The document provides instructions for creating a lightsaber effect in After Effects. It describes inserting a video clip into the timeline, then creating a white solid above it to form the basic lightsaber shape. Keyframes are added by adjusting the solid's mask as it is positioned frame by frame along the clip. Additional solids are then copied and layered with increasing mask feather to give the lightsaber a glowing look. A black solid and color balancing are used to create a second lightsaber of a different color. Finally, a shine effect is added where the lightsabers meet to complete the illusion.

1. Lightsabre Tutorial

2. To start off, I inserted the clip that I was going to edit onto After Effects, and placed the video on the timeline.

3. Now that it was on the timeline, I inserted a new Solid, which would turn out to become the basic shape of a lightsabre which I could
then see whether it fit and covered the parts I wanted to cover.

4. After selecting to create a new solid, I chose to make the solid white so I could distinguish the lightsabre easily. Whilst creating the
solid, there is also a chance to change the shape of the solid and the measurements, but its important to make sure it fits the original
clip, so my shape 1920x1080 pixels.

5. Once the solid was created, I placed it above the original clip so the lightsabre would be on top of the video. I also shortened the clip
to only the parts that I knew I was going to use, meaning it would save me time.

6. All that was left to do now was to select the Pen tool on the top left, and create an outline for what parts would become the
lightsabre. I made sure to create 3 points on the top and the bottom to allow me to bend the corner points to create a round
base/top, as well as ensuring that all of object was covered in the outline.

7. I then went into the setting of the solid by clicking on the drop down arrows till I came across Mask Path. This means that key frames
would be created every time I made a change to the outline of the lightsabre, and it is very important in animating.

8. From here I proceeded to position the outline of the lightsabre accordingly to cover the specific parts of the lightsabre toy, pressing
Next Frame once I was done with that frame. I followed this process all the way until the end of the clip, which can be a very time
consuming process.

9. Now that all the shots had been completed and the basic lightsabre was created, I could now give the lightsabre its look. To do so I
copied and pasted the solid 4 times, and tweaked the Mask Feather, increasing the number slowly (3, 10, 30, 60, 120) till it seemed
as though it had a sort of glow. After that I inserted a new solid, this time black, and placed it in between the original clip and the
solids from before.

10. Afterwards, I did the same thing for the second lightsabre, and changed the colours of the two by selecting Colour Balance and
tweaking the colour slides. To improve the shot even more I implemented a shine effect and placed it in the middle of the
lightsabres, creating he illusion that they were clashing.