Creative Cow has posted a video tutorial detailing how you can create those light trails featured in Apple's latest iPod commercial. Be forewarned that the tutorial is using the Windows version of After Effects, but the same technique should yield similar results on the Mac version.Andrew was even kind enough to include the source files, so you really have no excuse for not adding these streaks to all your home movies, and any client work you have to do.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-18-2006 @ 9:45AM
John Russell said...
Has Andrew released this under any license such as the GPL or simular that would allow us to reproduce his work?
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10-18-2006 @ 10:12AM
Ed said...
Well the fact that After Effects has an RRP of almost $699 seems a good excuse to me...
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10-18-2006 @ 11:16AM
Mike Russell said...
Step 1: Steal the look from a 2002 Paul Pope comic:
http://homepage.mac.com/merussell/PaulPopeTHB.gif
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10-18-2006 @ 11:25AM
John Williams said...
I didn't realize that Paul Pope invented light streaks
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10-18-2006 @ 12:03PM
Martin said...
how would you go about setting this as a screensaver? how cool would that be?!
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10-18-2006 @ 1:01PM
Dmitry said...
It's After Effects, not After Effect :).
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10-18-2006 @ 3:03PM
Emerson said...
Actually this is much easier to replicate using Motion, which was probably used for the comercial anyway
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10-18-2006 @ 5:26PM
Hank said...
Wow. How about an art history lesson?
Picasso anyone?
http://pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=227&ptp_photo_id=syn:life:121346&size=320x320_mb
Yes, there was art BEFORE comic books.
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10-19-2006 @ 8:39PM
Clark Goble said...
Anyone saying Apple stole this from a comic and not from what one constantly sees at raves and dance clubs is really stretching.
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10-20-2006 @ 5:28AM
Alex Grierson said...
"Actually this is much easier to replicate using Motion, which was probably used for the comercial anyway"
Motion has extremley limited uses when it comes to comps like this. Sure, its great and quick for proof-of-concept but lacks any serious scripting/tweaking controls found in after effects. The price alone should show you that AE is a serious compositing application. This particular spot was created in AE, C4D and has had been finished in Shake.
Again, motion is great but not nearly as sophisticated as AE. Motion is also not capable of 3D, therefor limiting its uses for any serious compositing.
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10-20-2006 @ 12:27PM
kot said...
Martin: http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2006/10/18/5665
(strangely, I've already installed this screensaver on my PeeCee (work) butnot on my Mac (home)).
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