PROANA LESSON – ANAMORPHIC LENS FLARES FOR FINAL CUT PRO X – PIXEL FILM STUDIOS
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Learn how to create anamorphic flares with with PROANA™ from Pixel Film Studios. This FCPX plugin gives you the ability to create that futuristic look, or simply add that extra flare to your footage. Simply drag, drop, and customize. All with a few clicks of a mouse with in Final Cut Pro X.
WELCOME TO A PROANA LESSON
Welcome to a Pro Ana Lesson from Pixel Film Studios. Pro Ana allows Final Cut Pro X users to add realistic anamorphic flares to their footage.
Anamorphic flares are caused by light hitting the lens and refracting horizontally across the surface of it. This light effect has become a popular cinematic look in Hollywood… and is even the stylistic trademarks for some directors.
STEP 1 – PREPARING THE TIMELINE
Let’s begin by selecting a clip in the FCPX media library and dragging it to the timeline.
Now, go to the titles library in FCPX, and scan through the Pro Ana presets. Choose the refraction that best matches the style of your scene.
Drag the title layer above your clip onto the timeline and make it the same length as the footage.
STEP 2 – CUSTOMIZING THE FLARE
Now, it’s time to customize the look of the flare.
Starting with the center, use the Main Light controls to adjust the hue, intensity and falloff of the core.
If you want your grunginess to your scene, you can add dirt to your lens using the “Lens Imperfections” drop down.
Next, use the Flare controls to adjust the opacity and color of the horizontal glow. Then, click on each of the boxes attached to the gradient bar to set the colors of the Refraction.
If you would like the gradient to include more than the default amount of colors, you can click on the bar to add more boxes.
STEP 3 – ANIMATING THE FLARE
Now, we will need to position and animate the anamorphic flare so that it works with the light in our scene.
Grab the center puck in the Viewer window and move it so that it lines up with the light source in your scene. Place the playhead at the front of the Pro Ana title layer.
Then, go to the Inspector window and turn the Main Light Intensity to 0. This will help us see the light source better as it moves.
Now place a key frame on the position parameter.
Move the playhead down the timeline 5 to 7 frames using the right arrow key on the keyboard.
Now drag the on-screen control ton top of the light as it moves around. Because this position is different than the previous frame … It will auto-keyframe in Final Cut Pro X.
Continue this process every 5 to 7 frames until it is complete. Then turn the Main Light Intensity back up.
FINAL TOUCHES
Now for some Final Touches.
To help composite the flare seamlessly into the scene….. Compound your clip with all of the Pro Ana titles used in the scene.
Select everything you stacked in the timeline, then hold control and click on one of the clips. Now select New Compound Clip in the pop-up.
Next, Apply a color grade to the compound clip, it will make the flare feel like apart of the same environment. For this example, we will use a Pixel Film Studios “ProHue” filter.
