Final Light
....Visual FX Stock Footage


Visual Effects Toolkit - Information....................Release 13
This guide is updated occasionally. If an internet connection is available, please check online to verify you have the latest guide release.
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Please read the information below regarding use of your Toolkit:
Overview
Filename Legend
How to use


Overview

Congratulations on your purchase of Visual Effects elements from Final Light. This guide will provide a brief description of the types of files that make up your Toolkit(s), plus some information on how they are to be used. A naming convention outline is also included to help you understand how to identify layers for each effect view.

The are 2 types of files that make up a Toolkit:

1) MAPS (Layers used for compositing the effect)

  • Animations: Quicktime .MOV, PNG Codec (Lossless Quality) or Photo-JPEG (Maximum Quality), Progressive format; 32bit or 24bit
  • Stills: Targa (.TGA), RLE compressed, Lossless; 32 bit, 24 bit, or 8 bit (for greyscale)

2) PREVIEWS:

  • Previews (at a vertical resolution of 240 pixels) show the standard compositing configuration. Keep in mind that most of the layers of the effects are larger in resolution than the previews. Some previews are created with a non-black background color for easy viewing of all layers (main, shadow, etc). Previews are not formatted for compositing and are for previewing only.


Filename Legend

  example:  SW001HLA.mov = shockwave, variation 001, hi-def, low view, additive

  |----Type of effect (i.e. SW=shockwave)
  |
  |     |----Effect number (i.e. 001 = variation 001)
  |     |
  |     |      |---Resolution
  |     |      |     H = HD, High Definition (1080p)
  |     |      |     S = SD, Standard Definition (540p)
  |     |      |
  |     |      |     |---View angle
  |     |      |     |     L = Low (approx. 0-3 deg)
  |     |      |     |     M = Medium (approx. 5-10 deg)
  |     |      |     |     H = High (approx. 30 deg)
  |     |      |     |     T = Top
  |     |      |     |     W = Lo(w) Loop
  |     |      |     |     D = Me(d) Loop
  |     |      |     |     G = Hi(g)h Loop
  |     |      |     |     P = To(p) Loop
  |     |      |     |     
   |     |      |     |     |---Layer type
  |     |      |     |     |      A = Additive - Use additive or other 'overlay' compositing method.
  |     |      |     |     |      C = Center Mask (optional) - Can be used for cutting a hole through
  |     |      |     |     |          or masking the center of the main effect layer for other compositing
  |     |      |     |     |          options including illumination, fogging, etc.  Use as a luminance
  |     |      |     |     |          matte to mask the 'main' and 'shadow' layers.
  |     |      |     |     |      D = Fade Mask (optional) - Can be used for fading out other layers
  |     |      |     |     |          of an effect such as a 'main' smoke layer that extends off-screen.
  |     |      |     |     |          Use as a luminance matte.
  |     |      |     |     |      F = Front Mask (optional) - Can be used for masking another effect
  |     |      |     |     |          (such as an explosion) behind or inside the front trailing edge
  |     |      |     |     |          of the main effect (such as a 3d shockwave). Use as a luminance
  |     |      |     |     |          matte.
  |     |      |     |     |      G = Ground Mask (optional) - This is an optional layer to mask your
  |     |      |     |     |          ground layer to reveal a different looking ground layer after the
  |     |      |     |     |          effect passes over. (Example: unaffected terrain shown; a shockwave
  |     |      |     |     |          passes over to reveal scorched terrain).
  |     |      |     |     |      L = Extra Illumination (optional) - Extra illumination to simulate the
  |     |      |     |     |          light cast from another effect you may choose to composite on top
  |     |      |     |     |          of the main effect, such as adding your own blast on top of a Final
  |     |      |     |     |          Light shockwave. Composite using 'additive' or other 'overlay'
  |     |      |     |     |          compositing method.
  |     |      |     |     |      M = Main - Main layer for the effect (always 32bit with alpha matte).
  |     |      |     |     |      O = Overlay (optional) - An extra layer such as a glow that can
  |     |      |     |     |          enhance the main effect. Use 'additive' or other 'overlay'
  |     |      |     |     |          compositing method.
  |     |      |     |     |      S = Shadow - Shadow layer (always 32bit with alpha matte).
  |     |      |     |     |      U = Upper Shadow (always 32bit with alpha matte) (optional) - An
  |     |      |     |     |          extra shadow that can be used to simulate the shadow cast on top
  |     |      |     |     |          of the main effect by another effect you may add such as a fireball
  |     |      |     |     |          blast as it cools and rises away from the primary effect.
  |     |      |     |     |      P = Preview of multiple layers (Otherwise, previews will match the
  |     |      |     |     |          layer type they represent)
  |     |      |     |     |
  |     |      |     |     |
  |     |      |     |     |
  |     |      |     |     |
 SW  001   H    L    A
                S    M   C
                      H   D
                      etc...




