Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
(Updated 2024!) 🦠This tutorial shows how to use the "Micro" template to create realistic microscopic animations in Adobe After Effects. Learn more at creationeffects.com/micro.
Full Description:
"Micro" allows users to create realistic microscopic animations in After Effects. This effect simulates what a scientist sees under a microscope, giving you the choice of species, and control over how it moves or behaves. Just drop in an organism, and instantly create an entire colony—each organism will have their own random, realistic movements.
Viruses, ameobas, parasites, bacteria, DNA, atoms, worms, germs, and sperms – They’re all included. You can also use your own stock photo of an organism, or design your own microbe with the inlcuded tools, and use the effects to bring it life. Best of all, the animations from the demo video are included! So if you need organisms self-replicating, multiplying, attacking, dying, injected with a needle, or any of the other scenarios in the video... just swap out the organisms and the work is done!
Compatible with CC 2019 and up. Music not included.
Watch the Micro video demo here: youtu.be/q9YqHbOOEFA
How it Works:
Micro uses photos and video clips of real microorganisms to get the most realistic results. A library of organisms is included. Or, you can use your own photo. With the included effects, your organism will spin, wiggle, and warp shape to make the organism look alive. As another option, you can use the provided tools to create your own organism—perfect for making strange, alien species.
With the Custom Movement feature, simply drop any microorganism into a precomp, and instantly generate a colony of organsims—each swimming or moving indepently. The customization controls allow you to customize their behavior. You can remove organisms as needed, or duplicate organisms to create a population of hundreds.
The Action Presets are pre-made animations featuring microorganisms in commonly-seen microscopic scenarios, such as microbes multiplying, or being injected with a needle. Swap out the microorganisms in the precomps, and instantly get a custom animation without all the work! Similarly, the comps for all the animations in the demo video (above) are included, allowing you to easily pick and choose elements you like, and copy-paste them into your own animation.
The included Background and Environment layers allow you to bring texture and non-living debris into your scene, adding to the realism.
After assembling all the different elements of your scene into your main comp, you can customize the camera with the Camera Control Layer. The controls allow you to quickly create camera movements and actions that imitate a microscope. Turn on the random camera wobbles and focus changes to really sell the effect!
Template Features:
122 organisms or microscopic elements - Includes both videos and images, most with transparent backgrounds, including bacteria, paramecium, parasitic worms, algae, protozoa, amoebas, DNA, coronavirus, and special appendages/bodily features.
Create Your Own Microbe - The microbe to the right was created with this template. To make your own, simply draw its shape, fill it with floating particles, and add internal organs or external appendages. The included effects make it wiggle and swim.
9 Action Presets - pre-made animations with various microbial behaviors (as seen in the demo video). Easily swap out the microorganisms in the animations with other species.
– Assemble (organisms come together in cluster, or surround another object)
– Scatter (organisms disperse from cluster)
– Attack / Eat (with a predator and prey)
– Die (shrivels and tears its membrane, with contents spilling out)
– Divide (self-replicate/binary fission)
– Flow Along Path (such as through a vein)
– Inject (such as fertilization by needle)
– Two Multiply options (population explosion through self-replication)
Custom Movement - Easy-to-use controls for customizing realistic swimming behavior for one or more microorganisms.
Environment - 24 high-res textures to use as backgrounds or to add microscopic debris to your scene.
Finished Comps From Demo - all animations from the video above are included, and completely customizable.
Custom Camera Actions - Imitate a microscope with automatic focus changes, wobbles, and realistic panning to follow moving organisms.
00:00 - Intro to Micro
04:52 - Template Overview
06:49 - "Action Presets" folder
09:38 - "Organisms" folder
13:55 - "Optional Effects" layer
18:49 - Create your own organism
26:45 - "Custom Movements" folder
44:50 - "Backgrounds" folder
46:32 - "Environments" folder
49:04 - "Finish Comps from Demo" folder
50:57 - Camera Control layer
(Updated 2024!) 🦠This tutorial shows how to use the "Micro" template to create realistic microscopic animations in Adobe After Effects. Learn more at creationeffects.com/micro.
