TUTORIALS FOR VFX & MOTION GRAPHICS
Free After Effects Tutorials & More Hosted By: Andrew Kramer
January 22, 2007
• New Light Saber preset with enhanced motion blur
• Obscure the Light Saber when behind Objects
 
 
TUTORIAL NOTES:
No information available at this time.
Running Time: 12mins. 35 secs.


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290 RESPONSES TO "LIGHT SABERS V2"

by Nikola Jovicic 08/28/2010
Is there a way to lock the lenght of the lightsaber?
I never seem to get it just right :(
thanks in advance
by Mc Hammer 08/07/2010
Can you do a lightsaber throw tutorial? Please?
by keith 07/29/2010
THE BLADE OF A SAVER
by Daniel Porteous 07/21/2010
Hi. I have this issue with the lightsaber glow right.
So i have figured out how to move it on the prop, to make multiple obscure layers, etc.
However, when i make an obscurity layer of where i want, the glow isn't over the layer, but is everywhere where it should be outside of the layer.
When i drag the lightsaber_glow preset onto my composition, it jsut colours the invisible obscurity solid and doesn't cover it in glow. I ahve tried putting it on the actual footage, different composition in the workflow.
Any help please?
by Adam 07/11/2010
I had trouble with this one, i couldnt seem to be alble to get the sabre to pass behind more than once. I discoverd you had too add them into a new composition Ha ha.
by Thomas Eichbaum 05/25/2010
Great Effect, but what to do when crossing the blades?

Some tutorials???

Thanxxx!!!

Greetz
Thomas
by Mike Maune 05/23/2010
Ok, for you who don't know where / how to get the lightsaber preset, download the project and extract whatever language you speak into After Effects' Program Files, under Presets.
by Joey S 05/23/2010
Will these presets work if I have CS5...If so i'm having a little trouble getting them into adobe.
by mmm...applesause... 05/22/2010
thanks andrew. i just don't know where to download this
by William Schlueter 05/18/2010
How do I install this preset on Adobe After Effects because whenever I download it and try to extract the files and open it it says "windows cannot open these files." What do I do?
by Lambertini 05/17/2010
Muito obrigado por esse belo material de graça !
Você realmente merece os parabéns! Deve ter muito trabalho para disponibilizar esse ótimo material de graça!

Obrigado mesmo e parabéns, bom trabalho!
by Tommy boy1 05/04/2010
How do you make the saber stick to the prop?
by HotDogs 05/04/2010
Cool and nice plugin
but when I try to use it , it's not working
when I drag/drop the plugin into the white solid it shows nothing only a red frame , what should I ??
thanks
by vinsta_g 05/04/2010
Well, i looked at the prices of After Effects... it's a thousand bucks for the cheap version. Any other way to accomplish this without breaking the bank?
by Josh Brown 05/04/2010
Hello Mr. Kramer. I have been watching your video tutorials and your showers for quite some time now. And I've learned quite a bit of valuble information about filmmaking. First off, I must ask how you managed to reach that far into Sam. Me and my good friend David Harmin can never seem to get the length just right. My attendance at south effingham high school has left me very stressful, and I just can't seem to make my lightsaber glow as much as it used to, it seems to be faulty and quite floppy. I really like how red you made Sam's lightsaber, and I would like to have the same effect in my own films. Soon I am going to be making a adult film with Justin Kieth, and it is going to be about a lone jedi named Master Bate and his death star. Wish me luck. I'm Josh Brown, and I'm cool.
by Alex Bowser 05/04/2010
Listen andrew kramer i seriously loved your video..now if you can shiow me how to do this to porn itd help me out alot seeing that i am a porn producer...we could use special effects and make thm very steamy...i live in effingham,ga..give me a call
by Marco 04/29/2010
what program is he using?
by frank haugen 04/23/2010
Love this effect preset and the tutorial makes a difficult task easy. but why isn't there a function to limit the start and endpoint distance, so ones lightsaber reference can be shorter but still easily provide a foolproof way to not get a changing blade size. May just be me being inexperianced;).

-frank
by Corey 04/05/2010
hi, i have tried this out and it works but when i want it to go behind something more than once i can't. making a new solid wont work because you can alpha invert it any help?
by bizzy buyer 03/29/2010
do i buy the program or some thing cuz i can't download it. i've benn looking for this type of program for months now. please respond with an e-mail to my adress please!!!!!
by Ersin Acar 03/23/2010
Yeah working on cs3 but blur doesn't working no blur effects on the moves i mean.

can you publish new version ?
by Corey 03/20/2010
it seems to work mostly fine with AE cs4 but on the saber glow it says Missing:saber glow? but it still works but not all the time? a way around this? also im on a mac
by Dave 02/23/2010
Why on my project werite : Missing Saber_Controls??
Help, i don't know what to do...
by Dan 02/19/2010
I noticed a lot of people are having the same problem I was so I thought I's post the solution I came up with.

You add a new solid and then drag the Preset onto it and get this error:

After Effects warning: Class 'Effect' has no property or method named 'Perspective'
Expression disabled.

Error occured at line 3.
Comp: 'Lightsaber'
Layer:1 ('Gray Solid 1')
Property: 'Starting Thickness'

The saber looks awful (too fat) and basically is useless. Not sure if this will work for everyone, but here is what I did:

To re-create the After Effects preferences file on Windows XP:

1. Quit After Effects.
2. Rename the Adobe After Effects 9.0 Prefs.txt file (for example, to Adobe After Effects 9.0 Prefs.old) in the C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Adobe\After Effects\9.0 folder.
3. Start After Effects. After Effects creates a new preferences file.
4. Try the preset again. It worked for me.
by guu 02/09/2010
hey gu here.andwuu kaymuh i want give you happy ending for all ya hawd wuhk!
by Peter L. Lee 02/03/2010
hallo andrew
you are doing a great job keep going and thanks. video-copilot is really on of the best. all this knowledge for free. fantastic!
right now i'd like to work on your tutorial 20/20b light sabers but i can't find any footage. download includes "only" the presets?
i'd estimate it if you do some more tutorials in cooperation with 3d cinema4d like 3D Crater etc..
greetings
peter
by Geldrith 01/27/2010
Works fine with CS4 just make sure it's in the right folder supportfiles/presets
by Geldrith 01/27/2010
John... Did you set a keyframe for the first frame of the sabre?
If not then the changes will be the same for each frame.
by John 01/22/2010
ok i have watched this tutorial over and over again trying to figure out whats going on wrong, for some reason every time i move onto the next frame to move the lightsaber blade to where it should be for THAT frame i look back to the previous frame and the lightsaber blade has moved! ive been at this for 9 hours (no lie), i am burning with rage because i can't figure out what is happening. please i really want to make a star wars film!
by goran 01/22/2010
BELOW, true.
by David 12/18/2009
This guy (kramer) does not respoend to any of the comments. I wonder why you keep posting and asking about a preset for CS4!!!! Dahh!!!!
by amirul love your tutorial 12/14/2009
Hey kramer, Im using cs4... im confuse on what da hell you clicking lol.i cant find it >.<
by buck 12/10/2009
how can i make a video like this
by jovan 12/08/2009
how can I make this
a
by ben jones 11/18/2009
i thought i would help some people you want to use the saber for adobe after effects cs4,

find the program on the hardrive where it had been installed. then go onto support files and presets. put it in there and it should work fine.

ben jones
;)
by smith 11/11/2009
I just wanted to ask why dont u guys use the motion track function on the program to track the light saber and apply it the the glowing stick.
by DarthTony 11/10/2009
Hello Mr.Kramer.
You are doing a great job keep going so we all can learn ur knowlegde.
Anyway,i am using Adobe After Effects Cs4 and i can't load this one..although is a very good idea this effect with the lightsaber and it would helped me alot with my project...do u have it for Cs4?
Thank you.
by darth rose 11/06/2009
I don't now have ligthsaber sound were I gonna get that.
by darth rose 11/06/2009
I don't want do my comercial with that effect v2
I like more manual.

att. Darth Rose
by ben 11/04/2009
hi,
i got cs4 after affects how do i get it to work on tht?
thnx ben.
by darth rose 11/03/2009
why I cannot download the project of lightsaber v2
by Fernando 10/22/2009
Really cool Your lightsaber i want the plug in, from Chile too (its a coincidence)!!!
by Jaimiko 09/29/2009
Hello! Greetings from Chile, excelent light saber V2.
by matty 09/26/2009
it is so cool
by Ivarento 09/25/2009
Yes, it works in AE cs4
by Max 09/07/2009
please andrew or anyone. Can i have the saber presets for the 6.5 version. send to my email. itsjustmax@yahoo.com
by adam 09/05/2009
dose this stuff work in AE cs4
by Benny 09/03/2009
I love all the tutorials but this probably one of my favourites. Me and my friends are doing a short Star Wars film - see www.bkitch1.350.com/BKitch.htm for more details - my only question is, how do you edit Windows Movie Maker films? Actually, there's one thing I haven't tried, which is saving the movie first - that might actually be it!
by jakhalzmovies 08/20/2009
hey i,m dutch and i watch this tutorial and you say that this not work for after effects cs3 but i have discovered it,s can works in after effects cs3
by N77 08/12/2009


this is really amazing, dute!!!
thanks for sharing your knowledge!
by Roman 08/06/2009
Thanx Andrew for this tutorial.
I'm also would like to ask you to update pluging for CS4!

And it is a good idea to make a tutorial on how to create plugin like this. maybe it would be a bit dry but it would help to learn AAF better!
by Mike 08/02/2009
Thank you and my fellow Star Wars fans for these effects. Thank you Jesus, I mean Mr. Kramer for having this up here. Now I can make my Star Wars videos perfectly. I am greatful to Star Wars. PERIOD! The same with George Lucas.
by Alessandro 08/02/2009
I ask too, if you *please* could upgrade the saber preset
by Ryan 07/24/2009
Great tutorial but the preset does'nt work in CS4 so yeah...

Could you please make this for CS4?
by Phillip 07/18/2009
PLEASE make this for CS4, i will give you FULL credit in my video if you do.
by Mitchell 07/14/2009
Ok.. great tutorial.. but

I added the gray solid over my video, and then dragged the Light_Saber_V2 file onto the video and i recieve this error:

After Effects warning: Class 'Effect' has no property or method named 'Perspective'
Expression disabled.

Error occured at line 3.
Comp: 'Lightsaber'
Layer:1 ('Gray Solid 1')
Property: 'Starting Thickness'

So can anyone help me out? I am running AE CS4. Please do not ignore this comment.


~Mitchell
by Seth 07/12/2009
Hay Tim you just click on the button that says download project.
by tim 07/10/2009
how the heck do you you download it?
by jake 07/09/2009
how do you get after effects
by frank 07/06/2009
how to dow ster wars
by Kennet 07/01/2009
@Cameron: for sound, just google lightsaber sound and you should be able to find some sound effects that you can import into AE and mix together. I found some good ones here: http://www.theforce.net/fanfilms/postproduction/soundfx/saberfx_fergo.asp
by Cameron 06/27/2009
Hey can anyone tell me how to add the lightsaber's sound effects?
by Remington 06/15/2009
Hey andrew, thanks again. For everyone above, it does work on CS4. Do you think that motion tracking would work for this andrew? if you just put 2 red dots on your saber or something? maybe it would just be easier to rotoscope it, but its just an idea.
by luke0978 06/12/2009
Mr Kramer you are the god of all effect gods thank you!!!! :)
by Abdi 06/03/2009
Please andrew is there anyway to get this on CS4??!!!!

great tutorial, it just wont work though!!
by Jurgen 06/02/2009
very nice work! To finish it of you might try to let the opacity decrease on fast movements like u can c on the actual footage.

By the way I'm using CS4 and it works perfectly.

