Create Realistic Jet Scenes in Adobe After Effects - part1

In this video tutorial we look at creating realistic jet scenes in Adobe After Effects using Videocopilot Element 3D and Jet Strike. In part 1 we cover animating the background, adding the model, setting up realistic lighting and color grading the shot for realism.
You will need a copy of Adobe After Effects with Videocopilot's Element 3D and Jet Strike installed.
Check out www.videocopilot.net for more information and pricing.

[@EvilBender47]

i must say that you an videocopilot have the best quality tutorials! thanks man

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks EvilBender47, I appreciate that. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@ADIRINK]

LOL evil bendre co tu děláš? :D

[@BlackSwan99x]

What are you talking about, the average person could not tell if this was real or not. Absolutely amazing! Thanks for this.

[@3dmonkeybizz]

Without doubt one of the most simple, effective and helpful tutorials on this theme. Excellent work.

[@IndependentVFX]

3dmonkeybizz Thank you so much

[@L1011Widebody]

Very nice and informative, straight walk through. It's often hard to find someone who explains every step for those not up in the knowledge.

[@IndependentVFX]

L-1011 Widebody Thanks for the comment!

[@matthewlawlor4932]

It looks really nice overall, the lighting is great but the control surface movements are all off. The elevators and ailerons all pitch downward which would only cause the plane to nose over in a dive. You need the near elevator to pitch up and the far one to pitch down for a roll to the left and then both pitch upward as the plane pulls backward in the turn. I know its a minor detail but just like lighting effects getting the control surfaces the move correctly makes it more convincing. For anyone with even minimal understanding of planes this is the equivalent to a car turning left while the wheels turn right.

[@IndependentVFX]

Hehe! Totally, I had no idea what I was doing with control surfaces when I did this. I took a guess and I guessed wrong.

[@aarondeo666]

Thank you so much for these tutorials... I got After Effects and Elements as a hobby, so these tuts are just what I need... Thanks again for the AWESOME job...

[@IndependentVFX]

Aaron Deo Thanks Aaron, I hope you getting a lot of enjoyment out of that hobby!

[@rgleason8304]

The ailerons deflected in the wrong directions, respectively. In order to roll left, the left aileron should deflect up, and the right aileron should deflect down. However, because the F-22 uses elevons, I can't be quite sure what direction they should go. Regardless, the shot is pretty sweet!

[@IndependentVFX]

Yes! A few people have pointed that out. Well spotted... I needed a technical advisor but ended up just taking a guess. I got it wrong!

[@redfalconvfx7050]

9 years ago I was here and just now youtube told me to see it again. still it look perfect... nice tutorial

[@ModularChaos]

I sincerely appreciate this! Your simplified lighting model makes all the difference in the world. I am looking forward to part 2!

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks ModularChaos, and thanks for taking the time to comment. Part 2 will be up soon

[@danidj2012]

I love these kind of tuts !! No bullshit, straght to the point. Respects!!

[@gogoRetro914]

I have the Flight kit with sound fx, but struggling to find which FX you used for this. Can you help please? Great Tutortial btw, thankyou.

[@kamalprajapati9955]

Man u guys r awesome. U r not like the other vfx tutorial videos. But yours is really effective. Thank u

[@filmcraft43]

Amazing work bro i love it .. if i need to import a 3d element to after affect which extinction I should use for the 3d element so I can import it to AE

[@omarmorsy9401]

honestly ur the best!!! i made a tutorial request and before i knew it u already have a tutorial up fore filling all my needs and requests!! thank you!

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks for you support Omar, we couldnt do it without people like you and thanks for taking the time to comment and give feedback. I hope you enjoy the tutorial. Scott

[@tomdamage9321]

amazing tutorials guys, your muzzle flash tutorial is easily the BEST one in whole youtube. way to go, deserves lot of more views. Could you please make som tutorials about realistic CAR explosion? thanks alot

[@grandue23]

Love it man. Thanks a lot! I've been subscribed for quite a while now and I love your channel. Awesome tutorials that make me realize the amazing capabilities of After Effects.

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks grandue23!

[@2200gonewild]

Fantastic tutorial!

[@IndependentVFX]

2200gonewild Thank you!

[@nightwingsurfer]

great tutorial. thanks for making my jets look better and more realistic.

[@user-jc4wv9pj9s]

Thank you for this beautiful explanation luck Salem from Iraq Baghdad from Diyala

[@ps2u]

Your tutorials are always so great! Can't wait for part 2!

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks ps2u, we will get part2 finished and posted ASAP

[@MrMichael33b]

Great tut as usual!

