[Mike Clasby]

Most folks use the effect, Ramp. That layer with Ramp needs to be precomposed (Layer>Precompose) to make the displacement map work.

On the main AE page, here:

https://forums.creativecow.net/forum/adobeaftereffects

Click on Aharon’s head and scroll down to almost the bottom (long scroll, lots of tuts by Aharon) to find his three part tutorials on displacement maps, and all things displacement will be explained… in detail.

[Mike Clasby]

If you don’t have the Bucks for the Lux, here is a link to a script that does what Lux does (and more-atmospheric fog in the light, if you want). It’s free, here’s an earlier reply, a link to the link;

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/2/917744

It turns an AE light into a beam.

[Mike Clasby]

Here’s a nice tut on making text animations in AE then importing into Flash for very small files sized animations:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/brimelow_lee/ae4flash1.php

[Mike Clasby]

If you can re-shoot soon, for whatever reason, you may be able to salvage the footage with Shadow/Highlight. It’s the same as the PhotoShop plugin, so google that for tuts, there are lots out there, several go into detail for your problem.

[Mike Clasby]

Yes you can. Here’s one way.

Using Dan’s 3D Particle Generator, change it to 2D since AE won’t export 3D Vectors graphics, then load in your own vector particle. You can use Audio Spectrum on a mask on a new solid (no audio Referenced) to make your own vector rings. Swap them in for Dan particle. Export as swf.

Download the project file from Dan’s tut “3D Particle Generator”.

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/ebberts_dan/particle_gen.php

Make your particle. In a new comp, 128×128 (same size as Dan’s particles), add a new solid and them make a ring with the elliptical mask tool. To that layer add the effect Audio Spectrum. Choose, Path: Mask 1. Display options: Analog lines to get a solid circle. With no Audio Layer, the audio spectrum won’t jump with the beat as there is none to jump to.

Go to the comp “moving emitter”. Delete all but one of Dan particles named “star flare”. Turn off the little 3D cube to turn the particle into a 2D layer (AE won’t export 3D layers as vectors). Select that layer. Now from the project window, Alt Drag your vector comp (the one you just created) onto Dan lone particle. This swaps the vector into the particle, keeping all the original particles code.

You might want to disable an expression or two now. Select the new particle layer and hit EE, to reveal all expression. Click the equal sign next to the Rotation and magically all the rings are now parallel to the ground.

Now duplicate the layers as many times as you want particles, Ctrl D.

Also turn off the eyeball for the layer “spike blob.psd”.

You need to read through Dan’s tut to get a real idea of what’s going on. There are lots of thing you can change, such as gravity (line one in the Position expression), and Particle Life (lines 1 and 2) for the Point expression. Anyway it’s very versatile if you want to tweak the code.

This is my favorite tut of Dan’s.

The file size for the swf isn’t that small, 422 KB for 10 vector circle in Dan’s 4 sec comp, but if it’s Rasterized it jumps to over 2MB. So choose “Ignore>Unsupported Features”. Also Dan’s comps are 640×480, maybe you don’t need that big.

Also if you import (File>Import) that swf into Flash (make stage size the same), then Publish that as a swf, it will be much smaller, That 400kb file dropped to 26 kb when re-published from Flash. Obviously Flash is better at optimizing the vectors.

Methiks most other Particle generators won’t do vectors as even if you sub in a vector particle, AE won’t recogize effects, and Particle generators are effects, except for a few effects like Audio Spectrum, as vectors, but I could be wrong.

[Mike Clasby]

You can keep the same trackpoint, even when it goes off-screen, by Alt-Dragging it off that point that is about to disappear off screen, Alt-drag it to a new trackpoint, and it creates the data as if it where the original. Here’s a tut:

Tracking obscured objects in video

https://studio.adobe.com/us/tips/tip.jsp?p=1&id=399&xml=aft6tracking

[Mike Clasby]

I don’t get any red leakage with script created cubes using either Digital Anarchy’s 3D Assistants Lite (it came with my copy of AE6.5) or with napscript’s createCube.jsx:

https://www.nabscripts.com/Downloads/downloads_en_1.php?id=7

Choose “a partir de nouveaux solides”, then set how large you want the sides (in pixels)and then check “source unique”, and click “creer”. It will construct an all white cube built around a Null. Changing the top and bottom to red, and no leakage for me in a quick test.

[Mike Clasby]

Maybe easiest to haunt the thrift store/rummage sales and buy an old label maker, then film that.

Or… I just Googled Label Maker and got this site. Just type in your word and it makes it onscreen, then copy the gif file (right-click>Save Picture As):

https://www.acme.com/labelmaker/

Wooah, that’s way too easy.

[Mike Clasby]

Since you’re doing fireworks you might want to look at this tut from Dan:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/ebberts_dan/particle_gen.php

You can sub in your own graphics for Dan’s. Downlaod the project file. Just delete all but one of Dan’s particles and Alt-Drag your own particle (should be about the same size) from the Project window onto Dan’s selected Particle. Now duplicate the particle (Ctrl D) as many times as you want.

This may be overkill, but worth a look.

[Mike Clasby]

First go to the spot in the timeline where the stroke begins to animate. On the layer with the stroke hit “uu” to reveal the keyframes that animate the stroke. We’ll line up the circle position changes with these keyframes.

In the layer with the stroke, “m” reveals the mask. Select and Copy (Ctrl C) the Mask Shape.

In the circle layer (the one you make or import), hit “p” to reveal it’s position. Set a position keyframe by clicking the Position Stopwatch, then Paste (Ctrl V) and the mask will now set position keyframes for the circle position. These are roving keyframes, so you can drag the end keyframe on the right to be directly over the Stroke keyframe that animates the stroke.

The circle should be attached to the end of the stroke.