3 / PHP / JS / SEO and other

The web was my first steps in design. That's why my knowledge of web languages is very good and I have already created many websites: I code with ease and have a very good knowledge of HTML/CSS.

My knowledge in PHP and Javascript is quite good, which already allowed me to debug some websites. I use PHP for website development, creating custom themes for Wordpress that require many requests. In the case of Javascript, I manage to read and adapt existing codes, but I must admit that with the mountain of content existing on the web and the ton of frameworks available, it is no longer necessary to recreate the wheel each time...

SEO is constantly evolving and we can lose the line quickly. If this is the case, one of the bases of a good SEO is to have a clean code. That's why I try to be as careful as possible.

And then there's Edge animate, which is completely outdated after being replaced by Animate, but I was comfortable enough with the program to create HTML5 animations as well as a video game for the birth of my daughter (Mini Pomme, le jeu - 2015).
Being trained in Animate is on my bucket list...

I know Wordpress very well (current use) and am able to create custom themes in pure HTML/CSS/PHP code that rely on this CMS.
When it's not the case, I also use webdesigns platforms like Elementor or WPbakery... Anyway, customized or not, I manage to personalize existing themes by adding extended features such as Advanced Custom Forms (ACF), client areas or multilingual sites.

vMix is a live video production software allowing to create live mixing, recording and live streaming.