Create a Supernova in After Effects

In this tutorial, I build on some of my earlier videos to create a supernova (a massive star explosion).

After a preview of what we’re going to build, I sprinkle in a few facts about these stellar phenomena then dive into the tutorial.  For the sun’s shrinking to a point, I use the lesser known Time Displacement to create an organic implosion.

Next I use a simple expression to link a Lens Flare to a 3D Null.  For the nebula particles I demonstrate how to create an explosion using CC Particle World and finally for the shockwave I use Video Copilot’s Orb, which CC Radial Blur and Turbulent Noise to get the look.

Video Copilot’s Orb effect: https://www.videocopilot.net/orb/ 

Video Copilot’s Color Vibrance: https://www.videocopilot.net/blog/2014/05/new-plug-in-color-vibrance/ 

Starfield Tutorial: https://youtu.be/xG0GQLHRvHw 

Sun Tutorial: https://youtu.be/3uL-8dwYrJI

Linking CC Particle World to a 3D Null: https://youtu.be/dYYmeBOWXpw 

Project download: https://bit.ly/3EAlzPk

###

Enjoying this tutorial? Sign up now for the Creative COW Newsletter!

Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industry news, forum highlights, inspirational tutorials, tips, burning questions, and more! Receive bulletins from the largest, longest-running community dedicated to supporting professionals working in film, video, and audio.

Enter your email address, a first and last name, and let us know what you’d like to see more of in the message!