A Blur-Sharpen effects plugin is applied much like any plugin effect in Adobe After Effects (Windows, CS5 or later, including any version of After Effects CC). (NOTE: We currently have no MAC plugins for After Effects, but may soon!
In this After Effects video tutorial, learn how to make your titles and graphics really pop with this amazing glow effect technique.
In this video tutorial, we’ll take a step-by-step look at how to create an awesome glow using Adobe After Effects. Ready? Let’s get started.
Use These Four Easy Steps
Step One
Use drop shadows to expand the glow potential. Most of the time, you may just drop the glow effect right away; however, to get the most out of the glow effect, you need to expand your title to maximize the glow radius.
Step Two
Sawtooth Glow. Dropping the glow effect after using drop shadows may look great. If you want to really make the color pop from the glow, be sure to set the color looping to “Sawtooth B > A.” From there, you can adjust the glow radius and intensity.
Step Three
Apply CC Radial Fast Blur. The glow effect along with the initial drop shadows is solid, but if you want to take this to the next level, use Radial Fast Blur to create light streaks within your glow. Be sure to control the length of the blur, as this effect can become extreme.
Step Four
Add an intense drop shadow to create an ambient glow. To finish off everything off, add one more drop shadow to smooth out the glow coming from your graphic.
Looking for more After Effects tutorials? Check these out.
Gaussian Blur isn’t just silly to say, it’s silly to use. Let’s explore why you should quit using it and look at a few alternatives.
There are a lot of different blur options in After Effects (fourteen to be exact), yet, for the most part, designers and mograph artists usually stick to one of two blurs: GaussianBlur and FastBlur. Both are capable of getting the job done, but both are lacking in a few ways. Let’s focus on the GaussianBlur and take a look at why you should quit using it forever.
Seriously, stop using Gaussian Blur.
A Couple of Reasons Why Gaussian Blur Stinks
1. No Repeating Edge Pixels
Notice how the gaussian blur creates a spill around the edges.
Ever wonder why the edges of your frame are darker than the center of the frame? Well it’s because GaussianBlur doesn’t have a Repeat Edge Pixel feature. A RepeatEdgePixel feature will allow your edges to interact in a more natural way, making it ideal for adjustment layers and full-composition layers.
2. Lack of Control
Notice how different each blur iteration looks within the box blur.
Another problem with the GaussianBlur (and Fast Blur, for that matter) is the lack of control over the way in which your blur is processed. With GaussianBlur you only have the option to adjust blurriness, but you don’t have the option to adjust the number of blur iterations in your scene. This results in some very unnatural blurs.
A Couple of Alternatives to Gaussian Blur
1. Fast Blur (Good)
The blur properties are identical, but Fast Blur has Repeat Edge Pixels
As the name implies, the FastBlur is fast, but you might be surprised to know that FastBlur actually produces an identical blur result as GaussianBlur. However, the biggest difference between GaussianBlur and FastBlur is the RepeatEdgePixels feature which allows the blur to not become fuzzy near the edges of the frame. The RepeatEdgePixels feature makes the FastBlur ideal for adjustment layers and layers that take up the entire composition.
2. Box Blur (Great)
The Box Blur adds greater control and more natural blurs, with the added Repeat Edge Pixel feature.
My favorite quick blur to use in After Effects is the BoxBlur. Like FastBlur, the Box Blur has a Repeat Edge Pixels feature, but the Box Blur takes it one step further. If you simply leave the Iterationsvalue at 1, all of your blurs will have slight vertical and horizontal artifacts in them. I’ve found that these imperfect stylizations can give a project a much more organic look than simply using a Fast Blur. If you want the Box Blur to look more like a Fast Blur, simply turn up the Iterations and watch as the Box Blur converts itself to a more traditional style blur.
In the words of the good people at Prolost:
Box Blur = Alway, Fast Blur = Sometimes, Gaussian Blur = Never. – Prolost
While all of the blurs included in this list are usable, if you really want to get the best looking blur possible, the Lens Blur is by far your best option. However, the Camera Lens Blur can take a while to render on your computer, so it’s best to use it sparingly.
What is your favorite blur in After Effects? Have you ever been asked such a nerdy question? Share in the comments below.
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