Ok this is really a tutorial for video but to get a still just take a snapshot of the video with your editing program. Now because my tutorial is so simple a baby could do it, I will not be including any pics. ok here we go
All you have to do is download effectslab light from FXHOME.COM or the latest version of the software. SURE its 100 or so bucks but believe me you could be spending THOUSANDS more to do this effect in hollywood and the results are FABULOUS!
OK once you have downloaded the program it’s a simple matter to do the effect. just go up to effects, click on neon light, click freehand and draw a curvy line. Close the effect and click animate. Click neon glow and change the color to orange. You will have to play around with it to get it to look like it grows out of the gun but thats all done by keyframing in effectslab. What I did was used about 12 different points to make my curvy line with the neon light effect and made it very small then stretched it out as i moved along the keyframes. After this download the force lightning preset from FXHOME.COM and just delete a couple of extreme keyframes. (there are a few where the lightning is overly jagged and not good for the GB effect) Then just render it.
Now you will have to buy the compositing program with it. I think it is now compositelab. I bought it when it was chromanator. Once you have it input your source video into the composite program, input the two video files you rendered from effectslab and put everything in the timeline. THEN this is important. You want to click on the effect in the timeline and click the properties option by left clicking change it from normal to add. on both effects. Then just position, keyframe, and render!
Sounds hard but trust me once you get the feel for the program you will find it so friggin easy to do the beam effect with the two programs!
best regards…
-Chris
pm me if you need any help i will walk you through it.
Can you post some pics of the results? I don’t think anyone is going to spend $100 if they’re not sure what quality of results they will see.
You know, as an interesting piece of information, the original version of EffectsLab was called ALAMDV. I think it came out like 5 or six years ago. Anyway, the original not only had the “lightsword” effect, but it actually had an effect made specifically to do GB proton stream effects as well. Of course, the original ALAMDV wasn’t anything spectacular; I hear the newer EffectsLab is much better. I’ve never used either myself, other than when I was a beta tester for the original.
I will get some screen shots of what i do as well as the GB effect it is capable of doing if you have the patience to do frame by frame work for about 100 frames to render the effectthen use a compositing program to do the effect in. Yes i use effectslab dv with the alamdv pluggin converted to effectslab. I HIGHLY reccomend it!
is there anyway you can do this on adobe after effects and i have the demo to the fxhome programs and is there a way i can still do the proton beam effect
I have only worked with adobe after effects once but I am sure there is a way to do it in there. I think you have to draw the beam by hand frame by frame in photoshop and import it into after effects. That;s how we did lightsabers back in 2001 at film school so I assume its the same. Sorry I cant help you there. You can see what the programs can do if you go to the off topic forum and click the link to my youtube video.
in AE use the lightning effect under render to get a lighting beam. then all you have to do is make a few less segments and a a smaller blue lightning beam save it on a black layer add a glower effect and lens flare, screen it back onto the video footage and you have a decent proton stream. check the 2 i made
Jeremy, who is doing the effects as well as acting in Ghostbusters Bloodlines made this to test some of the effect ideas he’s working on. Everything you see effects wise(except the ghost) is done is Adobe After Effects.
I’m pretty sure that he has a preset for the proton streams . I’ll see if I can get him to post it.
Cool, I’m not a fan of the wave warp effect. Personally i dont think it has the right feel to it. I dont know if this is the right way to put it but its kinda all or nothing.
I prefer to animate all my movement manually, so i can make the beam react to whatever is going on in the scene.
Appreicate the kind words, Ace. But the credit goes to my buddy, Jeremy. I’ll see if I can get him to post a tutorial or maybe post the preset he made!