After Effects Tutorial - Laser-etched metal pt2

[guilliano01]

That was brilliant. Cheers Teacher :)!

[ScrewBeast90]

Can you explain more clearly from 7:46 to 8:15

i don't get what you need to press

[shortformvideos]

@ScrewBeast90 All I'm doing is creating a keyframe at the beginning and end of the timeline, and changing the keyframe value for Sub Offset at the end of the timeline to create that motion you see. It seems to me that this is the first time you've used After Effects, so I understand that these things seem complicated. But I can recommend Adobe's Classroom in a Book for AE to get your head around the basics - it's where I got started.

[SimpleLifeHighThink]

Thank u my teacher (^__^)~

[MrOndraman]

Thank u a lot :)

[MrOndraman]

2:49 what button should i hold please? I don´t understand :D

[shortformvideos]

@MrOndraman Holding down the ALT key (Option key on a Mac) and clicking on the stopwatch icon next to a property will let you create an Expression. Basically, an Expression is a piece of Javascript that lets you control certain values of a layer in powerful ways - the pickwhip (that little spiral icon) lets you create basic expressions by dragging and dropping, so you don't need to know how to write Javascript to create a basic expression. If that makes sense.

[MrDewmz]

@shortformvideos You do such an awesome job responding to people (Busymama was actually my wife's name) I'm curious though. You omitted the masking of the smoke, and I sorta worked out a way to do it..but is it possible for me to mask both the smoke AND the haze?  Again, thanks for all your replies.

[shortformvideos]

@MrDewmz If the smoke and haze effects are on different layers, then you could just copy the mask you've created on one and paste it onto the other (select mask, ctrl+c, ctrl+v onto new layer). Bear in mind that the masks will be affected by any scale or position values that you've applied, so if the layers are different, the masks won't match up. Hope that helps.

[TheFredy157]

Im having trouble finding the 'cc paticle system 2'. I type it in the search box under effects and presets and its not there. Dunno if its soemthing i have to download or if it should be in from the start. Im using after effects cs5

[shortformvideos]

@TheFredy157 The Cycore effects package is part of the standard installation of After Effects. If it's not on your system, it's because you're using the demo version, or an illegal copy.

[Nywayne1]

I just do it but when the laser had already done the work, it does not disappear ... what should I do?

[shortformvideos]

@Nywayne1 Create a new keyframe for the end position of the laser and drag it off the frame. Or trim the laser layer using Alt+] at the required end point, or by dragging the end of the layer to trim it to the required length.

[SafeGuard007]

0:50 y i had only Rectangle tool, how can i fixed ?

[shortformvideos]

@SafeGuard007 Click and hold the Shape button (default is rectangle) to get a drop down for the variations (rounded rectangle, ellipse, polystar etc). Or hit 'Q' to toggle through the shape options. Tip: if the button has a tiny triangle in the bottom-right corner, that means it has a number of alternative options available.

[SafeGuard007]

@shortformvideos You Saved me again Thanks !!!

[Busymama10809]

I notice when you scrub the timeline, you see everything as you should. When I scrub mine, it gets all blurry and it limits what I see.. (Radeon HD 6870 card and 8 gigs of ram) ..any ideas?

[shortformvideos]

@Busymama10809 You have adaptive previews switched on (which drops the resolution down for faster scrubbing). You can switch this off, or turn on OpenGL using the preview settings button under the video preview pane. Bear in mind that some of my previews may be using a RAM preview (look for the green bar over the timeline) so they'll scrub in realtime.

[NIXXO58]

Also, my words are 8 letters long but I still made it 4 seconds. So my laser cuts really fast. Is there anyway to slow it down??

[shortformvideos]

@NIXXO58 The simplest way to adjust the timing of multiple keyframes is to stretch them out (selecting them all, hold ALT and drag the last keyframe to the new end point). There's a quick tip video here - /watch?v=qkKNVGxxR3k - that shows you how it works.

