Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
An Adobe After Effects tutorial
KHAAAAAAAAAN!
In this video, I look at how to recreate the iconic Genesis Effect as simulated by some of the very first CGI in movies. Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan (1982) used a Cray supercomputer to render the minute long sequence. The shot was reused in both Star Trek III : The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV : The Voyage Home, so you know it must have been good. In the sequence, a torpedo is fired into dead moon, which is quickly covered in fiery particles. Then the surface glow fades to see greenery and water appear on the surface before pulling back to reveal an M-class world with clouds.
It’s an awesome sequence and the hardest part turned out to be the camera move, which I had to give up on, still I think I capture the feeling of it. The tutorial only uses the included effects and one plug-in, the free Orb effect from @VideoCopilot. It’s a long tutorial and I have focussed more on the techniques involved rather than trying to match everything exactly.
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#aftereffects #tutorial #statrek
Project download: dropbox.com/s/zat5aghc24wrlxx/Genesis.zip?dl=1
Links mentioned:
Video Copilot Orb: videocopilot.net/orb
Mercury: solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/531/enhanced-color-mercury-map
Normal Map online: cpetry.github.io/NormalMap-Online
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Expressions:
Position X:
x=thisComp.layer("Planet NULL").transform.position[0]-thisComp.width/2;
x/thisComp.width;
Position Y:
y=thisComp.layer(""Planet NULL").transform.position[1]-thisComp.height/2;
y/thisComp.width;
Position Z:
z=thisComp.layer(""Planet NULL").transform.position[2];
z/thisComp.width;
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Chapters
0:00 What we're making
1:01 Explainer
2:05 Creating a planet
3:54 Pointing the sun
4:34 Trying to be clever
6:54 Easy fire
10:29 Genesis Particle Wave
16:55 Life from lifelessness
20:01 Andrew Kramer's atmosphere recipe
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Get ShiveringCactus VFX as phone cases, T-shirts, mugs:
shiveringcactus.redbubble.com
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 Adobe After Effects tutorial
KHAAAAAAAAAN!
In this video, I look at how to recreate the iconic Genesis Effect as simulated by some of the very first CGI in movies. Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan (1982) used a Cray supercomputer to render the minute long sequence. The shot was reused in both Star Trek III : The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV : The Voyage Home, so you know it must have been good. In the sequence, a torpedo is fired into dead moon, which is quickly covered in fiery particles. Then the surface glow fades to see greenery and water appear on the surface before pulling back to reveal an M-class world with clouds.
It’s an awesome sequence and the hardest part turned out to be the camera move, which I had to give up on, still I think I capture the feeling of it. The tutorial only uses the included effects and one plug-in, the free Orb effect from @VideoCopilot. It’s a long tutorial and I have focussed more on the techniques involved rather than trying to match everything exactly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#aftereffects #tutorial #statrek
Project download: dropbox.com/s/zat5aghc24wrlxx/Genesis.zip?dl=1
Links mentioned:
Video Copilot Orb: videocopilot.net/orb
Mercury: solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/531/enhanced-color-mercury-map
Normal Map online: cpetry.github.io/NormalMap-Online
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expressions:
Position X:
x=thisComp.layer("Planet NULL").transform.position[0]-thisComp.width/2;
x/thisComp.width;
Position Y:
y=thisComp.layer(""Planet NULL").transform.position[1]-thisComp.height/2;
y/thisComp.width;
Position Z:
z=thisComp.layer(""Planet NULL").transform.position[2];
z/thisComp.width;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapters
0:00 What we're making
1:01 Explainer
2:05 Creating a planet
3:54 Pointing the sun
4:34 Trying to be clever
6:54 Easy fire
10:29 Genesis Particle Wave
16:55 Life from lifelessness
20:01 Andrew Kramer's atmosphere recipe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get ShiveringCactus VFX as phone cases, T-shirts, mugs:
shiveringcactus.redbubble.com
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
