S_glow | Effects in 1 Minute | After Effects - YouTube
S Glow After Effects: How to Create Stunning Glows in Your Videos
If you are looking for a way to add some sparkle and shine to your videos, you might want to check out S Glow After Effects. This is a powerful and versatile effect that can create beautiful glows for your footage, motion graphics, and text. In this article, we will show you how to use S Glow After Effects, how to customize it, and how to use it creatively for different purposes. Let's get started!
S Glow After Effects
What is S Glow After Effects?
A brief introduction to the effect and its features
S Glow After Effects is a plugin that comes with Trapcode Starglow, a suite of effects and tools for creating stunning visual effects in Adobe After Effects. S Glow stands for Starglow, which is the name of the original plugin that inspired it. S Glow is an improved version of Starglow that offers more control and flexibility over the glow effect.
S Glow After Effects can create stylized glints and star-shaped glows for your footage, motion graphics, and text. It can simulate different types of light sources, such as sunlight, starlight, neon lights, or fire. It can also create different styles of glows, such as soft, sharp, radial, or streaky. You can use S Glow After Effects to enhance your highlights, add atmosphere, create transitions, or add some magic to your scenes.
How to apply S Glow After Effects to your footage
Applying S Glow After Effects to your footage is very easy. Here are the steps:
Create a new composition in After Effects and import your footage.
Drag your footage layer to the timeline.
Go to Effect > Trapcode > Starglow and choose S_Glow from the list.
You will see a default glow applied to your footage. You can adjust the settings in the Effect Controls panel.
That's it! You have successfully applied S Glow After Effects to your footage. Now let's see how you can customize it.
How to Customize S Glow After Effects
The main parameters of S Glow After Effects
S Glow After Effects has many parameters that you can tweak to achieve different results. Here are some of the main ones:
Glow Threshold: This determines how bright a pixel has to be before it gets a glow. A lower value means more pixels will get a glow, while a higher value means fewer pixels will get a glow.
Glow Size: This determines how large the glow is. A higher value means a larger glow, while a lower value means a smaller glow.
Glow Intensity: This determines how bright the glow is. A higher value means a brighter glow, while a lower value means a dimmer glow.
Glow Color: This determines the color of the glow. You can choose from different presets or use a custom color picker.
Glow Shape: This determines the shape of the glow. You can choose from different presets or use a custom shape editor.
Glow Angle: This determines the angle of the glow. You can rotate the glow around the center point of your footage.
Glow Blend Mode: This determines how the glow blends with your original footage. You can choose from different modes such as Add, Screen, Multiply, or Overlay.
Glow Opacity: This determines how transparent the glow is. A higher value means a more opaque glow, while a lower value means a more transparent glow.
How to adjust the color, intensity, threshold, and size of the glow
One of the most common things you might want to do with S Glow After Effects is to adjust the color, intensity, threshold, and size of the glow. Here are some tips on how to do that:
To change the color of the glow, you can use the Glow Color parameter. You can choose from different presets such as Warm Colors, Cool Colors, Rainbow Colors, or Custom Colors. You can also use the eyedropper tool to pick a color from your footage or use the color picker to select any color you want.
To change the intensity of the glow, you can use the Glow Intensity parameter. You can drag the slider or enter a numerical value. A higher value means a brighter glow, while a lower value means a dimmer glow.
To change the threshold of the glow, you can use the Glow Threshold parameter. You can drag the slider or enter a numerical value. A lower value means more pixels will get a glow, while a higher value means fewer pixels will get a glow.
To change the size of the glow, you can use the Glow Size parameter. You can drag the slider or enter a numerical value. A higher value means a larger glow, while a lower value means a smaller glow.
