The Lightsaber Effects Thread

http://www.videocopilot.net/presets/light_sabers_v2/

Download the project. Extract, there will be a folder in there with 2 lightsaber presets. Copy both to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects CS3\Support Files\Presets (assuming you have after effects installed on the C drive). Restart After Effects and the preset should show up in your "Effects and Presets" window under "Animation Presets"

-Joe

PS - videocopilot says their presets work with AE 7 and up... so that could be your problem.

I have After Effects CS4

I tried to make my own contact/ignition flash. This is how I went about it...

1st...took a picture of a halloween/christmas light that had some paint comin off of it.

ISO 100, Shutter @ 15s, Aperture @ 8-11 (photo not with added fx, just cropped & shrunk for web).

[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/madhorizons/Photoshop%20Manipulations/as_shot.jpg]

I only took the 1/2 that was on the black. I will re-do this where i can use the shot as-is...but didn't have what i needed at tht time. After a lot of erasing, rotating, transfer modes, etc (all in Photoshop CS4), this is what I came up with:

[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/madhorizons/Photoshop%20Manipulations/saber_flash.jpg]

And what it looks like on Photoshop's Linear Dodge (Add) setting:
[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/madhorizons/Photoshop%20Manipulations/rvd2_addflash.jpg]

Feedback welcome.

there is your problem

Never use the Video Copilot lightsabers unless you are pre-vis.

Hmm.. Well I don't know a lot about flares, but personally? You should put them in motion and then show us what it looks like. If you feather those edges out even more, and make the horizontal line a little less prominent, then it'd be REALLY nice. It looks a bit like you put some layers on add mode for the flare? I say that because its pretty bright around the center of the flare, try making any layers on top of each other on screen mode instead. Other than that, pretty goob job. Look forward to more!

I'll put it in motion tonight. Ultimately, I need to re-do the picture with a pinhole in FRONT of the light source. Yes...some of the layers are on add b/c I had to fill in some gaps between the footage & core. I kind of liked the intensity in the middle, which raises/lowers by using levels....i'll do some w/ screen & add side by side. The horizontal line is a personal preference thing, but I'll tweak it and do a cpl versions with & without. Hopefully I have some saber smacking footage laying around still....i THINK i do.

The feedback's much appreciated, keep it comin!

Anamorphic flares are funny when the footage wasn't shot with anamorphic optics. Note that there is no horizontal streak in the picture of the light. Without other anamorphic artifacts, anamorphic flares are actually bad compositing.

In fact, if shot with a CCD camera, you'd actually see vertical streaks across the image, not horizontal, constrained to the very center of the bright spot. CMOS sensors won't produce that artifact.

-Spiff

I say good work.

I agree...which is why I moved the Photoshop file into AE as a composition. That way I can remove the streak or whatever depending on footage.

I'm about to leave to "work" from home the rest of the day, so I should be able to have it composited and in motion for an example. I have a 1s clip I'm using from the RvB2 application vid (Nate did say he'll leave it up to "play with" and "post on youtube or whatever" LOL). I'll post that later today with all my settings, etc for critique.

Thanks much!

Test 1 here:

32bit
Linear
sRGB
Sabers xfer mode = add
Clash xfer mode = add

http://vimeo.com/7455151

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecpin0LTkFQ
It says the video quality might look better once it's completely processed.

EDIT: Ah, there we go.

That's harsh, and not at all true. Sure, if you want to do it the best you can, you shouldn't be playing around with presets, but it can work great as a 2-point roto technique, if you just do the glows yourself.

YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!

You killed the tripod!

You got what you deserved in the end!

Lolz

At least he broke his intentionally.
The last one I went through was a rather tragic and humiliating accident.




But we got the shot.

I went to do a VFX shoot once, pulled out the tripod and it fell apart in my hands. Some one had killed it and simply put the parts back in place and left it there for me to find

I am working on re-doing the Lightsaber effects at the end of ROTJ in the duel between Luke and Vader and this was a test shot I did before I started work on the full motion video. I think it turned out well, and for anyone who wants to roto the same shot the un-roto'd frame I created will be linked at the bottom of the post.

[image=http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1503/josheditlukevsvadergree.jpg]

and an alternate colour scheme.

[image=http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/60/josheditlukevsvader.jpg]

Links

Original Frame

Un-roto'd Frame

Josh,

It's not bad, but I think it's perhaps a little bright and saturated for that shot.

Here's another stab at it; it's more toned down in regards to how the background is lit.

Click on image.
[image=http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/2300/joshyroto01.jpg]

Andy

This is a fantastic thread! Thank you! I've learned SO MUCH here!

Pac-El

You've actually read all 8343 posts? Nice.

Here's a before and after of a frame from my current project.

[image=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b378/corrin_wyndryder/TapeA1b.jpg] [image=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b378/corrin_wyndryder/Sabers01.jpg]

Thoughts?

Considering your shooting under sunlight, your glow wouldnt be that big and bright.

And did you color correct that footage? Holy saturation.

A fresh take on an older image.

Aside from one attempt on a still frame a few years ago (that I quickly erased), this yellow sword is the first non-canon color I've done.

I think it turned out pretty well. It's the same method I've been using lately.

Feedback appreciated!

Click on image.
[image=http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/7492/nateroto2.jpg]

Andy

Brighten the source image.