[2024] Make 3 Unique Glow Effects In After Effects - Tutorial

How To Glow In After Effects

The glow effect in After Effects is way too overused and generic. There are plenty of different ways to use it with or without other effects and that’s why you should learn how to create different types of glow effects in your videos. Glow effects can add a lot of style and atmosphere to your videos, and they are not hard to achieve once you know the basics. In this article, I will show you three different methods to create glow effects using the built-in effects in After Effects. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type of glow you want to create. You will learn how to:

• Create a glow effect using the Glow effect, which allows you to create a glow around any layer based on its brightness or alpha channel. You will learn how to adjust the parameters, colors, and animations of the glow effect to create different styles of glow effects.
• Create a cinematic glow effect using the Fast Box Blur effect, which allows you to create a blur around any layer based on its alpha channel. You will learn how to adjust the parameters, blending modes, colors, and animations of the blur effect to create dramatic and realistic glows, such as for titles, intros, or neon lights.
• Create a glow stroke effect using the Stroke effect, which allows you to create a stroke around any layer based on its alpha channel. You will learn how to adjust the parameters, colors, and animations of the stroke effect to create dynamic and creative glows, such as for logos, animations, or motion graphics.

How to create a glow effect using the Glow effect itself

The Glow effect is one of the most simple and versatile effects in After Effects. It allows you to create a glow around any layer based on its brightness or alpha channel. You can use it to enhance text, logos, or light sources in your video. Here’s how to use it:

1. First, you need to create a new composition and import your footage or logo that you want to apply the glow effect to. You can do this by going to File > Import > File and selecting your file, or by dragging and dropping it into the Project panel. Then, you need to drag the file from the Project panel to the Timeline panel to create a new layer. Make sure the layer is selected by clicking on it.
2. Next, you need to apply the Glow effect to the layer. You can do this by going to Effects > Stylize > Glow and clicking on it, or by typing “Glow” in the Effects & Presets panel and dragging the effect onto the layer. You should see the effect applied to the layer in the Composition panel.
3. Now, you need to adjust the parameters of the Glow effect to achieve the desired glow effect. You can do this by opening the Effects Control panel and changing the values of the parameters. The most important parameters are:
4. Glow Threshold: This controls how bright the layer has to be to create a glow. A lower value means more glow, and a higher value means less glow. For example, if you set the Glow Threshold to 0%, the entire layer will glow, and if you set it to 100%, there will be no glow at all. You can use the slider or type in a value to change the Glow Threshold. A good value to start with is 50%.
5. Glow Radius: This controls how large the glow is around the layer. A higher value means a larger and softer glow, and a lower value means a smaller and sharper glow. You can use the slider or type in a value to change the Glow Radius. A good value to start with is 10 pixels.
6. Glow Intensity: This controls how bright the glow is. A higher value means a brighter glow, and a lower value means a dimmer glow. You can use the slider or type in a value to change the Glow Intensity. A good value to start with is 1.
7. You can also change the Glow Colors and the Color Looping options to create different color variations of the glow. The Glow Colors option allows you to choose between Original Colors, A&B Colors, or 4-Color Gradient. The Original Colors option uses the original colors of the layer to create the glow. The A&B Colors option allows you to choose two colors for the glow, and the 4-Color Gradient option allows you to choose four colors for the glow. The Color Looping option allows you to choose how the colors cycle through the glow. You can choose between None, Sawtooth A>B, Sawtooth B>A, Triangle A>B, Triangle B>A, or Smooth A&B. You can use the color pickers or the eyedropper tool to select the colors, and use the sliders or type in values to change the color phase and color cycle.
8. You can animate the glow effect by adding keyframes to the parameters or by using expressions. To add a keyframe, you need to click on the stopwatch icon next to the parameter name, and then move the current time indicator to a different point in the timeline and change the value of the parameter. You should see a diamond-shaped icon appear on the timeline to indicate a keyframe. You can also use the Graph Editor to adjust the speed and interpolation of the keyframes. To use expressions, you need to hold the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Mac) and click on the stopwatch icon next to the parameter name, and then type in an expression in the text box that appears. You can use expressions to link the parameters to other layers, properties, or values, or to create random or complex animations. You can learn more about expressions in the After Effects Help section or online tutorials.

