Hey guys, today's effect comes from the Red Dead Redemption video game series. It's super
simple to do and doesn't require any add-ons, so it can be done in both HitFilm Pro and
Express. We're also running a January sale right now with 25% off storewide. You can
find additional discounts in your email inboxes. Let's go ahead and get started.
Here we are with the clip we want to use in its own composite shot. The first effect I'll
make is the transition to the brown sepia tone. Create a new Grade layer, and add the
Curves effect. In the Controls panel, drop down the settings and raise the left end of
the curve up to lessen the contrast. Change the Channel to Red.
I'll do the same thing to the left end- this will add red into the shadows. Now grab the
top right corner of the curve and move it left. This will make the highlights red as
well. Change the Channel to Green.
Move the right end of this curve to the left. This adds green into the grade, which brings
it closer to the final brown color we want. Now change the Channel to Blue.
We want to take Blue out of the image, so to do that I'll grab the left end and move
it to the right. Then drag the right end of the curve down.
We've got our sepia tone, but the color is a bit strong. Add a Hue, Saturation & Lightness
effect, and lower the Master Saturation to -25. This step is up to you.
To have the sepia color grade fade in, all I have to do is keyframe the Opacity of the
Grade layer. In the Transform properties, activate keyframes for Opacity, and have it
start at 0%. Move the timeline forward, and increase it to 100%.
There are a few more effects I'm going to add to this Grade, just to make it more focused
and different to the regular clip. First, a Diffuse effect. This will soften the image
but not blur it completely. In the Controls, I'll increase the Radius and lower the Opacity.
Next, a Vignette to darken the edges.
Make sure that the Width and Height of your Vignette matches your composite, to get it
looking even. I'll increase the softness and lower the Strength to make it more subtle.
Finally, a Zoom or Radial Blur will increase the focus on your subject. Add the effect
to the Grade and position the center over your actor. Adjust the Strength to fit your
scene.
Now we'll move on to the lens flares that go across the screen. For this, create a new
black Plane layer, and add the Light Flares effect to it.
In the settings, drop down the Hotspot Position. Set the playhead to where you want the flare
to start moving, and activate keyframes for the Center. I'll have the flare start over
on the right side of the screen. Move a few frames forward and adjust the end position.
The flare should cross the screen as the grade changes to sepia, to hide the transition.
Right click the layer and set the Blend to Screen. Now add a Heat Distortion effect.
Turn the Scale, Distortion, and Diffusion Strength way up. The goal is to make it look
like cracks of light, instead of a single lens flare. Now in the Light Flare settings,
choose a Type that fits your scene. I'll choose Sun Glare. Increase the Scale to have the
flare cover more of the screen.
Once you have your first flare complete, right-click and duplicate it. Drop down the Center keyframe
properties for the second flare, and adjust the position. I'll have it start and end a
little bit lower than the first. You can offset the timing by moving the keyframes to the
right.
One more effect you can add is Echo. This will create the impression of the light flares
leaving trails. Set the Echo time to somewhere around -.1 seconds, and the Blend to Screen.
The Decay slider adjusts how transparent the echoes are. If I set it to .5, the echoes
will be half as bright as the originals.
The final step is to add the red X's where our actor is going to shoot. I'll do this
by creating a simple text layer. Make sure you have the Text tool selected, and type
the letter X. For the font, I'll use Segoe Print. Change the color to red. Add a Blur
effect and set it to 1 pixel.
I'll keyframe the Opacity of this text layer to move up soon after the sepia grade takes
effect. When you have the X set, duplicate the layer. Offset the timing by moving the
layer, and change the position of the X itself.
Feel free to leave any questions down below. Don't forget to subscribe, and thanks for
watching.