[NIXXO58]

What if I haven't reached the particle layer yet? It does this when I try to attach the highlight to the beam.

[shortformvideos]

@NIXXO58 Try selecting the highlight layer and nudge it using the cursor keys to compensate for the shift.

[NIXXO58]

Please help!!!!! Every time I drag the whip to the ending point and click. My highlight moves!!!!!! What do I do???

[shortformvideos]

@NIXXO58 Other people have experienced this as well. Just re-position the Particles layer to compensate for the shift.

[thugzy50]

Nice tutorial but i'm having trouble getting the laser high light to work every time i do it an error comes up and it doesn't allow it which says " After effects warning: object of type layer were a number, array,or property is needed. Expression disabled. error occurred at line "o" property position..HELP PLEASE

[ReQzClanPS3]

Hey,

If i add music to my project, there adds a new layer, but i hear no music?

How to fix?

(yes my volume is 100%)

[shortformvideos]

@ReQzClanPS3 Do you mean when you preview? Or when you export? Use RAM previews (the Zero key on your numpad, or Shift+0) to hear the audio during a preview - don't use the Space Bar. When you export, pick a module with audio enabled (the default Lossless doesn't). To hear an Audio-only preview, hit '.' on your numpad.

[supermario580]

awesome man i made my own but with my fraternity letters instead but sound would be awesome to know excatly where and how this would be done

[shortformvideos]

@supermario580 Adding sound effects is just like adding any other asset to the timeline. You just drag and drop them into position. Just make sure that when you export, you choose a module that has audio enabled (the default Lossless doesn't).

[iuribatdias]

Hi Thanks, this tutorial helped me a lot and see if you're my youtube channel you will see that I used your tutorial for my initiation.

[TheCrazyManist]

I love your voice xD

[54kurdo]

you aer best

[TomkingSvk]

1 person cant do that :D

[DementorLive28]

Good video :D

[TheAngryPanther]

Umm one question, you know when you pick whip it to the ending point, my laser highlight moves away from the laser beam point. So it moves but its not one the laser beam point. Please help?

[BLINK9562]

@TheAngryPanther Basically you give birth to the highlight laser and then feed it to your children. That's what I did and now I'm living better :D

[smetalblast9]

How would I export this



[shortformvideos]

@smetalblast9 Same way you'd export any AE project - CTRL+M (or CTRL+SHIFT+/) to add it to the render queue, pick the output module and the destination/filename, and then hit Render.

[ExTremImPacTII]

Can you make me one please ?? I'm French my gamertag is TsC x BasT0s, if you accept the job, give me an answer please. Thank's

[shortformvideos]

@ExTremImPacTII Sorry, but no.

[hotpot8200]

can u make me one saying BlaZe Clan !!!1

[shortformvideos]

@hotpot8200 Sorry, but no.

[TheTomilol]

@shortformvideos Thanks man this REALY helped out No one in my clan knows anything about making intros but this realy helped me make one for them Thank u! (subscribed liked and faved)

[ColeRedRanger]

@hotpot8200 I will.

[hotpot8200]

can u make me one please saying BlaZe Cla!!!!

[TeamHazardMC]

uhmm when im doing the pick whip ill select the one you say and it offsets it by about an inch or two but it says its in the same position plz help

[shortformvideos]

@TeamHazardMC You're not the only one who's experienced this. I looked at someone else's project, and the fix is to just re-position the Particles layer to compensate for the shift.

[wklzai]

great video thanks!~

[robertdevald]

Would you recommend getting sony Vegas Pro 11 or rather After Effects?

[shortformvideos]

@robertdevald Not really the same thing. Vegas is for editing, AE is for compositing. It's difficult to explain the difference, but a video editing app typically arranges clips end to end to create a complete video, while a compositing app arranges clips on top of each other to create an effect sequence. You really wouldn't want to use AE for a long video edit. Lot of people like Vegas, but I prefer Premiere Pro for editing as it ties in better with the other Creative Suite apps.

