Create a Waving Flag with After Effects

Rob Mize

©2010 CreativeCOW.net. All rights reserved.

In this video tutorial, Rob Mize teaches how to use After Effects to create and customize your own flag designs, then animate them using displacement maps... all without the use of third party plug-ins.

This tutorial is also available as a podcast.

Comments

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Re: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by Camille Katz

what a nice idea!! thanks a lot! i never knew one could make flags in AE. I'm making one for the United Barbie States (its going to be a funny song video).
:)

Thanks a lot
Camille

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Re: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by Rob Mize

Camille...
Thanks so much for your comments; they are very encouraging. I'm glad to hear you find the tutorials useful. Happy compositing!

Rob Mize

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Re: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by Camille Katz

All your tuts are great!! thanks so much! i learned so much from you!

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Re: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by Rob Mize

Hi, Bill...
Sorry for the delayed response. Without the .aep project file it's hard to be sure, but I would look at a couple of things. I would reduce the amount of displacement on the flag and also look at other transfer mode settings for the text and for the displacement layer (you can cycle through these using either Shift + or Shift - ).
Good luck with it and let me know how it turns out.

Rob Mize

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Re: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by bill daul

I tried to follow instructions and came up with something not quite right. 3753_wavingflagssm.mov.zip

The text in the flag is not flapping correctly and the green of the flag is not as dark green as the original.

Thanks for any light you can shed on my short comings.

--bill

--bill

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Re: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by Mikolaj Dębowski

I have one question... maybe You can help... I need to loop this flag animations unfortunately the transition is noticeable in my case how can I change this?

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@Mikolaj Dębowski
by Rob Mize

Hi, Mikolaj
In the Displacement Comp, remove the keyframes from the Offset Turbulence in the Fractal Noise Effect.
Then open Evolution Options and activate Cycle Evolution in both the Fractal Noise and Turbulent Displace effects. Change the Evolution Expression in both these effects to: time*12.
The effect will now loop as the Evolution cycles through the first revolution, at the end of the timeline.
I animated the Offset Turbulence in order to to move the displacement "waves" from screen left to right. This animation makes looping the effect difficult, if possible at all. However, leave the Offset Turbulence parameter static and you can loop the animation as described above.
Hopefully, this will still produce an acceptable result. Please let me know how it works for you.
Thanks for your interest...

Rob Mize

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@Rob Mize
by Mikolaj Dębowski

Thank You Rob for fast replay,

it's working great :) I'm doing flash website with ae animations as soon as my work will be finished I'll paste link with those animated flags :)

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Re: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by Mikolaj Dębowski

absolutly awsome! great job man

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Re: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by kwaku nyantekyi

Good tutorial. You really know you're stuff. Please don't take offense to this but my only criticism is that you speak too slowly and cautiously as if you're teaching little kids. It's driving me crazy.

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Re: Tutorial: Create a Waving Flag with After Effects
by John Cuevas

Nice tutorial Rob, even an old saw like myself found some new and more effiecient ways to do things in AE. Look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

Johnny Cuevas, Editor
http://www.thinkck.com

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