Animated Pops and Explosions For Motion Graphics in After Effects

Introduction

Explosions in After Effects are naturally dynamic and visually stunning, making them an essential part of action-packed animations. In this tutorial, we’ll go through the process of creating a stylized explosion step by step. Additionally, we’ll introduce a secret technique that will make your explosions feel even more powerful!

By following this tutorial, you’ll learn how to: ✅ Create an explosion burst effect using shape layers. ✅ Use scaling and warping techniques to enhance the animation. ✅ Add impact frames for an extra cinematic punch. ✅ Integrate AE Juice assets (optional) for enhanced visuals.

Now, let’s jump into After Effects and start animating! 🚀🔥

Step 1: Setting Up Your Composition

1. Open After Effects and create a New Composition.
2. Set the resolution to 1920×1080, 30 FPS, and 5 seconds duration.
3. Create a Background Layer:
   • Go to Layer > New > Solid.
   • Name it BG Layer, set the color to black, and place it at the bottom.

Step 2: Creating the Explosion Burst

1. Creating the First Circle Burst

1. Create a Circle Shape Layer:
   • Select the Ellipse Tool (Q) and draw a perfect circle while holding Shift.
   • Set the Fill color to white and remove the Stroke.
2. Animate the Scale:
   • Press Y to activate the Anchor Point Tool, then move the anchor point to the bottom of the circle.
   • Press S to open Scale properties.
   • Set a keyframe at 0s with Scale = 0%.
   • Move to 1s and change the Scale to 100%.
   • Press F9 to Easy Ease the keyframes.
   • Open the Graph Editor and make the curve extreme for a fast initial scale-up that slows down.
3. Duplicate the Circle Layer:
   • Press Ctrl + D to duplicate it.
   • Change the color to black and move the layer one frame ahead.
   • Adjust the X Scale to 160% and Y Scale to 105% to create organic motion.

2. Adding a Warp Effect

1. Apply Warp Effect:
   • Go to Effects > Distort > Warp.
   • Set Warp Style to Arch.
   • Set a keyframe for Bend at 0 and animate to 50 by 1s.
2. Modify X Scale:
   • Open Scale properties (S).
   • Unlink the proportions and set X Scale to 80%.
   • This creates a more dynamic explosion rather than a perfect circle.
3. Duplicate the Layers for Variety:
   • Rotate each duplicate slightly to create an irregular explosion shape.

Now, your explosion should be shaping up with unique movements for each burst!

Step 3: Adding Breakup Effects

1. Creating a Cutout Effect

1. Draw a Triangle Shape (Cutout):
   • Use the Pen Tool (G) to draw a black triangle positioned at the bottom of the explosion.
   • Move the Anchor Point to the Bottom (Ctrl + Alt + Home).
   • Name it Cutout.
2. Animate Scale:
   • Set X Scale = 0% at 0s.
   • At 4 frames, increase X Scale to 100%.
   • Duplicate and rotate multiple Cutout layers for varied effects.

2. Adding Smoke Trails

1. Create a Thin Stroke Line:
   • Use the Pen Tool (G) to draw a single stroke extending outward.
   • Set the Stroke Width to 40px and color to pink.
   • Go to Stroke > Taper, set Start Length to 100%.
2. Animate Trim Paths:
   • Go to Shape Layer > Add > Trim Paths.
   • Set End Keyframe at 0s (value 0%).
   • At 1s, increase End to 100%.
   • Easy Ease keyframes for smooth growth.
3. Duplicate and Rotate:
   • Duplicate multiple trails, change angles and lengths.

3. Adding Small Puffs

1. Create an Oval Shape Layer:
   • Set Fill color to pink.
   • Animate Position & Scale:
     • At 0s, set Scale to 0%.
     • At 10 frames, scale to 100%.
   • Move slightly away from the explosion center.

These cutouts, smoke trails, and puffs make the explosion feel organic and hand-drawn.

Step 4: Refining the Explosion

1. Creating Variations

1. Duplicate the Pre-Comp 3 Times:
   • Rename them Explosion_Var1, Explosion_Var2, Explosion_Var3.
   • Inside each, modify:
     • Cutout shapes (add/remove).
     • Trail timings.
     • Circle burst animation speeds.
2. Replace in Main Composition:
   • Select the new Explosion Pre-Comps.
   • Replace them using Ctrl + Alt + /.

2. Blending and Refining the Look

1. Apply Extract Effect:
   • Remove black background (Effects > Keying > Extract).
2. Add Fast Box Blur:
   • Set Blur Radius = 5.
3. Apply Levels (Alpha):
   • Increase Contrast for sharper edges.
4. Use Roughen Edges:
   • Remove Fractal Influence.
   • Set Border to 5.

Now your explosion looks stylized and dynamic! 💥

Step 5: Adding Impact Frames (Secret Technique)

1. Create a New Solid:
   • Apply Fractal Noise (Contrast = 4000).
   • Set Transform > Scale Width = 60, Height = 5000.
   • Apply Polar Coordinates (Rect to Polar at 100%).
2. Animate Brightness Keyframes:
   • 0s: Brightness 0%.
   • 1 frame later: Increase to 300%.
   • Trim to 2 frames.
3. Add Extract + Blur + Levels:
   • Same technique as before.

Now, these high-contrast impact frames will amplify the explosion’s intensity! 🔥

Step 6: Final Touches

1. Apply Posterize Time (Frame Rate = 12).
2. Use AE Juice Assets (Optional):
   • Add Fire Flames 103 (Effects > Hue/Saturation to recolor).
3. Use Chromatic Aberration for More Detail.

Conclusion

🎉 Congratulations! You’ve created an epic animated explosion using After Effects!

Watch Complete Tutorial Here