[signaturehelper]

i dont understand anything you're talking about because i'm new to after effects but your voice makes it seem like i understand. thank you.

[Cheyyenne97luv]

how comes i dont have da cc thing effect? plzz help asap

[shortformvideos]

@Cheyyenne97luv You're probably using the demo version or you ripped your software off a torrent file. If not, then you'll need to re-install - the Cycore Effects are part of the standard installation.

[Cheyyenne97luv]

@shortformvideos oh actually dont worry i just installed the cycore effects, well thnx 4 telling me anyway

[AnEpicDIN0SAUR]

Ignore that last comment, I realised that pressing N was the thing that stopped it from working. I don't know why it did that...?

[shortformvideos]

@AnEpicDIN0SAUR 'N' is a shortcut key that will trim the Work Area bar to a single frame - think you're mixing it up with 'M' which is the key to bring up the Mask properties.

[AnEpicDIN0SAUR]

Smoke isn't working. It doesn't move, despite following your instructions carefully.

I set the time to the beginning, made a sub offset key frame. I pressed N, and holding down Shift; I scrub the sub offset value to get the rising smoke.

Again, I put the timeline indicator at the beginning, make an Evolution key frame, pressed N and added a value of 2. The smoke remains stationary. :(

[koop39]

really like you tutorials, you even zoom in on all of the different sections which makes it really easy to follow compared to other peoples videos, keep em up!

[AnEpicDIN0SAUR]

My particles don't follow the beam's tip. I've adjusted the anchor point, however it continues to follow an inch to the left...

[shortformvideos]

@AnEpicDIN0SAUR I see what the problem is. Because you've nudged the position of the etched layer to make it central, this means that the position values that the particle layer is getting are reflecting this offset.

Simple fix - just change the position values of the Particles layer to compensate. In your case, it seems like 576,330 should just about do it.

[AnEpicDIN0SAUR]

I hold Alt, press the stopwatch, (still holding alt) I click the pickwhip and drag it to the ending point. I did it in the exact same way that you did, but the laser highlight just follows an inch to the left...

[shortformvideos]

@AnEpicDIN0SAUR Adjust the highlight's anchor point to compensate.

[skinVISIBLE]

@shortformvideos We like to watch videos at the exact same time, what can I say?

[shortformvideos]

@skinVISIBLE :) For the benefit of anyone else who might be trawling the comments for information - you can navigate through keyframes on a layer with J and K.

[AnEpicDIN0SAUR]

@shortformvideos How exactly do I do that?

[shortformvideos]

@AnEpicDIN0SAUR Select the layer you want to adjust and hit 'A' to bring up the anchor point. Then just click and slide the values (just like you would a position value) until the layer is where you want it to be.

[AnEpicDIN0SAUR]

@shortformvideos Thank you so much! Now I can continue with the rest of the effects! :)

[AnEpicDIN0SAUR]

Uhm, my laser highlight follows the laser beam's movement, but doesn't actually glue itself to the beam. It just follows it a few inches to the left...

[XpartyTfreakC]

wow thanks alot for doing this tutorial great stuff keep it coming:)

[sidharthoza7997]

How to create that lazer ..??

[shortformvideos]

@sidharthoza7997 It's in part 1

[sidharthoza7997]

@shortformvideos thanks bro

[shortformvideos]

@AROBLOXZStudios Adjust the anchor point to compensate for the shift.

[LordSumia]

The Carving Looks Like Sauce

[MidnightLifeTakers]

no problem i figured it out, just Q

[MidnightLifeTakers]

Where is the eclipse tool on CS4?

[Kungfu4D]

im having a problem with the laser highlight thingy. it doesnt really go on the point of the laser beam

[shortformvideos]

@Kungfu4D adjust the anchor point to compensate.

[technicdesigner]

this is awesome, i did one myself, it took ages but it looks awesome! thanks for the tutorial!

