📐⁉️ --how to -- Create uniQue motion effects in After Effect

Hey Stacks Fan, I make a come back, this time, it's new and artsy

A few years back, getting a Graphic Design BA degree becomes more and more popular if not “trendy” among the peers that I know. With the increase in the number of creative marketing agencies and e-commerce businesses, the need for graphic designers is also in great demand. In California and New York, 30,000 and 20,000 graphic designers are employed which makes them the most promising job markets for this field.

I’m a 24 years-old, fresh off college so, like everyone else, I’m also eager to blend in the market to find new opportunities. A month after graduation, I was confused and lost planning the next path after school. Scrolling down some online articles, I found a very impressive design project “100 days project to get to know Motion Graphic Design” by Thao Lee, a student in Seatle who broke it down in 4 easy parts with steps by steps. I asked myself “Why not try a new project?”, “Why not do something different instead of ward off my idle-times?”

So after submitting all my work documents, I stumbled on this new idea.

I binged reading Behance newsletters and meticulously skimmed through every After Effect tutorials on Youtube I found. I took some useful notes to remind myself of new tricks I learned.

After 2 months and a half, here come my achievements:

MARK RISE TUTORIAL:

Lava Lamp Effect was introduced by AE Juice, a very credible motion graphic tutorial channel on Youtube. I leave a link below.

I think this is one of the very simple motion graphs for beginners to try. I watched the original video couple of times and note the required steps from my observation.

• For setting when you create new composition in AE:

size = 500x500 ppi, 24 frames/second

• To create the shapes

1. Lamp shape as the 1st layer: <WE NAME THIS LAYER “Lamp Body”> Go to Polygon Tool —> Hexagon. Go to Content —> Polystar 1 —> Path —> changePoints to 6 edges. To use free scale: Command T + Shift to expand / change size. To rotate: Right click on the shape —> Rotate = 30 degree. To create the basic lamp shape (it’s getting a bit complex here): + Convert the edges of your Hexagon shape to Bezier Path so you can add the vertex pointlater + Select Pen Tool —> click on the corner of the Hexagon to add the vertex points + drag down until those 2 vertex corners line up on the same line. Adjust. Then you have the basic lamp shape. + To change shape color: click on the Shape layer —> Fill —> pick you color 2. Water as the 2nd layer: <WE NAME THIS LAYER “Blue Water> Create a new solid layer and name it “MASK” (—this is important—) Under the Mask layer, create the Rectangle shape over the Lamp Body layer. Change color: Shape Layer —> Fill —> Blue #26ABEE Click the eye icon 👁 in the Timeline panel to temporary hide the Mask layer Duplicate the Lamp Body layer then move it between the original Lamp Body and the Mask. Name this layer “BLUE WATER” On Timeline panel, switch to Toggle Switches Mode to see Track Matte Select the BLUE WATER layer, right click —> Track Matte —> Alpha Matte Mask Then you will see the rectangle Blue Water attached into the Lamp Body. 3. The Lava Bubbles as the 3rd layer: <WE NAME THIS LAYER “Bubbles” Create new composition size = 500 x 675 Create new solid layer Use Elipse Tool + Hold Command to create 2 big bubbles on top and on the bottom Create new solid layer —> go to Effects and search for “CC Bubble” —> Effect&Graphic and set these

• Bubble Amount = 10 - 12 bubbles,

• Bubble Speed = 0.5,

• Amplitude = 26,

• Frequency = 0.1,

• Bubble Size = 15

#This is the essential effect to make the lava bubbles flow up Create an adjustment layer —> add Simple Choker effect and Glaussian Blur effect to it for the liquid texture —> drag the adjustment layer on top of the BUBBLE layer Drag the “BUBBLE” layer on top of those 2 others and Command T to resize and relocate to fit in AND THAT’S EVERYTHING WRAPPED UP HERE

I’m very happy to share this piece of new knowledge with everyone who has the same interest in learning. I hope to create more motion graphics in the future and note the instructions for you. There are many ways to learn new things and one of them is is to SHARE. Sharing is caring. If you love my tutorial note, share my post across Substack. OR simply leave a comment below to let me know <3