Thanks from Belgium
by william Q 05/30/2009
hey wats up i love your tutorials but just wondering will this work for the newest verion??
please reply

by Geyner 05/29/2009
Hi there Andrew, the problem I have is that the lightsaber i'm using (stick) shows after I do the mask, how can I get rid of it?
by zac 05/26/2009
when will the one for 6.5 come out???
by kevin 05/24/2009
hi i have cs4 and when i try to use this it says im missing files, do i need a specific plug in for this and iff so which one.
by kevin e 05/24/2009
hey i downloaded it and every time i try to use it the program says theres something missing, do i need a plug in cuz i have riot gear, real clouds, bullet time,and one more, i have cs4, is there something else i need
by MT 05/23/2009
hi im getting AE 7.0 does it work on standard or just pro
by john 05/22/2009
hi! how do you apply this to my plug ins. it doesn't seem to work. i have after effects cs4
by MrNocturne 05/19/2009
Hey, Thanks for the awesome tutorials. I found that if I motion tracked 2 points in my footage (The base of the blade and the tip) then assigned the trackign data to null objects, I could then link the position of the null objects to the start and end points on the 'saber' Thus speeding up the process of manipulating each frame. Unfortunately you need really good footage. It works best for relitavely still shots with subtle sabre movement.
by nicky 05/18/2009
where i put the lightsaber folder in which folder?
by Alex 05/18/2009
But I have AE 6.0
by Mick 05/18/2009
hi, if i download the projest in user presets i cant fing it back on adobe, plz help me :(
by Stalmation 05/12/2009
Thank's Andrew, very cool effect. Here is my result
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiJVhoVF8iU
by Adam 05/10/2009
I don't have glow!
Please help me Andrew!
by Ivan 05/08/2009
Hi andrew...i am doing a project with the lightsaber, and it last 10 seconds, but i dont know how to make the mask in all the video, i just make it in one part of the video, anyway i want to know how to do it in a 10 second video...thanks...i wait for your answer.
by niklas 05/02/2009
hey andrew your tutorial is the best on the net.
But my adobe effect 7.0 pro can't use it, it says the files is missing.
i get the spots i each end of the saber, but no saber. You are a very kind man if you gelp me here :D
- maybe a newer version or something?:D

niklas sweden
by stev-o 04/25/2009
Hey Andrew,

I have Adobe After Effects CS3 and it doesn't seem to allow me to paste the folders or even the .ffx files into the presets folder. Is there a way around this problem?
by noob 04/24/2009
where to download this light saber
by pym 04/22/2009
whoever likes starwars go to this link



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl4fazc-hU0
by Jonathan 04/06/2009
How can I get the lightsaber on my compeuter?
by JBantha 03/28/2009
Thanks a lot! I've just made probably the worst lightsaber video ever, but this is one of a kind tutorial that even a rookie like me could get1 XD

again: THANK YOU SO MUCH! ^^
by Mads 03/28/2009
hey andrew your tutorial is the best on the net.
But my adobe effect 7.0 pro can't use it, it says the files is missing.
i get the spots i each end of the saber, but no saber. You are a very kind man if you gelp me here :D
- maybe a newer version or something?:D
by alma 03/19/2009
Hey andrew in adobe after effects the saber blur looks like the original lightsaber please help
by ashton 03/17/2009
i love lightsabers im getting mine on monday i am getting ten of them
by ryan 03/17/2009
hey um how do i download it!?
thanks
by Light_saber 03/17/2009
Thanks alot, i love all your tutorial's This 1 is GREAT!

:D
by gethin 03/16/2009
Everything worked out in the end. At a distance, the saber's glow tends to meld into each other. Going frame by frame it looked wierd, but watching it back in realtime it looked fine. Here is how it turned out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEdr4cHokKM

Thanks Mr Kramer
by Thunderstud 03/14/2009
I was wondering if you knew how to import the file into a CS4 production premier package? I cannot seem to get it to work.
by THEDARKSIDE 03/14/2009
what version is this
by THEDARKSIDE 03/14/2009
WHICH version is this
by Calvin 03/11/2009
Hey thanks for another cool tutorial.. check out this movie i made it has a couple of light saber scenes in it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK9y9a29kg8
by Fred 03/11/2009
Hey Mr. Kramer,

I am having a problem. When I try to import the saber glow into my project, It does not look anything like yours in the tutorial. It is bigger and brighter and makes it not look like a lightsaber anymore. It just makes it look like a big blob in the background.

Help?
by Jack 03/09/2009
Thanks a lot for this! It really saves time and looks really good. The tut was really easy to follow and helped me learn about AE while i made a sweet light saber video! The precomp thing at the end also was a real help! THANKS!!!!
by Carlos 03/03/2009
Hello, Exellent tutorial but I still cant find the lightsaber pressetV1 or V2.
I would like V2 where can I find it?

Thanks
by Skif 02/27/2009
im having some difficulty with the playback, every time i hit 0 on my keypad, it does a "rendering frame XX of XX" and its not in real time. Often times it wont render the whole animation either. im using CS3/vista, any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance
by MT 02/23/2009
u said u were going to upgrade it to be used for adobe 6.5 cause thats all i got. plz plz plz plz plz tell me if it has been upgraded i have adobe 6.5 standard so yah get back to me
by Gethin 02/21/2009
Hello I love the tutorials and everything has worked fine for one saber, but I was hoping someone out there could help me with a problem I have with two. I did my first saber in red, and everything was fine. I started the second one in green and everything was fine until the two sabers came close to each other and the red one turned green too. I tried precomposing the red first, and then I rendered it, but the green values are still transfering to the red saber on the layer below. Does anyone know how to work around this? Thanks. And a special thanks to Mr Kramer, Love your work.
by john 02/08/2009
hi my name is john and i watched your video light sabers v2 and i wanted you to email me at tombforever@aim.com and tell me how to down load that thing because i couldnt figure it out.
by EdgeoFmaX 01/25/2009
WOW!! Thank to you Andrew!!!
by Eric 01/25/2009
Hey i have had this preset before and i was great, i recently had to reformat my pc and reinstall AE, but when i reinstall the preset it gives me the error "This contains 4 references to missing effects. Please install the following effects to restore these references. (Alpha Levels", "Simple Choker." I am using AE Pro 7.


what do you think could be the problem
by Chris 01/24/2009
hey u might think this is a stupid question but...


were do u download tht program??

by Stanley Napiza 01/22/2009
Hi Andrew,
Ive been watching your tutorials for quite some time now, what ive been so focused about is this lightsaber tutorial and the demon face tutorial.
I have this crazy idea of a movie my friends and I want to make heres the link http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=oas02e
by Jacob Behunin 01/22/2009
This doesnt seem to work in After Effects CS4.
V1 seems to work fine. But not V2
by shadow 01/21/2009
what FX do you use if two light sabers collide
by babydeathfather 01/19/2009
can you use it in real life by a self made lightsaber
by Kevin 01/18/2009
Hey

I have probelm...