[Butterscent]

i dont have a cc

[Butterscent]

I dont have any cc anything

[Butterscent]

I dont hace any cc anything

[shortformvideos]

@Butterscent Then you either need to re-install it, or buy a legal copy.

[lightnexgames]

i dont have any cc things

[OcTaNeZerO]

I have a question. after the text "cools" i want it to completely fade away/or disappear and another "laser etched" text to start taking its place...How do i go about making the first etch disappear?

[shortformvideos]

@OcTaNeZerO Simplest approach would be to add a couple of opacity keyframes to the layers you want to disappear. Set the first to 100 per cent, then move forward in the timeline and add another that's set to 0, and they'll fade out.

[djjoelb48]

Hey bro, so how do we save, render this?

[shortformvideos]

@djjoelb48 Select the composition you want to render, then click on Composition-Add to render queue. Then pick an output module that fits your needs (the default is uncompressed without audio), and then click on Output To to select a file name and location.

[JavaManTuts]

@shortformvideos Finally finished it upload  it as a video response!

[MrFourZeroThree]

Hiya can you make me an intro with my youtuber name and presents and the text and stuff in green

[themightyp3anut]

NEED MORE RAM!!!

[raminshehni]

Very Good,

[HackManiack]

Your the best !!!!

[SyNAxR]

Heyy shortformvideos, I'm really new to AE, and your videos are just amazing! They help me so much, and your voice is really calming too (for me at least) :D

[TUP288]

Great tutorial! But i have a critical prob...when i put the highlight at 2:39 on the ending point the highlight goes to the left and underneath the laser....is there a way to make it accurate?

[shortformvideos]

@TUP288 You're not the only one to experience this, so I probably got something wrong during the recording. You should be able to manually adjust the position values at the beginning, and it'll reflect the changes during the rest of the comp because it's pickwhipped

[TUP288]

@shortformvideos yeah thx for the answer... but there is a nother problem too.... so before pickwip i put it as accurate as I can to the lazer.... then i pickwip...when i go to manualy change the position values they won't change!! please help me! this is the coolest effect(for me) and i want to follow it correctly!! (BTW i'm new to after effects and subed!!)

[shortformvideos]

@TUP288 OK - you might want to try adjusting the anchor point of your highlight and particle layers AFTER you've pick-whipped them. This isn't parented to the position expression, so you should be able to change this manually.

[technicdesigner]

Awesome I did everythign you said and it works, it looks really cool, thanks for the tutorial - it was very clear and easy to follow!

[ITicTaken]

I cant use the glow, and i cant use the particles.. :( i'll send a video respons.

[HybridvLaazR]

Thanks so much for this tutorial it looks realy effective but i have main problem which i hope you can answer. when i move the pin indicating where you are in the timeline as your grag it your animation flows but mine doesnt change until i let go im sure it will only be like 1 button or toggle but i cant find it and would be very grateful if you knew thankyou

[skiidahonorthsouth]

@HybridvLaazR Howdy, I'll see if I can help out. Laurence can correct me if wrong. Your problem sounds like one of computer horsepower. I consider mine adequate with a quad i7 and 16 gigs RAM RAID-0 video drives and a 64bit OS. My guess is Laurence's system is spectacular! And whenever you see the green bar near the top, it has been pre-rendered to save time in the presentation. ALSO, you can speed the preview up by lowering the resolution (tool bar at the bottom of the preview window).

[HybridvLaazR]

@skiidahonorthsouth Thanks for your help but its just that i did once have it working properly and know it doesnt so im not sure but thanks and wow 14 gig ram do you even see the download bar on downloads!

[shortformvideos]

@HybridvLaazR @skiidahonorthsouth My home system isn't cutting-edge (3.6GHz Quad-core, 16GB RAM, separate HDD volumes - no RAID). My work system is a little more grunty - 6-core w 24GB. Like you pointed out, I often create a RAM preview (0 key), and that's how I can scrub through the timeline without rendering lag.

