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Activity Forums Adobe After Effects How would you create a Glowing Light from an Office?

  • How would you create a Glowing Light from an Office?

    Posted by Kevin Burke on December 9, 2008 at 2:12 pm

    Hi,
    I’m trying to create the effect of someone working at night in an empty office building. I have a static shot of an office at night. I’d like for one of the windows to be glowing outward (if that makes sense) to appear like live footage. Any ideas on how to go about this look?

    Thank you!!!
    -Kevin

    David Bogie replied 17 years, 5 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • Alex Dinnin

    December 9, 2008 at 2:51 pm

    Of the top of my head.. assuming that you are looking at the the office from distance.. like the only light on in an office block…

    Take the frame into Photoshop, marque round the office window, and create a new layer with it.. inverse the colour, then colour correct it using Hue, Saturation, etc.. duplicate the layer, put a blur on it, then change the thingy to screen and adjust the opacity…

    save it, import into AE as a comp, change the comp settings so it is back to 4:3 pal or ntsc.. or what ever you are using. add a very subtle zoom or camera wobble, and add a bit of noise to an adjustment layer.. to stop it looking to much like a static frame..

    just a start !!

    Alex

  • David Bogie

    December 9, 2008 at 5:57 pm

    If you trace the window with a mask, apply a two or three pixel stroke, you can use this as the input for CC Light Burst or CC Light Rays (depends on your stylistic need). The alpha from the stroke can be used to create an outwardly oriented glow. Very little of this effect is needed to carry the illusion.

    There are many other ways to use the window shape as the source of a glow filter. Without seeing your footage or knowing what the rest of the project entails, hard to tell you which one to pursue. Heck, you can even use CC Light Wipe, precompose that output, and add some zoom blur.

    bogiesan

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