[@MrMichael33b]

Finished working on part 1 on After effects! Looks like a great picture so far, LOL

[@GWSFilms]

This is EXACTLY what I needed to see! Thanks for making this!

[@IndependentVFX]

Glad its helpful!

[@quantumstar4756]

Thanks for taking the time to make tutorial. I'm learning allot... Thank you..

[@Skully13579]

Thanks Scot much appreciated bru. Keep up the good work.

[@RomanVideoStudio]

very good tutorial

[@IndependentVFX]

Roman Holan thanks!

[@hmmwvkorea8333]

you guys are great! fantastic tutorial ever!

[@IndependentVFX]

+HMMWV KOREA Thanks!

[@ThePoorTiger]

Man, I've been looking for this for a long time! Definitely check it out when I have free time. subbed :) Sometimes Andrew Kramer doesn't explain everything. Thus, I have to refer to other videos for further info lol.

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks! I hope the tutorials are helpful

[@lukenash3772]

Is he taking the piss when he said I know the jet is not 100% realistic. Unless my eyes are playing games that looks bloody amazing I'm actually scared at how good that looks

[@IndependentVFX]

Luke Nash hehe, thanks Luke, thats very nice of you. I would say its like 95% there... if you look at the clip in 1080p you can see its maybe some details and not 100% real. But thank you!

[@flobengogen]

Thanks for the tutorial but my jet strike package planes become blurry when zoomed in like u did around 6:25 mark. On your screen, the F22 is nice and clear/in focus but when i repeated, the plane seems out of focus. Do you know whats causing this?

[@ishraqaziz6761]

how can i do this on Adobe After effects CC 2014... ?? when i import a 3d model it needs to be c4d format... and starts with cinema 4d.. what i can do ??

[@Keepingthefaith72]

Excellent tutorial ,very clear and great result ... subbed ....

[@IndependentVFX]

***** Thanks for the comment!

[@dhruvmishra17]

IndependentVFX You are the best, thank you so much subbed !

[@davideisenhower2367]

Big like

[@mshoaibhassan4412]

Wow nice

[@fredyramos2099]

anyone know how to clear the cockpit? I mean, how to make it seems clear, visible to see the stuff inside the cockpit... my scene is very dark inside it... thanks !

[@panioleoful]

Thank very much sir. Great job!

[@flaviofernandesdacosta3421]

IndependentVFX, excelente tutorial, muito bom da forma que ensina, pratico e fácil parabéns. Flávio Fernandes da Costa Brasil - Goiânia Goiás

[@ChrisWells]

Woohoo doing this with a space craft I made in Maya! Thanks man!

[@GlobalProds]

please what is the name of the song in the background at the beginning ?

[@ShivkantBaghel]

Really awesome tutorial.....Thanks for the tutorial i have a small query, where can i get the sound fx.

[@IndependentVFX]

There is a great little sound FX pack that comes with Flight Kit from Videocopilot

[@LMDigitalMovies]

Another great tutorial, as always

[@IndependentVFX]

LMDigital Movies Thanks LM! Glad you are still watching

[@FernandoQuevedo]

I agree with EvilBender47. Great QUALITY work amigo! I appreciate you putting your knowledge and experience out there and helping the community. Kudos!

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks Fernando, please be sure to share the channel with others!

[@user-yn7zl7ph3q]

this is good!! really really good!! can you make more about jet Strike?

[@oscarobregon2601]

amigo gracias por semejante tutorial, por ello pude poner en practica y me fue muy bien, gracias nuevamente., segui asi. friend thank you for such a tutorial, so I could put into practice and it went very well, thanks again., monitoring well.

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks!

[@slickbomb]

Independent...What is the purpose of the camera? I've never understood the need/purpose. You animated the jet with the Null, so I am confused. Trying to learn!!! Thanks!

[@IndependentVFX]

Sometimes you need to animate the camera - to add camera shake, or to pan/animate the camera and aim it in different directions. Same as you do with a real camera. Sometimes its quite nice if the scene doesnt move, but the camera does.

[@slickbomb]

IndependentVFX Got it, so in this tutorial you didn't need to add a camera because you animated the null, correct? Also, you can achieve near the same effect you did in this tutorial if you moved the camera? Am I understanding this correctly?

[@dcduper]

looks real to me

[@Lb_75.p13]

jet strike can be use for nuke NC ? i want to say , its a scripted plug in or a pack with some obj files inside of it ?

[@karimmehareb1628]

vrey nice tchank you

[@S7VEN]

i dont have the "aircraft rig" option at 5:00 help?

