How to Make a Holographic Display

A holographic display can add scifi credibility to any film.

Used to catch future criminals in Minority Report and within Iron man's head display, the holographic display has become synonymous with science fiction. The ability to interact with a three-dimensional display without the need of a screen brings a lot to immersing an audience into the future world. What was once the domain of highly specialized compositing cameras can now be created with ease within a few programs, such as Adobe's After Effects and Illustrator.

Things You'll Need

• Illustrator CS3
• After Effects CS3
• Digital Footage of Actor
• Digital Footage of Computer Screen

Instructions

Holographic Display Elements in Illustrator

1. Open Illustrator. Go to "File," then "New." Select the drop-down menu next to "New Document Profile" and select "Video and Film." Type "Holo" within the "Name" box. Press "Ok."

2. Select the "Ellipse Tool" from the "Tools Panel" at the left-hand side of the screen. While holding down the shift key, drag out a circle in the middle of the screen. Drag out a smaller one within this one. Go to "Window" then "Pathfinder." Select both circles with the "Selection Tool" and click on "Subtract from Shape Area" from the "Shape Modes" section of the "Pathfinder" window. You should now have a hoop shape. Click on the layer in the "Layers Panel" and name it "Hoop."

3. Click on the "New Layer" icon at the bottom of the "Layers Panel." Select the "Polar Grid Tool" from the "Tools Panel," click on the center of the screen and drag out a large polar grid. Click on this layer in the "Layers Panel" and name this "Circle Grid."

4. Create a new layer as before, and select the "Rectangular Grid Tool." Create a large grid as before with the "Polar Grid." Name this new layer "Rectangle Grid."

Holographic Display in After Effects

1. Open After Effects. Go to "Import" then "File," and look for the Illustrator file you just created. Select "Composition --- Cropped Layers" from the "Import As" drop-down menu. Click "Open."

2. Import the footage of your actor interacting with a fake display and the computer screen footage. Have your actor randomly press onto a fake screen in the air to sell the holographic display effect.

3. Drag your actor and computer screen footage from the project window to the timeline below. This automatically creates a composition. Drag in the Illustrator composition signified by the film strip icon to the timeline as well. Double click on the Holo Illustrator icon to open it. Select the "Circle Grid," go to "Edit" and then "Duplicate." Duplicate this layer twice. Twirl down the first of these layers, twirl down "Transform" menu, and change the Y rotation to "30" degrees. Set the next one to "90." Select all the "Circle Grid" layers and go to "Layer" and "Pre-Compose." Press "OK." Click on the "Collapse Transformations" star icon, which can be found just above the layers within the "Timeline." Go to the "Transform" menu again and click on the "Stopwatch" icon next to the "Y Rotation." Drag the "Time Indicator" to the end of the "Time line," click on the "0" next to the degrees and type in "1."

4. Click on the actor footage tab in the "Timeline." Drag the grid layer above your actor's footage. Press "S" to scale this animation down to be a small aspect of your display. Press "T" to reveal its "Opacity." Click on the "Stopwatch" and type in "0." Then drag the "Time Indicator" to the time you want it to appear and make the opacity "100." Click on the yellow keyframe marker, shift and select the last yellow keyframe as well as the first yellow keyframe, and right-click on one of these keyframes. Select "Toggle Hold Keyframe."

5. Drag the screen footage above the actor's footage. Go to the frame where the actor presses air. Move the image of the screen over the actor's fingers. Move the footage back a few frames, type in "S" and click on the "Stopwatch." Type in "0" then move the "Time Indicator" to when you want the screen to appear and type in "70." Select these keyframes as before, right-click on one of these keyframes and click on "Toggle Hold Keyframes."

6. Go to "File," then "Export" and then "Quicktime movie." Press "OK."

References

• Creative Cow: Creating the Sci-Fi Hologram Look
• You Tube: The Media Mogul: Creating a Hologram in After Effects
• Video Copilot: Futuristic HUD