This is how you can create a basic glow effect using the Glow effect in After Effects. You can use this effect for various purposes, such as enhancing text, logos, or light sources in your video. You can also experiment with different parameters, colors, and animations to create different styles of glow effects. Here is an example of what the glow effect can look like:

‍

How to create a cinematic glow effect using the Fast Box Blur effect

The Fast Box Blur effect is another effect that can be used to create glow effects in After Effects. It allows you to create a blur around any layer based on its alpha channel. You can use it to create a cinematic glow effect that can add drama and realism to your video. Here’s how to use it:

1. First, you need to create a new composition and import your footage or logo that you want to apply the cinematic glow effect to. You can do this by following the same steps as in the previous method.
2. Next, you need to duplicate the layer by pressing Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac). You should see two identical layers in the Timeline panel. Rename the top layer as Glow and the bottom layer as Original by clicking on the layer name and typing in a new name.
3. Select the Glow layer and apply the Fast Box Blur effect to it. You can do this by going to Effects > Blur & Sharpen > Fast Box Blur and clicking on it, or by typing “Fast Box Blur” in the Effects & Presets panel and dragging the effect onto the layer. You should see the effect applied to the layer in the Composition panel.
4. Now, you need to adjust the parameters of the Fast Box Blur effect to achieve the desired cinematic glow effect. You can do this by opening the Effects Control panel and changing the values of the parameters. The most important parameters are:
5. Blur Radius: This controls how large the blur is around the layer. A higher value means a larger and softer blur, and a lower value means a smaller and sharper blur. You can use the slider or type in a value to change the Blur Radius. A good value to start with is 100 pixels.
6. Iterations: This controls how many times the blur is applied to the layer. A higher value means a smoother and more realistic blur, and a lower value means a faster and more stylized blur. You can use the slider or type in a value to change the Iterations. A good value to start with is 1.
7. Blur Dimensions: This controls the direction of the blur. You can choose between Horizontal, Vertical, or Horizontal and Vertical. The Horizontal option creates a blur along the horizontal axis, the Vertical option creates a blur along the vertical axis, and the Horizontal and Vertical option creates a blur along both axes. You can use the drop-down menu or the buttons to change the Blur Dimensions. You can use this option to create different directions of the glow, such as horizontal for neon lights, vertical for sun rays, or both for general glow.
8. Change the blending mode of the Glow layer to Add, Screen, or Linear Dodge, depending on the intensity of the glow you want. The blending mode controls how the Glow layer interacts with the Original layer. The Add mode adds the brightness values of the Glow layer to the Original layer, creating a very bright glow. The Screen mode multiplies the inverse of the brightness values of the Glow layer and the Original layer, creating a moderate glow. The Linear Dodge mode adds the brightness values of the Glow layer and the Original layer, creating a very bright glow with more contrast. You can change the blending mode by clicking on the drop-down menu next to the layer name in the Timeline panel and selecting the mode you want.
9. You can also add a tint effect to the Glow layer and change the color of the glow to match your footage or logo. The tint effect allows you to map the black and white values of the layer to different colors. You can apply the tint effect by going to Effects > Color Correction > Tint and clicking on it, or by typing “Tint” in the Effects & Presets panel and dragging the effect onto the layer. You can change the color of the glow by opening the Effects Control panel and changing the values of the Map Black To and Map White To parameters. You can use the color pickers or the eyedropper tool to select the colors, or type in the hexadecimal values of the colors. You can also change the amount of tint by changing the value of the Amount to Tint parameter. A higher value means more tint, and a lower value means less tint. A good value to start with is 100%.
10. You can animate the cinematic glow effect by adding keyframes to the Blur Radius or the Tint Amount parameters, or by using expressions. You can do this by following the same steps as in the previous method.

This is how you can create a cinematic glow effect using the Fast Box Blur effect in After Effects. You can use this effect for creating dramatic and realistic glows, such as for titles, intros, or neon lights in your video. You can also experiment with different parameters, blending modes, colors, and animations to create different styles of cinematic glow effects.