Give Your Astrophotography REAL Depth – After Effects Tutorial
In this tutorial, I talk you through the full workflow for taking a static astrophotography image and turning it into a cinematic fly-through using After Effects. We’ll be collaborating with the expertise of astrophotographer Alex Linde to bridge the gap between photography and motion graphics. What you’ll learn:
- Star Removal: How to use StarNet++ (and alternatives like StarXTerminator) to prep your image for 3D depth.
- Camera Rigging: Setting up a 2-node camera with a Null Object for smooth, professional movement.
- Parallax Backgrounds: Creating a distant starfield that reacts realistically to camera movement.
- 3D Particle Stars: Using CC Particle World and a clever expression to generate thousands of static stars you can actually fly through.
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Links and Resources
- StarNet++
- Alex’s Work
- Download the 3D Starfields project
- Bonus: Free step-by-step PDF
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