How to Use the Light Saber Effect in HitFilm Express 2017!

[@Doc903]

So, just downloaded for the first time, and my first instinct is to make a lightsaber effect. Sounds about right.

[@HitfilmSensei]

I love it! :)

[@haue1382]

It is crazy how you still reply to peoples questions and stuff! You are amazing!

[@HitfilmSensei]

Thank you! :)

[@haue1382]

Film Sensei Even though my pc is utter garbage i still watch thease tutorials 🤷‍♂️

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@haue1382 Thank you!

[@gargantuangekko176]

Wonderful description gentle voice over no annoying base or anything this was a wonderful tutorial

[@HitfilmSensei]

Thank you! :)

[@GarageIdeas]

Boa tarde , amigo, eu usei esse efeito no nosso último vídeo do canal e ficou muito bonito, muito obrigado por compartilhar seus conhecimentos, abraços Mauro e Duda.

[@HitfilmSensei]

😀

[@ObiTheHomie]

It works! I'm so glad.

[@HitfilmSensei]

I'm glad it works. :)

[@kQuista]

Hello There

[@ObiTheHomie]

@@kQuista General Kenobi!

[@BraineZVisuals]

Amazing! The Cross Guard Effect was Outstanding! Keep up the good work!

[@HitfilmSensei]

Thanks!

[@reiring8391]

Hey , great video. Could you make a short tutorial about the quick 3D effects , i found them really cool ,but i'd need a bit help with tracking them into the footage ( like walking around bonfire effect etc..)

[@HitfilmSensei]

I will be happy to add it yo my list! :)

[@xtreamxplays]

thanks this really helped. I was wondering how to make different lightsaber effects like fire or Kylo Ren

[@HitfilmSensei]

This is an older video, but it still applies. The interface looks a little different, but all of the techniques are still that same. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpCbloFnmd-lhbMsi=MCJ255dmaN-1gM85

[@nickbrenner283]

Great video. Quick question. How did you manually track it when it when off screen? When mine goes off screen I get a warning that tracking can't proceed because tracking goes off screen, then I have to just click along the border instead of looping outside like in your video appears (although how you got there was cut out for time).

[@HitfilmSensei]

I get this question a lot! Here is a four minute unlisted video of me actually tracking the tip... kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5Dad4aDgcpjY8k

[@jessetheminer1153]

This looks awesome when I finished the effect. Thanks for the help, subscribed.

[@HitfilmSensei]

I can't wait to see it!

[@rabanzabalkan]

Great video. Question: if a lightsaber goes behind an object in a frame but comes back out again how can i make it dissapear so it doesnt look like it went through it?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Here is a video showing how to apply occlusion to your lightsaber blade. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6nZl52LjpKAoJo

[@rabanzabalkan]

Thank you :)

[@lefo1488]

hey so i did everything just like in the video the hilt part works but the tip is way off even though the blue tracking line is ok when i switch to the viewer to see the final thing the tip is not aligned corectly. can anyone please help me?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Set the Tip Position on the Lightsword Effect to 0,0 and attach it to your Tip Point.

[@Pr0fessorB1ble]

For the kylo effect did u use a add on for the static/unstable baldes? Or is it just a mix of 0 stability, 100 distortion, and another thing I’m forgetting about?

[@HitfilmSensei]

The big thing is I cranked the Distortion up to 500.

[@nahte724]

Did you know thst the effect has it's own blend mode property? And that it can be applied to a grade layer? Because I didn't but now that I do, it makes things easier for me. If you set the blend mode of the effect to either none or normal I can't remember, darker colors will still show up. You can use that to make a black/colored core for your lightsaber. It also helps with brighter scenes where the blade would normally be washed out by the lighting.

[@bernalmusicstore4925]

Hi great tutorial, I´m trying it for a video for my sons birthday. And I need several layers of the lightsword 2 points, I could create 2 and when I create de third one I cannot link it with the points ? I´m a clear? do you understand what I´m asking? is there a limitation in the express version that allows you to only two plane layers of the same effect? I´ve tried opening a new session and now won´t allow me anymore to link plane layer to the point trackings. thanxs...