I did everthing that the tutorial said but it didn't work

I line up the lightscaber in AE and it looks great, but when i export the video the lightscaber is not lined up

Please help

Kevin
by Josue Romero 01/15/2009
um when i downloaded it didnt leyt me open it.
how am i suppose to open it????
by max 01/15/2009
do i have to buy something to do that?
by gunn 01/08/2009
hi i am knew to thiss and i was wondering what program/s to use to run this
by Andrew Tran 01/07/2009
A message to Michael, The download can be downloaded right next to the video button.
by Michael 01/06/2009
In AE CS3 Pro the motion blur for the lightsaber does not work for me!! any tipps??
by matthew a 01/05/2009
are the file downloads free
by brandx96 12/27/2008
do u have it with cs4? i really need it for cs4. :) love your tutorials.
by MyChEmIcAlRoMaNcE 12/23/2008
love it
by Lunatic 12/21/2008
thanks very much!
by nat 12/03/2008
how do i get this on my computer
by kevin 12/03/2008
how do i get this on my computer and were do i get the drivers? help please send mail via youtube go to www.youtube.com/haloguy00 please
by Eric 11/30/2008
will these presets work on after effects CS3 (i believe its version 8 or something like that)
by gabriel 11/29/2008
yo hum how do i download the wnidow for making my onw light saber video's?
by Nick 11/27/2008
Sweet I never knew you can do that until i saw this video i'm definitely going to try this.
by Luke Adams 11/23/2008
great stuff! works extremely well, thanks alot :)
by Matt 11/18/2008
awesome video
by daniel and mack 11/17/2008
What program do u use and how do u download it from daniel and mack.
by mason 11/16/2008
my friend and I might make a star wars film. but we were woundering if you could have a video of how to make a film in 3d. imean with the 3d glasses you put on and it comes to life. could you?
by Dominique 10/18/2008
I'm can't figure out how to obscure two people. I can do the obscure mask around one actor that blocks his lightsaber behind him, but then what if the other actor's lightsaber goes behind the opposite actor? also how do I place one saber over another at different times. It seems that one saber layer needs to be listed above the other in the composition list, but the same saber isn't always above the other. I hope you can help thank you.
by DarioSiero 10/18/2008
Hi Mr.Kramer
First of all, congratulations for your tutorials.

I have a problem with this preset.
When I try to add the lightsaber to my composition a message apears:
"Class 'Effect' has not any property or method with the name 'Starting Point'
Expression disabled"
And in the Effects Control Panel appears
"missing:saber_controls"
I have AE CS3 Pro version
What can I do?
Thank you.

Regrards from Spain
by Randomguy 10/17/2008
Ur tutorials are awesome and the saver_v2 looks awesome 2.... but i can't seem to download the preset can u fix it or link please?
by john 10/15/2008
hey what flash player do you use and do you have to guy it????? plzzz tell me i want to make some cool lightsaber videos like you!
by Evan 10/13/2008
hey andrew just going to ask if you have to buy anything to make this video becuase I want to make some star wars videos to go on you tube but dont want to buy anything to do so ???!!!

(please reply)
by jsmith 10/12/2008
nice tutorial... but on my after effecs cs3 I get the saber but on a black background and u cant see the video, how can i fix this
by alan 10/09/2008
good tutorial man. you guys make working with After Effects alot fun. can i use the same plug in to do a two sided Light Saber and have you got a tutorial that can show me how.
by Arcan 10/09/2008
Same problem. Missing saber error. Any fix?
by Jay 10/07/2008
Has anyone found out where to get the missing Saber Controls file? Thanks
by chris 10/05/2008
Im curious. Could you make a force lightning tutorial. they are all over youtube but they are all wrong and like mess up my footage. just wondering. this tutorial is golden BTW
by mohamed 10/04/2008
how can I get the lightsaber preset for adobe after effects CS3
by AEcaptainlol 09/29/2008
hi guys....hi Andrew I am the one of the infinite people who loves your tutorials...I want to know how to do the v2 of light saber I have the v2 but I want to do it like a tringle no like circle -.- plz some1 help me..e-mail me or left a comment (danaos1996@gmail.com) sorry for the long comment
by BladeRunner 09/28/2008
Hi AdrewKramer I am the of the infinite people love your videos....I can do the v2 of LightSaber...I have download the version 2 but the light saber is like a circle at the top i cant do it like a tringle or something like that...Some1 help me plz
by CloneTroopa 09/25/2008
It works for AE CS3 true ... but only for the english version. If you have a other language, follow this steps:

(it's for XP) Start > runt > AfterFx.exe -L EN
(for vista) Start > search > AfterFx.exe -L EN

It will open English version of AE ... then load the file. If you don't know where to put it ... search "backgrounds" in your computer folder ... then you see the present path.

by MattyNX 09/25/2008
For all those of you who've asked about how you download the Presets for the Lightsaber effects saying you can't find the link to download them.. well i just found them, if you click on Project you should get a message to start downloading a zip/RAR file. One you've selected your directory just download and unzip once it's complete and the project files are already there waiting for you to copy and paste into you AE presets folder...

I hope this helps guys. Best wishes to all from the UK

Great job on the Tutorials Andrew there totally amazing.
by Francesco 09/22/2008
The lightsaber preset must be runned on adobe cs3 english version to work
by Miguel 09/16/2008
Hey, i read all the comments on your page, and only one or two people is having the same issue as me, in my scene the lightsaber passes behind the actor's back multiple times, and i can only get it to mask it once, works great on the first pass, but you cant have multiple rotoscoping paths on the same timeline, as far as i can tell, ive been searching high and low for this solution, i would be forever grateful if you could email me or anybody on here who knows how could post the answer, that would be great too. if i figure it out first, ill certainly post it on here, youre tutorials are beyond compliment, absolutely essential, Thanks
-Miguel Blaze
by Sunny 09/08/2008
man who ever your friends are, are some lucky people, your the best andrew kramer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Austin 09/07/2008
Hey Aaron, did you hit the stopwatch buttons?
by Tyler 09/06/2008
That error is the same with me does anyone know were to get them but otherwise that was a great tutorial
by Kristjan 09/05/2008
YOU ARE THE BEST.
Keep doing great job!
by Aaron 09/02/2008
I have spent over 6 hours trying to figure this thing out. Every time I go to a new frame and move the lightsaber all of the previous ones move as well.

