Pick a program, or a number of programs you want to use to create your special effects. As each program generally follows a more specific workflow, it is important to know early on in production which programs should be used. The main consideration when making your choice of program is whether you are creating a 2D or 3D effect. 2D effects resemble visuals that look like paper cut outs or old cartoons. 3D effects resemble the popular computer-animated movies you see in Hollywood movies like "Toy Story" or "Shrek."
Shoot the live-action component of the movie. When shooting, you may need to use a green or blue screen background, so you can easily incorporate the live-action part with the computer-generated portion in post-production. If your movie doesn't involve any live-action component, simply start creating the basic elements that will serve as the backbone of your visual effects. These typically include hand-drawn or computer-drawn sketches.
Open your chosen program, then create a new project in it. Provide a file name for the project and save it in your computer's hard drive.
Gather all visual elements you need, then import them into your chosen program. This program may be a dedicated special effects program that can create fire or particle effects, or an animation program that allows you to create moving images from inanimate visual elements. Some prefer to first use an image editing program like Adobe Photoshop before the final image is imported into the special effects or animation program. However, there are cases when everything starts from scratch and you don't need to gather any visual element for the project. In this case, you simply proceed to creating the effect in your chosen program.
Create the effect you need by using the tools and menus in your chosen special effects or animation program. While the process varies by program, this basically involves using the special effects function of the program to generate a new image or alter the original visual element you imported. For instance, you can make new still or moving images of effects like smoke, rain, explosions or texts with motion graphics or make color or shape alterations in your imported material.
Watch your work-in-progress effect using the program's "Preview Window." Make any necessary revision. You may also add additional effects using the different menus and tools provided by your program. Also, finalize the effect's running time, which can typically range from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Render your final effect. Most programs have the "Render" button placed under the menu options or tool window. Rendering is the process of finalizing the look of a video after altering it or placing additional effects on it.
Export the rendered effect in your desired video file format to use in your movie. Popular formats include .MP4, .MOV and .AVI. This usually requires importing this final video into a video editing program so that you can combine it with the edited movie.