[@HitfilmSensei]

There is no limitation as to how many effects and planes you can have. In fact, you can put multiple light sword effects on the same plane or you can keep them on separate planes. You can have dozens of them if you like. However, you will want to carefully label the points and sword effects so you do not get confused as to which is which.

[@darthvaider7109]

Thank you

[@HitfilmSensei]

You are welcome! :)

[@CinemaReel47]

I was wondering which pack I should get in order to achieve this, the 360 Neon Lights or VFX: Neon Lights pack...

[@HitfilmSensei]

You don't need to purchase any add-on packs to use this effect. It comes free with HitFilm Express. The effect I use in the tutorial is called the Lightsword (2-Point Auto) Effect and can be found under the Generate Folder in the Effects Tab.

[@commanderstatix]

I have multiple blades in my video. Should I focus on one at a time and save and export the video after finishing each blade or should I do it all at the same time? I’m looking for whichever’s easiest regarding time and simplicity. And also, I every 10 frames or so, there’s a single frame difference in the frame counter but not the footage if that makes sense. It’s like it’s adding an extra frame for some reason. What could be causing this?

[@HitfilmSensei]

As far as multiple blades, you an do it either way. If you computer starts to bog down, hoever, then you probably want to work multiple passes. I am not sure what would cause the frame slippage, but I would guess it might have to do with Variable Frame Rate (VFR) footage. You may want to make sure that you are working with Fixed Frame Rate (FFR) footage. Video forme cell-phones are almost always VFR. If you are working with VFR, you will want to convert it to FFR before bringing it into a Non-Linear Editor (NLE) like HitFilm or After Effects. There are not any NLEs that work well with VFR. It doesn't matter what software you use, you will want to convert it to FFR. Check out this video for complete info on this concept... kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6LLnWOjh9qHpMk

[@jotunoveski]

Hi, i just started video editing for run and i got all of this effect down. The only problem i have is that i don't want the effect to show throught out the whole video, only at a certain part of the video. The effect moves only when i want it to, but at the begging its there still, when i wanted it to only show after certain event. How tod i control when it starts and stops with the timeline? Thank you

[@HitfilmSensei]

You can either keyframe the Opacity of the effect or you can trim the whole clip out where you don't want it. I have several other videos on this channel talking about how to use the Lightsaber effect, so please feel free to ask any questions as you need!

[@otismcqueen5780]

Hey, Can you help me, when I connect the blade to the trackers, my blade is really bendy and I don’t know how to fix it! Please help!

[@HitfilmSensei]

The 2-Point Auro Lightsword Effect does this on purpose. It is attempting to simulate the motion blur of the blade as it moves. You have complete control over this in the setting below. Before you start messing with those settings, however, you should probably finish your whole saber animation and see how it looks. I've found that when I have got it done, the default settings actually work pretty well.

[@otismcqueen5780]

Film Sensei Thank you so much for replying! That helped me a lot!

[@sanderhalvorsen8488]

It works quite well! The only problem I have is that I don´t know what to do when the lightsaber is completely off-screen. Especially when it is behind the person using it. I tried putting the tracker points off-screen, but then it makes the lightsaber show up in a weird place for a split second.

[@HitfilmSensei]

Take a look at this video on how to occlude the lightsaber blade. This should help.

[@skybot2454]

this helped me so much thank you

[@HitfilmSensei]

You bet! :)

[@derdroide9148]

I tried this, but when I transformed the Tracker Points into the Point Layers, they would move away from the position, where I tracked them. So now the lightsaber is completely crooked at a lot of points. Do you have a solution for that? I had the Video 15 sec long and did a bit more swinging, is that the reason?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Make sure you zero out the Start Point and End Point position numbers.

