Under water effect

[Mylenium]

You don’t see any rippling underwater. Contiguous volumes of the same substance with constant density do not create any distortion/ refraction whatsoever inside this volume according to the laws of physics. All you would see is some absorbtion (desaturation), light scattering due to micro particles (blur) and a definitive color shift toewards blue (because lower frequencies of the light spectrum get absorbed) in an underwater scene. It is much more important to keep those effects in mind. Use pale makeup and very diffuse lighting. Also add realism by using a fan to create motion in hair and clothes of your talent. Lastly add particle systems for air bubbles and plankton particles.

Mylenium

[Pour Myl

[Troy E. parker]

Generally this is correct, but you will see some swirling when passing through Thermoclines (cold/warm water mixing), Haloclines (salt/fresh water mixing) and in very clear water can get a shadow from the surface (clouds, wave action etc) onto a sandy bottom or similar surface.

T

troy@crossmediacorp.com
http://www.crossmediacorp.com

[Nel Johnson]

Hey,

You maybe wanna check out Jim Tierneys caustics tut. I realise this is shot from above, out of water, but it would be a good place to start.

https://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/page_wrapper.cgi?forumid=2&page=https://www.creativecow.net/articles/tierney_jim/caustics/index.html

[Mmhmichael]

some things to do on set:

-have a fan blowing actors’ hair and clothes, then slow down footage in post to normal speed. (creates smooth and slow underwater movement; if you have dialogue/lyrics, have actors perform them at slightly fast speed, then slow down to normal speed in post)

-create light refractions on actors by shining/reflecting light off a ripplng surface of water. also – if you’re adventurous – try shining a light through a water tank filled with pieces of foil, glass, or mirrors.

some things to do in post:

-desaturation/hue
-add light refractions/shadows on foreground and background elements
-darken/blur objects further in the background
-add a diffused glow to highlights (with plug-ins; or duplicate a layer, blur it, and screen it over itself)

decide early on what kind of look you’re going for – if you want to truly convince the viewer that the footage is underwater, or if you just want to invoke the feeling of being ‘under the sea’

here’s a video i recently finished the VFX for that i tried to work some of these things into: https://www.lowellnorthrop.com/musicvideos/early_dolphin/