• Adobe After Effects

  trying to create an electrical surge

  Posted by Heather Crank on August 14, 2011 at 7:07 pm

  Hey Everyone,

  I have a neuron that is shooting out a stream (I used particular and created a glowing streak that reveals the type). My client would like an electric spark that surges through and builds the letters instead of a glowing stream. Anyone have any suggestions or seen any good examples? I’ve been all over the web for ideas/examples…

  Thank you,

  Heather

  Walter Soyka replied 14 years, 9 months ago 3 Members · 5 Replies
• 5 Replies

• 

  Tudor “ted” jelescu

  August 15, 2011 at 11:23 am

  I have used Knoll Lens Flare Pro before to create that kind of spark. If I remember well, the Arch Welder preset.

  Tudor “Ted” Jelescu
  Senior VFX Artist
• 

  Walter Soyka

  August 15, 2011 at 1:40 pm

  You might try the Advanced Lightning effect [link].

  It’s an often-overlooked effect, but it’s a nice simulator of electrical discharge with some powerful features. You can use the Alpha Obstacle feature to guide the lightning around (or inside) the letters you want to form.

  Walter Soyka
  Principal & Designer at Keen Live
  Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
  RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
  Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events
• 

  Heather Crank

  August 15, 2011 at 4:54 pm

  Thanks Ted, I Will look into that!
• 

  Heather Crank

  August 15, 2011 at 4:56 pm

  Thanks Walter, I’ll look into that. I usually avoid the lightening effect because it’s a little cheesy…but I have to admit I haven’t played around with advanced lighting…I’ll give it a shot thank you!!!!

  H
• 

  Walter Soyka

  August 15, 2011 at 5:54 pm

  [Heather Crank] “Thanks Walter, I’ll look into that. I usually avoid the lightening effect because it’s a little cheesy…but I have to admit I haven’t played around with advanced lighting…I’ll give it a shot thank you!!!!”

  Out of the box, yes, it is cheesy — but once you work your way through all the different properties, you can get a much more refined and realistic look. You could also get a lot more control over the flow of Advanced Lightning if you combined it with the Puppet tool.

  Genarts Sapphire S_ZapTo might be another good third-party option.

  Walter Soyka
  Principal & Designer at Keen Live
  Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
  RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
  Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

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