I have followed everything the tutorial says. What am I doing wrong?
by Austin 09/01/2008
Is there a faster way of doing this? I have spent over 12 hours doing multiple lightsabers for a 4 minute movie. My hand is killing me and I'm sick and tired of doing the movie, but I still have another 1 min. left. Please tell me theres an easier way than frame by frame.
by jack 08/30/2008
how do i download the thing were u can even start editing the stuff
by boom 08/29/2008
how do i download like the thing were u even do this stuff
by chris 08/28/2008
how can I get the light saber preset for adobe after effects CS3?
by Ruban 08/27/2008
It's not working for me!!
I got AE Pro 7.
I installed the saber files in my presents folders, but when I use saber_V2.0 on a solid nothing appears.
help anyone?
by Dobby 08/25/2008
oh, sorry guys i sent the wrong link
The good is this:
http://twatech.org/shownotes/lightsaber sounds/
by Dobby 08/25/2008
I downloaded the files but, when want to use the "saber_controls" effect is missing.
Johan has the same problem (in the 1st 20 comments).( I'm using CS3)

Hier is can you find some lightsaber sounds:

http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:I5I2u0hootwJ:twatech.org/shownotes/lightsaber%20sounds/ "lightsaber" -program "sounds"
by dude 08/23/2008
Help Please! where do you get the softwere?
by adam 08/21/2008
i cant find the downloads for the light_saber_V2


please email them to me or tell me where to find it on the website
by George 08/20/2008

a great lightsaber tutorial 4 AE7 and Cs3 3 is at this link http://rhys-works.com/tutorials/lightsaber/

Cheers for all the Tuts Andrew learnt alot from your site, keep making more

George
by hammy 08/19/2008
can these things work on windows movie maker? i don't have much memory left on my computer.
by dima 08/18/2008
hey boys can you help me ? how to make lightsaber sounds??? e-mail me please...

i got lightsaber_v2 and when i safe , it comes up without sound :(
by Rob 08/17/2008
hmmm, you should really be animating big time movies like the Matrix, Wanted, etc.

you own.
by Eric 08/15/2008
wow. that was very informative. thx a lot Andrew cuz i'm a StarWars nerd myself and love the movies but not frame by frame LOL
by noname 08/08/2008
dose this work with adobe after effects cs3?
by Jérémie 08/07/2008
my friend wants the preset but he cant find it anymore
by Robin 08/04/2008
Hello, i have a problem with this preset.it just say This favorite contains 4 references to missing effects. Please install the following effects to restore theese references. ("Alpha Levels", "Simple Choker")
How do i install them? and where can i find them?
by Paul 08/04/2008
Loved how the music appeared more than once... i don't know why i just thought it was pretty cool :)
by Dave 07/25/2008
You should really make a tutorial about how to make the flash effect when two lightsabers hit each other!!! >-(>-(>-(>-(>-(>-(>-(
by Ahmed Madhoun 07/25/2008
أنا معجب جداً بدرروسك

Very Awsome Nice Little Work I Want To Became A Cinma Star With Tutorials ,, And Thanks Alot....

by khalil 07/22/2008
mmm so good
by Fire-Rescue 07/13/2008
Hey, i cant seem to export this and keep everything in sync. Nothing matches up. I've tryed to export it as every option i could.. avi, wmv ect ect...
Im using cs3. Help!

Andy Morgan
by Kai 07/13/2008
Hey Thanks for making this tutorial. When I download the folder, one of the files is missing from the "Andrew Kramer" folder. If you could fix this, that would be great.
by Kai 07/13/2008
Hey Thanks for making this tutorial. When I download the folder, one of the files is missing from the "Andrew Kramer" folder. If you could fix this, that would be great.
by Sam 07/10/2008
hey andrew, thks for all these tutorials. like others i was wondering if we could track the fake saber and parent the moving position to the saber.
Thks a lot
by cyberhuntera 07/06/2008
Come on people tell me how to get the cool view, the view in version 1
by Hi.. 07/03/2008
Hi there,

Is it possible to use this preset for After Effects CS3 ??

Could u manage it, that it works ?

sry 4 bad english !
by cyberhuntera 07/03/2008
Come on people tell me how to get the cool view, the view in version 1
by cyberhuntera 07/03/2008
Come on people tell me how to get the cool view, the view in version 1
by dumdum 07/02/2008
>-(

Hello Andrew Kramer. I saw some of the comments and the nickname "doma" cursed in foreign language. Please delete the comments as it looks disturbing. Thank You.
by cyberhuntera 07/02/2008
Please tell me how to do it with the cool view, not the view like version 1.A and Tudan download the file extract it and copy the Andrew Kramer folder to your AE - folder/Presets. And your done!
by didula kadupitiya 07/01/2008
its nice preset
by Tudan 07/01/2008
Where to put this files?
by Michael Hull 06/29/2008
well apparently no one cares to help out the large group of people that have the saber missing control problem....

