How to Make Lightsaber Effects Using Adobe Premier
Adobe Premiere is one of the most advanced video editing programs available to the consumer and has many features available for both the professional and beginner video editor. Whether you are creating homage or adding a spin to the Star Wars universe, the authenticity of a Star Wars related project directly reflects with the use of a light saber. These effects can be made easily with the Adobe Premiere program and requires a basic knowledge of key frames.
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Instructions
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Start a new Adobe Premiere project. Title the project something like "Light_Saber" or "Star_Wars" so you can locate the file easily if you exit out of the program.
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Import all of your footage in to the program by right-clicking in the "Project" window and selecting the "Import" option. The footage is a key part in creating the lightsaber effect, because it will only look good if you have the proper footage. The lightsaber fights should be taped with only the handle of the weapon. This way, when you add in the effect, it will actually look like a laser light weapon.
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Right-click in the "Project" window, click on "New Item" and "Color Matte." Select the color that you want the light saber to be and then name that color matte as "Red_Lightsaber" for example.
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Drag the color matte down into the "Timeline" window. Add the "Transform" video effect by going to "Effects," "Distort," and then "Transform." Open up the "Effect Control" tab next to the monitor window.
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Change the scale height and width of the color matte by clicking under the "Transform" tab and manually dragging the adjustments left to right. Try to match the lightsaber up to the scene as close as possible when you are adjusting the height and the width.
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Add the "Alpha Glow" effect to the lightsaber by going to "Effects," "Stylize," and then "Alpha Glow." Within the alpha glow effect, you want to change glow and brightness to high numbers. Also change the "Start Color" and "End Color" to match the lightsaber's color.
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Click on the "Fixed Effects" portion of the "Effects Window" and find the opacity tab. Change the lightsaber's opacity to a low 80 percent so that it is still pretty visible but has a light quality to it.
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Click on the "Motion" tab within the "Effects Window." This is where you will adjust the movements and rotations throughout the video. Click on the little stop-watch next to the "Position," "Scale," and "Rotation" sections of this box. That will activate the key frames and allow you to set points for the lightsaber to move around.
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Go through each key frame process one at a time. Position is probably the key part of the action along with rotation. Set the anchor point of the lightsaber at the bottom. This will create a more natural rotation point near the hand of the person holding the lightsaber.
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Go through every second of footage and adjust the key frames as needed. First move the position, then add the rotation, and do any scaling if necessary. Re-watch the footage to make sure everything is animated properly and there are no awkward movements.
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Tips & Warnings
Save your project multiple times to avoid freezing.