How to use masks, blending modes, and expressions to enhance the effect
Besides adjusting the parameters of S Glow After Effects, you can also use other features of Adobe After Effects to enhance the effect. Here are some examples:
How to animate the glow over time
Another thing you might want to do with S Glow After Effects is to animate the glow over time. This can create dynamic and interesting effects for your videos. Here are some ways to do that:
You can use keyframes to change any of the parameters of S Glow After Effects over time. For example, you can keyframe the Glow Intensity, Glow Size, Glow Color, or Glow Angle to make the glow fade in and out, grow and shrink, change color, or rotate. To do this, select your footage layer and go to the Effect Controls panel. Find the parameter you want to animate and click on the stopwatch icon next to it. This will create a keyframe at the current time. Then move the playhead to another point in time and change the value of the parameter. This will create another keyframe. You can repeat this process as many times as you want to create a custom animation for your glow.
You can use expressions to link any of the parameters of S Glow After Effects to other properties or effects. For example, you can link the Glow Intensity to the audio levels of your footage or music track, so that the glow reacts to the sound. To do this, select your footage layer and go to the Effect Controls panel. Find the parameter you want to link and hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and click on the stopwatch icon next to it. This will open a text box where you can write an expression. Then pick-whip (drag) the expression to the property or effect you want to link it to. For example, if you want to link the Glow Intensity to the audio levels of your footage, you can pick-whip it to Audio Amplitude > Both Channels. This will create an expression that looks something like this: temp = thisComp.layer("Footage").effect("Audio Amplitude")("Both Channels");. You can adjust the expression as needed by adding modifiers or multiplying factors.
How to Use S Glow After Effects Creatively
Some examples of S Glow After Effects in action
S Glow After Effects can be used for many different purposes and styles. Here are some examples of how you can use it creatively for your videos:
You can use S Glow After Effects to create a realistic sun flare or lens flare effect for your footage. To do this, create a new solid layer and apply S Glow After Effects to it. Choose a warm color for the glow, such as yellow or orange, and adjust the size and intensity of the glow. Then use a mask or a shape layer to cut out a circle or an ellipse from the solid layer. Place this layer on top of your footage and change its blending mode to Add or Screen. You can also animate the position and rotation of this layer to match the movement of your camera or your footage.
the intensity of the glow. This will create a more realistic neon sign effect.
You can use S Glow After Effects to create a sci-fi or futuristic effect for your footage or motion graphics. To do this, create a new adjustment layer and apply S Glow After Effects to it. Choose a cool color for the glow, such as blue or green, and adjust the size and intensity of the glow. Then use a mask or a shape layer to cut out some geometric shapes from the adjustment layer. Place this layer on top of your footage or motion graphics and change its blending mode to Add or Screen. You can also animate the position and rotation of this layer to create some movement.
How to combine S Glow After Effects with other effects and plugins
S Glow After Effects can also be combined with other effects and plugins to create more complex and interesting effects. Here are some examples of how you can do that:
You can use S Glow After Effects with Trapcode Particular to create a sparkling particle effect for your footage or motion graphics. To do this, create a new solid layer and apply Trapcode Particular to it. Choose a preset or customize your own particle system. Then apply S Glow After Effects to the same layer and choose a bright color for the glow. Adjust the size and intensity of the glow and set the threshold to a low value so that all the particles get a glow. Place this layer on top of your footage or motion graphics and change its blending mode to Add or Screen.
You can use S Glow After Effects with Trapcode Form to create a glowing grid effect for your footage or motion graphics. To do this, create a new solid layer and apply Trapcode Form to it. Choose a preset or customize your own grid system. Then apply S Glow After Effects to the same layer and choose a bright color for the glow. Adjust the size and intensity of the glow and set the threshold to a low value so that all the grid points get a glow. Place this layer on top of your footage or motion graphics and change its blending mode to Add or Screen.
You can use S Glow After Effects with Sapphire to create a more advanced and realistic glow effect for your footage, motion graphics, or text. To do this, create a new adjustment layer and apply Sapphire Glow to it. Choose a preset or customize your own glow settings. Then apply S Glow After Effects to the same layer and choose a similar color for the glow. Adjust the size and intensity of the glow and set the threshold to a high value so that only the brightest areas get a glow. Place this layer on top of your footage, motion graphics, or text and change its blending mode to Add or Screen.