[@derdroide9148]

Wouldn't that be the thing I have to do with the lightsaber effect? Unfortunately, the two Point layers Hilt and Tip are already different than the Tracking Points, so the problem must be there :(

[@HitfilmSensei]

The point layers themselves must not be zeroed out. Check to make sure they are zeroed out on the anchor points maybe?

[@clazzic7104]

I'm not allowed to track points outside of my layer like you did with the tip. How can I be able to do this?

[@HitfilmSensei]

You will have to manually track the tip if it goes off the screen.

[@ortwinvomschildberg4717]

How did you get the motion blur on your sabre at moving. I've done anything exactly like you, but I dont have the blur

[@HitfilmSensei]

You may have to adjust the Path Interpolation numbers a bit.

[@aammarkhan2661]

Sorry for the noob question, but couldn't you put a piece of tape on the hilt or tip and have hitfilm track that in order for more accurate tracking?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Actually, that is not a noob statement at all. The more contrast you can get on your tracking marker, the easier and better the track will be. The key is using a piece of tape that is very different from the background. For example, a dark colored tape would work great in this shot, but not against a dark background. On the other hand, a piece of light colored tape would work great in a dark warehouse shot, but not here.

[@sarcastic_warewolf]

great video! 1 problem though, i cant seem to highlight both the layers like you did in 5:34 , any tips/suggestions ?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Hit Ctrl in Windows or Command on a Mac to highlight additional layers.

[@alpako2484]

sorry... another question. how would you turn on the lightsaber if it’s not on already at the beginning of the video (create the effect at a time other than the start)?

[@HitfilmSensei]

I have made two different lightsaber ignition tutorials. Check them out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYO6qGWHdsd5prs kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYrLd6mJr8qjoNE

[@alpako2484]

Film Sensei thank you so much!!!!!

[@GHOST-be9wo]

Whenever I move the hilt or tip, Hitfilm crashes, please help

[@HitfilmSensei]

You should probably check your computer's specs against the minimum requirements. hitfilm.com/support/hitfilm-express-2017/

[@XerosOfficial]

Is your PC a red hot fast tomato or is it a lowly potato?

[@Suprchrg2SS.LS3]

Film Sensei !...does the Hitfilm express includes the light sword effects?

[@ksj2936]

You just need to search lightsword in effects

[@HitfilmSensei]

Yes it does. They can be found under the Generate Folder.

[@wd5960]

Excellent Thank you SIR!

[@HitfilmSensei]

You are welcome, and thank you!

[@SignalBurden]

After I clicked on the Make Composite shot, I don't see the tracks option under my footage. I only see Masks Effects and Transform. Did I miss something? I am using Hitfilm 2017 Express - thxs!

[@HitfilmSensei]

It is there... 1:25

[@gulnazkhan4805]

Thank you 😀 :)

[@HitfilmSensei]

My pleasure!

[@alexmonjezi8364]

Hey Film Sensei. When I pan my camera from downside up the lightsaber effect sometimes moves uncontrollably in a frame or two. I have checked the tracking points, and there's is no issue there. Please help

[@HitfilmSensei]

Interesting. That should definitely not happen. It sounds like you have some sort of glitch there. I would contact FXHome and see what they have to say.

[@alexmonjezi8364]

Film Sensei Thanks for your help sir:-)

[@hunterpippin]

Thank you Sooo Much!!!!

[@HitfilmSensei]

You are welcome! :)

[@Jason-tt3vx]

My blade cant go off screen it always distorts when i try to move it to close to the edge of the screen and off the screen

[@HitfilmSensei]

That's very strange. I've never heard of that before. Try increasing the scale of the plane that holds the blade to about 110%. That will allow the blade to go to the edge without any clipping of the glow.

[@fasonjisher]

Sensei! I am having an issue with the lightsaber looking curved when i assign data to both hilt and tip. Not sure how to get this fixed! I had to manually track the entire tip. I set the position of the tip to 0. It seems like the tip and hilt are in the right spot but it is curved in the connection. Any ideas?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Is the blade in motion? HitFilm may be attempting to add motion blur to the blade to make it look more real. You can control that by adjusting either the "Motion Persistence" or the "Persistence Shift" properties. They both can be found directly under the "Path Interpolation" drop down.

[@fasonjisher]

Film Sensei I figured out that I accidentally did the 360 effect which made it distorted. Thanks for the tutorial, it is awesome!

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@fasonjisher Ah! Good to know. If anyone ever asks me that again, I will know what to say! Thanks for letting me know.

[@uglynerfherder]

I'm having an issue where the blade is warped in the middle when I link the tip and hilt to the two designated points.

[@HitfilmSensei]

The effect has a built in motion blur.You can turn that off if you don't want it. If the blade is not moving, then there won't be a curve to the effect.

[@alpako2484]

is it possible to have two lightsabers in the same shot?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Absolutely, and not only that, but HitFilm also has a "Lightsaber Clash" Light Flare for battle scenes!

[@BloodClanResurrection]

For some reason when I change the blend mode to "add", it still shows up as a completely all black screen :/

[@HitfilmSensei]

NinjaBrickfilms忍者ブリック映画 It shouldn't, unless the plane is not black. You can also try using the screen blend mode.

[@sagishamir2634]

@@HitfilmSensei same problem and also it happened in the -"Tip [point]" and in the "Hilt [points] ):

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@sagishamir2634 In the upper left hand corner f the View Window, click on the Viewer Tab. The Layer tab will show a black screen for a selected point.

[@hippiegames7935]

Anytime my saber prop goes off screen, the effect stays on screen. Any ideas?

[@alpako2484]

if we have two lightsabers, how do we determine which lightsaber appears in front?

[@HitfilmSensei]

You would first rotoscope both lightsaber on different Planes. Then, the lightsaber that is in front would be on the layer that is above the other lightsaber layer. If need be, you may have to cut and move a plane up or down in the layer stack. This would happen if you had a lightsaber that was first in front, but then went behind another lightsaber.

[@HUDSON7]

Could you make a video on the extension tool and how to extend the lightsaber?

[@HitfilmSensei]

You bet!

[@HUDSON7]

HitFilm Sensei Thanks for replying! Also there's something else i can't do. Could you make a video on how to make a saber go behind someone, whilst using the tracking option? Thanks.

[@pawan_yonjan]

Wow... its nice . Can you make scribble effect in hitfilm express ???????

[@HitfilmSensei]

I would be happy to!

[@LylesNate]

Excellent!! Thank you for this!! ^_^

[@HitfilmSensei]

You are welcome. Good luck, and if you need anything, please just let me know!

[@ponch5006]

Can you make a video on how to create the kylo ren lightsaber effect.

[@HitfilmSensei]

Here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpCbloFnmd-lhbM

[@parkereimerl2]

You’re the best I subbed

[@parkereimerl2]

#Notificationsquad

[@HitfilmSensei]

T ‘n’ P Gaming Thank you!

[@buffalobrickfilms9164]

I have a question: how did you do the kylo ren style lightsaber?

[@HitfilmSensei]

LegoBros World That is a good question. The blade can be adjusted in the controls of the light sword effect to look that way. I added the cross bars by using a nifty little tracking trick.

[@buffalobrickfilms9164]

Thanks!

[@HitfilmSensei]

You are welcome!

[@designertjp-utube]

Hi! Wonderful Tutorial but, hahaha, Me and The Rest of The World do wish to see your _"deleted video 10 minutes"_ where you supposedly went outside of your video/composition frame and indeed attach points to the tip of your Lightsaber. In *Photoshop* , before I learned how to use the Lasso Tool, Hand/Move Tool, and Zoom Command all in concert with each other, my selection points would "jump" all over the place like crazy (if my image/subject was bigger than the bounding box). Please reveal your *Shop* *Secrets* !

