Creating an Apparition Effect with Trapcode Particular
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Red Giant Tutorials from Creative COW
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 | Michael Park
Tampa Bay Florida, USA
©2009 Michael Park and CreativeCOW.net. All rights reserved. |
Article Focus:
Get your wand out and be ready to defend yourself! In this tutorial, CreativeCow.net's Trapcode Forum leader Michael Park shows you how to create an "Apparition" effect with Trapcode particular, as seen in a film that shall not be named. You'll learn how to create realistic shadows with Red Giant Warp. Also, you'll be introduced to color correction techniques using the After Effects standard toolset, as well as Magic Bullet Looks. In addition, you'll get a sneak peak at Michael Park's upcoming Creative Cow Master Series DVD: Practical Particles.
This is part of a Red Giant TV series here at CreativeCOW.net. Red Giant Software products are available as plug-ins for popular video editing and effects applications, including Adobe After Effects®, Adobe Photoshop®, Adobe Premiere Pro®, AVID®, Sony Vegas® and Apple Final Cut Pro®/Motion®.
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Comments | | | |  | Re: Creating an Apparition Effect with Trapcode Particular
by Mike Park 38639133 |
Man, it has been a long time since I recorded that tutorial. I am guessing that your layer anchor point is offset, causing the problem. Check your layer anchor point and if it is not in the middle, use the pan behind tool to center it up. Then, it should work. I hope this fixes the problem.
Best,
Mike Park | | | | |
| | | | Thanks Mike,
I will see if I can figure that out. :)
I definitely sounds like that (anchor or pivot). I know in Lightwave 3D there is a pivot setting and if not centered gives the same effect.
Hopefully, I can figure this out.
Eric
Eric D. Kirk
www.kirkproductions.com | | | | |
| | | | Hi Mike,
Just in case you are curious. I resolved it but I did have to redo the entire particle part in order to realize my mistake. You actually reference it toward the begin about "that's why we have the particles go straight down, otherwise it would rotate all weird" (words to that effect. Since my subject was off center, naturally, I had moved the thing off center. So, to fix, I just left everything in the center, then moved the whole smoke comp afterward which then carried all the settings, etc. Looks pretty good now.
Thanks.
Eric
Eric D. Kirk
www.kirkproductions.com | | | | |
| | | |  | Re: Creating an Apparition Effect with Trapcode Particular
by Eric Kirk 38648834 |
Hi Michael,
I hope you see this and perhaps can answer my question. I followed this tutorial to the T. Excellent tutorial and looks fantastic. The only problem I had is setting the particles to twist. You made the first particle layer twist 360 degrees, the second twist 180 if you recall. When I add that formula time*360 on the y axis, it rotates but does not rotate in place. Instead it rotates as if around an imaginary larger circle. My interpretation would be that the axis point is not centered somehow. Can't quite figure out why but apprecaite your help.
Eric Kirk
Kirk Productions
Eric D. Kirk
www.kirkproductions.com | | | | |
| | | | Hey cheers Mike.
I'll send both clips tonight or tomorrow morning if thats cool? In answer to your question, the shot is the most basic shot (head and shoulders) of the director himself just sitting against a wall. I just wanted to try get the effect right before we started rotoing or motion tracking.
I'll be in touch soon
Thank again really appreciate your help | | | | |
| | | | Hey, send me a short clip of you villan if possible so I can see what you are working with. email me at park_mike@yahoo.com
I think you can darken up the face using the exposure settings - more rotowork - to help sell the effect and then place the smoke overtop the face. I can tell more once i see the sample footage.
BTW - did the director not go for the effect or the shot. Send me 2 vids - one clean and one with your effects applied and let me take a look.
Best,
Mike | | | | |
| | | | Hey Mike
Thanks for getting back to me. Yeah I know I got a lot of rotoscoping ahead of me and also a lot of motion tracking. I don't have any footage or samples I can get to you as yet (in work and this is more of a home project) I can send you on a quick video of what I've done so far but the director didn't go for. Maybe if I tell you the idea behind the script that might give you some sort of idea?
Basically there are a number of people who have been attack and harassed by this villain and when they try to recall what he looks like they cant make out his face as its obstructed by a vail of smoke (kind of like how in police videos they blur out people faces) the victims minds are being made draw a blank on the face.
I know this is very vague but in answer to your first question: The smoke more or less evolves and hangs over the guys face, never really moving. I would like it to slowly rise but never with any real speed.
I think the smoke covering the face is going to be quite hard as smoke is generally opaque and test I've tried so far leave the face seeable. I myself am waiting for the finished scripts so not sure how it resolves itself.
Regards
Ross
PS sorry for the really long e-mail | | | | |
| | | | where does the smoke start? is it coming from under his clothes? You may end up having a lot of rotoscoping where you clip the smoke layer with masks. As for what transfer mode, if that is your question, it would depend on the shot and the smoke color. Can you give me any more info or a picture of what you are after? That would help greatly.
Best,
Mike | | | | |
| | | | Hey great tutorial just a quick question. I'm doing an effects shot where the villian's of the film has his face shrouded in smoke at all times. If I'm using this tutorial as a point of reference have you got any advice of how I'd go about composing the smoke to get a real looking shot?
Ross | | | | |
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