Dot dissolve needed!

[Michael Szalapski]

Are these dots all the same size on a grid or are they various sizes and randomly scattered?

Can you convert them to layers so that they’re on individual layers in After Effects?

[Brendon Murphy]

If the dots are all separate layers, you can keyframe the opacities to fade them in. Then select your layers and run this script to give them a random offset so they fade in at different times:

app.beginUndoGroup(“Random Shift”);

var activeComp = app.project.activeItem;

var activeLayers = activeComp.selectedLayers;

if (activeLayers.length<1){

alert(“Please select some layers to sequence.”);

}else{

var myPrompt = prompt(“Enter amount of randomness (1-10 recommended).”,””);

for (var i = 0; i < activeLayers.length; i++) {

var randomValue = Math.round(Math.random()*myPrompt)*activeComp.frameDuration;

activeLayers[i].startTime = activeComp.time + randomValue;

};

}

app.endUndoGroup();

[Brendon Murphy]

If they are not separate layers, you can use a track matte like this:

-Add a new solid above your dots layer

-Add a fractal noise effect, followed by a mosaic effect.

-crank up the contrast on your fractal noise so that you see mostly black and white boxes, no grey.

-change the mosaic block size so the size and position of the blocks line up better with your blocks.

-set your dot layer’s track matte to “luma matte”

-animate the fractal noise brightness from -1500 to 1500 over several seconds (or whatever values are needed to go from fully black to fully white)

[Sara Haralson]

they’re all the same size on the same grid – thanks!

[Michael Szalapski]

If they’re the same size on a grid, I was going to suggest either doing the Fractal Noise and Mosaic thing that Brendon suggested or using Card Wipe to do it.

Or, if you have Form from Red Giant’s Trapcode Suite, you can get even crazier.