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Close-up of plasma erupting from the sun's surface, a 3D effect made with After Effects
Lens flare design element

SOLARIS
For Adobe After Effects

Lens flare element

Download for

$39

Solaris - Make A Realistic Sun in After Effects
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Lens flare design element

What is it?

Solaris allows you to create sizzling 3D sun animations in Adobe After Effects. This template gives you the all the control of a custom animation, but with the realism of authentic footage. It's perfect for creating scientific animations for documentaries, as well as stunning cinematic shots for sci-fi projects.

 

Solaris uses NASA footage of solar flares, prominences, coronal mass ejections, and the sun's surface, to create a realistic sun that you can customize with easy controls. The sun is three-dimensional, allowing you to animate your camera and incorporate other 3D elements into your scene. Included are 12 finished sun animations ("presets") that are ready to render. Solaris also includes a variety of bonus effects such as lens flares, heat haze, sound effects, star backgrounds, and several heat-themed title effects. All of the effects are easy to customize, and the in-depth tutorial takes you through the steps to easily build a custom sun from scratch. No matter your experience level, Solaris will let your ideas shine!

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Features

Lens flare design element
  • Presets  12 finished sun animations, as seen in the demo video above, including an eclipse, closeups of the sun's surface, and realistic suns modeled after actual sun footage. 

  • Real Footage – Choose from five 8K surface textures, and 25 solar elements, such as solar flares, prominences, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These elements are derived from NASA footage. Position them anywhere on the sun, in three dimensions.

  • Custom Elements  Combine the footage elements with optional surface textures, prominences and CMEs that are made in After Effects. These can be customized, allowing for more control over their movement and appearance.

  • Heat Haze – Intense heat distortion that you can customize with easy controls.

  • Sounds Effects – 19 audio clips of rumbling, crackling, sizzling, blowing, and flaring whooshes. 

  • Easy Customization  Customize your sun with easy controls on the Control Layer. The video tutorial below, and written instructions found throughout the template, explain how it works and how to customize it.

  • HD / 4K  Includes comps in both 1920x1080 and 3840x2160. Comps can be modified for any resolution.

Realistic 3D sun effect made in Adobe After Effects with Solaris
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Lens flare design element

Need to Know

  • This template is compatible with Adobe After Effects, v.18.0 (2021) and all later versions. Works on both PCs and Macs. No plugins required.

  • The template features comps in both HD (1920x1080) and 4K (3840x2160). For other resolutions, change the dimensions of the comp and and any Solid layers in the comp that are meant to fit the comp's dimensions.

  • Since the prominences are derived from footage, they are 2D (flat), but they can be easily positioned anywhere on the sun’s sphere, in 3D space. Sometimes, duplicating a prominence and adjusting the copy’s position and angle slightly, will create more of a 3D effect.

  • This template has been "universalized", so it will work in After Effects running in any language.

The Solaris template is not a plugin, so there is nothing to install. Rather, it's an Adobe After Effects project file, commonly known as a "template" because most of the work is already done and the user needs only to make their own customizations. This template is compatible with version 18.0 as well as all later versions of After Effects.

Solaris contains copyrighted intellectual property. The animations you create with this product are 100% yours and can be used for commercial purposes, but the sharing or online posting of project files with or for anyone other than a client is prohibited. See the Terms and Conditions for more details.

Positive and/or negative feedback is appreciated. Use the contact page to send me a message.

A view from the surface of the sun, with plasma eruptions and prominences, made with Solaris for Adobe After Effects
A realistic 3D sun animation made with Solaris in After Effects
Close-up of a 3D sun with solar flares, and a silhouette of Mercury, made in Adobe After Effects with the Solaris template
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