Simple Christmas Lights in After Effects

hi this is a simple way of making some light strings or Christmas lights or whatever you want to use them for make a new composition which will be a pre-comp add new adjustment layer infection presets type glow starlight slow and put two copies of glow on to the adjustment layer new solid called lights okay then using the pen tool draw the path in your effects & presets panel type in Vegas Vegas effect will appear add it to your lights layer drop the lights layer below the adjustment layer and turn off the mask visibility toggle under your viewing screen in the Vegas effect segments will leave for the moment image contours mask path and the Vegas effect will appear now this is something like what you're looking for you can keyframe the rotation and it will move and you can change the colors and do whatever you want but that's not what we're doing at the moment take that back length point one blend mode transparent end opacity one now you have a series of light dots in your effects and presets I strobe the strobe light effect will appear add that to your lights layer in the strobe effect strobe duration point to strobe period point for random stroke probability 3% strobe makes layer transparent now the lights will flash on and off selective lights layer control command D and make two copies let's select the second copy to Vegas rotation drag until it appears one third along and change the strobe light random probability to six change the color of the stroke okay on the third light slap doing the same thing with rotation until it appears about equally change the color okay now assume in your composition panel I make the cursor until the second time the lights go out but your middle layer selected drag don't shorten until the lights appear move along until ghosts black select your third layer and moving it dragging it until the lights appear so now the lights should be appearing in sequence open up one of your light layers select masks ctrl C to copy then in your main comp you solid-solid selected control V and the mask will be placed on the layer in effects and presets stroke it will generates track put that onto the solid turn off the mask visibility again in the stroke effect color I would make it too dark green okay brush size 1 and paint style on transparent in your project panel drag your lights free composition into your main comp and away you go I hope that was useful and I'll see you next time

Channel: Short Tuts

Views: 42,333

Keywords: rope lights, snake lights, twinkling lights, carnival lights, carnival bulbs, judy bulbs, festoon lights, festoon bulbs, chasers, chaser lights, christmas tree lights, flickering lights, light strands, string lights, string of lights, after effects tutorial, after effects

Id: 0xw6fvfymrs

Length: 5min 35sec (335 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 20 2016