13. Select the iSub node and use Shift+Click to branch create a filter=>EdgeDetect node.



14. With this node still selected create a blur node, sets it value to 30 pixels. The resulting matte is a bit too dark! Add an Expand node to this and lower the high colour value until the grey areas have turned white i.e. .3 .3 .3.



15. Select the keyMix node and create a Blur node and a filter=>FL_Glow. Create another keyMix node and hook up the first KeyMix into the foreground input, the FL_glow into the background input and the Expand node into the matte input. Select new the keyMix node and set the channel attribute to Red, to use the red channel of the edge matte as the alpha channel of the KeyMix.



As mentioned in previous tutes the FL_Glow filter is a great macro by Francis Lord available free from highend2d.com

Tweak the blur values and the glow fade and spread settings until you are happy with the result. Save your scene.

We now have a reasonably good looking composite. The next step will be to add a few dynamic lighting elements to add a bit of movement and polish to the scene.

We are trying to simulate a light flare and the resulting overexposure of the photographic material caused by light streaming in from the open door, into our dark foreground. To do this we will add in a lens flare and animate the opacity of the lens flare element and glowFade values of the glowing regions to make the lighting appear dynamic.

16. Select the Lens_Flare.tga file-in and append a Fade node and a Move2d node to it. Create a Screen node and connect the lens flare to its foreground input and the KeyMix node from step 14 to the background input.



17. Go to the last frame in the sequence. Use the Move2d node to scale the flare element to fit the scene and position the flare centre over the window in the background element.



Now our flare is in place but there is some nasty bits obscuring out talent in the foreground. The Fade node will be used to animate the opacity of the flare element.

18. Create a new RotoShape, name it fadeLensFlare_RotoShape. Create a shape roughly covering our talent, move the edge points of the RotoShape outwards to make a smooth falloff (you can use the f1,f2,f3 and f4 keys to toggle between the different RotoShape modes). Then branch create a Blur and a Fade node. Set the blur value to 40 or so and the fade value to 0.2. Create another KeyMix node and hook up all the nodes, like so :



This will allow you to fade and blur of the problematic parts of the lens flare simultaneously.

Finally we will add a glow to the background plate to help emulate the bloom caused by the sudden increase in light exposure.

19. Create a new RotoShape and name it bgLayerGlow_RotoShape make a nice feathered edge shape covering the window region of the background, add a Blur node and increase its x and y pixel values to create a smooth shape. Branch create another FL_Glow node and sets it glow colour to a bright orange. Create another KeyMix node and hook up all the new nodes like so :



Tweak the glowLo and glowHi of the values FL_Glow node till the glow is nice and natural looking, but not too blown out.

Save your scene and create a flipbook.

20. You will notice that the lensflare is a bit obvious at the start of the scene. Go to the frame where the door has almost revealed the window and set the fade node attached to the lens flare to 0. move foreword 20 frames in the timeline and set the fade node to .7.



21. Select the Move2d node attached to the lens flare element set its aspect ratio to 1 this will allow us to rotate the image without skewing or distorting it. Animate is position and rotation so that it moves up and right slightly, as well as rotating clockwise as it appears.



22. Move to the frame where you set your first key frame for the lens flare�s fade. Select the FL_glow attached to the background layer and set its glow fade to .25, key this attribute. Move foreword in the time line 25 frames and set its value to .6, another key frame is created. Save your scene and flipbook it again.



The scene is done. Go through and refine the animation and values of your glows and fades until you are happy with the result.

Until next time�..