[@yelizyilmaz27]

hello, i have 1 question, i have bought and download the file and install it. i have watch your video it is cool.bu please explain to me one thing. i can not see Video Copilot option under effect menu. last option is Utility, could you make a video how you add the folder there ?? thank you

[@IndependentVFX]

yeliz yılmaz You will need to contact Videocopilot.net and ask for support to help you with that

[@TfoeEdits]

Amazing tutorial dude!! You earned a new SUB! :)

[@florenzius]

Hey. I didn't get the resource images at the buying of the air pack. Could you upload the pictures? I don't know where I can download these images

[@IndependentVFX]

You will need to get in touch with Videocopilot who you made the purchase from. I cant give away their images

[@florenzius]

Ok, thanks :(

[@erterrill]

Hey great tutorial, thanks!!

[@panioleoful]

*Thank you

[@kalkvand]

i can´t find that sky map i have only jetstrike PLEASE HELP

[@twandepan]

I'm a first timer to AE and I dont have the Eliment option in effects. where is it?

[@twandepan]

so you have to buy a 100$ product first?

[@TryptychUK]

Great tut, but sorry, I hate your corner pin technique, it's messy and inaccurate. Use Distort>Transform>Skew and set the axis at the top of the shot. I use it a lot for cloudy skies to give a nice parallax movement effect, (axis at the bottom in that case.) Also, try to avoid Levels as they are very abrupt - use Curves both for gamma and colour balance, the transitions are much smoother.

[@Wycee137]

wow great video how did you make the model?

[@IndependentVFX]

its a model from Video Copilot's Jet Strike pack

[@gavinwallace7083]

Thanks so much dude!! This is a lot of fun.

[@IndependentVFX]

+Gavin T Wallace Thanks for the comment!

[@taiefmahmudkhan1951]

Please help me i can't positioning the sun light , When I press P nothing change there :(

[@AdyMagica]

Can you make e tutorial how to input someone to plane?

[@VFXLtd]

Yo, you know with the stealth model in E3D? How come the reflections/ refractions/ specular are not visible even though i have added lots of lights lol? I still remember someone saying that that model doesn't reflect much. Other jet models work fine! Any ideas? Update: O.O To combat the problems i had to create several fake lights at intensity of 4k wow..

[@IndependentVFX]

VFX Ltd Hmmmm.... not too sure as to why, but I also noticed that same problem

[@SB111058]

It looks great without ray-tracing and radiosity. These kind of shots often get over-cooked. Too many tools.

[@Wispyy]

nice

[@neasignat]

nice job, this looks so good, i hope you have a well payed job ;)

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks neasignat - I work in the TV commercials industry at the moment. Would love to be able to run this channel full time and earn a living from it. Thanks for your support and please share IndependentVFX with the indie film community in your circles.

[@vijithmv427]

It was awesome!!!!!!!!

[@mykey39]

Been waiting for a good tutorial on this.. Good job! i sub'd to you...

[@IndependentVFX]

Mike E Thanks Mike E!

[@Wleis]

can you give a background pls?

[@448able]

Hi! I just installed the Jet Strike on my computer and I cannot find where it was installed. Looked at Program Files , plug-ins and Effects and Presets in After Effects. I am quite sure it is staring in the face, but right now it is eluding me. Can anyone point the way, thanks in advance, Paula

[@IndependentVFX]

Are you on a Mac or Windows?

[@448able]

Windows 10

[@VipinM7]

AWESOME tut pal keep doing it pal :-)

[@dawsonboyle99]

YES A NEW VIDEO!!!!!!!!

[@todorzahov2286]

.....so, every tenth is in my opinion! Тhank you!

[@2a.m.studio972]

Any ideas about adding a clear, fast moving jet thrust behind the model to add believably to this shot?

[@IndependentVFX]

Thats a good point. In this particular shot, it could have been done quite quickly and easily with a masked adjustment layer and a bit blur combined with turbulent displacement. How would you have done it?

[@2a.m.studio972]

I thought about using particles to control the thrust speed backwards and evolving turbulent displacement, just not sure how to make the particles completely clear (alpha channel?) to show only fast moving thrust behind. What do you guys think?

[@GravityGamesHD]

Nice you're great!

[@robertsontheweegie9491]

Where do you get all the aerial shots, i don't have them

[@IndependentVFX]

RobertsonVFX A lot of them came with Jetsrike - I purchased the Flight Kit bundle which included some extra bits. The aerial stills were in a folder called RESOURCES

[@robertsontheweegie9491]

When I bought it they weren't there. i have skymaps and that, but no resources, any way you could get them to me as I really need them?