great tutorial..but useless now that no one can seem to help with the missing effects problem.
by cyberhuntera 06/28/2008
I love your work! I am with AE 7 Pro, but when I am done with the video it is just like the version 1. Why is that happening?
Please help me Andrew.
Greetings from Bulgaria!
by Darrious 06/27/2008
Just out of curiosity. How's come when you open it up and go into AndrewKramer then VFX it comes up with that message that says your Windows is corrupt, but it actually isn't?
by Marijke 06/26/2008
Does anyone know where to find the keylight plugin for adobe cs 3? Im goin kinda crazy because i had after effects 7, but it wasnt the PRO version so i couldnt use the keylight plug in. Now i have CS3 PRO but my keylight only works in AE 7 PRO. Im kinda stuck please help

p.s. Andrew i just love you for those tutorials i wouldnt know what to do whithout you !!! much thanks and respect
by Jordan 06/17/2008
Okay guys at the top of the screen there is a "watch" button correct? Well beside it there is another button called "Project" click it to get the files in the tutorial.
by Rupak 06/17/2008
how can i download this vedio tutorial
by jonas 06/14/2008
has anyone figured the solution for the error reading "missing saber controls". I offer a reward of punch and pie for the answer!
by jigsaw 06/14/2008
great tutorial thanks
by Alex 06/04/2008
very nice preset and tutorial! thx andrew!

bur it doesn't work. i've got ae 7.0 pro.
same problem like the others in CS3.

does anyone know, what to do?
i would very appreciate!
by Ace 06/02/2008
How do you import the project into AE?
by pablo chávez 06/01/2008
hey adrew, i downloaded the second preset, but it seems kinda fat, different from the one on the tutorial, and when i go to the shutter angle, it doesnt changes, no blur is shown, i think its because i use after effects cs3, what can i do?
by Martin Strid 05/31/2008
Hello Andrew Kramer! I want to tell your video tutorial it's great! And i have download presets from you! And it work great!! YOU ROCK MAN!!!
by John 05/28/2008
Hello,
please where can I download the "Presets Andrewkramer VFX" ???
please write to me....
btw GREAT WORK!!!
CZECH
by Christopher Andrews 05/24/2008
Hey, Andrew! I used your lightsaber tutorial on a scene from "Highlander." Please check it out. Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxQDc4Z5KIA
by Chris 05/21/2008
I'd love to get to work on this, however... I've installed the presets and refreshed the preset list, I get "missing: Saber_Control".

Ok, so I remove everything, close AE, reinstall the presets and again, after putting in the new solid and dragging the V2 effect from the preset list.. "missing: Saber_Control"

Help!!
by Lenny! 05/16/2008
Hey!

That dasn't work for me!

I have Pro Version of AE!

Theres an Error! I will post it later ...

by SDXX 05/14/2008
>-( how do you import/upload a preset? I'm having a lot of trouble doing it.
by Dominick Allison 04/30/2008
Mr. Cramer, Have you made, or are you going to make a tutorial on Matchmoving I'm sure this is something I'm going to need in my making film making. Thanks. You do damn good work Mr. Easy to follow. Looking into buying you cds. Be cool.
by Bario 04/29/2008
is there a way for this to work for CS3 is never works and I have no presets folder so how do i get this to work??????
by james sullivan 04/27/2008
Andrew,
I am at the start of learning AF and I'm not a fan of wasting time. Are there Jobs using AF? What kind of portfolio do you need? Do you need many samples? Is there a best industry to target? Are there any question I should be asking you?
If you can get back to me I'll be greatful and your lessions are very good. thank you -James

jameslabs@yahoo.com
by tommy 04/23/2008
i made a vid of my self doing a spin from side to side but the saber is is just behind me all the time SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO MAKE IT SO IT GOES: FRONT, BACK, FRONT, BACK
by Caleb Freeman 04/18/2008
hey mate by the way at the end of the tut u said seya nex time.........seya ur not going to see us because ur talking, and ur not on a webcam!......anyway. i realy lie ur totorials im 11 yrs old so i need a bit of help.. u know when u said page up or down do u mean up or down on the arrow keys?
by radu 04/18/2008
hey great tutorial

but i have a problem

i am from romania

when i turn of the glow i still can't move the sword easyer

i mean i move it slow

what can i do?

at the beginning it worked perfectly..but now?
by asoda 04/14/2008
Great tutorial
Just wondering if you can make a tutorial where you learn how to create some force lightning like in StarWars?
I love your work man! You have the gratest tutorials!
by Brayden 04/02/2008
How do you do the track matting section of this tut on Photoshop CS3
by Hambyyz. 03/30/2008
Can u make a tutorial of when smallville runs like super duper fast ?
by Hambyyz. 03/30/2008
This is frikkin' great !!! is there any possible way that u could make a tutorial of the effect when smallville runs super duper fast ?
by Hambyyz. 03/30/2008
This is frikkin' great !!! is there any possible way that u could make a tutorial of the effect when smallville runs super duper fast ?
by Adam 03/24/2008
Great tutorial once again but I am having the same issue as I have After Effects CS3.

V1 of the preset worked fine but this new version with the perspective does not.

Will there be an update for After Effects 8 (CS3) soon?
by EyReY 03/19/2008
Thank you !RUSSIAN
by Roman 03/18/2008
i answer to all that have the problem of the motion blur and the thickness that doesn't work.

to make it work with all language versions you must visualize all the errors of the expressions (there is a yellow triangle where the errors are). you can visualize them by clicking with the right button on the solid level and choose the option.
the program will tell wich word is the problem by clicking this triangle.
for example i'm italian with the italian version of the program so i had to change simply the words "starting point" with "punto iniziale". it will tell to you also the line where the error is and wich words to change. it's very simple



thank you Andrew this tutorials are very useful.
by Stephen 03/12/2008
I got a question is adobe after effects cs3 the as adobe after effects 7.0`?
by vovyq 03/07/2008
Google
by frizo 03/06/2008
they know the film by frame number, and that's a joke
whaha
nice preset
by christian 03/02/2008
hey i just saw this tutorial and i have a question. why not use the motion tracker to animate the lightsaber instead of rotoscoping?/?/

let me know wat u think
by Scasm 03/01/2008
I keep getting the "Missing: Saber Controls" issue, how do I fix it? I really want to use this.
by Han Hyung Lee 02/29/2008
I'm going to say the same thing as Ignacio. If you can send me an email on how to fix this or something, please do at KoreanXReds@hotmail.com
by Ignacio 02/27/2008
as it happened with yor first respond to me it happend the same way
Your project link is broken. I want to try to download it again, because when I originally tried to use it, the error "This contains 4 references to missing effects. Please install the following effects to restore these references. (Alpha Levels", "Simple Choker." I am using AE Pro 7.
by yonah nimmer 02/25/2008
hey this preset is awsome, but i have adobe after effects 8.0
do you have this preset for it. reply to my email yonahnimmer@linkline.com
by Peusek 02/24/2008
Hi Andrew!
Thank you for your tutorials. I'm learning and enjoying a lot!
I've the same problem than other guy called "Lupi", and I don't know how to solve it.
This is his message:
---------------------------------------------------Hi!, First I wanna say your tuts are amazing!!
On this particular one, i have downloaded and installed the preset correctly, but once placed into a solid I get and error message saying.."Effect" class doesn't have any property or metod called 'Starting Point'. (this is a translation cos i get the message in spanish. I run the spanish version of AE7 pro)
Once I get this message the thickness property doesn't work at all, everything else runs quite normal. But the look of the saber defaults is nothing like yours.
I guess this is sort of a translation issue, any tips on this?
---------------------------------------------------

