Macross Effects

[Ishimaru]

Curious if anyone knows.

I'm trying to reproduce the "glitter" that you see in Flashback, and a few of the flashy effects in Frontier's OP.

Does anyone know how?

Please.

[Ishimaru]

Come on guys I'm not asking for much here.

[The_WOZ]

I don't know anything about aftereffects, but the glitter effect on Flashback is a loop of some water footage superimposed on top of the animation.

[Hikuro]

Try using Windows Movie Maker they have a bunch of effects.

Usually back in those days of cel animation it was layer upon layer of someone elses animation on top, chances are someone drew that stuff.

[Ishimaru]

I don't know anything about aftereffects, but the glitter effect on Flashback is a loop of some water footage superimposed on top of the animation.

Oh thanks then, I'll take a look at recreating that effect. Somehow.

Try using Windows Movie Maker they have a bunch of effects.

Usually back in those days of cel animation it was layer upon layer of someone elses animation on top, chances are someone drew that stuff.

Windows Movie Maker, meh.

They must have been pretty good to draw in those effects.

I'll have something ready to show soon, I have to nail this effect down for a certain project of mine.

[SchizophrenicMC]

Windows Movie Maker, meh.

They must have been pretty good to draw in those effects.

I use WMM for everything. Even my Macross Frontier/Ace Combat 6 trailer is being made in it.

[chillyche]

Post a still of the effect you're refering to, and I'll tell you the best way I know how to do it in AE. I've got 9 years experience with the program. And have recently turned my attention to making Macross-y things.

[Ishimaru]

I use WMM for everything. Even my Macross Frontier/Ace Combat 6 trailer is being made in it.

Not saying it's bad. It just crashes every time I use it for some reason.

Post a still of the effect you're refering to, and I'll tell you the best way I know how to do it in AE. I've got 9 years experience with the program. And have recently turned my attention to making Macross-y things.

Ok well here it is. Screenshoted something from youtube since I'm not near my PC at the moment.

I'm pretty much looking at a way to try and achieve the glitter effect in that still.

[Darrtallion]

Not saying it's bad. It just crashes every time I use it for some reason.

Ok well here it is. Screenshoted something from youtube since I'm not near my PC at the moment.

I'm pretty much looking at a way to try and achieve the glitter effect in that still.

umm not sure cause that is a poor quality pic I hope this helps is this effect more what you mean?

[Ishimaru]

umm not sure cause that is a poor quality pic I hope this helps is this effect more what you mean?

Thanks and yes, thats what I'm looking for.

[SchizophrenicMC]

Not saying it's bad. It just crashes every time I use it for some reason.

Windows Movie Maker 2: Famous for crashing. Try getting a newer version from MS, or upgrade to Vista. Works like a dream on Vista, or with 2.6.

[chillyche]

You're going to want to use a particle system effect, such as CC particle world or, if you have it, Particular.

Here's a good tutorial for how to do wild stuff with particle world:

http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/soul_removal/

You'll have to adapt it to the proper look.

Feel free to use the Add transfer mode (ink mode), glows, and any combination of star filters you want.

If you have any of the Trapcode plugins, you're gonna be golden with this.

[Ishimaru]

Windows Movie Maker 2: Famous for crashing. Try getting a newer version from MS, or upgrade to Vista. Works like a dream on Vista, or with 2.6.

I just never saw the need for Movie Maker with Premiere but I'll take a look at it.

You're going to want to use a particle system effect, such as CC particle world or, if you have it, Particular.

Here's a good tutorial for how to do wild stuff with particle world:

http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/soul_removal/

You'll have to adapt it to the proper look.

Feel free to use the Add transfer mode (ink mode), glows, and any combination of star filters you want.

If you have any of the Trapcode plugins, you're gonna be golden with this.

Thanks a million man, I'll take a look at this and post up some results.

[chillyche]

I just never saw the need for Movie Maker with Premiere but I'll take a look at it.

Thanks a million man, I'll take a look at this and post up some results.

You definitely do not want to move backwards from Premiere to Movie Maker. Stay using your Adobe products and you'll be golden.

[SchizophrenicMC]

You definitely do not want to move backwards from Premiere to Movie Maker. Stay using your Adobe products and you'll be golden.

He's probably right... If I had anything Adobe, I'd probably use it. On that note, WMM is easier to use. It's like GIMP and paint. I have both, but I use the latter because I know how.

[chillyche]

He's probably right... If I had anything Adobe, I'd probably use it. On that note, WMM is easier to use. It's like GIMP and paint. I have both, but I use the latter because I know how.