[@HitfilmSensei]

I will see if I can find this original footage and spend the ten minutes doing it while recording. It's just a matter of moving the tracker manually for each frame when the tip of the prop is off the screen. It really wasn't that hard. BTW, the tools for making lightsaber effects in HitFilm have been greatly improved since I made the video. This was done in Version 5 and now they are on version 14.

[@HitfilmSensei]

I finally found the footage on an old backup hard drive. I did the tip only... it took about 4 minutes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5Dad4aDgcpjY8k

[@SPOOFYNUGGET]

Whenever I export my video why is it only shows a black screen with the lightsaber. Did I do something wrong?

[@HitfilmSensei]

It certain sounds that way, doesn't it :) Maybe you forgot to change the blend mode of the light saber plane to ADD or SCREEN. Does is appear black in the Preview Window? Perhaps you are somehow only exporting the light saber plane only... although I don't know how you could do that.

[@therealdomingo]

Thank you!

[@HitfilmSensei]

You bet!

[@austinmaciborski4508]

Is there supposed to be a huge watermark in the middle or is that just because I’m using the free version?

[@HitfilmSensei]

The watermark is there because you are using an effect that needs to be purchased through a paid-for add-on pack. However, everything that I am doing in this video is included in the free version of HitFilm Express, so you must have added an effect that I have not.

[@austinmaciborski4508]

Film Sensei thank you that helped a lot!

[@heehee6514]

Have i done anything wrong? The lighsaber effect i really off its not on my lightsaber prop

[@HitfilmSensei]

When you attach the end of the lightsaber to your End Point, make sure you zero out the position numbers. (6:42 in this video)

[@HitfilmSensei]

Your playback settings need to be adjusted. Check out this video for instruction on that. (Please Note: Since the release of this video, the Playback Setting Controls have been moved to below the Player Window!) kzbin.info/www/bejne/q56reZJpe76Kl9k

[@diegostach9563]

Maybe it's a stupid question, but... How to "End Effect" I mean hide it. You finish using your saber, and you turn it of, and then the effect disapear. ((Sorry for bad English, but I'm still learning))

[@HitfilmSensei]

What you can do it simply trim the Plane that the effect is on at the exact moment that you do not need to see the effect any more. Alternatively, you could keyframe the Opacity to be 0 essentially hiding the whole Plane also.

[@diegostach9563]

@@HitfilmSensei Thank you man ;) Your's tutorials, are the best ;D!

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@diegostach9563 Thank you! :)

[@nniitchh]

How can you make the blade a bit lacy at the top?

[@HitfilmSensei]

What do you mean, "lacy?"

[@ATrueFan]

Your tutorials are awesome! Could you make a tutorial for how to do a lightsaber wall burn? That would be so cool!

[@HitfilmSensei]

I will add it to my list. In the meantime, take a look at this video. It is an older tutorial, but the principles are the same! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKaUnoxuYt1kZ9E

[@ATrueFan]

Thank you so much!

[@HitfilmSensei]

You bet!

[@hyck3646]

When I turn the blend mode to add with the plane, nothing happens

[@HitfilmSensei]

What do you mean?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Actually, I probably know why. Take a look at this video on how to change the Playback and Pause Quality Settings in HitFilm. The only change that has happened since I made this video is that the controls for these settings have been moved to under the viewer window... kzbin.info/www/bejne/q56reZJpe76Kl9k

[@hyck3646]

@@HitfilmSensei thank you for the help, I'll give it a look now

[@HitfilmSensei]

Good luck!

[@pedroazevedo990]

Please...can you tell us how add the lightsaber audio effects?

[@HitfilmSensei]

I searched online for "lightsaber sounds" and collected as many as I could. Then I added them into the shot where I thought they would be best, played around with them until they sounded good, then exported from there.

[@ebenyoung8474]

ur the best

[@HitfilmSensei]

Thank you!

[@james_utd5297]

At 2:51 he sound like Kermit the frog 😂

[@Lipton3373]

Thank you, this was reaaally helpful!

