Trapcode Shine vs. CC Light Rays

[Nico Jones]

They both give very different effects really – although to describe them they sound the same!

Shine is a little more versatile, and probably has more uses if you’re clever with it. Light rays is quick and dirty but I haven’t found a massive amount of useful applications for it…

Basically, shine is well worth the money.

[Ken Latman]

I’ve found that CC Light Rays is effective in some instances.
I would suggest downloading the demo and seeing for yourself. The results you get with Shine to me look better.

[Nick Berrisford]

I got Shine a while back and it goes deeper than Light Rays. You have way more control over the look and color of the rays (up to 5 colors) and they look more organic than Light Rays’. Also with Shine, you can use a null to take the Shine source into a 3D space in relation to the object it is emmiting from, giving a more realistic look (theres a tutorial at trapcode.com). While I haven’t tried doing so in Light Rays, I’m not sure you can do that with the same results.

Demo Shine, you will immediately see it is far different than Light Rays . . . whether or not it is worth the extra money for it depends on how much you think you will need light ray effects and how sophisticated you need them to be.

[Darby Edelen]

In addition, Light Rays is limited to a fairly simple operation on the layer it is applied to. It basically puckers the layer to an extreme and then composites this over the original layer.

Shine, alternatively, allows you to define your own colors (or use the layer’s) and creates the ‘rays’ based on a threshold that you can define. It is much, much more flexible.

Darby Edelen
DVD Menu Artist
Left Coast Digital
Aptos, CA

[Aharon Rabinowitz]

The effect CC Light Burst, is closer to shine, actually. Try it out.

But if you can spare the money, go with Shine.

It’s significantly faster and has more parameters, so you have a lot more control over the look and feel.

—————————————-
Aharon Rabinowitz
arabinowitz(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
http://www.allbetsareoff.com

—————————————-
Click the link below to subscribe to the Creative Cow After Effects Podcast, and get free AE video tutorials:

https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=111087911

[Terry Coolidge]

I was just about to come back here and post that I meant to say “Light Burst” and not “Light Rays,” and lo and behold… Aharon already pointed that out.

🙂

Thanks Aharon!

I meant to ask for a comparison between Trapcode Shine and CC Light Burst 2.5. Sounds like I have found out what I wanted to know, but if anyone else wants to chime in, feel free.