I want to create a shimmering, slightly translucent, glasslike web page floating in space…

[Andrew Kramer]

This is the best topic description I have ever read. EVER.

Do a search for creating glass buttons in photoshop. Then apply these methods to a web format and you may be on to something. then you’ll need a fancy space picture.

Good Luck.
Andrew

[Steve Roberts]

Yes, nice topic header. 🙂

Consider, from a strictly visual standpoint, what that sort of page would look like.

1. less than 100% opacity
2. Possibly some kind of bevel.
3. some kind of reflection that moves, either on its own (like footage) or with the page as it moves or rotates.

#1 is easy. #2 can be faked with one of the bevel effects. #3 is not easy. AE doesn’t do this (raytraced reflections), so you have to fake it by compositing another image layer over the web page layer, and using a copy of the web page layer as a matte to cut out the “reflected” image.

Now, to make it move … hold up a CD and rotate it. It’s as if you were looking at the image from a panning camera, yes? So to do this in AE, take an image of your choice and make a movie of it panning … maybe just place it in a comp, slide it in that comp, then drop the comp into the main comp and matte it there. The tricky part is synchronizing the page motion with the “reflection” motion. This step should probably be done only after you’ve animated the web page to your liking.

If you search “raytrace” and “after effects” you may find a tutorial.

Hope that helps,
Steve

[Nils Palmen]

don’t forget – some ordinary particals in a 3d space looks like the universe – and you can even fly through it… i like this one for it’s easy and direct effect! space = fun 😉