How to create your own presets and save them for future use
If you find yourself using S Glow After Effects frequently, you might want to create your own presets and save them for future use. This can save you time and effort when working on similar projects. Here are the steps to do that:
Create a new composition in After Effects and import your footage.
Apply S Glow After Effects to your footage layer and adjust the settings as you like.
Select your footage layer and go to Animation > Save Animation Preset.
Name your preset and choose a location to save it.
Click Save.
That's it! You have created your own preset for S Glow After Effects. To use it again, simply go to Effect > Animation Presets > User Presets and choose your preset from the list.
Conclusion
A summary of the main points and benefits of S Glow After Effects
S Glow After Effects is a plugin that can create stunning glows for your footage, motion graphics, and text. It has many features and parameters that you can customize to achieve different results. You can also use other features of Adobe After Effects, such as masks, blending modes, expressions, keyframes, or other effects and plugins, to enhance the effect. You can also create your own presets and save them for future use.
A call to action for the readers to try it out themselves
If you want to add some sparkle and shine to your videos, you should definitely try out S Glow After Effects. It is easy to use, versatile, and fun. You can download it from here as part of Trapcode Starglow suite, which also includes other amazing effects and tools for creating visual effects in Adobe After Effects. You can also watch some tutorials on YouTube, such as this one, this one, or this one, to learn more about how to use S Glow After Effects.
So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and give S Glow After Effects a try and see what amazing glows you can create for your videos!
FAQs
What is the difference between S Glow and Glow in After Effects?
S Glow is an improved version of Glow that comes with Trapcode Starglow suite. It offers more control and flexibility over the glow effect than Glow does. For example, S Glow allows you to choose different colors, shapes, angles, blend modes, opacity levels, thresholds, sizes, intensities, loopings, presets, etc., for your glow effect.
How can I make the glow more realistic and natural?
To make the glow more realistic and natural, you can try these tips:
Use a low value for the Glow Size parameter so that the glow is not too large.
Use a high value for the Glow Threshold parameter so that only the brightest areas get a glow.
Use a low value for the Glow Intensity parameter so that the glow is not too bright.
Use a warm color for the glow if you are simulating sunlight or firelight.
the glow effect. This will create a more natural falloff for the glow.
Use a low value for the Glow Opacity parameter so that the glow is not too opaque.
Use a blending mode such as Add or Screen for the glow layer so that it blends well with your original footage.
How can I use S Glow After Effects for text and logos?
To use S Glow After Effects for text and logos, you can follow these steps:
Create a new text layer or import your logo as a vector layer.
Apply S Glow After Effects to your text or logo layer and adjust the settings as you like.
Duplicate your text or logo layer and change its blending mode to Add or Screen.
For the bottom layer, increase the size and decrease the intensity of the glow.
For the top layer, decrease the size and increase the intensity of the glow.
Optionally, you can add some blur or drop shadow effects to your bottom layer to create more depth and realism.
This will create a nice glowing effect for your text or logos that will stand out from your background.
Where can I find more tutorials and resources on S Glow After Effects?
If you want to learn more about S Glow After Effects and see some examples of how to use it creatively, you can check out these tutorials and resources:
Glow Effects of After Effects: This is a YouTube tutorial by Jake In Motion that explains how to use the Glow effect in Adobe After Effects and shows some examples of how to combine it with other effects and plugins.
S_glow Effects in 1 Minute After Effects: This is a YouTube tutorial by rjqq that shows how to use S Glow After Effects in one minute and gives some tips on how to customize it.
S_GLOW WITH SMOOTH BLUR TUTORIAL! -FREE PRESET TO USE - AFTER EFFECTS: This is a YouTube tutorial by rjqq that shows how to use S Glow After Effects with smooth blur and provides a free preset to download and use.
Trapcode Starglow: This is the official website of Trapcode Starglow, where you can download the plugin, watch some demos, read some FAQs, and get some support.
Trapcode Starglow User Guide: This is the official user guide of Trapcode Starglow, where you can find detailed information on how to install, use, and customize the plugin.