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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Episode 2 - The lightsaber effects..

Discussion in 'Fan Films, Fan Audio & SciFi 3D' started by Jedi-Samus, May 27, 2002.

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  1. Jedi-Samus

    Jedi-Samus Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 21, 2002
    I would really like to know how ILM do their lightsaber effects. Or how to make similar effects. The "standard" photoshop effects do look good, but the ILM sabers are beautiful :D . So if anybody knows how it's done, please post!

    (Sorry if someone have already posted with the same topic)
     
  2. anakin_sky

    anakin_sky Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 13, 2001
    ILM's sabers look good because they use a combination of a bunch of different programs and spend hundreds of hours perfecting them.

    You can make pretty good lightsaber effects using the many tutorials in the Fanfilms tutorial section.



     
  3. Torr

    Torr Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2002
    Are you joking?
    The Episode II sabers were downright bad most of the time! Some parts were allright, but 90% of the finfilm sabers here kick AOTC butt! I can't believe so many posters here keep praising them!
     
  4. Jedi-Samus

    Jedi-Samus Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 21, 2002
    I WAS gonna rip you apart for saying so, but "from a certain point-of-view", you are right. Don't know if you mean what i mean, but here goes: I love the glow of the EP2 sabers. That glow is probably hard to make. The sabercore is a bit thick (i think) in EP2. That's the only "problem" i have with them. But it's the glow that makes them so fantastic :D
     
  5. Jedi Chimi

    Jedi Chimi Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2000
    TPM had much better saber effects than AOTC but I think it's mainly due to the lighting issues between the two films. I'm sure they used the same method for both films.

    Also, if I remember correctly, ILM has a program just for the saber effects that they programmed themself. So to get similar effects, your just going to have to practice. :)
     
  6. Jedi-Samus

    Jedi-Samus Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 21, 2002
    I'd sure like to get my green hands on that program! But it looks like i/we will have to do the LS effects the "standard" way...
     
  7. Phazer15000000

    Phazer15000000 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 8, 2002
    I don't understand you people...
    In case you haven't noticed, we are trying to duplicate the 'real' effects, right?

    So how could ours look better, if AOTC effects are the real things?

    If you mean the Phantom Menace effects are better than AOTC, sure.

     
  8. PixelMagic

    PixelMagic Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 8, 2001
    Here is the closest I've gotten to replicating the Episode II effects....

    http://www.geocities.com/night_sky_vfx/pixelmagiclightsaber.jpg
     
  9. Jedi Chimi

    Jedi Chimi Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2000
    I noticed many times during AOTC where the effects looked very similar to ROTJ.
     
  10. Desann2002

    Desann2002 Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2002
    personally, i agree with Jedi Chimi, it has something to do with the lighting, most of AOTC was in very harsh (bright) light, so the sabers did look a little bad, unlike most of the other films, where the lighting was a little more forgiving
     
  11. Jedi-Samus

    Jedi-Samus Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 21, 2002
    Pixelmagic: Looks great! Please share your wisdom with me :D

    If you want to get in touch with me, ICQ is probably the best way. My UIN is 15126803. I can't recieve messages from people who are not on my contact-list, so you'll have to let me add you before saying anything :]
     
  12. swboy

    swboy Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 28, 2000
    Its all in how the blades randomly filcker and pulsate... THAT is what we need to figure out how to do... there has to be SOME kind of plug in for doing something like that... thats the key
     
  13. Jabachile

    Jabachile Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 16, 2001
    I thought the sabers were very impressive for AOTC. Yeah, they are the real thing, guys...
     
  14. Torr

    Torr Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2002
    Okay, I'll break it down.

    I think the flickering/pulsing looked good in this episode. That I can agree on.

    But here are the big problems for me:

    The auras are so defined!
    There is very little graduality. It looks "painted on" around the core. This also makes it look like there is little variation in the brightness of the color from near the core to far away. In the bright arena shots it's one thing, but in Dooku's cave they got no excuse.

    What happened to the emitter flares??
    In the Kamino fight they were there and in many TPM shots they were as well. Definitely a good touch that suddenly dissapears during the Obi-Wan/Dooku/Anakin fight, where it really counts!

    The shape of the cores is good for the most part, but the tips bug me a lot! They look pointy in some shots! What's the deal with that?!
     
