How to Make a Traveling Mist in After Effects

Create a realistic mist in After Effects.

The effect "CC Particle World" in Adobe After Effects allows users to render 3D objects like clouds and fireworks. Whether you want to add a weather-related element to your project or an evil force like in the movie "The Mist," you can easily create a mist and make it move on-screen. Once you create the effect, you can manipulate it to form to other objects on your screen and give it the traveling life of a real mist or fog cloud.

Instructions

1. Drag the background footage you want to use into the "Layers" window. It will automatically create a new composition based off that clip's length and size.

2. Right-click in the "Layer" window and select "New" and "Solid." Press "OK" on the pop-up window and a colored solid layer will appear over your footage.

3. Go to "Effect," "Generate" and select the "CC Particle World." Now the solid will be replaced with a stream of green sparks. Click on the "Effect Controls" tab to load the settings for the "CC Particle World."

4. Click on the "Grid" section and select "Off." Expand the "Producer" menu just underneath it.

5. Click on the "Z Producer." Set it to "-10." This will spread out the particles across the screen. Set the "Y Producer" to ".7." This will make the particles appear straight down.

6. Expand the "Physics" menu. Set the animation type to "Direction Axis." This is a change from the default "Explosive" animation. Click on the "Velocity" and move it down to ".5." Set the "Gravity" to "-.04."

7. Expand the "Particle" menu. Select the "Faded Sphere" particle. On the color selector, choose a light gray for the "Birth Color" and a pale white for the "Death Color."

8. Adjust the death size until you achieve the size of the mist you want. Press "Enter" to render a preview.

9. Change the "Max Opacity" to around "10%." Make sure it blends in properly with your background video. Opacity can be adjusted from 2 to 15 percent.

10. Click on the "Effects and Presets" window and type in "Mesh Warp." Drag and drop the mesh warp effect onto your mist. Click in the "Monitor" window to pull and push the mist around objects. For example, if there is a car in the window, pull the mesh up so it curves around the hood of the car. Continue this, but do not overdo the adjustments or it will make the mist look unnatural.

11. Play a preview of the video to see how the mist moves. Make any needed adjustments then render your final video.

References

• YouTube: AE Tutorial | Creating Particle Based Fog
• Adobe: Mesh Warp Effect