[@HitfilmSensei]

You are welcome!

[@ControllerMeneer]

Nice tutorial!

[@HitfilmSensei]

ControllerMeneer Thank you!

[@ControllerMeneer]

I am a beginning editor and this helped so much so Thank you too!

[@HitfilmSensei]

ControllerMeneer You bet!

[@hunterpippin]

How do you stop hitfilm from crashing so much?

[@HitfilmSensei]

What are you computer's specs? OS, CPU, GPU, and RAM.

[@lukerider3363]

thaaanksss

[@HitfilmSensei]

You're welcome!

[@jakup1390]

Heeelp! please - 6:25 - I drag Lightsword effect and... no effect. I can see two points, but no glow, color etc. And attaching to hilt and tip doesn't work either. What's wrong? I use HitFilm Express 12.

[@HitfilmSensei]

My first guess is that you have the Project Settings set to something other than Full. Take a look at this video and see if it helps... kzbin.info/www/bejne/q56reZJpe76Kl9k

[@jakup1390]

@@HitfilmSensei Close. I checked all boxes in HitFilm "Options > Quality Profiles". Now I can see what I do :-) But another problem is that when the tip goes outside the screen - the lightsabre sticks to one point and doesn't follow track. Hilt is ok. Thanks a lot Sensei!

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@jakup1390 The light saber effect will follow a point even if it goes off the screen, but you will want to manually move the Tip Point if it does. See 4:20 for the exact explanation.

[@jakup1390]

@@HitfilmSensei Thank you! Now it works, my son is a full-fledged padawan now :-)

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@jakup1390 Sweet!

[@dragonpizzagaming_3473]

Hey I changed my blend mode to add it was still black. Can someone help? Edit: Nvmd I was stupid I had it in layer mode not veiwer.

[@HitfilmSensei]

Feel free to play with Screen Blend Mode also. A lot of people prefer the look of that instead!

[@TracerBullet100]

What about when the hilt goes off camera or the prop goes behind the actor so only a little bit of the blade is showing?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Tracer Films In this video, the tip went off the screen. So in one of these cases, you will need to Simply keyframe the point manually.

[@TracerBullet100]

Got it. So when the lightsaber shows like between the actors forearm and armpit, you could just bring the two tracking points really close together for those few frames in order to have that little bit of the lightsaber showing then?

[@HitfilmSensei]

I would leave the Hilt and Tip Points where they belong so the blade motion blur remains correct. Instead, I would use this technique for occluding the blade... kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6nZl52LjpKAoJo

[@brent_1101]

Awsome! :)

[@HitfilmSensei]

Thanks!

[@ArtificialTable]

i hit this like button

[@HitfilmSensei]

Thanks!

[@rjwarzone2994]

Nice

[@HitfilmSensei]

Thank you!

[@ReligiousPrime]

Is there a way to make the core of the blade black, to resemble the dark saber?

[@HitfilmSensei]

I will do a tutorial on it!

[@ReligiousPrime]

@@HitfilmSenseiI was able to make a black core blade the other day. But I did it using a still image I saved from google. But earlier today when I tried to do an animation of it, I couldn't get the black core to be visible anymore. The black blade itself followed the physical blade decently, but after I added the neon glow effect, the blade was just straight up red. No black to be seen. I think I'm not doing something right, but I don't know what it is. PS - I did it using 4-points (manual), not 2-points (auto)

[@HitfilmSensei]

I have made the tutorial. I will release it next week!

[@ReligiousPrime]

@@HitfilmSenseisweet. looking forward to it

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@ReligiousPrime Me too.

[@Topidoit]

"Tracking could not be started because the direction is invalid for the start frame" please help

[@HitfilmSensei]

Put the playhead at the start of the timeline and then start tracking forward.

[@ethanunrein9988]

when i add the plane and put it to add, it doesnt remove the color

[@HitfilmSensei]

Blend modes of either screen or add remove the black.