How to use


Single layer effects (fire, lensflares, some filmed smoke & explosions, etc.)

Fire, lensflares, some explosions, and other similar effects can be available with or without an alpha channel matte. When the layers are available without an alpha channel, a compositing method other than "normal" is used so the effect will blend correctly with the background. Many of these elements purposely come without an alpha channel to avoid the dark edge fringing that can appear when compositing filmed stock footage, such as fire, where often a mask or alpha channel is taken from the RGB of the original clip.

The easiest method to composite a non-matted clip is to add one entry of the layer to your composite and use the "lighten", "screen", or "additive" method for the layer. This works fine as long as the background is very dark.

However, to composite this type of clip over a bright background or of varying brightness, it is best to use multiple entries of the effect layer in your composite set to 2 different blending methods. The first entry, just above the background, should be set to use the "silhouette luma" or "darken" method (this darkens the background using the RGB data in the effect layer). The 2nd entry should be placed above the 'darkening' layer and should be set to use the "screen" or "additive" method (to basically 'overlay' or 'add' the effect onto the darkened area). To enhance an effect (especially fire effects), even more than 2 entries can be used, such as an extra darkening layer, or an extra "screen" or "additive" layer, or 1 "screen" and then 1 "additive" layer. Also try other types of overlay methods. For best results, you can adjust the opacity of one or more of the layers. Basically, experiment to obtain a desired look.


Multi-layer effects (atomic blasts, shockwaves, some CG smoke, etc.)

For multi-layer effects, often the full effect will only look correct when all of the layers are combined properly in your composite. It is a good idea to read and understand the filename legend (above). Of key importance is the layer ordering. Always composite layers in the correct order as shown below (additive layers are usually on top, main layers underneath, with shadow layers on the bottom. The only exceptions are when using optional effects or where special layer order is required (see below).

Layering order:

  • additive and overlay layers (top)
  • extra illumination (if adding light to the main layer)
  • upper shadow (if available)
  • main layers
  • extra illumination (if adding light to the background plate)
  • shadow layers (bottom)

Masks or Mattes such as: ground masks, front masks, center masks, and fade masks are used to affect your background plate or the effects layers. Placement of these layers in your composite depends on the compositing program and method used for masking.


Optional effects

Some effect layers we offer are options to add to existing effects. These include but are not limited to atomic glows and flares, atomic atmospherics, etc. These are not necessarily required in your composite but can enhance the effect depending on your needs.


Layer grouping, special layer ordering, and notes

For some Toolkits it is not obvious which layers should be used together and in what order they should be composited. Also some toolkits have special instructions for compositing. All toolkits that fit in this category are outlined below.
Atomic Toolkit 1 - HD and SD
Layer Grouping, Layer Ordering, and Notes

Legend:
* = H (Hi-Def) or S (Standard Def)
bold = primary layers
opt = optional layers
Low Views
  
Medium Views
AF001*LA
AF002*LA
AG001*LA
AG004*LA
AD001*LM
AD001*LS
AD003*LM
AD003*LS
AB001*LM
AD002*LM

AF001*LA
AF002*LA
AG001*LA
AG004*LA
AD001*LM
AD001*LS
AD003*LM
AD003*LS
AB002*LM
AD002*LM

AF001*LA
AF002*LA
AG001*LA
AG004*LA
AD001*LM
AD001*LS
AD003*LM
AD003*LS
AG003*LA
 AB003*LM
AD002*LM




Flare 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Flare 2 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 2 (opt) (see note 3)
Atmospheric 1, Main (opt)
Atmospheric 1, Shadow (opt)
Atmospheric 2, Main (opt) (see note 1)
Atmospheric 2, Shadow (opt)
Fiery Blast 1 (Main & Shdw)
Atmospheric 1 Rear (opt)

Flare 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Flare 2 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 2 (opt) (see note 3)
Atmospheric 1, Main (opt)
Atmospheric 1, Shadow (opt)
Atmospheric 2, Main (opt) (see note 1)
Atmospheric 2, Shadow (opt)
Smoky Blast 1 (Main & Shdw)
Atmospheric 1 Rear (opt)