Thank you very much!
by Bigwig 02/21/2008
These videos are making my after effects life much more easier. I have a question though about this lightsaber. I added the pack create new layer, drag the effect onto the layer and nothing happens, i mean i can see my original video again but I do not get the beam. The first time I tried it worked, but then after effects crashed. I had to reinstall the program to stop it from crashing ever time I tried to use it. Now with the fresh install, I still do not get a beam to appear when i drag the effect onto the solid layer. Any suggestion? Thanks!
by BHunter83 02/15/2008
Love your tutorials. Have you updated your lightsaber V2 presets to include 6.5 Pro? This is the only version i have and i can't really go out and upgrade to 7 or higher.
by silent walrus 02/12/2008
hey every time i import a video and put it on a comp its all bleck can you tell what to do? thx
by AKUMARIO 02/11/2008
where is your link to download this preset?
thsi lightsaber rocks
by xx 02/09/2008
hi~Andrew
This is cool but, my AE7.0 says missing of some stuff. Would you please recheck this?
Thanks!
by telecomm 02/07/2008
where can I find the preset for Light Saber
by bb) 02/04/2008
>-(>-(>-(>-(>-(>-(>-(>-(>-(>-( give me you brain>-(>-(>-(>-(>-(
by bambam 02/01/2008
hey andrew,

i have a similar problem to that of the others regarding the presets. it says "This favorite contains 4 references to missing effects. Please install the following effects to restore these references.("Alpha levels","simple Choker")
pls help. thanks, love your tutorials.

bam
by DiRTDOG 01/30/2008
Hello, I am trying to do this tutorial and when I load the saber v2 effects I get an error that says. "Missing Saber Controls" I loaded the preset into my AE presets folder. I am using CS3 though this should still work right?
by duckforceone 01/29/2008
great tutorial.. you deliver as always..

but as others, i cannot get your download to work...

by huggeebear 01/27/2008
Hey Andrew,

As always great tutes, very grateful for your time and generosity.

The project footage for this and several others on your site have gone 404. Is a fix in the works?

keep up the good work, and thanks!
by huggeebear 01/27/2008
Hey Andrew,

As always great tutes, very grateful for your time and generosity.

The project footage for this and several others on your site have gone 404. Is a fix in the works?

keep up the good work, and thanks!
by Kyle 01/26/2008
Where's the footage?
by Michael J. Arbouet 01/25/2008
Fantastic tutorial! I can't find the Light Saber preset can you e-mail it to me?
by John 01/20/2008
D'you naw where i can get this lightsabre ???
by Jeffrey Maniebo 01/16/2008
hey, um where is your link to download this preset? the only buttons i see is *watch* and *project*??

btw dude u are gifted >-(
by Nick_SkyWalker 01/14/2008
where i can install alpha levels????
by Michael 01/14/2008
Hi andrew i just had a stupid question... can i track the fake lightsaber and then just put in the VFX version like you did with the demon tutorial??
by DiRTDOG 01/14/2008
Does anyone have a link to some footage that can be used for this tutorial? Its hard to do if you dont have footage of someone swining a sword.
by ands 01/13/2008
please tell after downloading it where to place it in AE
by GnG 01/13/2008
please tell me where to download these presets because i really need them
by Albert 01/12/2008
It is incredible, but I do not care very much like star wars, but my favorite episode is the III and V
by xX-POGO-Xx 01/11/2008
Whatever, we can change the language via the core folder of the program.
by xX-POGO-Xx 01/11/2008
How can this effect not work with the french version?
by Lucas 01/11/2008
Remember kids:

This plugin runs _only_ with the english version...
by Zuzia 01/09/2008
I have a problem, when i try to run lightsaber v.2
control panel says:
"missing: _saber_controls_"
Is it any way to fix this?
Can someone help me?
by Max 01/07/2008
hi
i was wondering how do you do a full preview of the video you have so far with audio and everything like what button do i press
i tried pressing 0 but it only plays like a couple seconds of my video
plz someone help me
(i use windows)
by Carlos 01/06/2008
Hey guiy, I love your tutorials!!!!


But the file is not complete. I have 4 errors when I choose the lightsaberV2 effect.

Normal or not?
by AlexROmania 12/25/2007
Hi guys is a CL tutorial,, But who can plz give me a site where can i download some videos with swords or something video , because my cam don't work plz say to me .. THX ( sorry for my english
by jan jegen 12/21/2007
if u want to make a lightsaber on CS3 u can do this:

http://www.mediacollege.com/adobe/after-effects/fx/lightsaber/
by Bruno 12/19/2007
Another great tutorial, Andrew! But, where can I download the preset? I've searched the Presets link far and wide, but the lightsaber preset just isn't there. Thanks
by tron 12/16/2007
got it to work on cs3 just hit reset on your effects controls and it should pop up...
by Cassio Maciel 12/15/2007
Hi,I'm from Brazil, I want to congratulate to it for its work, I looked for in all forums in my country, but I did not find nothing that can compare with its work, thanks friend
by Maxime 12/12/2007
Thanks for all your amazing tutorials online. I've seen a lot of tutorials, but yours are truly the easiest to understand and the best explained around on the web. And all that with some humor in it

On another point, I would really appreciate if you could make a tutorial about creating FX presets like you did for the laser fx. And if you could explain hot you did this particular preset, it would be even better. I'm really curious about it.