[@otismcqueen5780]

How do I make multiple scenes with lightsaber effect?

[@HitfilmSensei]

You will want to make each shot a different Composite Shot, Then you can string them all together in the Editor Timeline.

[@otismcqueen5780]

Film Sensei Thank you sooooooo much!

[@otismcqueen5780]

Film Sensei but what if the different scenes are in one huge clip?

[@stupendousdudeman]

how do you track off screen?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Watch at 4:35

[@Honda_Kid]

Omg thank you ❤️

[@HitfilmSensei]

You are welcome!

[@ewen_0996]

what workspace do u use

[@HitfilmSensei]

When you say workspace, do you mean computer workspace, office / desk workspace, or my work space where I filmed this shot?

[@ewen_0996]

Film Sensei the workspace in hit film

[@cartergillam2691]

How can I make my lightsaber look like kylo ren’s? not the triple blade but like the flicker and sparks of his blade

[@HitfilmSensei]

There is a slider in the Lightsword Effect called Distortion. Crank that all the way up. Also, for mre flicker, adjust the Stability slider down. You can put a Heat Distortion Effect over the blade to give it a more dangerous appearance. You will have to hunt down some stock footage of sparks if you want to add those. The Particle Simulator is a purchased add-on.

[@cartergillam2691]

Film Sensei thanks for the fast reply

[@cartergillam2691]

Also what is an easy way to make the light from the saber reflect on its surroundings

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@cartergillam2691 You are welcome! :)

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@cartergillam2691 In the original movies, they didn't. In the newer movies, they do it practically. In other words, they have a light up saber. I did a tutorial about how to add extra lighting from a lightsaber in a dark environment. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3SvZJidjNClsLM It's not easy, though. Also, check out this video from Axel. In it, he shows how to do it with blaster bolts. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpzFin53lr6gbNU

[@ByMcCauley]

tracking is a pain in the ass but imma try this cause it would be cool

[@HitfilmSensei]

Take your time and do it right. The results are worth it!

[@parkereimerl2]

How did you make it into Kylo Ren’s lightsaber

[@HitfilmSensei]

Take a look at this video... kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpCbloFnmd-lhbM There you will learn how to the the Lightsaber Effect itself. Otherwise, the tracking is the same as I have done here!

[@parkereimerl2]

Thanks

[@HitfilmSensei]

T ‘n’ P Gaming You are welcome!

[@parkereimerl2]

Thaaaannnnkkkksssss

[@parkereimerl2]

😀😀

[@hunterpippin]

Is the lightsaber effect absolutely free?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Yes.

[@hunterpippin]

@@HitfilmSensei could you do the same tutorial on hitfilm Express 14?

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@hunterpippin I can (but it's the same!) :)

[@directedbyethan]

When I put the video on the timeline I can’t see it but I can here the audio. I’m not sure why this is happening

[@HitfilmSensei]

It is likely that the video is not being read properly by HitFilm. You may need to transcode the video to something that is "HitFilm friendly."

[@directedbyethan]

Film Sensei thanks, I fixed it. You were right, since I was filming with an iPhone and hit film doesn’t like iPhone videos.

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@directedbyethan Right! Transcoding it should absolutely do the trick... and it will solve the VFR vs CFR problem as well!

[@kristieotto7497]

I got to the point where you insert the lightsword effect. It doesn't show up for me. :(

[@HitfilmSensei]

Make sure that you put the effect on the plane layer, make sure the plane layer is above the video layer in the layer stack, and make sure that the visibility of the plane layer is ticked on.

[@N0tRe1aly]

can you convert an mp4 into an effect

[@HitfilmSensei]

What kind of effect do you want to convert it to?

[@N0tRe1aly]

@@HitfilmSensei like a downloadable effect off of KZbin like a energy ball

[@protoyes995]

but there is a probleme here - the problem is that whe is the part with adding new layer

[@HitfilmSensei]

+HHPGAMER04 klukowski You will want to put the Light Sword Effect on its own plane layer.