  15. JEDIBYKNIGHT

    JEDIBYKNIGHT Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 17, 2001
    Guys, you can't expect everything to be perfect.
    If you want to see perfect stuff, such as lightsabers, in Ep. III... Well my guess is : don't count on it.

    You were disappointed with AOTC's lightsabers, I don't think it will get better in Ep. III, just like I was disappointed with the lightsaber choreographies.

    You have to understand that George Lucas has to make the link between the Prequels and the Original Trilogy.
    So what I think is : we saw the best of lightsabers in TPM.

    Now, I do hope for you guys I'm wrong... :) But I personnaly don't mind those details... ILM know what they are doing.
     
  16. Neszis

    Neszis Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 23, 2001
    yes, but I think we all have a good idea of what a GOOD or PERFECT sabre looks like. We can make very SIMILAR sabres, but we can also make better sabres. There's a difference.

    In addition, YES, you're right, there is very little gradual glows to these things. I hated that. I DID like the emitter flare. but with ROTJ sabres...dear god NOTHING sucked as badly as ROTJ sabres. i mean...OUCH. Have you looked at the original box cover for it? They look like they put them on there with crayon! And during the movie, there is the part where Vader acvtivates Luke's sabre in that corridor. It shows a closeup. DEAR GOD IT SUCKS. Look at it...they're just SO BAD. Check em out.

    ~Neszis~
     
  17. JEDIBYKNIGHT

    JEDIBYKNIGHT Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 17, 2001
    Neszis, I love this shot !! (even if I think the best looking lightsabers in the OT are ESB's)
     
  18. Neszis

    Neszis Jedi Padawan star 4

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    May 23, 2001
    JBK!! UR BACK!

    ~Neszis~
     
  19. TigerClaw

    TigerClaw Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 2001
    I like the way the sabers looked in AOTC, Since TPM, We finally get to see lightsaber movement with a lot of motion blur, There was never any motion blur in the original trilogy.
     
  20. Son-Of-Suns

    Son-Of-Suns Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 18, 2000
    My favorite part of the lightsabers in AotC was the part where Dooku's and Anakin's illuminated their faces with the saber color, very cool
     
  21. Lord_Rive

    Lord_Rive TFN Fan Films Staff star 4 VIP

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2000
  22. DaftMaul

    DaftMaul Former TFN Fan Films Staff star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    The reason you hardly ever see a printed example of a lightsabre looking as good as it does onscreen is becuase of a 2 things that are difference between the two mediums.

    Cinema/Computer Monitor/TV:
    1. They all work with transmitted light. So the brighter you want is to be, the more light you add. You can really make those things burn your retinas if you want.

    2. The R, G and B channnels are perfect for red, green and blue lightsabres, offering pretty pure colours/light to acheive the results (Gee - it's almost as though they where designed to take advantage of this!)

    Printed Page
    1. This works with inks being laid onto paper and the light is reflected. So the brightness is totally dependant on the medium it is printed on. Get a dodgy bit of art paper (nice and grey) and your sabre cores are going to look like mush straight away.

    2. C, M, Y and K colours (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black/Key) These are the colours of print, not as ideal as the RG and B, especially in the poor old blue channel, which really tends to take a hit when printed and looks flat and dull

    So to say 'It looks bad on a video cover compared to the AOTC cinema sabres' is a statement bought on a lot more by the methods involved, rather than just lousy craftsmanship.

    And if you read all of that, sorry, becuase that's five minutes of your life you aren't going to get back :p
     
  23. Neszis

    Neszis Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 23, 2001
    Yes, but I backed it up saying that it looks the same on the box than in the movie in the corridor scene!

    ~Neszis~
     
  24. TigerClaw

    TigerClaw Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 2001
    Well, The motion blur on the lightsabers for TPM and AOTC were done better then in the original trilogy cause in the original trilogy, The lightsaber fx seems kind of out of place with the footage of the live action scenes, The sabers on TPM and AOTC look so much better cause they blend in well with the footage and not look overly bright like in the original trilogy sabers were.
     
  25. Desann2002

    Desann2002 Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2002
    for gods sake people, you have to remember thats technology has evolved since the orginal trilogy was made, so of course the FX would look better. stop moaning about the "rubbish" look of some of the shots in ROTJ, ESB, and ANH, they had to invent the technology to do it, it was still very experamental even when they made ROTJ.
    personally, i loved the whole original trilogy, you cant beat it, its what made the Star Wars prequals happen, without them, we wouldnt have these new films. so show a little respect please.
     
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