Optical Flares After Effects 2023

[Rojo Scherer]

Sincethe update to AfterEffects v23.4.0 every time I try to use Videocopilot's Optical Flares or every time I open a existing project, that uses Optical Flares, After Effects crashes. When re-starting AE it recommends to disable Optical Flares.

Is Optical Flares still supported? Is there a way to work with Optical Flares in the recent AE Version? We really use that plugin a lot and it always worked well for us. And we need to work with existing projects using Optical Flares, so we really need to find a solution for the future, other than installing and working with older AE versions...

I've spent a lot of time trying to resolve this. I'm running Ventura 13.0.1 w/Optical Flares 1.3.8. I would think (hope) all of these are tested before being released. This is what (IMO) beta testing is for - I don't think the paying customer should be spending their work day trying to resolve issues that shouldn't go live if they aren't working.

Well, yes and no... It's not a thing of stability, it's not even running anymore at all... While designers rely on that effect in existing projects. And it worked perfectly to that point, so it has to be an issue on AE's side, not on VCP's side, as they didn't change anything and it worked before? But I get your point as well, so maybe there's an update on OF that fixes that issue...

Thanks for that hint, but nope, didn't work. I tried it, but AE crashed before the project even opened. As soon as AE realizes, that there is Optical Flares involved, it denies and crashes It's not crashing when loading a frame which uses OF, it crashes before...

If it crashed, I'm guessing you never got as far as unchecking Use GPU.

Try opening the After Effects project without any source footage (so it all shows as missing) to see if you can get to the Use GPU setting.

Try using Effects Manager to disable all third-party effects, adding just Optical Flares back first.

Yes, you were right, didn't get to that point yet, but with all your tricks here, I managed to disable all effects, open an old file with OF with missing effects, deactivated all GPU Settings, saved it, re-started AE, enabled OF, re-started AE again, opened the file with deactivated GPU Settings --> Crash. Same as before.

Also tried to deactivate MFR, as Sbastien mentioned, this may also be a reason for OF to crash. No effect, same crash...

So, my next steps are: check graphic card drivers and re-install 22.6.5 to check. Sorry for all the delay, but I have to work on projects and try to troubleshoot that in the short breaks inbetween. I've to be careful not to destroy anything else while doing so, as I am part of a team, that try to be all on the same versions...

@Joe_hance

In addition to unchecking "Use GPU", we need to uncheck "Disable GPU Rendering" in the Optical Flares plug-in interface as well. More here: -flares-ae Scroll down to Optical Flares for AE > Interface Running Slow or Not Working.

When I updated from 2021 to 2022, I experienced frequent crashes until I updated each and every last third-party plugin.

Warren had suggested I install the newest OS. Unfortunately my home system (late 2013 iMac) is tapped out at Catalina 10.5.7 It won't support anything higher. If that's the problem (skeptical) time to upgrade my system.

Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but my work-around is to opne After Effects, drag and drop my .aep file into the project window, take everything out of the .aep folder it creates, and just save over my file. It's not ideal but its been my solution for the past few years haha

Good luck!

Another solution that I have tried is to install a previous version of Optical Flares, I did it with 1.3.5 and it worked without problems even opening the AE project from file explorer. Note: The plugin appears to me with a "shrunken" interface, and is not optimized for multi-frame rendering.

As far as building a better looking flare goes, I tried a Google search for better lens flare after effects and got some good results:

A tutorial here on the COW [link]

And a tutorial on Creative Dojo that also links to a good Harry Frank tutorial on the same subject [link] I believe they use a 3rd-party plugin called Shine for some of it, but you can recreate Shine with some of the built-in effects too. CC Light Burst or CC Light Rays coupled with some color correction effects should do it.

Lens flares are largely just shapes with transparency, blending over the composite with an add or screen transfer mode. The positioning of these shapes can be based on rules which you can codify into a series of expressions, or perhaps handle in 3D with parenting and auto-orient.