[@henningbehl569]

When I use corner pin like this AAE lags and Ram preview Renders about 0,5fps

[@LibertyFirst1789]

The aileron is going the wrong way. For a left wing down the aileron would go up, not down.

[@IndependentVFX]

Hehe! Thanks, you are not the first person to point that out! I guess this shows the importance of using a technical advisor if you are working on a feature film. I just took a guess and got it wrong. Well spotted!

[@LibertyFirst1789]

IndependentVFX I'm absolutely amazed at the quality of this project.

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks so much! Be sure to check out our other tutorials on our channel

[@xyroblade6416]

wheres the resource folder... can anyone tell me??

[@evolnizark4712]

I love your youtube channel

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks DK Gaming!

[@VFXfunda]

awesome

[@yashkivines6708]

Can we take another video for this jet strike plane

[@rOEN911]

hey thank you

[@peoplenews1901]

It does look real

[@gevo5938]

dude but i can make my own 3d object in 3ds max but how i can add this to aftereffect i dont want jet

[@247.mp4]

could you please make a tutorial for the jet starting in the sunset ?

[@IndependentVFX]

Thanks rarevfx. Ive had a lot of requests for that one. I will happen some time in the future.

[@247.mp4]

Thanks - and PS: F**king awesome channel! :)

[@IndependentVFX]

hehe, thanks!

[@johnandrew1905]

you do have good tutorials but you seem not to respond to request and help from your subscribers. i asked you earlier please do you have a tutorial for inserting real life person as the pilot?. how can i do that. really will appreciate your response

[@IndependentVFX]

JOHN ANDREW Hey John, sorry about that. Im afraid we dont currently have a tutorial on that topic.

[@MosesSharma]

You will have to green screen yourself for the shot,and after key lighting you can make the clip in 3d scale it and it should work.

[@johnandrew1905]

Moses Sharma thanks Moses but i didnt understand the "make the clip in 3d scale it" part. can you explain more please

[@MosesSharma]

In order to place yourself in the cockpit,you will have to scale the clip down in After effects.There is a 3d option box on the right, if u click that you will get more options to scale it and even orientation it to the correct position.eg x,y,and z space.

[@johnandrew1905]

Moses Sharma thanks buddy. i really appreciate your help

[@singh3dmovies531]

could u please make a tutorial , how to fly a 3d model plane by a real human pilot ? i would to thankful to you !

[@IndependentVFX]

Thats a great idea! thanks for your comment

[@BlackWolf-eb3qz]

can i get link of the picture

[@DenisLaventure]

I know the render is probably not as good as a raytrace, but I don't care, it's really good and I really like being able to do all that in after effects!!! Too bad the flap movement is wrong... A plane don't roll like that with that flap movement... (kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqicqaSemsSXbrM)

[@princy3601]

shadow looookkkkkssss gr888888888888888888888888888 thanks

[@4r1777]

wheres the stuff that comes out of the back of the jet

[@IndependentVFX]

Kaysar - take a look at some video of real F22s flying around - you dont always see contrails or thruster haze

[@4r1777]

oh ok

[@4r1777]

can you make a tutorial on how to make a supressed muzzle flash without stock footage

[@IndependentVFX]

have you had a look at our muzzle flash and smoke tutorials on the IndependentVFX channel page?

[@4r1777]

yes but it dosent show how to make a supressed muzzle flash... but any way a color correcton/grading tutorial would be cool to

[@iyimobileappstm1069]

Turkish TAI TFX F22 plane :)

[@FALCONsaleh]

how to use sky maps ?

[@IndependentVFX]

iSaL7 What are you asking? I dont understand your question

[@FALCONsaleh]

there is a 360 degrees sky in jetstrike how can i use them as background ?

[@technicalthings4614]

I cant find aerial pics pls help me

[@IndependentVFX]

Try Google image search for: aerial desert

[@mhe123321]

Are you sitting in a hall?

[@MADZBEATS]

I must look at it without audio. The audio just breaks the realism.

[@benroc6893]

for anyone doing this in 2023, do not do the fake ray tracing, element 3d has a built in ray tracer now. its under the render settings

[@CS2_CS-GO]

Damn

[@448able]

Windows 10

[@JulianGarcia-md9ru]

Finalees was can don'n your's doas desire whant evils or time's free in the eart ones come some any has bean this wars infinitis.

[@IndependentVFX]

Julián García say what?

[@JulianGarcia-md9ru]

"Speed of soundns"

[@Blurritos]

IndependentVFX Hey mate, what is ray traced shadows?

[@alphawarlock5429]

i have put in lot of hard work on this one please check it out Jet Strike