Full Description:
"Micro" allows users to create realistic microscopic animations in After Effects. This effect simulates what a scientist sees under a microscope, giving you the choice of species, and control over how it moves or behaves. Just drop in an organism, and instantly create an entire colony—each organism will have their own random, realistic movements.
Viruses, ameobas, parasites, bacteria, DNA, atoms, worms, germs, and sperms – They’re all included. You can also use your own stock photo of an organism, or design your own microbe with the inlcuded tools, and use the effects to bring it life. Best of all, the animations from the demo video are included! So if you need organisms self-replicating, multiplying, attacking, dying, injected with a needle, or any of the other scenarios in the video... just swap out the organisms and the work is done!
Compatible with CC 2019 and up. Music not included.
Watch the Micro video demo here: youtu.be/q9YqHbOOEFA
How it Works:
Micro uses photos and video clips of real microorganisms to get the most realistic results. A library of organisms is included. Or, you can use your own photo. With the included effects, your organism will spin, wiggle, and warp shape to make the organism look alive. As another option, you can use the provided tools to create your own organism—perfect for making strange, alien species.
With the Custom Movement feature, simply drop any microorganism into a precomp, and instantly generate a colony of organsims—each swimming or moving indepently. The customization controls allow you to customize their behavior. You can remove organisms as needed, or duplicate organisms to create a population of hundreds.
The Action Presets are pre-made animations featuring microorganisms in commonly-seen microscopic scenarios, such as microbes multiplying, or being injected with a needle. Swap out the microorganisms in the precomps, and instantly get a custom animation without all the work! Similarly, the comps for all the animations in the demo video (above) are included, allowing you to easily pick and choose elements you like, and copy-paste them into your own animation.
The included Background and Environment layers allow you to bring texture and non-living debris into your scene, adding to the realism.
After assembling all the different elements of your scene into your main comp, you can customize the camera with the Camera Control Layer. The controls allow you to quickly create camera movements and actions that imitate a microscope. Turn on the random camera wobbles and focus changes to really sell the effect!
Template Features:
122 organisms or microscopic elements - Includes both videos and images, most with transparent backgrounds, including bacteria, paramecium, parasitic worms, algae, protozoa, amoebas, DNA, coronavirus, and special appendages/bodily features.
Create Your Own Microbe - The microbe to the right was created with this template. To make your own, simply draw its shape, fill it with floating particles, and add internal organs or external appendages. The included effects make it wiggle and swim.
9 Action Presets - pre-made animations with various microbial behaviors (as seen in the demo video). Easily swap out the microorganisms in the animations with other species.
– Assemble (organisms come together in cluster, or surround another object)
– Scatter (organisms disperse from cluster)
– Attack / Eat (with a predator and prey)
– Die (shrivels and tears its membrane, with contents spilling out)
– Divide (self-replicate/binary fission)
– Flow Along Path (such as through a vein)
– Inject (such as fertilization by needle)
– Two Multiply options (population explosion through self-replication)
Custom Movement - Easy-to-use controls for customizing realistic swimming behavior for one or more microorganisms.
Environment - 24 high-res textures to use as backgrounds or to add microscopic debris to your scene.
Finished Comps From Demo - all animations from the video above are included, and completely customizable.
Custom Camera Actions - Imitate a microscope with automatic focus changes, wobbles, and realistic panning to follow moving organisms.
00:00 - Intro to Micro
04:52 - Template Overview
06:49 - "Action Presets" folder
09:38 - "Organisms" folder
13:55 - "Optional Effects" layer
18:49 - Create your own organism
26:45 - "Custom Movements" folder
44:50 - "Backgrounds" folder
46:32 - "Environments" folder
49:04 - "Finish Comps from Demo" folder
50:57 - Camera Control layer