[@monsieurdwars5097]

Whenever I play the tracking it goes off-center, please help

[@HitfilmSensei]

If you have a lot of motion blur or a background that makes it more challenging to get a good track, then you may have to help the track along manually.

[@monsieurdwars5097]

@@HitfilmSensei do you have any videos that i could practice with?

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@monsieurdwars5097 After hunting through some old backup hard drives, I found the original footage for this tutorial... filmed back in May of 2017. I uploaded it for you. Here is the link: www.mediafire.com/file/wzt08hdzw822hsp/Raw_Footage.mp4 After you are done playing with this, film some of your own and have fun!

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@monsieurdwars5097 Here is an unlisted video where I take the time to track the whole blade... even the parts where it goes off the screen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5Dad4aDgcpjY8k

[@sd3776]

my blade doesnt fan on the swing, help?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Look at 10:15. You may have to turn off the Auto Scale as well.

[@sd3776]

@@HitfilmSensei that seemed to help but its still kinda wonky ill try to figure it out

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@sd3776 Take a look at this video of how I use the Lightsword Effect to draw in the air. It will give you a better understanding of exactly how the Auto Scale in the effect works... kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmW5oX6qZcSEpsk

[@rachellewis2311]

Can you facetime me and help me ive been to figure this out for a while now

[@marsmyer]

I didn't understand how you do the kylo ren sword effect

[@HitfilmSensei]

You need to make adjustments to the light sword blade effect itself to achieve the ragged look. Of course, you will have to add the cross guards as well!

[@marsmyer]

Nice thanks very much!

[@HitfilmSensei]

You bet!

[@jesperohlson3761]

so how do i do this without paying 350 dollars

[@HitfilmSensei]

HitFilm Free. fxhome.com/product/hitfilm

[@richardsteeples6598]

Is it free?

[@HitfilmSensei]

Yes it is! :)

[@tassodemo2316]

The tracker does not follow my lightsaber

[@HitfilmSensei]

You may have to help it out, especially if the saber is moving fast!

[@noahrc5308]

i dont have the lightsword effect. Why??

[@HitfilmSensei]

I am not sure. Are you using HitFilm Express 2017?

[@noahrc5308]

HitFilm Sensei No hitfilm 4 express

[@noahrc5308]

i cant find my serial code

[@HitfilmSensei]

The light sword effect can be found in HitFilm Express 2017. You can download it for free just like you did HitFim 4 Express.

[@HitfilmSensei]

Log in to your account at HitFilm and you will find it there.

[@skybot2454]

Mine cant motion blur but aight

[@HitfilmSensei]

Uncheck "Autoscale" under the "Auto Scale Persistence" and then adjust the "Motion Persistence" as necessary.

[@skybot2454]

@@HitfilmSensei K ill try... everything else worked good tho, good tutorial

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@skybot2454 Thank you!

[@myleskoppelman3895]

What do i do if the tip or hilt is out of sight for a bit?

[@HitfilmSensei]

You will have to manually track it. You will have to do that also if the tracker loses the track because of blurriness, etc....

[@myleskoppelman3895]

Film Sensei thank you! Helps a lot. Do you know why the 2 point blade effects curves and doesn’t stay a straight line even when it’s not moving fast

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@myleskoppelman3895 Usually, it doesn't do that. The effect attempts to fake the motion blur of the lightsaber. You can always mess with the setting to turn that up, down or even off if it doesn't look right.

[@myleskoppelman3895]

@@HitfilmSensei It seems any way I move the effect from the center position causes it to warp and I can't find any setting anywhere for it, it doesn't have to do with the motion blur because I haven't even added the effect yet

[@HitfilmSensei]

@@myleskoppelman3895 At 9:45 is where I talk about the motion persistence sliders. That is where you would adjust things to change the "motion blur" of the saber. The actual motion blur is not a factor.