Thanks again for your amazing work in this website!
by Lupi 12/07/2007
Hi!, First I wanna say your tuts are amazing!! Great job, thank you.
On this particular one, i have downloaded and installed the preset correctly, but once placed into a solid I get and error message saying.."Effect" class doesn't have any property or metod called 'Starting Point'. (this is a translation cos i get the message in spanish. I run the spanish version of AE7 pro)
Once I get this message the thickness property doesn't work at all, everything else runs quite normal. But the look of the saber defaults is nothing like yours.
I guess this is sort of a translation issue, any tips on this?
by Mitch Lee 12/06/2007
Whats a good way to make that flash when two light sabers hit each other? should i use a parameter in Andrews saber effect? thanks for any help.
by Phlea 11/26/2007
To the people who are having the problem with the rounded ends, ensure you have motion blur on for both the layer and the comp.
by ISMAEL 11/26/2007
me pudeas ayudae por fa para descaragr esa programa grais
by geovanny 11/24/2007
les felicito de una manera muy especial pues gracias a tutoriales como los suyos personas como nosotros podemos aprender mas sobre el gran mundo de after effects gracias de antemano
by Julius C 11/20/2007
HI MAN, I A ROOKIE WITH AEX, BUT WITH YOUR TUTORIALS THE LEARNING IS VERY VERY COOL!!!! MANY THANKS.... Caracas Design!!!
by Joel 11/15/2007
>-( I'm having a serious problem. I can only obscure an object once. Then later in the clip when I need to do it a again I make a new solid and mask it, but it wont work unless the layer is on top of the one with the light saber fx. How do you obscure more than once?Is it possible to use the same track?
by AvidEditor 11/13/2007
I'm an Avid Editor by trade but pretty burnt out with the shows I work on but now after seeing your saber demos, "The light has been restored!" Thank you so much. Any update on your comment to make a version for 6.5 with V2? I am so desperate to use V2 that I am considering buying AE7 or CS3 if you don't make a preset for it. It's sad I'm even considering spending that kinda money but I want to be able to use Saber V2.
by Erik 11/09/2007
Can someone please tell me where to get the swing footage for this tutorial? Is there another section to download the project files I noticed that some other tutorials are missing project files also.

Great site!!! Love the tutorials.
by Mickey 11/06/2007
You fixed the project files
Thanks
by lordofthe_wog 10/30/2007
Nevermind, I got it to work, but for some reason the Shutter Angle "enhance motion blur" effect doesn't work.

Visuallife: Click the project button next to the "Watch" button
by visualife 10/17/2007
whare i can get the plug in
by lordofthe_wog 10/08/2007
Judging by my luck, it doesn't seem to work in CS3
by Alan 10/07/2007
Is there any way to get this working with After Effects CS3 Professional?
by Fox-Blood 10/05/2007
I'm going to answer you guys some question to spare Andrew the annoyance. If it say's missing then thats natural dont worry about it. I'm guess you'd find the preset in the project file and I'm pretty sure that this one is already cs3 compatible. If it's compatible with 7.0 I don't really see why it wouldn't be compatible with a higher version. Especially considering I've used the first version of this preset in after effects and it works fine.
by FxF 10/03/2007
Thanks Andrew love the tut!
Check my results..
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=19403891
by Andrew Woods 10/02/2007
I love this stuff. Thanks Andrew. I have a problem though (don't we all?). When I move the saber a large distance it seems to go wrong, like the preset cant handle the math or something. Any fix for this?

Watch my first attempt here to see what i mean. In certain frames the saber goes "wrong".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9smFy_YN6c

Thanks again

Woodsy
by Zeratul 10/01/2007
works great for me with AE CS3 (master collection).

some of the options are in a different spot, but they still work the same.

thanks for the great plugin!!
by Johan 09/28/2007
Hello Mr Kramer.
When i try to run lightsaber v2.0 the control panel says
"missing: _saber_controls_"
Also my sabers are "rounded" like version 1.0

Is this because of AE-CS3.?
Please advise. By the way, i love your tuts.
/Johan
by PieKey 09/26/2007
Is there any chance to get a CS3-compatible version of this plugin?
by John Kaman 09/25/2007
I've got an error in the lightsaber controls....
by mingebag 09/25/2007
Hi there Andrew!

First of all, I really love your tutorials. They're awsome.
But, I can't find the Ligh_Saber_V2 preset.

Best regards from Norway
by Johan 09/24/2007
Hey there mr Kramer. I cant tell you how much i enjoy these tutorials. Fine stuff.
I have a question though. In the tutorial for the improved "lightsaber" the effect itself consists of 3 elements if i get this straight. the:
light_saber
light_saber_glow
light_saber_V2

however, when i try to download the project file it only contains:
Light_saber_glow
light_saber_V2

and i AE the results look like the "old" lightsaber preset.

Sorry for the long post
Regards,
Johan, Sweden
by Sniver 09/23/2007
Hmmm... poluin is great, but the blur is the same like on version V1. Ent of the saber is round Why? Please help...
by Moa 09/20/2007
Is there any way to get this working with After Effects CS3 Professional ??
by Moa 09/20/2007
Is there any way to get this working with After Effects CS3 Professional ??
by Way2Evil 09/20/2007
Where can you download the preset?
I can't seem to find it on the site.

Greetz Way2Evil
by TRiGGER 09/19/2007
Like i said for LightSaber V1, cool Tutorial. This one´s even better than the 1st, but i still wonder, if it´s possible to *track* the lightSaber onto the handle, maybe vie nullObjects? And maybe constrain the length of the saber?
by Ed 09/18/2007
does anyone know if this effect would work on the newer versions of adobe, or jus after effects 7 pro?
by Bobby Hommel 09/17/2007
You need the professional version of AE for it work.
by Nemesis 09/17/2007
Never mind, the links are working now. ;) I will and reinstall and try the effect again. Thanks for such wonderful tutorials!
by Nemesis 09/17/2007
Your project link is broken. I want to try to download it again, because when I originally tried to use it, the error "This contains 4 references to missing effects. Please install the following effects to restore these references. (Alpha Levels", "Simple Choker." I am using AE Pro 7.
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