Video Copilot Optical Flares is the perfect way to add cinematic flair and realism to your footage! Enjoy creating intricate lens flares in After Effects with an elegant, user-friendly interface. Plus, Open GL acceleration makes it super simple and fast. So, you can make stunning visuals without taking up too much of your precious time. Bring some extra sparkle into life with Video Copilot Optical Flares!

Every flare is completely customizable so the options are limitless. Plus, over 90 minutes of After Effects training with Andrew Kramer is included so new users can get comfortable quickly. Optical Flares is an affordable way to add sophistication and magic to your motion graphics and visual effects!

Plug-ins with M1 compatibility can run in the new M1-native version of After Effects, which is already up to 3x faster than previous versions on the Mac. And now, with M1-compatibility, Video Copilot plug-ins are ready to go!

The Render version of the plugin requires the same license process as the plugin itself but they can use the attached key file if they do not have access to the GUI (typical of AE Render or true nodes with no monitors).

The plugin is FANTASTIC, and ToolFarm made it effortless to download the plugin after purchase. The Plugin itself is Amazing, and everything they say it is. It has made my life so much easier, and my videos have come to life. I definitely recommend this product to people who are looking for that extra umph for their video editing.

It has a beautiful interface - makes using it great fun. As another reviewer said, it would be nice if there was a demo, but if you're looking for a flares plug-in just know that this is the one to get.

This is the new industry standard for Lens Flares! Optical Flares is by far the best plugin for creating lens flares. Not only are the possibilities endless but you can also create lens flares that look very realistic.The plugin comes with a variety (about 50-60) of presets wich are very helpful if you don't want to design your own lens flare. Plus it makes it very easy to combine different lens flares, position them with or without the help of AE Lights and much more.And it's fast. Even with a cheap graphics card you can preview the slowest lens flares in realtime. My last thought is just: Who needs Knoll Light Factory any longer?

As a compositor and motion graphics designer, light and lens effects can really mean the difference between a polished-looking or half-baked shot. Video CoPilot's Optical Flares is one-stop shopping for that final pass on your comp. Adding lens flares in post fell severely out of favor as After Effects' stock flare effect became more and more tired and outdated. But the highly customizable flare settings in Optical Flares helps breathe new life into that kind of design element, and more importantly, does a fantastic job simulating REAL flares-- hugely helpful in my work for matching shots acquired from different cameras. The do-it-yourself flare building options are actually quite daunting at first, so I depended heavily upon the really excellent presets that come bundled with the license until I learned the ropes. It's a great product and VCP's support are great as well when you have questions.

I was initially super excited for the release of Optical Flares and Video Copilot blew me away by exceeding all of my expectations. There is no doubt that Optical Flares will become an industry-standard suite in no time. It's unfortunate that a demo is not available for download, because I'm convinced that once most users get their hands dirty with Optical Flares they will immediately be hooked.

Read the full review of Optical Flares 1.0 by Nikc Miller at Microfilmmaker Magazine, June 1, 2010.

Toolfarm is the top third-party reseller for professional plugins and software for motion graphics, visual effects, 3D, video, and audio. Our extensive range of top-quality visual effects, 3D, motion graphics, plugins, and tools are sure to elevate your projects to new heights.

1999-2024 Toolfarm Inc.

This link is being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; it does not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Toolfarm.com of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. Toolfarm.com bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.

VFX 2024.1 brings a set of new features to Real Lens Flares. Obscuration allows you to add fully integrated flare effects to any shot and the new Light Ball core projection option gives flares a physical presence in the scene.

2D + Distance gives you the ability to customize the distance of the light source in Z-Space, adding dimension to your shot. With the help of the Distance Affects Size and Size Affects Brightness Parameters you can change the moving flare.

Thanks to the upgraded lens simulation engine with support for anamorphic lenses in Real Lens Flares, filmmakers doing 3D renders, shooting video or doing motion graphics work can add Real Lens Flares to their shots.

3a8082e126