Exploding effect

[Mike Clasby]

Well, it depends on the realism level you after.

First, in Photoshop is easiest, make two copies of the background layer. Make the top layer with just the head, surrounded by transparency. On the middle layer clone out the area of the head, so there is a background behind the head when you blow it up. You can delete the original background layer or take it along for the ride. Save the file and Import into AE (Import Kind: Composition, Footage Dimensions: Document Size (this will keep the anchor point in the right place, layer size means you’d have to reposition the head layer or its anchor point).

You could have done the same in AE with masks and the Clone tool but PS is more familiar and controllable to most people for cloning.

They’ll be a folder with the footage from the “Head Explode” comp you just imported. Drag the two still down into your video comp. Now for cheesy, apply shatter to the “head layer”, Or Ball Action (grid size to 1 or 2, animate the paramete “scatter” then on top of that CC Scatterize or Stylize>Scatter. You could even add a smoke cloud that drifts away after from Dan’s “3D Particle Generator” tut (click his head ad scroll down, go to the “smoke” comp).

For a more realistic approach see Trapcode Particular or Particle Illusion, I know PI can dematerialize a person into particles, there’s a Elvis D… tut on the Wondertouch site (or ask at the Cow PI forumn). They have spurting blood too, and the demo is a full 30 day no watermarks version (not the top version but a good one).

[Jim Wilcox]

Andrew has a tut on the subject of exploding heads at his site:

https://www.videocopilot.net/videotutorials/suicide/index.htm

[Mike Clasby]

Since you said htis was new to you, if you use Simulation>Shatter, here’s some tips:

Shatter:
View: Rendered
Shape>Pattern: Change the Bricks to something like Glass or Stars and Triangles (you can also use custom shapes).
Repitions: Up a bit if you want the exploded pieces to be smaller
The Force Parameters and Physics control the violence, rate and aftermath of the Shatter (explosion), default is ok, move down the timeline to see the explosion.

Or, instead of Shatter, try Ball Action (grid size to 1 or 2, animate the parameter “scatter” then on top of that CC Scatterize or Stylize>Scatter. You could even add a smoke cloud that drifts away after from Dan’s “3D Particle Generator” tut (click his head ad scroll down, go to the “smoke” comp).

You can add fireballs (real ones and freeeee) here (tuts on same page):

https://www.detonationfilms.com/free_stuff.htm

[Mike Clasby]

Yikes, I hadn’t seen Andrew’s tut.

[Mike Clasby]

Well done, very gory, but I don’t think the guy’s head would explode cleanly from a trigger squeeze… you’d be suprised at how hard it is to kill somebody.

[Andrew Kramer]

Your right it sure wouldn’t but I wanted to work in the tracking technique to make it more in depth.
Anyways…

Be safe,
Andrew

[Reloaded]

Andrew Kramer’s tutorial is perfect.
I love it.
Congratulations Kramer.
Nice work as always.

[Russ930]

I made the layers as you suggested in PS (CS), but I am still having problems. When I import to AF(6.5) the comp comes in as one. There are not 2 images to choose from. Also the size of the image is hugh ( How do I size it in AF?)