Compositing the Pyramid of Light in After Effects

Finishing touches on 3D Renders

Reading time
29 min
Published on
July 3, 2021
Tutorial

‍

‍

Detailing with a Multi-Pass workflow

In this tutorial we will be going over some compositing techniques in After Effects. We will be using a Depth Pass to create light rays and atmospheric perspective.

We will also be rendering out a Caustics Pass and a Bloom and Glare pass to give the image that extra punch.
Throughout the process I jump back into Photoshop several times to make judgement calls on composition and detail control. Hope you enjoy it!

‍

‍

‍

‍

Stay connected with Blauw Films! 
For the latest updates, breakdowns and exclusive content, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

References

Previous

That was the latest post.

Check back soon for more entries to the library.

Up next

That was the oldest post.

We are working on updating our archives.

Self-Sustainable Filmmaking

Approaching the financial side of your IP
8/5/2024
10 min
Overview

Photo-realistic RGB Screen Replacement

Make digital screens in CGI
10/16/2023
12 min
Tutorial

Re-Linking Missing Textures in Cinema 4D

Troubleshooting common texturing errors
8/14/2023
6 min
Tutorial

Everything Motion Blur in Chaos Corona

What does speed look like in CGI?
5/11/2023
8 min
Tutorial

Realistic Night Vision Camera in Cinema 4D and After Effects

Depth-based IR-Light Intensifier Effect
5/4/2023
16 min
Tutorial

Making realistic Oceans in Cinema 4D

Photo-realistic Oceans in Cinema 4D
4/28/2023
8 min
Tutorial

Compositing THINKER Close-Up in Syntactic Labyrinths

Blending realistic 3D hardware in After Effects
11/8/2021
25 min
Tutorial

Compositing RECEIVER into Syntactic Labyrinths

Realistic Screens in your 3D-renders
11/2/2021
22 min
Tutorial

Compositing THINKER by Edon Guraziu

Compositing THINKER by Edon Guraziu
10/28/2021
27 min
Tutorial

Compositing Venus with a Spaceship

Realism Techniques for Outer Space scenes
10/26/2021
17 min
Tutorial

Film Directing and VFX with Florian Thess

What it takes to become a Director
9/5/2021
64 min
Podcast

2D Cell Shader Animation in Chaos Corona

Music Video for César Ivan Filio
9/2/2021
16 min
Tutorial

Realistic CRT Screen Replacement in After Effects

Compositing and Blending Breakdown
8/31/2021
22 min
Tutorial

Burning Down your House Interior in After Effects

Compositing Fire in moving Shots
8/20/2021
44 min
Tutorial

Control the amount of Film Grain + Free Project File

How Professionals Add Film Grain
8/30/2021
9 min
Tutorial

Creating a Rough 16mm Film Look

Emulating film grain
8/29/2021
9 min
Tutorial

Lighting our Star Wars/Kurosawa Tribute

Color coordinated Lasers
8/26/2021
14 min
Tutorial

Compositing Stars just like Star Wars

Creating bright starry space scenes
8/24/2021
16 min
Tutorial

Color Matching your Sky Plates in After Effects

Grading and Compositing Tips
8/7/2021
18 min
Tutorial

Adding Graffiti Decals to your Environments in Cinema 4D

Bringing Life to Urban Spaces
8/6/2021
8 min
Tutorial

Compositing the Pyramid of Light in After Effects

Finishing touches on 3D Renders
7/3/2021
29 min
Tutorial

Compositing a Space Kitty in After Effects

Creating space art
4/28/2021
38 min
Tutorial

Making a Photo-realistic Uranus in Cinema 4D

Creating 3D planets in Space
5/19/2021
16 min
Tutorial

Making a Photo-realistic Venus in Cinema 4D

The brightest of them all
5/6/2021
21 min
Tutorial

Procedural Skull and Teeth Material in Chaos Corona

Subsurface Scattering and Natural Roughness
4/8/2021
18 min
Tutorial

Making a Photo-realistic Neptune in Cinema 4D

Scattering Light through a 3D Planet Volume
3/23/2021
24 min
Tutorial

Making a Photo-realistic Mercury in Cinema 4D

Creating 3D Planets that look natural
2/24/2021
26 min
Tutorial

Intro to Setting up a Premiere Project

A professional editing workflow
2/11/2021
40 min
Tutorial

Advanced Starfield Compositing in After Effects

How to add Natural Sparkles in your Sky
2/9/2021
25 min
Tutorial

Learning Wyeth Lighting Techniques - Lighting Mastery

Dark and Soft Environments
1/30/2021
25 min
Tutorial

Post-Processing CGI Footage 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio

How to make your CG renders look better
1/23/2021
18 min
Tutorial

Making a Photo-realistic Mars in Cinema 4D

Creating Planets with 3D Displacement
1/18/2021
31 min
Tutorial

Making a Photo-realistic Jupiter in Cinema 4D

Creating the Planet's Stormy Surface
1/3/2021
19 min
Tutorial

Learning Hopper Lighting Techniques - Lighting Mastery

The Atmospheric Urban Life
12/29/2020
38 min
Tutorial

Thunder Clouds with Volumetric Lighting in After Effects

Rain Drops and Lightning Strikes
12/13/2020
32 min
Tutorial

Learning Rembrandt Lighting Techniques - Lighting Mastery

The Golden Atmosphere
11/30/2020
28 min
Tutorial

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Opening Titles Redesign

The Dark Typography of Witchcraft
11/18/2020
45 min
Tutorial

Learning Caravaggio Lighting Techniques in Cinema 4D - Lighting Mastery

The True Chiaroscuro
11/15/2020
36 min
Tutorial

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Opening Titles Redesign

Opening to one of the Most Iconic movies
11/7/2020
43 min
Tutorial

Making Lasers with Ambient Occlusion Masks in Cinema 4D

Unique Chaos Corona 5 Technique
10/26/2020
15 min
Tutorial

The Basics of the Corona Layered Material

Stacking and Blending Multiple Materials
10/15/2020
11 min
Tutorial

Adding Realism with Decals in Cinema 4D

Time to Sticker up everything
10/10/2020
10 min
Tutorial

Realistic Moon Compositing in After Effects + FREE Moon Assets

Adding Natural Beauty to your shot
8/30/2020
8 min
Tutorial

Advanced TV Screen Replacement in After Effects

With a Sad Greenscreen
8/19/2020
42 min
Tutorial

Realistic Sky Replacement for your Moving shots

Blending multiple cloud plates
7/25/2020
32 min
Tutorial

Realistic Starry Nights Replacement in After Effects

Color Grading and Compositing Breakdown
7/13/2020
18 min
Tutorial

The Basics of Sky Replacement in After Effects

Compositing and Extracting Mattes
6/18/2020
16 min
Tutorial

Flying through VFX Clouds in your Drone Footage

Adding Depth to your Footage
4/10/2020
7 min
Tutorial

Making a Photo-realistic Saturn in Cinema 4D

Creating Impressive 3D Planets
2/17/2020
23 min
Tutorial

How to Mask out Clouds in Photoshop

Extract Soft Assets from the Background
2/6/2020
6 min
Tutorial

Making a photo-realistic Earth in Cinema 4D

Recreating Our Home Planet
2/1/2020
27 min
Tutorial

Create a 3D Poké-ball in Cinema 4D | 3D Modelling - Timelapse

Looking back at the Original Concepts
12/22/2019
10 min
Timelapse

You might also like

Travel back to Blogs

A blue arrow pointing right from the Blauw Films website.

The different fields of Business

What type of business do you have?
7/26/2023
2 min
Process

Bokeh Builder – Add Detail to your Depth of Field

Free Aperture Maps pack for 3D rendering
10/16/2024
2 min
News

Dreaming in Blauw

Your imagination is Liquid and Solid
6/17/2024
1 min
Art

Seeing Friends & Traitors

Play dead and stay alive…
10/8/2024
2 min
Films

Download Free HD Moon Wallpapers

Get your 5K Moon Wallpapers for Free
10/28/2024
2 min
Art

Compositing a Bright Blue Planet in CGI

How to make realistic Earth Renders
3/8/2024
3 min
Process
Planet Earth in a half translucent blue and purple color with a glow rendered in the Blauw Films crystal material.

Join the Newsletter!

Be the first to hear about our latest releases and news!
‍
Want to start Dreaming in Blauw[1]?

Oh no! That didn't seem to work.

By entering your email, you agree to receive a curated newsletter from Blauw Films.

A thin blue arrow pointing left.

Back to Learning

A thin blue arrow pointing up.

Go to the Top

Jump to Store

A thin blue arrow pointing right.

[1]: Dreams of Blauw are any form of crystallised thought based on honest expression. Sometimes they linger a shade of blue in your after-image.

This page was last edited on
October 10, 2024
.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply.