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kbrmaster
Participating Frequently
August 10, 2019
Answered

How to create a transparent background for an effect and object at the same time?

  • August 10, 2019
  • 2 replies
  • 3866 views

Hey everyone,

I am a meteorologist attempting to create a new starry night weather icon for my tv station in After Effects, but I am having some difficulties.

I was able to create the desired effect with ease using Particle Systems 2. But I need to overlay the effect onto a circle with feathered (or blurred) edges. Then have the background be transparent.

I have no problem creating a transparent background for the circle and for the animation, but how can I do it for both at the same time?

Attached is an example of our old icon we are trying to re-create. It would look similar to this.

I appreciate any advice y'all can provide!

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Rick Gerard
    1. Create your Particle Systems II effect on a comp sized solid
    2. Select the Ellipse Tool and create a new Shape layer by deselecting the Particle Systems II layer and clicking and dragging while holding down the shift key
    3. Change the blend mode of the Shape layer to Stencil Alpha
    4. Add Gaussian Blur (or any fast rendering blur) to the Shape layer and adjust the blur to get the feathered edge you desire
    5. Adjust the Size and Position of the Shape layer (easiest to do if you press the U key twice) to position it over your particle effect layer

    That's everything I did to all layers. The Particle Systems II layer just has the default effect applied

    If you want to add another layer below this composite the Stencil Alpha blend mode will also cut a hole in that layer. Fix that by simply using the Shape layer as a Track Matte.

    Both screenshots show everything you need to do to the layers to get this to work.

    This is a lot easier and a lot less work than monkeying around with masks and effects compositing options. If you try and put the mask on the particle layer and you enable compositing options the color of the solid you used for the effect will show up so you'll then have to throw some other effects at the layer to create an alpha channel. You have painted yourself into a corner by trying to do this all on one layer.

    2 replies

    OussK
    Community Expert
    OussKCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 10, 2019

    be sure your mask exception set to zero

    also you don't need to scale the particles layer, so it's better to keep it in full screen size and set the mask to part you want

    K
    kbrmasterAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    August 11, 2019

    Thank you! My mask expansion is zero. But it still masks as if it were a square and not a circle. I made a separate post about this issue but I'm new to After Effects and did not understand the guys explanation.

    R
    Community Expert
    Rick GerardCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    August 11, 2019
    1. Create your Particle Systems II effect on a comp sized solid
    2. Select the Ellipse Tool and create a new Shape layer by deselecting the Particle Systems II layer and clicking and dragging while holding down the shift key
    3. Change the blend mode of the Shape layer to Stencil Alpha
    4. Add Gaussian Blur (or any fast rendering blur) to the Shape layer and adjust the blur to get the feathered edge you desire
    5. Adjust the Size and Position of the Shape layer (easiest to do if you press the U key twice) to position it over your particle effect layer

    That's everything I did to all layers. The Particle Systems II layer just has the default effect applied

    If you want to add another layer below this composite the Stencil Alpha blend mode will also cut a hole in that layer. Fix that by simply using the Shape layer as a Track Matte.

    Both screenshots show everything you need to do to the layers to get this to work.

    This is a lot easier and a lot less work than monkeying around with masks and effects compositing options. If you try and put the mask on the particle layer and you enable compositing options the color of the solid you used for the effect will show up so you'll then have to throw some other effects at the layer to create an alpha channel. You have painted yourself into a corner by trying to do this all on one layer.

      OussK
      Community Expert
      OussKCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      August 10, 2019

      really there may ways to do this, and it's very basic you can simply apply same mask for both layer or pre-comp both layers then add the circular mask or alpha matte mask

      check this quick demo

      https://www.dropbox.com/s/dlrni1q399j8pj4/stars-.aep?dl=0

      K
      kbrmasterAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      August 10, 2019

      Thanks!

      I think I have figured out how to do it. But I am having issues with my mask. it appears as a square even though it is a circle. I will make a separate post for this different issue.

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