Think about it like this. WMM is like a big fat crayon, and Premiere is like a full set of prismacolor colored pencils, a couple technical pens, and a decent lead-holder. By that token, then, Final Cut and Avid are like the full prismacolor pencil set, WITH the marker set, a bunch of quill tips in addition to the tech pens, an adjustable light table/drawing table, a couple of assistants, and full stipend. While anybody can pick up the crayon and make some marks, it's clumsy and not really suited for detail work. The latter tools clearly offer more range, flexibility and quality.

There's no probably about it, I am right. Insert goofy internet smiley HERE. At least on a technical level; everybody's got their own preferences.

[akt_m]

I guess you could do it with macromedia flash... By using mask and animating it...

[chillyche]

yeah, I just did a test. Took about 10 minutes. Created a reasonable approximation of the effect. It would take me a bit longer to get it just right. I didn't bother adding any star filters to really get the glittery look on the glowing particle trails.

You could also, rather than using a particular solid color for the particle systems, use an already animated layer -- a gently moving background -- and that would add more variety to the particles. You could even use one of the AE preset animated backgrounds and just adjust the color to your liking. You could also precompose together big and small particles (like in that tutorial I linked you to) and use that precomp as a matte for an animated texture layer or something. I think you're definitely gonna want some kinda lens effect, star filter, glow, applied on there, but not uniformly.

I can send you my project file if you want. I'm using AE CS3. PM me with your email.

[SchizophrenicMC]

There's no probably about it, I am right. Insert goofy internet smiley HERE. At least on a technical level; everybody's got their own preferences.

Stuff doesn't mean best. WMM's Free! That's like 276 points!

[Ishimaru]

yeah, I just did a test. Took about 10 minutes. Created a reasonable approximation of the effect. It would take me a bit longer to get it just right. I didn't bother adding any star filters to really get the glittery look on the glowing particle trails.

You could also, rather than using a particular solid color for the particle systems, use an already animated layer -- a gently moving background -- and that would add more variety to the particles. You could even use one of the AE preset animated backgrounds and just adjust the color to your liking. You could also precompose together big and small particles (like in that tutorial I linked you to) and use that precomp as a matte for an animated texture layer or something. I think you're definitely gonna want some kinda lens effect, star filter, glow, applied on there, but not uniformly.

I can send you my project file if you want. I'm using AE CS3. PM me with your email.

10 minutes!?

I won't even comment on that.

One of my issues with the particles is that the controlling the Physics options. I did however get it close to my liking with the glow effect but I'm having trouble getting the color in different sections of the particle (bottom/lower half). Also playing around with cropping to get that vertical look, but there's just something not right about how all the particles move and flow.

I'll give it a shot at those steps though, your directions make it sound too easy. AE is like Premiere's but with a larger preset of effects and much more control on how they work.But as I nearly forgot the prologue in Macross Frontier (Episode 1), shows the Megaroad with the same effect but in a cleaner particle-less look. I'm liking the Flashback one a bit more though, just for the way the particles are positioned separately from each other and not something wavy. Since the Frontier image looks more like the soul sucking effect that you linked a few posts up. Not sure if my grammar came out correctly on even explaining all that.

I really appreciate the help on this, I'll be using it in my upcoming pre-planned AMV projects (one being Macross) that has been going in for a few months, and AE has been catching my attention greatly.

He's probably right... If I had anything Adobe, I'd probably use it. On that note, WMM is easier to use. It's like GIMP and paint. I have both, but I use the latter because I know how.

It was more of a matter of using WMM, then actually hating it for not working correctly on what I was trying to state above. Premiere is just a personal preference for me, the interface is simple and easy to use, some might argue that but its different from person to person.

Edited January 14, 2009 by Ishimaru

[Ishimaru]

After a weeks time of being lazy, I was finally able to achieve the effect, thanks to che for helping out on this one.

Now to recreate that Frontier fold effect. o.o

Ninja Edit: I'll have a upload available soon when I'm being too lazy..

Edited January 20, 2009 by Ishimaru

[chillyche]

After a weeks time of being lazy, I was finally able to achieve the effect, thanks to che for helping out on this one.

Now to recreate that Frontier fold effect. o.o

Ninja Edit: I'll have a upload available soon when I'm being too lazy..

You want that fold effect in 2d or 3d space?

Basically, there's no standardized fold in Frontier. We collected examples of folds from several episodes for Macross Aria, and discovered that each one was somewhat different.

If you're doing everything in premiere and AE, I would suggest using a combination of solids with feathered circular masks, lot's of glow effects, and the "add" transfer mode. The key is really making sure that the ship passing through the fold is enveloped in blinding as it passes through the disc.

Oh yeah, and some particle effects for good measure.