You can setup an alternative RAM preview (SHIFT+0) with a lower resolution to create longer/faster RAM previews at a different setting - controls are accessed in preview panel.

[Izmael1310]

I don't have the ellipse tool in my AE CS5 :( How Can I do it?

[Weeklycap]

i get this error "Refresh disabled" why ? it says something like finish editing your text blahblah i cant remember! PLEASE HELP =( awesome tutorial

[bestnabil55]

After i made it a quicktime format and i watched it, it was very quick is there a way to make it slower?? thnx in advance

[RifkiArya]

cool  ...

[Pierroab]

This tutorial has proven to be extremely helpful. Thank you for posting it. I have been experiencing the same issue as someone else I believe. It appears that the co-ordinates of the beam and the laser highlight are off by exactly 280.5 (x-axis) and 68.6( y-axis) Is there a way I can re-align the grids or solids so that I can pick whip them accurately? Thanks for the help and post!

Liked, Kind regards

[Sardeiuzz89]

Help! the highlight is also misalign when i finished pick whipping, it always goes to right side of the beam. Can't understand why and odd coz i can't adjust the highlight coz its locked or i can't adjust it. I followed it correctly but it always turned out that way. Pls help me...Im new to this. tnx in advanced.

[rahulayre]

I think you've the ability to make it sound simple and easy as it is not! Really enjoyed going through the tutorial! Subscribed and looking for more fun! Thanks a lot

[Battl3mania]

Thats a crap loads of work for 6 sec and they tried to paid us pennies for their job. Thanks for Sharing Laurence god bless you.

[ghostkook3]

u r genius



[LimitlessSaint]

What a legend (y) Amazing tutorial :) both of them :)

[philipab1]

omfg i have tried to make that smoke 5 times Why wont it move!

[mullenfreak2]

Amazing tutorial but I cant get the Laser Highlight to be on the laser. It is always to the left. All the key frames are right, the laser follows them perfectly, by when I play the laser highlight goes to the left and isnt on the text. Help?

[llTawfikll]

you are amazing thnx for teaching way you used :)

[omgwtfbbqlmaorofl]

how come my shape layer won't follow my laser? I put the spiral on it and it just changes position. Help plox?

[shortformvideos]

@omgwtfbbqlmaorofl Sounds like you're just dragging the pickwhip onto the layer - you need to drag it onto the value that needs to be matched. In this case, the layer position properties.

[omgwtfbbqlmaorofl]

@shortformvideos ok ill try that. Thanks! =D

[pyote5]

@shortformvideos Also I noticed when I was doing it I had to change the "Anchor point" of the highlight. Since after I pick whipped the highlight to the beam. It followed the beams but it was off centre.

[imammahdi12]

@shortformvideos i have the same problem with "omgwtfbbqlmaorofl" w.e i do i cant make the highlight move with the laser beam

can u pls help me ty

[imammahdi12]

@imammahdi12 my laser highlight moves to the right so

[shortformvideos]

@imammahdi12 Try manually adjusting the anchor point to compensate for the shift.

[MotionStudiosHD]

@shortformvideos i put it on the place that needs to be matched with the pickwhip, it follows the path, but like, much under it

[MotionStudiosHD]

@shortformvideos it's the same with the particles

[shortformvideos]

@MotionStudiosHD You're not the only one having this issue. Try to compensate for the position offset by manually adjusting the anchor point value of the highlight and particles layers. Hope that helps.

[MidnightLifeTakers]

@shortformvideos My Laser Highlight will not follow the Laser Beam - the Coordinates are the same however when I click play it moves in time but is a meter away from where it should be? HELP?

[skinVISIBLE]

@shortformvideos How can you toggle through the key-frames on a layer?