Flare 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Flare 2 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 2 (opt) (see note 3)
Atmospheric 1, Main (opt)
Atmospheric 1, Shadow (opt)
Atmospheric 2, Main (opt) (see note 1)
Atmospheric 2, Shadow (opt)
Glow 3 (see note 2)
Surreal Blast 1 (Main & Shdw)
Atmospheric 1 Rear (opt)


  AF001*MA
AF002*MA
AG001*MA
AG004*MA
AD001*MM
AD001*MS
AD003*MM
AD003*MS
AB001*MM
AB001*MS
AD002*MM
AD005*MM

AF001*MA
AF002*MA
AG001*MA
AG004*MA
AD001*MM
AD001*MS
AD003*MM
AD003*MS
AB002*MM
AB002*MS
AD002*MM
AD005*MM

AF001*MA
AF002*MA
AG001*MA
AG004*MA
AD001*MM
AD001*MS
AD003*MM
AD003*MS
AG003*MA
AB003*MM
AB003*MS
AD002*MM
AD005*MM		 Flare 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Flare 2 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 2 (opt) (see note 3)
Atmospheric 1, Main (opt)
Atmospheric 1, Shadow (opt) (see note 2)
Atmospheric 2, Main (opt) (see note 1)
Atmospheric 2, Shadow (opt) (see note 2)
Fiery Blast 1, Main
Fiery Blast 1, Shadow
Atmospheric 1 Rear (opt)
Atmospheric 2 Rear (opt) (see note 1)

Flare 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Flare 2 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 2 (opt) (see note 3)
Atmospheric 1, Main (opt)
Atmospheric 1, Shadow (opt) (see note 2)
Atmospheric 2, Main (opt) (see note 1)
Atmospheric 2, Shadow (opt) (see note 2)
Smoky Blast 1, Main
Smoky Blast 1, Shadow
Atmospheric 1 Rear (opt)
Atmospheric 2 Rear (opt) (see note 1)

Flare 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Flare 2 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 1 (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 2 (opt) (see note 3)
Atmospheric 1, Main (opt)
Atmospheric 1, Shadow (opt) (see note 2)
Atmospheric 2, Main (opt) (see note 1)
Atmospheric 2, Shadow (opt) (see note 2)
Glow 3 (see note 2)
Surreal Blast 1, Main
Surreal Blast 1, Shadow
Atmospheric 1 Rear (opt)
Atmospheric 2 Rear (opt) (see note 1)

Note 1: This layer type is a 'main' layer, however it can be optionally composited using a 'screen', 'overlay', or similar method to remove the black and only reveal luma values if that is preferred

Note 2: This is a half-scale layer. When compositing, it is to be centered on the other layers of the effect and scaled up 200 percent. Scaling is only done to layers that require it and that will not suffer a loss in image detail.

Note 3: This is a quarter-scale layer. When compositing, it is to be centered on the other layers of the effect and scaled up 400 percent. Scaling is only done to layers that require it and that will not suffer a loss in image detail.


Shockwave Toolkit 1 - HD and SD
Layer Grouping
(*denotes H [Hi-Def] or S [Standard Def])

Legend:
* = H (Hi-Def) or S (Standard Def)
bold = primary layers
opt = optional layers
SW001*LM
SW001*LF

SW001*MM
SW001*MF
SW001*MC

SW001*HM
SW001*HC

SW002*LM

SW002*MM
SW002*MC

SW003*LM
SW003*LG

SW003*MM
SW003*MG

SW003*HM
SW003*HG

SW004*LM
SW004*LG

SW004*MM
SW004*MG

SW004*HM
SW004*HG 		Ground Blast 1
Front Mask (opt)

Ground Blast 1
Front Mask (opt)
Center Mask (opt)

Ground Blast 1
Center Mask (opt)

Atomic 1

Atomic 1
Center Mask (opt)

Small Dusty 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Small Dusty 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Small Dusty 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Big Dusty 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Big Dusty 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Big Dusty 1
Ground Mask (opt) 		  SW005*TA

SW005*PA

SW006*LM

SW006*TM

SW007*LM

SW007*TM

SW008*TA

SW008*PA

SW009*LA
SW009*LG

SW009*MA
SW009*MG

SW009*TA
SW009*TG

SW009*PA
SW009*PG

SW010*LA

SW011*HM
SW011*HC 		Organic 1

Organic 1

Fractal 1

Fractal 1

Electric 1

Electric 1

Fiery 1

Fiery 1

Hot Blue 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Hot Blue 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Hot Blue 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Hot Blue 1
Ground Mask (opt)

Blue Mist 1

Ground Slow-mo 1
Center Mask (opt)



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