Hey guys, in this video we’re going to be showing you how we created the title sequence
for our latest masterclass, Rise of the Dark Side, using HitFilm Express.
If you haven’t seen the full trailer you can find it in the card onscreen, so do check
it out, especially if you like Star Wars. And if you haven’t downloaded HitFilm Express,
you can get it for free from the link in the description as well as the project file and
follow along. Let’s jump right in and get started.
First, let’s create a new composite shot and call it “Title”. Using the Text tools,
I’ll make separate layers for the words that need to be styled differently. I used
the font Georgia for the whole title. To make the lines, I’ll create a New Plane
and use the Fill Color effect to make it white. Select the Rectangle Mask tool and draw a
shape where the line should be. I’ll make another shape where I want the line to be
cut out, and set the Blend of that mask to Subtract. This means a piece will be removed
from the line we’ve already drawn. Duplicate the first mask shape and use the Position
controls to move it to the bottom. Since the Blend for this mask is set to Add, it will
add back another rectangle shape onto this layer.
Now create another Composite shot and name it Outline. Bring in the Title composite you
were just working on, twice. Hide the bottom layer from view. I’ll name the top layer
Outline. Let’s add a Matte Cleaner effect onto this layer. In the Controls panel, set
the Choke to around 4 pixels. Before I add the next effect, I’ll just turn on checkerboard
background in the Viewer- this makes it easier to see transparency, but isn’t necessary.
Now add the Invert Alpha effect. This will make the see through areas solid, and vice
versa. Drop on a Fill Color effect to make everything white, and finally a Set Matte
effect. Set the Source Layer to the Title, the Matte Source to Alpha, and the Blend to
Subtract. Checkmark Invert. This restricts the outline to the area of the original text
layer. So the reason you’ve split up the text like
this is because now it’s easier to make changes?
Exactly, we only have to change the text in the Title comp and the rest will update.
We’ll use a similar technique for the inner bevel. Create a composite shot and bring the
Title composite into it. Add the Matte Cleaner effect and adjust until the text is restricted.
You might have to come back and adjust this later. I’ll add a Fill Color effect and
make it dark gray. We’re going to make one more composite before
getting into the actual title, and that’s to add texture. Bring in the Title, Outline,
and Inner Bevel composites. Now add Fractal Noise to each of them and adjust the settings
to give it the texture that you like. This makes it so that each of the pieces of text
aren’t solid colors. Fractal Noise has a variety of settings that can be adjusted to
give them all a different look. In a new composite, which I’ll call “Main
Comp”, I’ll first create the background. This is made up of several stock footage elements
from ActionVFX.com like smoke, sparks, ash, and embers.
They’ve been kind enough to provide you guys with 3 elements for free, which you can
download in the description. Be sure to check out their website for hundreds
of 2K or 4K stock footage as well. Layering these up is easy- just drag and drop, then
position each layer from the Controls panel. If there’s a black background that needs
to be removed, add on the Demult effect. Bring in the latest text composite, the one
where you added the Fractal Noise textures. Onto this layer I’ll add the Parallax effect.
In the final effect I used the 3D Extrusion effect to give the text depth, which is available
in the VFX: Starter Kit pack, but isn’t necessary for this title.
Now I’ll create a few 3D lights and position them in different areas around the text. I’ll
make one of them red, which will act as a backlight. You can use either the controls
in the Viewer, or the Position property in the Controls panel to move them around.
The final Grade layer includes several different types of Blurs, all set to a small number
so that you can still see everything. There’s also some Heat Distortion and a Vignette to
darken the edges. Some Grain or Noise will also help make things look less CG.
That’s it for this tutorial, do let us know if you have any questions down below.
We’ve got more Rise of the Dark Side tutorials coming very soon, but we also have a few available
for you to watch right now- check the playlist onscreen.
And if you haven’t already, you can download HitFilm Express for free from our website.
Thanks for watching and we’ll see you in the next video.