Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
An After Effects tutorial.
In this video, I show my preferred way of creating a texture for a new world. Rather than get stuck trying to force Fractal Noise to create randomness, I simply take a photo of a paving slab and once cropped show how to use masks and the colorama effect to quickly make a cool, natural looking surface. Then using Turbulent Displace (and a shoutout to @filmriot ) I create oceans which are pretty random but still under my control.
Once it's applied to @VideoCopilot free Orb plugin, I then use the same texture to make a normal map and specular map. I cover illumination options too and then add clouds and an atmosphere.
In this video, I’m making a M-Class world, but the techniques I cover could be applied to any type of rocky planet.
Along the way, I drop loads of useful shortcuts and tips for using After Effects. Hopefully you'll be inspired by how easy it is to make a complex looking, realistic planet.
How I made the rivers can be found on my community post:
youtube.com/post/UgkxVZfNb40rRY6RzCuvSkqbXCD2cQ4iiQaa
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Useful links:
Atmosphere preset: youtu.be/rsbCJsFII4o
Normal Map Online: cpetry.github.io/NormalMap-Online
Video Copilot's free Orb plugin: videocopilot.net/orb
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#aftereffects #tutorial #planet @AdobeVideo
Chapters
0:00 What we're making
0:50 Getting a texture
2:50 Makin' the surface
5:36 Getting your feet wet
08:31 Makin' bumps
10:50 City Lights
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Get ShiveringCactus VFX as phone cases, T-shirts, mugs: redbubble.com/people/ShiveringCactus/shop
Or buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/shiveringcactus
I'm an Adobe Community Expert - which means you can find me on the Adobe forums if you need any help. community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects/ct-p/ct-after-effects?page=1&sort=latest_replies&lang=all&tabid=all
#AdobeCommunityExperts
An After Effects tutorial.
In this video, I show my preferred way of creating a texture for a new world. Rather than get stuck trying to force Fractal Noise to create randomness, I simply take a photo of a paving slab and once cropped show how to use masks and the colorama effect to quickly make a cool, natural looking surface. Then using Turbulent Displace (and a shoutout to @filmriot ) I create oceans which are pretty random but still under my control.
Once it's applied to @VideoCopilot free Orb plugin, I then use the same texture to make a normal map and specular map. I cover illumination options too and then add clouds and an atmosphere.
In this video, I’m making a M-Class world, but the techniques I cover could be applied to any type of rocky planet.
Along the way, I drop loads of useful shortcuts and tips for using After Effects. Hopefully you'll be inspired by how easy it is to make a complex looking, realistic planet.
How I made the rivers can be found on my community post:
youtube.com/post/UgkxVZfNb40rRY6RzCuvSkqbXCD2cQ4iiQaa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Useful links:
Atmosphere preset: youtu.be/rsbCJsFII4o
Normal Map Online: cpetry.github.io/NormalMap-Online
Video Copilot's free Orb plugin: videocopilot.net/orb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#aftereffects #tutorial #planet @AdobeVideo
Chapters
0:00 What we're making
0:50 Getting a texture
2:50 Makin' the surface
5:36 Getting your feet wet
08:31 Makin' bumps
10:50 City Lights
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get ShiveringCactus VFX as phone cases, T-shirts, mugs: redbubble.com/people/ShiveringCactus/shop
Or buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/shiveringcactus
I'm an Adobe Community Expert - which means you can find me on the Adobe forums if you need any help. community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects/ct-p/ct-after-effects?page=1&sort=latest_replies&lang=all&tabid=all
#AdobeCommunityExperts
