Week 10: Technical Experimentation: Episode 2

Technical Experimentation: Episode 2

In this episode of technical experimentation, I will show how I added a blur effect to a blank area on After Effects. 

I looked at many guides on the Internet, but they only showed how to add a blur to an object - I wanted to add a blur to a blank area (I was creating semi-transparent automatic doors, so I only drew the door frames and left the 'transparent' areas as blank).

I couldn't find any useful tips online, so I decided to take matters into my own hand and do a little experiment. After much trial and error, I finally found out how to do it:

1. Below, are a set of door frames with the antagonist behind them. As you can see, they don't look much like a set of doors as they're completely see-through!

2. I wanted to add a blur to these to make them look like a set of automatic doors in an office.

To do this, I clicked on Layer > New > Adjustment Layer.

I figured it would be an adjustment layer as this allowed me to create a layer on top of my current ones. Even better, it allowed me to modify the layer to a size and shape of my choice.

3. As you can see below, I modified the shape of the layer to fit half of the door. I did this because I want each half to move in the opposite direction, just as an automatic door does. If I put the layer over both sides, it would only be able to move in one direction.

4. I now want to add the blur to the layer. This part was easy. All I did was Right Click (on the layer) > Effect > Blur & Sharpen > Box Blur (Note: you can test any of the blurs, I just preferred the style of the Box Blur)

5. Once I did this, an effects column appeared on the left. Here, it is possible to modify the intensity of the blur. I played around with these settings for awhile until I found the amount I desired.

6. And finally, shown below is my final blur effect. As you can see, it looks like a pair of automatic doors!