[takes2home]

Hi, shortformvideos, I must say, your video helped me and opened new horizon for me with AE. Just the sound of your voice makes it easier, at least for me. I am very new with AE and have a question, at 3.32 in your video, you duplicate the Laser Highlight Layer to get, as you said, some anti-glow, in your works awesome, but on my composition I still have like a circle with sharp edges (almost). Did you leave the LaserGlow! blending Mode = classic color dodge?

thanks, and hope you answer

[shortformvideos]

@takes2home Actually I said 'outer glow' not anti-glow, but that doesn't matter ;). Sounds like you might have skipped the Fast Blur step (blur=40)

[timmy591]

I haven't got CC partical thingy :/ HELP!

[superoflcow]

@timmy591 Me too!

[alessioboscolo]

thankyou a lot!

[ksterjo]

hi, great tutorial !!! it helped me a lot!! but i have a problem. i cant find the cc particle effect... it doesnt come up anywhere? what can i do? thanks.

[Slack3r2107]

Great tutorial, except I can't get the sparks to trail behind the laser, they stay right on the laser like the glow. I'm using a mac, any suggestions?

[shortformvideos]

@Slack3r2107 Maybe select the keyframes on your sparks layer and nudge them forward on the timeline to cause a delay.

[Weeklycap]

@shortformvideos I get the error saying: Refresh disabled "finish editing text to refresh view".

what does it mean? it pops up when im gonna copy keyframes from highlight to laser stuff

[SN3AKYSPANKR]

this looks complicated as hell

[VFXFilmz]

i cant find the pick whip!! PLZ HLPP

[shortformvideos]

@VFXFilmz All layer properties have a pick-whip icon. It's the little spiral button.

[Kronosi100]

plz help me, what keys are you pressing at 02:50 minute in video on position of Laser Highlight?, please ask me I'm begiiner and i don't know many things :P

[shortformvideos]

@Kronosi100 You hold the ALT key before clicking on the stopwatch to enable the Expression feature, then drag the pickwhip (as shown) to create a simple Expression that matches the position values of the layer to the end point values of the Laser Beam layer.

[dofkaSW]

can you help me? i dont understand why on 02:56 when i connect with pick whip my highlight is not at he same point as it should be. HELP

[shortformvideos]

@dofkaSW Make sure the highlight layer is lined up underneath the laser point before pick-whipping it. Hope this helps.

[dofkaSW]

@shortformvideos yeah i did it but my highlight when i pick-whipp goes to the left

[shortformvideos]

@dofkaSW Odd. Difficult to say why it might be doing that when I can't see the project in front of me. But you can still alter the position of the highlight after pick-whipping, so try nudging it into the right place once you've pick-whipped and see it it tracks properly then.

[ash1000000001]

i cant find cc particle help mee

[shortformvideos]

@ash1000000001 The CC effects are part of the standard installation. If you can't find them, you're probably using the demo version or an illegal copy. If neither of these statements are true, run the installation again, making sure you've selected all the components.

[ash1000000001]

@shortformvideos thanks



[ash1000000001]

i cant find cc particle

[dslink2009]

Thanks soooooo much! You taught me SO much in only TWO tut's!!!!

[713ALB]

i did your tutorial and made the laser cut out my name. i then copied the project so i could change the text and re-keyframe the laser, but i can't find the layer where the text is. could you help me?

[shortformvideos]

@713ALB There is no text layer in the project file - I did say it wasn't all that useful ;)

The text has already been converted to Masks (covered in Part 1), and you'll find those in the Laser Etch precomp, named Etch Inner and Etch Outer.

[StAnger4u]

Best tutorial ever! thx so much

[DocHate1]

As always great tut!

[kasszz92]

this is really good :O, love it :P

sub'd ;D

[vikingwarbrides]

Thank you for posting part 2! I am glad to find AE tutorials that don't require $500.00 plug ins.

[shortformvideos]

@vikingwarbrides You're welcome. I try to avoid using plug-ins for the tutes (I know they can be very expensive). To be honest, though, you could make this look a lot better if you used Trapcode Particular for the sparks (and maybe even the smoke).